JEWISH LIFE AND LEARNING

Tuesday, April 11, 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM

Join us for this year's Passover celebration! We will have a chocolate and toffee matzah bar, Passover-themed origami, a service project, and the opportunity to create community with other Jews of Color and their families. Please RSVP for each person in your family so we make sure to have enough food and supplies!

Sunday, April 16, 5:30 PM – 6:45 PM

YOM HA’SHOAH

The Second Generation (2G) has been handed a torch, passed on by an ever dwindling number of Shoah survivors. Gina’s novel, Don’t Ask, her short stories, biography and documentary all focus on this responsibility. Since 2017, she has been coaching 14 daughters of Holocaust survivors in memoirwriting, almost all from in and around DC.

Monday, April 3 – April 17

We are offering Yom Ha’Shoah Yellow Candles to be lit on Erev Yom Ha’Shoah, Monday, April 17, 2023. We light a yahrzeit Candle on the anniversary of a loved one’s death, but since many of the six million have no family to remember them, by lighting a candle we collectively remember those who perished.

Classes begin Monday, May 29

LANGUAGE

It's time to register for the summer session of our language classes! We offer several levels of conversational Hebrew and beginner Yiddish. Class sizes are small, and learning is all from the comfort of your own home.

Tuesdays, April 4, April 11, April 18, 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM

A weekly in-person community Soul Writer’s Circle that brings members of the community together, so they can use the joint space to write. The method is based on the guidance of Rabbi Tamara Miller who will facilitate the writer’s circle by providing a meaningful prompt using Jewish texts.

Wednesday, June 14, 1:30 PM –3:00 PM (FREE)

Tuesday, May 9, 7:00 PM

AUTHOR TALK WITH DAVID

Every day, religion informs public discourse in democracies worldwide, and fuels societal polarization. Join us for a fascinating conversation about the roots of this trend, and how, surprisingly, religion can be used to support liberal democracies.

In Faith, Nationalism, and the Future of Liberal Democracy, authors Dr. David Elcott, C. Colt Anderson, Tobias Cremer and Volker Haarmann present a pragmatic and modernist exploration of how religion engages in the public square. The book highlights the use of religious identity to fuel the rise of illiberal, nationalist and populist democracy. The event will be followed by a book signing. Books will be available for purchase at the venue.

Sunday, June 25, 9:00 AM

Join a local bike ride as we participate in the Ride for the Living Global Challenge, which combines Holocaust education with fitness to help support JCC Krakow and survivors around the world. Sign up today to participate in a 36-mile ride around DC.

Sunday, June 25, 12:00 PM SURVIVORS’

Holocaust Survivor Day calls on people everywhere to celebrate survivors’ lives, thank survivors for their contributions and their lessons, and respond to help survivors who are in need today. Join us as we celebrate Survivors at a festive event at the Edlavitch DCJCC and pack gifts for home-bound Survivors.

Join other active retirees for a dessert and tea reception after the matinee performance of One Jewish Boy. Meet new friends, discuss the show, and enjoy a little nosh! Please note that tickets must be purchased separately.

Fridays, 1:00 PM-3:00 PM MAHJONG IN

Mahjong is a casual game for experienced players. Please email thowell@edcjcc.org to join.

We are enrolling ages 18 months through 5 years for the 2023-2024 school year! Visit edcjcc.org/preschooladmissions to get on the Admissions Pool List and sign up for either an in-person or virtual tour.

Sundays, April 2 and May 7, 8:30 AM – 9:00 AM

These 25-minute experiences introduce songs, rhymes, and developmentally-appropriate movement to our youngest JFamily members! Come build a bond with your baby while meeting other caregivers. This program is meant for the baby to be in their caregiver’s lap with their grown-up actively involved. Best for children 0–18 months.

Sundays, April 2 and May 7, 11:00 AM – 11:30 AM

Summer Session (June-July), Registration Opens in Late April

Join us for in-person weekday and Sunday fun for babies, toddlers, and preschoolers (with their grownups) at the EDCJCC this June and July! Class options include music, yoga, ballet, gymnastics, and soccer. edcjcc.org/totsclasses

Friday, April 21, 5:30 PM (IN-PERSON)

TOT SHABBAT IN THE LOT WITH SPECIAL GUEST AUNTIE A

Join us for Tot Shabbat in the EDCJCC Parking Lot!

This lively 30-minute Shabbat song session with Auntie A (from Rhythm ‘N’ Ruach) is geared toward children under six years old and their parents, grandparents, and caregivers. Together we will sing, dance, say the Shabbat blessings, and enjoy challah and snacks. Bring a blanket, and feel free to hang out and have a picnic dinner afterwards!

Is your little one on the move and no longer content to just sit on your lap and play? We are looking for some “grasshoppers” who like to wiggle, jiggle, and move! Join JFamily Ambassadors Tracy and Julie (from the Pozez JCC in NoVA) and Shoshana (from the EDCJCC) to get those wiggles out with music, stories, dancing, and more!

6 Thursdays, May 11 – June 15, 6:30 PM – 7:30 PM

Pregnant for the first time? Looking to create a community with other expecting moms to exchange ideas and find support? This group will meet weekly for six weeks to provide a safe and facilitated space for moms-to-be to discuss their experiences and learn from one another. We will explore several topics, including: concerns about childbirth and parenting; balancing family with work outside the home; navigating new relationships with your partner, parents, and in-laws; and recognizing post (and pre)-partum depression and anxiety.

Join us in person at 10:00 AM on the third Thursday of most months to gather with other new parents, and parents-tobe for coffee, company, and relaxed conversations on topics of interest to new parents. Bring your babies and your questions – each month, we’ll spend most of our time talking through participants’ specific situations.

Thursday, May 18, 10:00 AM

Wednesday, May 17, 7:00 PM

Thinking about growing your family or looking for support after struggling to conceive? Join us for an informal discussion about different paths to family building. Our panel will include a fertility doctor, representatives from an adoption agency and the DC foster care system, lawyers who facilitates egg donor and gestational carrier agreements, and parents who have built families in a variety of ways. The program will consist of brief formal presentations from each of our panelists followed by lots of time in breakout rooms for more intimate conversations and questions.

LGBTQ and straight, couples and single parents, Jewish and non-Jewish — are all warmly welcomed. Come prepared to ask questions, get support, and connect with other people on the path to parenthood.

Co-presented by the EDCJCC’s Parenting Center & GLOE – the EDCJCC’s Kurlander Program for GLBTQ Outreach and Engagement in partnership with the Jewish Fertility Foundation, Greater DC.

Tuesday, April 25, 8:00 PM

How does a child become a life-long reader? What can parents do to foster pre-literacy and early literacy skills? When and how should children be learning to read? Parents of preschoolers often find these questions very stressful, but they don’t have to be! Join early literacy expert Lynn Klaiman for a practical and reassuring virtual discussion about how to start and support your child on their journey towards a lifelong love of reading. Intended for parents of 0-5 year olds, but all are welcome.

Sarah Marks, founder and president of Nannies by Sarah, will discuss the pros and cons of different childcare options and the benefits of hiring a nanny, and will share strategies for hiring a nanny that meets your family’s needs.

Thursday, June 15, 10:00 AM

Khyati Desai-Seltzer of Vyana Infant Massage LLC will discuss the benefits of infant massage and demonstrate some massage strokes that you can use with your baby at home.

The EDCJCC is seeking school year and summer camp staff. Apply at edcjcc.org/camp

By Stephen Laughton

Directed by Johanna Gruenhut

June 7 – July 2, 2023

In this bittersweet, sophisticated and quick-fire new British comedy about antisemitism, Jesse, a nice Jewish boy, falls in love with Alex, a nice mixed-race girl. The love between them is pure and absolute, but Jesse has never been able to shake off the vicious attack that changed him forever. Navigating any relationship is difficult enough, but what happens when you factor in politics and rising prejudice? This provocative play received a massive antisemitic response when the UK production opened in 2018; posters were defaced, and the writer received death threats.

Don’t miss the US premiere of this urgent and unflinching comedy, which pits the impact of hatred against the power of love.

“Moving… shows how race, gender, class, culture, and, perhaps most importantly, fear, impact on the characters’ lives” –The Stage

By Stephen Laughton

Directed by Johanna

Gruenhut