Etz Chaim: The Center for Jewish Living and Learning values and welcomes Jews from all Jewish backgrounds with warmth and dignity.
We seek to inspire students and participants to be proud of their Jewish identity and rich heritage.
We encourage growth in Jewish knowledge and observance through high quality and inspiring programs presented by passionate teachers and mentors.
The Etz Chaim Center serves hundreds of students and adults on a regular basis with programs that reach college students, young adults, families and seniors.
During an SJL class, we had gotten into a discussion about the position of Judaism on the soul and life after death. In the middle of the talk, someone spoke up and said, “I am in my 90’s, and I’ve never heard of these concepts before. This is very comforting to me – to know that I will be okay, that G-d will be taking care of me. I’ll also be able to tell this to my daughter, and she will fell better, too.”
I hadn’t anticipated a response such as this, but it served to demonstrate how important it is to go back to the basics and discuss the fundamentals of our faith. Our Torah study truly served, as the verse says in Psalm 19, to “restore the soul.”
