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Jewish LIFE Learning Is For

Everyone Jewish LIFE Mission Statement: Jewish LIFE, a collaborative Jewish education program created by the JCC, Rabbis, lay leadership and Jewish agencies, strives to expand and enhance the Jewish educational opportunities offered to both affiliated and non-affiliated Jews in Somerset, Hunterdon and Warren Counties.

Jewish LIFE, a Community Adult Education Program, is supported by:

Chabad of Greater Somerset County; Chabad Jewish Center of Southern Somerset County; Chabad of Hunterdon County; Flemington Jewish Community Center; Congregation Kehilat Shalom, Belle Mead; Congregation Knesseth Israel, Bound Brook; Temple Har Shalom, Warren; Jewish Family Service of Somerset, Hunterdon and Warren Counties; Jewish Federation of Somerset, Hunterdon and Warren Counties; Or Chadash, the Reform Temple of Hunterdon County; Shimon and Sara Birnbaum Jewish Community Center, Bridgewater; Jewish Center of Northwest Jersey; Temple Beth- El, Hillsborough; Temple Beth El, Somerset; Temple Sholom, Bridgewater.

Program Guide

2015-16/5776 Â

The Jewish LIFE program is made possible in part by a grant from the Jewish Federation of Somerset, Hunterdon & Warren Counties.

Jewish LIFE programs are possible because of the generosity of our Benefactor and Patron donors. Because of you, the community benefits from these cultural events. Please consider becoming a Benefactor or Patron today! Benefactor: $360 includes 2 Tickets w/Reserved Seating for select events listed below. Patron: $180 includes 1 Ticket with Reserved Seating for select events listed below. Please call JCC Executive Director Laura Friedman for details: (908) 725-6994 x213; LFriedman@ssbjcc.org

Registration Form

Below are Events included with Benefactor and Patron fee.

EVENT

DATE

PRICE

Paul M. Kaplan/Jewish New York

Thursday, October 1

$5/person

The Irma Horowitz Film Series: Havana Curveball

Sunday, October 25

$12/advance- $15/day of

Stephen M. Silverman/The Catskills

Thursday, October 29

$5/person

Elissa Altman/Poor Manâ€™s Feast

Sunday, November 15

$10/advance- $12/day of

Robert Morris/Bobby Wonderful

Thursday, December 3

$5/person

The Irma Horowitz Film Series: Falafel and Films

Thursday, December 17

$12/advance- $15/day of

Judith Viorst/Wait for Me

Wednesday, December 16

$18/advance- $22/day of

Alice Eve Cohen/The Year My Mother Came Back

Thursday, January 7, 2016

$5/person

Chaya Deitsch/Here and There

Thursday, February 4

$5/person

Jay Michaelson/The Gate of Tears

Thursday, February 25

$5/person

Steven Jay Gimbel/ Einstein, His Space and Times

Sunday, March 6

$10/advance- $12/day of

The Irma Horowitz Film Series: Falafel and Films

Thursday, March 10

$12/advance- $15/day of

Paula Shoyer/The New Passover Menu

Wednesday, April 6

$18/advance- $22/day of

Thursday, May 19

Eddie Shapiro/Nothing Like a Dame

QTY/TOTAL

$5/person

Grand Total:

Additional fees apply to all other special events.

Name:_________________________________________________________________________ Address:______________________________________________________________________ City: _________________________________State:_________________ Zip:_______________ Phone#: _______________________ Email:__________________________________________ I/We wish to pay by credit card:

VISA

M/C

Amex

Account #:____________________________________________________________________ Expiration Date:_______________ CVV Code:______________ Name on Credit Card: _________________________________________________________ Signature:______________________________________________________________________

Make checks payable to: JCC

Easy ways to buy tickets. 1. Online at ssbjcc.org 2. At the JCC Welcome Center 3. By phone: (908) 725-6994 x201 4. By mail: SSBJCC, 775 Talamini Rd., Bridgewater, NJ 08807

course registration information If you are interested in registering for any class listed under Course Offerings, please contact the host locations directly, using the below guide. Code Organization

Code

Organization

BES Temple Beth El, Somerset 1489 Hamilton Street, Somerset 08873 (732) 873-2325 Fax: ( 732) 873-3892 Denomination: Conservative Rabbi Eli Garfinkel

OCH

Or Chadash 149 Foothill Road, Flemington 08822 (908) 806-2122 Denomination: Reform Rabbi Joseph M. Forman

CKS Congregation Kehilat Shalom 253 Griggstown Road, Belle Mead 08502 (908) 359-0420 Fax: (908) 359-8848 Denomination: Reconstructionist Rabbi Susan Falk CKI Congregation Knesseth Israel 229 Mountain Avenue, Bound Brook 08805 (732) 469-0934 Fax: (732) 356-1325 Denomination: Independent Rabbi Jack Kramer CJC-BR Chabad Jewish Center of Greater Somerset County 3048 Valley Road, Basking Ridge 07920 (908) 604-8844 Fax: (908) 604-0771 Denomination: Independent Rabbi Mendy Herson CJC-H Chabad Jewish Center of Southern Somerset County 26 New Amwell Road, Hillsborough 08844 (908) 874-0444 Fax: (908) 450-3333 Denomination: Independent Rabbi Shmaya Krinsky

JCNWJ

Jewish Center of Northwest Jersey 115 Youmans Avenue, Washington 07882 (908) 689-0762 Denomination: Reform Rabbi Mary Zamore

JFS

Jewish Family Service of Somerset, Hunterdon & Warren Counties 150-A West High Street, Somerville 08876 (908) 725-7799 Fax: (908) 725-0284 Executive Director: Jerry Starr

JFED

Jewish Federation of Somerset, Hunterdon & Warren Counties 775 Talamini Road, Bridgewater 08807 (908) 725-6994 Fax: (908) 725-9753 Executive Director: Robin Wishnie

SSBJCC

Shimon and Sara Birnbaum Jewish Community Center 775 Talamini Road, Bridgewater 08807 (908) 725-6994 Fax: (908) 725-9753 Executive Director: Laura Friedman

TBE

CJC-HC Chabad of Hunterdon County 90 Beaver Avenue, Clinton 08809 (908) 238-9002 Fax: ( 908) 238-9006 Denomination: Independent Rabbi Eli Kornfeld FJCC Flemington Jewish Community Center 5 Sergeantsville Road, Flemington 08822 (908) 782-6410 Fax: (908) 806-7736 Denomination: Conservative

HS Temple Har Shalom 104 Mount Horeb Road, Warren 07059 (732) 356-8777 Fax: (732) 356-0580 Denomination: Reform Rabbi Randi Musnitsky

Participating Agencies and Synagogues Jewish LIFE Year Long Learning

Temple Beth-El, Hillsborough 67 U.S. Hwy. 206, Hillsborough 08844 (908) 722-0674 Fax: (908) 429-1418 Denomination: Reform Rabbi Arnie Gluck Temple Sholom P.O. Box 6007, 594 North Bridge Street Bridgewater 08807 (908) 722-1339 Fax: (908) 253-0878 Denomination: Conservative Rabbi Dan Selsberg

Jewish LIFE

Connect to...

event prices

We will connect you to your Jewish past, present and future.

The Florence Melton School of Adult Jewish Learning is an inspiring and empowering adult learning experience. It enables participants to achieve a strong foundation of Jewish knowledge in just two years. Students of varying backgrounds form a community of learners who explore Jewish texts and begin to understand how Judaism developed and what Judaism means to them. The pluralistic approach fosters an atmosphere of warmth, respect, and mutual understanding.

Core Class Curriculum:

RHYTHMS: What does it mean to live PURPOSES: What do Jews believe

Jewishly? What are the ideas, beliefs, and practices involved? This course examines a wide variety of Jewish sources to discover deeper meanings, underlying holidays, lifecycle observances, and Jewish practice.

and why? How do Jewish thinkers answer life’s BIG questions? Explore both ancient and modern responses to many major issues of Jewish thought and theology.

Instructors: Rabbi Dan & Karen Selsberg Location: SSBJCC

Tuesdays 9:30-11:30am: October 20, 27 November 3, 10, 17, 24 December 1, 8, 15, 22 January 5, 12, 19, 26 February 2, 9, 23 March 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 April 5, 12, 19, 26 May 3, 10, 17, 24

Link for registration forms: jccmetrowest.org/meltonschool or call Rhonda Lillianthal: (973)530-3519

Fee: $675/person when registered by September 25; $725/person after September 25

Give us two hours a week…we’ll give you 5776 years!

Melton Graduate School: Graduates of the two–year core curriculum are eligible to continue their studies in our Graduate Melton School, which offers a wide array of topics. Instructor: Rabbi Richard Fagan Location: SSBJCC

Fall 2015 Semester:

Jewish Denominations: Addressing the Challenges of Modernity: This course examines Jewish identity and religious expression against the backdrop of dramatic political and social change. Students gain extensive insights into the historical and ideological developments of the major Jewish religious movements in the modern period, exploring the impact of gender, assimilators, Israel and post-denominationalism. Fall Semester: Tuesdays 9:30-11:30 am October 13, 20, 27; November 3, 10, 17, 24; December 1, 8, 15, 22; January 5, 12

Spring 2016 Semester: Shiv’im Panim: Bereshit I:

Based on the tradition that the Torah has “70 faces” (Shiv’im Panim), or ways of interpreting and understanding it, this curriculum features a multi-faceted approach to Torah study and imparts Torah-study skills. It includes: •Modern and classical commentaries that represent a range of orientations; •Interpretations of the texts by rabbis, scholars, artists and poets; •Opportunities to learn key Hebrew vocabulary in the context of the story; •Discussions on the real-life implications of the stories for us in our time. From Adam to Abraham, Bereshit I takes us from universal stories of creation, the flood, and the Tower of Babel to the foundational stories of Abraham and Sarah and the beginnings of the Jewish people. The themes of family and faith, honor and dishonor, passion and power provide a rich exploration of our people and ourselves. Spring Semester: Tuesdays 9:30-11:30 am March 8, 15, 22, 29; April 5, 12, 19, 26, ; May 3, 10, 17, 24, 31

Fee: Register for either the Fall and/or Spring semester: $350/one semester$675/both semesters

Jewish LIFE thanks JCC MetroWest for bringing The Melton School of Adult Learning to our community. 4

Jewish LIFE Year Long Learning

course registration information

New! iEngage 2

Engaging Israel: The Tribes Of Israel: A Shared Homeland For A Divided People

A video lecture and discussion series from the Shalom Hartman Institute, Jerusalem Sundays, November 15, December 13; January 24, February 7; March 13; April 10; May 22; June 5 4:00-6:00 pm Instructor: Rabbi Arnie Gluck Location: TBE Fee: $50/person includes 8 sessions, book and materials

The Tribes of Israel: A Shared Homeland for a Divided People, confronts the challenge of creating a Jewish and democratic public space in the modern State of Israel—a shared common space for a people divided along “tribal” affiliations: religious, ideological, national, and geographic. What is the significance of the State of Israel as a Jewish public sphere? How does a people divided along religious, geographic, and ideological lines build a shared society? The Tribes of Israel begins a conversation to restructure the relationship between the collective and the individual tribes that comprise Israel. *Note: You do not need to have taken iEngage 1 to participate in iEngage2. Please join the conversation!

Scholar-in-Residence Jewish LIFE Year Long Learning and Year-Long Learning

Jewish LIFE September Jewish Film Series

A Green Chariot Saturday, September 19 7:00pm

(Doors open at 6:30 pm with a wine and cheese reception) Location: TBE Discussion to follow led by Cantor Emily Pincus. Call for reservations: (908) 722-0674 Suggested Donation $5/person Yair, a 22-year-old new Russian immigrant, yearns for acceptance as an Israeli. Such is his desire to fit in that he disconnects himself from his father and his circle of Russian secular friends, finds a modern Orthodox girlfriend and joins a religious/nationalist youth movement. Everything seems to be perfect for the smart yeshiva student who is engaged to a beautiful, religious girl - until a package arrives with his deceased mother’s belongings and turns his world upside down. Something inside challenges everything Yair believes about himself and the person he`s tried to become. Engaging and thought provoking, A Green Chariot follows Yair through an identity crisis that forces him to confront his religious beliefs and journey back to the Russian identity he has fought to suppress. Awards: Silver Remi Award, Houston International Film Festival 2006, Nominated for Best Actor, Shanghai International Festival 2006, Special prize, Religion Today Film Festival, Italy, 2006 The film, “West Bank Story” (2007 Oscar winner), a parody on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, will be shown following the feature presentation.

Rosh Hashanah

Israeli Folk Dancing

Start it off Sweet at the JCC!

Thursdays: 7:30-9:00 pm Location: TBE Fee: $10 Newcomers: First class is free

Instructor: “Shalom” Stacey Herman Date: Thursday, September 7 Time: 5:00 pm Location: JCC Free to Community Start the New Year with a project to display the people you love. Join us to design an original apple picture frame to have in your home for the New Year. Enjoy a sweet snack to start the year off with friends and family. Great project for preschool age through tweens. Please register in advance…drop-ins always welcome! Materials: TBA

Dates: September 10, 17, 24 October 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 November 5, 12, 19 December 3, 10, 17 January 7, 14, 21, 28 February 4, 11, 18, 25 March 3, 10, 17, 24, 31 April 7, 14; May 12, 19, 26 June 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 Put joy in your heart & jump in your step. It’s the best workout for mind, body, soul!

Jewish LIFE Special Events, Films, Lectures, Courses

Jewish LIFE Is Possible Only With Your Support

Patron: $180 includes 1 Ticket with Reserved Seating for each Event. Benefactor: $360 includes 2 Tickets with Reserved Seating for each Event. (Some exclusions apply.) Please call JCC Executive Director Laura Friedman for details. (908) 725-6994 x213 • e-mail: LFriedman@ssbjcc.org

September Sukkot Fun at the JCC!

High Holy Day Workshop Series

Thursdays at 7:30pm

Instructor: Rabbi Eli Kornfeld Location: CJC-HC Fee: $36/Course In preparation for the High Holidays, we invite you to join us for a series of workshops that probe the depths of contemporary insights into the upcoming High Holidays. Each of the three workshops offers meaningful and timely lessons, and fascinating discussion.

Shofar Factory

Forgiveness

Lulav & Etrog

September 10

September 17

September 24

October

Instructor: “Shalom” Stacey Herman Date: Wednesday, September 30 Time: 6:00 pm Location: SSBJCC Fee: $5/child, Adult Free Join us in the Sukkah for pizza, craft, lulav, etrog, songs and the company of the JCC Family. Please register in advance by Tuesday, September 29.

The Real Deal - A Three-Part Series Two Young Israelis Present...

Special Event

Jewish New York:

A History and Guide to Neighborhoods, Heroes and Villains in our Jewish Heritage Instructors: Betzalel Strauss and Yair Burgansky Synagogues and Eateries

Paul M. Kaplan

Thursday, October 1 12 Noon Location: SSBJCC Fee: $5/person includes bagel “and”

Tour New York without leaving New Jersey! Author Paul M. Kaplan provides a road map to the history of Jewish immigration in this great American city. With a focus on the communities of Manhattan, Kaplan includes museums, places of historic interest, restaurants, synagogues, and entertainment venues of the present and those that no longer exist. Alive in vintage photos, these sites are divided by their location, traveling from the south to the farthest northern tip of Manhattan. Paul Kaplan provides suggested itineraries, tips and reference notes for further exploration. Kaplan’s historical introduction provides the framework for locals and visitors of every religion and nationality to delve into the rich history and contributions of Jewish immigrants in New York.

Date: Thursday, October 15, 22 and 29 Time: 7:00 pm Location: SSBJCC Free to Community

The men and women of the Scriptures are more than mere life portraits: they continue to live and function long after their deaths in this world. They are biblical-historical characters and also archetypal figures in some way relevant to the inner life of the modern individual, and to modern society and politics as well. Not all these people were models characters, they include the good and the bad, those whose acts we perpetuate today and those who have served as a warning and a deterrent to repeating the mistakes of the past. Delve into descriptive texts of the Heroes and Villains together with Betzalel Strauss and Yair Burgansky, two post army Israeli young men who came from Israel as the Mekor Chaim/ Steinsaltz Ambassadors to live in our community, learn with us through school, synagogue and JCC programs, encourage exploration of Jewish knowledge by learning with people of all ages and unify our community by hosting community-wide programs.

Co-sponsored by the Brandeis National Committee, Somerset Chapter.

Jewish LIFE Special Events, Films, Lectures, Courses

Jewish LIFE October Sukkah Supper Instructors: Rabbi Jack Kramer and Cantor Eddie Roffman Date: Sunday, October 4 Time: 4:00 pm Location: CKI Partake in a vegetarian (dairy) potluck dinner in the synagogue’s Sukkah. Join in the mitzvot of shaking the lulav and etrog as Rabbi Kramer instructs us in the proper way to say the blessings, and Cantor Roffman teaches us Sukkot songs. Please contact us at info@ ckibbnj.org for our pot-luck food policy. This event will be preceded by a Tot Sukkah Celebration at 4:00 pm. Join us with your tots as we share a story, make a craft and share a snack in the Sukkah!

Instructor: Sarah Gluck Sundays: 11:15 AM-12:30 pm (16 Sessions) Location: TBE Dates: October 11, 25; November 1, 15, 22; December 6, 20; January 10, 24, 31; February 7, 21, 28; March 13; April 3, 10; May 1

Instructor: Rabbi Eli Kornfeld Thursdays: 12:30 pm Dates: Begins October 8 (three sessions) Location: CJC-HC Catered Lunch at the Old Egg Auction Building, 84 Park Ave., Flemington Fee: $95/course or $15/class: includes text books and catered lunch The Torah Studies program brings you the tradition of classical Jewish learning in a series of clear and engaging weekly classes. Join any one of our classes and broaden your Jewish knowledge. Chabad is committed to providing every Jew with the opportunity to study and claim the beautiful tradition which is inherently theirs through a variety of educational programs.

Special Event

Then Came Life:

Intermediate Biblical Hebrew

Lunch and Learn- Torah Studies

Continuing in The First Hebrew Reader, we will read and translate biblical passages as we build grammar, vocabulary, and an understanding of classical syntax and style. By the time we complete the book, you will be able to read and understand excerpts from the Tanach (Hebrew Bible) in the original language. This year, we will add a Modern Hebrew component. Get ready for even more fun! Textbook: The First Hebrew Reader (EKS Publishing) and supplemental materials provided by the instructor.

Living with Courage, Spirit and Gratitude After Breast Cancer

Geralyn Lucas

Tuesday, October 20 7:00 pm Location: SSBJCC Free to the Community Join Geralyn Lucas as she dares all women who have had a stumble in life to harness their fighting spirit and stand back up with courage and optimism! Then Came Life is not just for cancer survivors, it’s for life survivors - a call to rediscover the resilience and optimism it takes to reinvent yourself at any age. One mastectomy, two C-sections, three pants sizes, and lots of red lipstick later, Geralyn Lucas is dealing with the same issues as other women her age. Her miracle babies have grown into a typical tween with a fierce eye-roll for her mom’s failings and a tornado of a little boy who won’t play by his preschool’s rules. With an infectiously hilarious voice and a true sense of empowerment, Geralyn harnesses her fighting spirit to live life loudly and lustily, and to grab onto all the moments that might never have happened. Knowing she can only pedal forward, she mines every day for boldness, joy, and gratitude and eventually falls in love with life again. This program is co-sponsored by Jewish Family Service of Somerset, Hunterdon and Warren Counties.

Jewish LIFE Special Events, Films, Lectures, Courses

Jewish LIFE Is Possible Only With Your Support

he Jewish LIFE program is made possible in part by a grant from the T Jewish Federation of Somerset, Hunterdon & Warren Counties

October Rabbi’s Breakfasts Eilu d’varim she-ein lahem shi’ur — Values Beyond Measure Instructor: Rabbi Arnie Gluck Sundays: 9:00-10:45 am (4 Sessions) Location: TBE Dates: October 11, November 22, December 20, and January 31 This year’s breakfast series will continue the lively conversations we had last year about the passage in the Talmud that appears in the morning service, highlighting the deeds and values so essential to Jewish life that their performance has no limit. In other words, we can never do too much to honor our parents, perform acts of kindness, study Torah, welcome guests, visit the sick, rejoice at weddings, console the bereaved, reflect on our prayers, and pursue peace. This year, Rabbi Gluck will guide us through texts on Study, Making Peace, Rejoicing with Bride and Groom, and Praying with Sincerity, bringing a fresh understanding of what it means to fulfill these mitzvot (commandments) in our own lives. BYOB (bring your own breakfast) and come share your thoughts!

Fall Family Shabbat Dinner Instructor: “Shalom” Stacey Herman Date: Friday, October 16 Time: 6:00 pm Location: SSBJCC Fee: $36/Immediate Family Let’s kick off the Fall Season with a “Friday Night Lights” Shabbat Dinner. Join your JCC friends and family for a delicious Shabbat dinner. We will enjoy a craft, PJ Library story, dinner and fun!! (Menu details to come). Please register by Wednesday, October 14. Contact Stacey Herman with any questions at (908) 725-6994 x223; Sherman@ssbjcc.org.

Lunch and Learn Instructor: Rabbi Eli Garfinkel Tuesdays: 12:00-1:00 pm Dates: Beginning October 13 Location: BES Jewish philosophy is a locked vault with treasures inside. Rabbi Eli Garfinkel will teach you how to open the vault of the Jewish philosophy and how to enjoy the wealth of learning contained therein. Although the focus of the class will be on primary sources, no Hebrew language ability is required for this class.

Fall Seminar: The Jewish View of the Afterlife, Heaven and Hell Instructor: Rabbi Eli Garfinkel Thursdays: 12:00-1:00 pm Dates: Beginning October 15 Location: BES What happens after we die? Does Judaism include the idea of Hell? In this class, we will study what different Jewish sources have to say about these topics.

The Irma Horowitz Film Series Sunday, October 25 10:00 am Location: JCC Fee: $12/person in advance; $15/person day of event (includes bagel breakfast)

Havana Curveball The two-year journey of one boy’s desire to understand his family’s history while navigating the gap between youthful ideals and the complex messy reality of the adult world. A Skype discussion and Q & A with the filmmaker will follow the screening. From Award-winning filmmaking duo, Marcia Jarmel (Return of Sarah’s Daughters) and Ken Schneider (Regret to Inform) comes Havana Curveball. The documentary tells the story of Mica, a classic idealistic Jewish teen who, at the age of 13, decides to take it upon himself to help make the world a better place the best way he knows how - through baseball. His plan for his Mitzvah project is to collect baseball gear and send to Cuba, which is where Mica’s grandfather received refuge after fleeing during WWII. What Mica sees as an opportunity to do good and return a favor in a small way comes to a head with the harsh realities of the world that don’t always work hand in hand with idealism. This program is supported by the Irma Horowitz Endowment Fund.

Judaism 101: Instructor: Rabbi Dan Selsberg Sundays: 10:00 am Dates: Beginning October 18 Location: TS Free to Community For everyone who didn’t pay attention in Hebrew School, forgot what they learned or never got a chance to learn.

Jewish LIFE Special Events, Films, Lectures, Courses

Jewish LIFE October Jewish Renewal in Israeli Pop Music Instructor: Cantor Emily Pincus Tuesday: 7:30-9:00 pm Dates: October 20 & October 27 Location: TBE

The Jewish Perspective: Death and the Afterlife Instructor: Rabbi Eli Kornfeld Tuesdays: 7:30 pm Dates: Begins October 27 (6 Sessions) Location: CJC-HC Fee: $95 (includes textbooks.)

Beginning Hebrew Reading Instructor: Sarah Gluck Sundays: 9:00-9:50 am (12 Sessions) Location: TBE

Dates: October 25; November 1, 15; December 6; January 10, 24; February 7, There is a stream of religiosity in 21, 28; March 13; April 3, 10 contemporary Israeli pop music. In a way, “The Final Journey” Spiritual, Emotional and Practical Approaches to Death and This class will teach the alef-bet and it has always been part of the fabric of vowels and get you on your way songs of the Land of Israel--songs from the the Afterlife. Whether you’re curious to reading Hebrew comfortably. about the afterlife, have suffered a Ashkenazi tradition celebrating love of the Fun learning how to read is 100% loss, or are contemplating the future, Land and containing an implicit connection guaranteed! this course addresses the philosophical, to a sense of the divine. More recently, practical and emotional aspects. several famous musicians have become religiously observant, and Mizrachi and Sephardic sounds have entered the mainstream, as has the music of more traditional Ashkenazi groups. In this class, we will examine several well-known Tuesday, October 27 examples from the current Israeli musical scene. Time: 9:00 am -12 Noon • Shop Vendors: 9:00 -10:30 am

Special Event

The Women’s Philanthropy Division of the Jewish Federation Presents...Imagine

Alef Isn’t Enough Instructor: Sarah Gluck Sundays: 10:00-11:00 am (12 Sessions) Dates: October 25; November 1, 15; December 6; January 10, 24; February 7, 21, 28; March 13; April 3, 10 Location: TBE Have you ever sat in services and said to yourself, I wish I could understand what I’m saying? (Who hasn’t?) If you know how to decode the alef-bet (read phonetically), this class will boost your reading skills as you learn the structure and meaning of select passages from the Shabbat and holiday liturgy and ritual. Key vocabulary, word roots, and rudimentary grammar will guide you toward understanding. Expect many “aha!” moments.

Program & Brunch: 10:30 am - Noon Location: Raritan Valley Country Club, Bridgewater Couvert: $79/person This event includes brunch, the Klezmer Band Sruli and Lisa and

vendor shopping. This year we are raising money to benefit disabled veterans programs here at home and in Israel. To register, please contact Topaz Weinglass at (908) 725-6994 x 261 or tweinglass@jfedshaw.org.

Our beneficiary at home: Benefiting Wounded Veterans: 52 Reasons to Love a Vet • Our beneficiary in Israel: Friends of Israel Disabled Veterans

Special Event

The Catskills, Its History and How it Changed America Stephen M. Silverman Thursday, October 29 12 Noon Location: SSBJCC

$5/person includes bagel “and”

For all those who spent summers in The Catskills, relive the memories!! For those who didn’t, learn about the great history this special haven offered to thousands. The Catskills are legendary… home to poets, artists hucksters, gangsters, idealists, tycoons, prize fighters, politicians, preachers and outlaws, musicians, spiritualists outcasts and rebels, yet their centrality to the Americana experience has largely gone undiscovered. Silverman’s account of the Catskills brings it all fully to life – the Catskills’ beauty, charm, vastness and irresistible idiosyncrasy. Stephen Silverman tells of the turning points that made the Catskills so vital to the development of America.

Jewish LIFE Special Events, Films, Lectures, Courses

November Temple Beth El Film Class Instructor: Rabbi Eli Garfinkel Tuesdays: 8:00-9:00 pm Dates: First Tuesday of the month, beginning on November 3 Location: BES The Temple Beth El Film Class is back by overwhelming popular demand! We’ll watch and discuss movies and documentaries that speak to the state of Jewish life in our day. Many of them are award- winning masterpieces. If you are not a member of Temple Beth El and would like to receive the movie schedule when it is available, please send an email to rabbigarfinkel1@mac.com.

Special Event Addressing Modern-Day Slavery Rabbi Rachel Kahn-Troster

Sunday, November 1 10:00 am Location: CKS

Free to all Congregation Kehilat Shalom Members. Suggested donation of $7/person for all others (includes voucher for bagel café)

The Jewish story of our own freedom from bondage challenges us to work for the freedom of all people. Rabbi Rachel Kahn-Troster, Director of Programs at T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights, will discuss the unfortunate reality of slavery in the world today, including the United States. She will also focus on the remarkable accomplishments of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, a group of tomato farm laborers in Florida, who have captured national attention for vastly improving conditions for farm laborers in Florida and across the country.

Special Event

The Borscht Belt Marty Schniet

The Last Speech of Moses: The Book of Deuteronomy Instructor: Rabbi Arnie Gluck Tuesdays: 7:30-9:00 pm (4 sessions) Dates: November 10, 17; December 1, 15 Location: TBE

The fifth book of the Torah, Deuteronomy, is distinctly and uniquely different from the other four books. Like the others, it is accepted to be part of the revelation that Moses received at Mount Sinai. Unlike the others, it is presented as the final speech of a human being, Moses. That is only the beginning of the strange and fascinating content of this extraordinary book. Based on the profound scholarship of Dr. Micha Goodman, a brilliant Israeli teacher of Torah, this class will explore the message of the book of Deuteronomy and its tremendous relevance for us in our own day.

Thursday, November 5 12 Noon Location: SSBJCC

Fee: $5/person includes bagel “and”

Historically, half of America’s Jews lived in New York City. This remarkable time of the Borscht Belt will never be duplicated. What survives are the fabulous memories. Marty will detail the history of the Borscht Belt and will focus on a number of sites including: Old Route 17, Red Apple Rest and the Bungalow Colonies, to name a few. He will speak about the following great hotels of this era, including Grossinger’s, The Concord and Kutcher’s. Hear about the comedians who got their start in the Catskills, including Red Buttons, George Burns, Rodney Dangerfield, Sid Caesar, Henny Youngman and Milton Berle.

Special Event Grandma Rowaida’s Dark Secret from Kuwait to Jerusalem Mark Halawa

The Womens’ Rosh Chodesh Society of Hunterdon County Date: Thursday, November 12 Time: 7:30 pm Location: CJC-HC Fee: $95/year or $18/session Topic: Painting & Drawing: The Inner Eye of the Artist We are fascinated by artists. Their work embodies what we want our lives to be: beautiful, meaningful, and purposeful. But art is not only for artists. It’s for anyone who craves to know how to live more creatively, more deeply. Join us on a seven-part journey as we explore Judaism’s insights into the arts and how they beautify and transform our lives, one brushstroke at a time. This year’s theme: “Art and Soul, Live Creatively.”

Friday, November 6 6:45 pm Location: CJC-HC Fee: $18/person includes Community Shabbat Dinner

“My Grandma Rowaida’s Dark Secret,” My Journey from Kuwaiti Arab to Jerusalemite Jew. Mark Halawa will share his riveting story, titled, “Grandma Rowaida Dark Secret”, exploring his arduous journey from Kuwait to Jerusalem.

Special Event The Dr. Michael Fink Memorial Lecture

America & Israel: Worry, Relax, or Both? Jeremy Pappas of AIPAC

Tuesday, November 17 8:00 pm Free to the Community Location: BES

This program is generously sponsored by Lori and Bob Fink, in memory of their beloved son, Dr. Michael Fink, Ph.D.

Jewish LIFE Special Events, Films, Lectures, Courses

Jewish LIFE November Making Jewish Choices

Special Event

Poor Man’s Feast- Love Story of Comfort, Desire and the Art of Simple Cooking Elissa Altman Sunday, November 15 9:30am Location: OCH Fee: $10/person in advance; $12/person day of event (includes refreshments) From James Beard Award-winning writer Elissa Altman, comes a story that marries wit to warmth, and flavor to passion. Born and raised in New York to a food-phobic mother and food-fanatical father, Elissa was trained early on that fancy is always best. But love does strange things to people, and when Elissa met Susan — a small-town Connecticut Yankee with parsimonious tendencies and a devotion to simple living — it would change Elissa’s relationship with food, and the people who taught her about it, forever. With tender and often hilarious honesty (and 27 delicious recipes), “Poor Man’s Feast” is a universal tale of finding sustenance and peace in a world of excess and inauthenticity, and shows us how all our stories are inextricably bound up with what, and how, we feed ourselves and those we love. Elissa Altman is the winner of the 2012 James Beard Award for her Food Blog. She is a food and cookbook writer and editor. Her works have appeared in The New York Times and Huffington Post.

If we are Jewish, are all of our choices Jewish choices? In what ways can our Jewishness affect the choices that we make? We will discuss some halacha and customs that inform our choices (e.g., lashon hora). See how making choices in a Jewish framework can improve your social interactions and your life. Please email at info@ckibbnj.org with any questions.

Thanksgiving Volunteering & Holiday Toy Drive Kickoff Date: Sunday, November 22 Time: 5:00 pm Location: CJC-HC Help prepare freshly made Kosher Thanksgiving meals to be distributed to those in need or home bound. Help wrap and deliver Holiday Toy Drive boxes throughout Hunterdon County.

Kosher Pickle Factory

Jewish Film Series

Instructor: Rabbi Mendy Margolin Date: Sunday, November 29 Time: 11:30 am Location: CJC-HC

Food Chains

Saturday, November 21 7:00 pm Location: CKS

Fee: Adults $18/person; Children $8/person

Fee: Free to all Congregation Kehilat Shalom Members. Suggested donation of $7/person for all others. As the American public becomes more concerned about what they eat and more attuned to the benefits of fresh produce, the film, “Food Chains”, draws attention to the equally vital issue of those who harvest our food. This documentary film reveals the abuse of farm workers within the United States and the terrible human cost within our food supply that forces farm workers into working in sub-human conditions. The film also focuses on the extraordinary work of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers that has made tremendous gains in improving their conditions.

Instructor: Rabbi Jack Kramer Date: Saturday, November 21 Time: 7:30 pm Location: CKI

Experience “The Kosher Pickle Factory” for the very first time. Learn the unique art of making kosher pickles. Nationally traveled “Rabbi Pickle” is coming from Brooklyn and will teach you how to pickle. You will be taking home your own jar of marinated goodies. An activity for the whole family.

Jewish LIFE Special Events, Films, Lectures, Courses

December Special Event

Bobby Wonderful: An Imperfect Son Buries His Parents

Robert Morris

Thursday, December 3 12 Noon Location: SSBJCC

Fee: $5/person includes bagel “and” Clear-eyed, engaging and astoundingly funny, “Bobby Wonderful” is one imperfect son’s story of an experience many of us will eventually share. How a son gave his parents the deaths they deserved – even if he didn’t always live his life as they wanted. His mother’s last word was his name. His father’s was “wonderful.” Together they inspired the title for this true story of love and redemption. When he finds his parents approaching the end of their lives, he begins to see his relationship to them in a whole new light and it changes his way of thinking. “Bobby Wonderful” recounts two poignant deaths and one family’s struggle to find the silver lining in them. As accessible as he is insightful, Bob Morris infuses each moment of his profound emotional journey with dark comedy, spiritual inquiry and brutally honest self-examination.

Special Event

Family Hanukkah Event

Farmer Kobi’s Hanukkah Match

Rabbi Ron Isaacs and Karen Rostoker

Wednesday, December 10 10am Location: SSBJCC

Free to Community Come join Farmer Kobi and his animals for a hilarious Hanukkah dinner. Kobi’s well maaa-nnered goats, donkey, geese and sheep know eggz-actly how to play host and they give Polly, Kobi’s Hanukkah guest a gracious hee-haw welcome! Join us for a interactive fun morning of singing and dancing as we listen to the authors tell Farmer Kobi’s story.

Special Event Chanukah Cooking Class with “Chopped” Champion Chef Rachel Reuben

Thursday, December 3 6:00 pm Location: SSBJCC

Fee: $55/person (appropriate for ages 13+) Must RSVP by November 30.

Includes samples of the food prepared, recipes and wine!!!

Eat Well, Cook Well, Live Well with Rachel Reuben, Chopped Champion!

Some people have a mid-life crisis and buy a new sports car, have an affair, or get plastic surgery. Rachel Reuben went to culinary school…at the same time her 19 year old son did. It was time to re-invent herself and follow her life-long passion for great food and good cooking, and she intends to make this “second course” of her life into a “sumptuous feast.” Rachel hopes to inspire, teach and entertain. Join us as we prepare a full-course Chanukah meal, with a menu featuring updated and elevated Chanukah treats your grandmother would love. And of course, Chef Rachel’s “Chopped” recipe for “The World’s Fluffiest Potato Pancake” that helped her win the title of “Chopped Champ” and the $10,000 prize. Rachel will teach us new dishes for the holiday table, while we gather together to cook, eat and make delicious food memories! She will help us get some of the traditional dishes right, learning techniques for making and preparing the “big meal” less stressful and more efficient.

Jewish LIFE Special Events, Films, Lectures, Courses

Jewish LIFE

December

Patron: $180 includes 1 Ticket with Reserved Seating for each Event. Benefactor: $360 includes 2 Tickets with Reserved Seating for each Event.

(Some exclusions apply.) Please call JCC Executive Director Laura Friedman for details. (908) 725-6994 x213 • e-mail: LFriedman@ssbjcc.org

Special Event

Friends of the IDF Musical Ensemble in Concert for a Chanukah Celebration!

Jewish Film Series

DeliMan:

Tuesday, December 8 Location: SSBJCC Watch for Details!

A Freshly Made Documentary by Erik Greenberg Anjou Saturday, December 12 7:00 pm Location: TBE Suggested Donation $5/person

Discussion and Q & A with filmmaker Eric Greenberg Anjou will follow screening. The story of the American deli is the story of Jews – their immigration, migration, upward mobility, and western assimilation. New York may always be the most populous, celebrated and redolent Jewish node, but substantial and influential Jewish tides flowed even to Houston and Dallas. The shadowy understory is how that very success engendered the deterioration of the old, traditional urban block and neighborhood – the epic synagogues, Mom and Pop storefronts, and nucleus of Jewish cultural life at which deli was the succulent heart. The local delicatessen has been the virtual epicenter not only of food, but of family, laughter and community. Deli Man has visited deli meccas like the Carnegie, Katz’s, 2nd Avenue Deli, Nate ‘n Al and Langer’s. The film features interviews with some of the great mavens, comedians and connoisseurs of deli, including Jerry Stiller, Alan Dershowitz, Freddie Klein, Dennis Howard, Jay Parker (Ben’s Best), Fyvush Finkel and Larry King. You are what you eat. So join us for some raucous laughter, an existential discussion about what makes pastrami pastrami, a bissele of shpilkus, and a reminder to renew your fitness club membership.

Savor delicious appetizers of corned beef, pastrami, knishes and pickles too – topped off with a Dr. Brown!

Enjoy a memorable performance of popular and traditional Israeli Music and Chanukah Favorites in celebration of Chanukah and the State of Israel. This program is in support of the soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces. More Details to Follow!

Special Event

The Story of the Music of George and Ira Gershwin Thursday, December 17 12 Noon Location: SSBJCC

$5/person includes bagel “and”

Come and enjoy the story of the legendary George and Ira Gershwn. Learn how their music came to be loved by all and hear the story of their lives.

The Womens’ Rosh Chodesh Society of Hunterdon County Instructor: Rachel Kornfeld Date: Sunday, December 13 Time: 7:30 pm Location: CJC-HC Fee: $95/year or $18/session Topic: Music: The Pen of the Soul

We are fascinated by artists. Their work embodies what we want our lives to be: beautiful, meaningful, and purposeful. But art is not only for artists. It’s for anyone who craves to know how to live more creatively, more deeply. Join us on a seven-part journey as we explore Judaism’s insights into the arts and how they beautify and transform our lives, one brush stroke at a time. This year’s theme: “Art and Soul: Live Creatively.”

Super Sunday

The Strength of a People, The Power of a Community

Go to www.jfedshaw.org for more details.

Sunday, December 13 9:30 am - 2:30 pm VOLUNTEERS NEEDED! 14

Jewish LIFE Special Events, Films, Lectures, Courses

Special Event

“Switchblades n’ Skullcaps”

Special Event

Dr. Laz

Wait For Me - and Other Poems About the Irritations and Consolations of a Long Marriage

Friday, December 11 6:45 pm Location: CJC-HC

Wednesday, December 16 12 Noon Location: SSBJCC

Fee: $18/person includes Community Shabbat Dinner

Dr. Laz is the best-selling author of Switchblades N Skullcaps. His work on race relations and special needs has been featured on ESPN and CNN. His multi-ethnic music band has performed for: the US Congress; halftime for the NY Knicks and Miami Heat; opened for Al Green, the Winans and the Manhattans.

Judith Viorst

Return Engagement!

Fee: $18/person in advance $22/person day of event (includes lunch) Judith Viorst, the legendary author of Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day turns attention to marriage -- exploring the peeves and pleasures of a long marriage and what lies beyond. Married for 55 years, she now casts a rueful, experienced eye on the amusing annoyances and deep satisfactions of a long marriage...and what a couple must inevitably confront together. Enriched by Stephen Campbell’s charming, full-color illustrations, this touching, wise, and funny book will surely bring a smile of recognition to anyone who has been in a long marriage. Wait for Me is a celebration of the lasting powers of married love. Co-sponsored by the Brandeis National Committee, Somerset Chapter and Temple Beth El Somerset Sisterhood.

The Irma Horowitz Film Series Featuring Falafel & Films Israeli Short Films

Presented by Ma’aleh School of Television Film and the Arts in Jerusalem

Thursday, December 17 6:30 pm Location: SSBJCC

The Ma’aleh School

Fee: $12/person in advance; $15 person day of program (includes falafel dinner)

Rosenzweig Born to Dance (Documentary) Avigdor Rosenzweig is a tap dancer. In 1939 his dancing saved his life. Today, he is 88 and lives in a retirement home. When Avigdor dances on the parquet floor of his room, he laughs until he’s out of breath, and with the last ounce of his strength he pushes his tired feet to do a few more steps. For Avigdor, dancing isn’t a hobby and isn’t therapy. It’s the way to survive.

Getting Serious A Jerusalem romantic comedy about a young moderately Orthodox man who pretends to be more religious than he is. What happens when his girlfriend discovers the truth?

The Strength to Tell (Documentary) A film which follows a group of Jerusalem teenagers, victims of broken homes and shattered lives. Participating in Martef, a therapeutic program for at-risk teens, they interview surviving witnesses of the 1961 Eichmann trial and create a play based on their stories. The young actors and the aging survivors develop bonds of empathy and understanding, connected by shared pain and loss. The film is emotional and will be remembered long after viewing.

Do You Need to Wear a Black Hat? Instructor: Rabbi Jack Kramer Date: Saturday, December 19 Time: 7:30 pm Location: CKI We are not more or less Jewish based on the clothes that we wear. Many of us have a desire to be sincere in our quest to be authentically Jewish. How do we imbue our lives with Jewish meaning if we don’t adhere to strict halachic definitions? Join us as we explore the meaning of some of the laws of halacha, and how we can find meaning for ourselves with our Jewishness in the modern world. Please contact us at info@ckibbnj.org with any questions.

This program is supported in part by the Irma Horowitz Endowment Fund.

Jewish LIFE Special Events, Films, Lectures, Courses

Jewish LIFE January Special Event

The Year My Mother Came Back (A Memoir) Alice Eve Cohen

A compelling story of mothers lost and found…a woman “finds” her own mother and rediscovers herself, and is finally able to accept her own imperfections.

Thursday, January 7 12 Noon Location: SSBJCC Fee: $5/person includes bagel “and” It turns out, it’s entirely possible for the people we’ve lost to come back to us when we need them the most. Thirty years after her death, Alice’s mother appears to her, seemingly in the flesh, and continues to do so during the hardest year of parenting Alice has had to face. Although letting her mother back into her life is not an easy thing, Alice navigates it with humor, intelligence and honesty. What she learns is that she must revisit her childhood and allow herself to be a daughter once more in order to take care of her own girls. Alice needs to walk in her mother’s shoes in order to understand her and forgive her, and rediscover her love for her.

Beit Midrash with Rabbi Gluck Instructor: Rabbi Arnie Gluck Tuesdays: 7:30-9:00 pm (6 sessions) Dates: January 5, 26; February 2, 9; March 1, 8 Location: TBE

Dine/ Watch/ Discuss Instructor: Rabbi Jack Kramer Date: Saturday, January 9 Time: 6:30 pm Location: CKI Fee: $10/person

The Womens’ Rosh Chodesh Society of Hunterdon County

Topic: Literature: The Art of the Narrative Instructor: Rachel Kornfeld We will have a light meal while we view (TBA)… Date: Tuesday, January 12 followed by a discussion led by Rabbi Kramer. Time: 7:30 pm The classic setting for Jewish learning is the Please contact us at info@ckibbnj.org to RSVP Location: CJC-HC Beit Midrash. In English we call it “house and with any questions. Fee: $95/year or $18/session

of learning,” but it is much more than that. “Midrash” means to interpret, to seek, to draw forth meaning from our sacred texts. It is the inner sanctum where the Jewish tradition has lived for the last 2000 years, and it is recreated wherever Jews join in serious study of Torah. So join us in our own Beit Midrash as we engage in a deep and dynamic dialogue with some of the great passages and issues and debates of our Rabbis. Many of the texts and topics will be those that Rabbi Gluck has studied in the Beit Midrash of the Hartman Institute in Jerusalem.

Jewish LIFE Special Events, Films, Lectures, Courses

January The Jewish Perspective: War on Terror Instructor: Rabbi Eli Kornfeld Thursdays: 7:30 pm Dates: January 14 & January 21 Location: CJC-HC Fee: $36 (includes textbooks)

A Three-Part Series: Judaism at the End of Life Instructor: Rabbi Susan Falk Date: Sunday, January 17 Time: 9:30-11:30 am Location: CKS Fee: Free for Kehilat Shalom Members All others: suggested donation $7 $18 for all three sessions.

Session 1: Using Jewish Values in Making End-of-Life Decisions

Through study and discussion, learn how Jewish teachings can illuminate and provide guidance with the issues people face in making end-of-life decisions and the search for meaning. Together we will discuss navigating technological Part 1: Negotiating with Terror: In 2011, Israel set 1,027 advances, patient self-determination, and the ability to control one’s own destiny. prisoners free in exchange for the release of Gilad Shalit. For questions or additional information, please contact (908) 359-0420, admin@ More recently, the rise of ISIS and the murders of James kehilatshalomnj.org Foley and Steven Sutloff and others have forced us to revisit this heart-wrenching debate: Should we pay hefty ransoms or release dangerous criminals in exchange for Instructor: Shari Czar the life and freedom of an innocent hostage?

A Meditation with Gifts from the Earth

Part 2: Torturing to Save Lives: The recent “Torture Report” alleges that the brutal interrogation techniques used by the CIA in the aftermath of 9/11 were ineffective. But what if they did yield valuable information--would they have been justified? While the evils of terror must be combated, human rights must also be protected. How are we to balance these competing values?

February

The Jewish Course of Why Instructor: Rabbi Eli Kornfeld Tuesdays: 7:30pm Dates: Begins February 9 (6 sessions) Location: CJC-HC Fee: $95(Includes Text Books.) JLI WINTER: “The Jewish Course of Why” It’s a good thing Jews love to ask questions, because there’s not a more effective way to learn than by asking a good question. From the profound to the almost profane, and everything in between, this course will address some of the most puzzling aspects of Jewish tradition.

Special Event Judge, Jury, Executioner? Rabbi Professor Eli Silberstein Friday, February 5 6:45 pm Location: CJC-HC Fee: $18/person includes Shabbat dinner Join Rabbi Silberstein, Director of Chabad of Ithaca, NY, lecture on Talmudic law at Cornell University and author of JLI courses, He will present the Jewish Perspective on Gender Equality, Minimum Wage and Gun Rights.

Saturday, January 30, following Tu BiShvat Seder Location: TBE

Have you ever taken the time to really notice details of the wonderful gifts from the earth: the design in the center of a flower, the pattern on a rock, or the feeling of dirt between your fingers? Come discover what we may not previously have noticed as we celebrate the New Year for Trees. For more information contact Shari Czar at Shari@InfiniteHeartSpace.com.

Special Event

Here and There: Leaving Chasidism, Keeping My Family

Chaya Deitsch

Thursday, February 4 12 Noon Location: SSBJCC Fee: $5/person includes bagel “and” With honesty, sensitivity, and intelligence, Chaya Deitsch movingly shows us that lives lived differently do not have to be lives lived apart. As a child, Chaya Deitsch felt that she didn’t belong in the Hasidic world into which she’d been born. Upon receiving permission from her bewildered but supportive parents to attend Barnard College, she discovered a wider world in which she could establish an independent identity and fulfill her dream of a life unconfined by the strictures imposed upon her by a belief system that she had never bought into, a life that would be filled with the secular knowledge and culture that were foreign to her friends and relatives in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. As she navigated the complexities of her new life, Chaya and her parents eventually came to an understanding that was based on unqualified love and a hard-won, but fragile, form of acceptance.

Jewish LIFE Special Events, Films, Lectures, Courses

Jewish LIFE

Trip to Costa Rica Accompanied by Rabbi Ron & Leora Isaacs. Dates: February 11-18, 2016

This trip will provide Jewish insights on nature and ecology. A special Shabbat visit with the Jewish community of San Jose is included.

Special Event

For more information please call: ITC TOURS at (973) 535-2575 or E-mail at info@israeltour.com

The Gate of Tears: Sadness and the Spiritual Path The Womens’ Rosh Chodesh Society of Hunterdon County

Jay Michaelson Thursday, February 25 7:00 pm Location: SSBJCC Fee: $5/person

Instructor: Rachel Kornfeld Date: Thursday, February 11 Time: 7:30 pm Location: CJC-HC Fee: $95/year or $18/session Topic: The Dance of Life.

The Gates of Tears is a beautifully written We are fascinated by artists. Their work embodies what we want our lives to be: beautiful, meaningful, and purposeful. But art is not transformative book. Jay Michaelson guides us, only for artists. It’s for anyone who craves to know how to live more instead of denying, avoiding, explaining away, or creatively, more deeply. Join us on a seven-part journey as we explore resisting sadness, to go to into the heart of it. Judaism’s insights into the arts and how they beautify and transform our lives, one brushstroke at a time. This year’s theme: “Art and Soul: There we find open space, true love of life, and, Live Creatively.” perhaps most redeeming, one another. Written over a ten year period, and completed in the mourning period after the death of his mother, “The Gate of Tears” is not a self-help book. If anything, it is a self-helpless book, discovering a happiness deeper than transitory joys that emerges precisely when the resistance to sadness is released. The Gate of Tears is not a New Age book with easy answers; it is infused with a contemporary sensibility, skepticism, and humor. All of us, if we are to be fully human, experience pain. The Gate of Tears is about how the embrace of that experience ennobles, empowers, and liberates us. Dr. Michaelson is a public figure, a columnist for The Daily Beast and The Forward Newspaper, and a frequent commentator on religion, law and LGBT issues who has appeared on NPR, CBS and MSNBC This program is co-sponsored by Jewish Family Service of Somerset, Hunterdon and Warren Counties.

New Jersey vs Pennsylvania First Ever Kosher Chef Cook-off! Date: Sunday, February 21 Time: 6:00 pm Location: CJC-HC

Enjoy great kosher food & wines – Top chefs from NJ will complete against top chefs from PA and the audience will do the tasting and be the judges.

Parenting Workshop & Brunch

Date: Thursday, February 18 Time: 10:30 am Location: CJC-HC

Confidence or Arrogance: Identifying your child’s healthy self-esteem.

Salvation, Sin, Afterlife Instructor: Rabbi Jack Kramer Date: Saturday February 20 Time: 7:30 pm Location: CKI Where do we go from here? What happens when we die? Join us as we explore how Jewish views of the afterlife have changed over time. Do our actions and decision during our lifetime impact the quality of our being after life? If there is even an afterlife?

A Three-Part Series: Judaism at the End of Life Instructor: Rabbi Susan Falk Date: Sunday, February 28 Time: 9:30-11:30 am Location: CKS Fee: Free for Kehilat Shalom Members All others: suggested donation $7, $18 for all three sessions.

Session 2: Prayers of Mourning, Prayers of Healing. What do the traditional Jewish prayers teach us about grief and loss? How can these ancient words offer us comfort as we confront our loved ones’ and our own mortality? Together we will study three familiar prayers: Mourners Kaddish, El Maleh Rachamim, and Psalm 23. We will explore their language, history, theology, and discuss how they can be of help in times of grief and mourning. For questions or additional information, please contact (908) 359-0420, admin@kehilatshalomnj.org.

Jewish LIFE Special Events, Films, Lectures, Courses

March Jewish Film Series Epilogue

Saturday, March 5 7:00 pm Location: Temple Beth-El, Hillsborough Suggested Donation $5/person

Discussion to follow on the film and its implications for Jews both in Israel and Diaspora. Hayuta and Berl, early migrants to the very young State of Israel, were pioneers and activists of the first order. Aged, they no longer recognize much about the ideals of their youth in Israeli society today. After years of fighting, their common dreams remain: the revolutionary project to build an ideal social welfare state in Israel has not changed. If their bodies are now old, in their hearts and in their minds they are still the revolutionary utopians that they were in their 20’s.

Awards: Best Actor, Best Actress, 2012 Israeli Film Academy; Bratislava International Film Festival 2012; Gijón International Film Festival 2012, Jerusalem Film Festival 2012; Thessaloniki Film Festival 2012; Tokyo FILMeX 2012.

Spring Seminar: Jewish History through Primary Sources Instructor: Rabbi Eli Garfinkel Thursdays: 12:00-1:00 pm Dates: Beginning March 10 Location: BES The best way to study history is to examine documents from the age in question. Rather than read what someone else says about history, we’ll look at it ourselves. In this course, we’ll focus on Jewish life during the European Dark Ages.

The Womens’ Rosh Chodesh Society of Hunterdon County Topic: Dance: Architecture: Edifice & Environment Instructor: Rachel Kornfeld Date: Thursday, March 10 Time: 7:30 pm Location: CJC-HC Fee: $95/year or $18/session We are fascinated by artists. Their work embodies what we want our lives to be: beautiful, meaningful, and purposeful. But art is not only for artists. It’s for anyone who craves to know how to live more creatively, more deeply. Join us on a seven-part journey as we explore Judaism’s insights into the arts and how they beautify and transform our lives, one brushstroke at a time. This year’s theme: “Art and Soul: Live Creatively.”

Special Event

Einstein, His Space and Times

Steven Jay Gimbel Sunday, March 6 10:30 am Location: Or Chadash, Flemington Fee: $10/person in advance; $12/person day of event (includes refreshments). The commonly held view of Albert Einstein is of an eccentric genius for whom the pursuit of science was everything. But in actuality, the brilliant innovator whose Theory of Relativity forever reshaped our understanding of time, was a man of his times, always politically engaged and driven by strong moral principles. An avowed pacifist, Einstein’s mistrust of authority and outspoken social and scientific views earned him death threats from Nazi sympathizers in the years preceding World War II. To him, science provided not only a means for understanding the behavior of the universe, but a foundation for considering the deeper questions of life and a way for the worldwide Jewish community to gain confidence and pride in itself. Steven Gimbel, a Professor of Philosophy and Chair of the Department of Philosophy at Gettysburg College, presents Einstein in the context of the world he lived in, offering a fascinating portrait of a remarkable individual who remained actively engaged in international affairs throughout his life.

Jewish LIFE Special Events, Films, Lectures, Courses

Jewish LIFE March The Irma Horowitz Film Series Featuring Falafel & Films Israeli Short Films

Presented by Ma’aleh School of Television Film and the Arts in Jerusalem

Thursday, March 10 6:30 pm

The Ma’aleh School

Location: SSBJCC

Fee: $12/person in advance; $15 person day of program (includes falafel dinner)

Shira Shira, the mother of five children, lives in a religious community. Her husband’s expectation is that she will continue to bring children into the world. Shira begins to collapse under the stress of her responsibilities. She tries to take matters into her own hands.

A Story About Rain

In a world without rain, an artistic couple discovers that they have the power to create water. The man’s special powers challenge the couple’s relationship.

A Maise The warm relationship between Mendel, an elderly Holocaust survivor, and his Filipino caretaker, Jose, is tested when Jose does not have a work permit and the police begin searching the neighborhood for illegal foreign workers.

Doda Diya (Documentary) “I’ve been living with my aunt (Doda) Diya for six months now, and she reminds me of that every time I complain I’m a penniless student!” Doda Diya, a widow who leads a simple life, had waited 40 years to fulfill her biggest dream: returning to Jerba, a tiny island off the south of Tunisia where she grew up, to celebrate a memorial event for a righteous woman along with hundreds of other Jews. This program is supported by the Irma Horowitz Endowment Fund.

Chabad of Hunterdon County Community Israel Trip Dates: March 27- April 5 Location: CJC-HC Fee: $2,799/person double occupancy (excludes airfare) Join a group of hundreds of Jews from communities around the globe for a fun-filled trip infused with genuine warmth and spirit. Whether you have been to Israel before or are visiting for the first time, our itinerary is uniquely designed to provide you with an experience you’ll remember for many years to come. On The Land and The Spirit - Israel Experience, you won’t just see the land, you’ll learn fascinating insights about each place you visit and capture its soul.

Our Homeland, Right or Wrong?

Instructor: Rabbi Jack Kramer Date: Saturday, March 12 Time: 7:30 pm Location: CKI Modern Israel was created in the aftermath of the Holocaust. With that history and the wars which followed from its neighbors at inception, most Jews saw Israel as always being on the right side of the issues. As the nation matures, and there are policies some may disagree with, how do we continue to defend her when we believe she is right? And how do we disagree with certain policies without discrediting her?

“Operation Entebbe” Community Shabbat Dinner featuring Sassy Reuven Date: Friday, March 18 Time: 6:45 pm Location: CJC-HC Fee: $18/person Sassy Reuven is an IDF Veteran who took part in Operation Entebbe, the greatest hostage rescue in history. He served in the IDF’s elite “Red Beret” paratrooper unit. He has participated in many covert operations in Israel’s mighty struggle with those who seek to destroy it.

Great Jewish Writers and Great Jewish Writing Instructors: Ed Malberg and Bob Krovetz Tuesdays: 7:30-9:00 pm (3 sessions) Dates: March 29, April 5, April 12 Location: TBE We will discuss great Jewish writing from medieval times to the present. The first session will talk about Nachmanides’ defense of Judaism against attacks from Christianity (the Disputation), poetry by Judah HaLevi and Moses Ibn Ezra, and the writing of Rabbi Nachman of Bratslav. The second class will discuss contemporary writers such as Bernard Malamud, Saul Bellow and Philip Roth. The third session continues the discussion of contemporary writers, and will also talk about Jewish writing in Science Fiction (do you have to be human to convert?). We will use short stories and excerpts from larger works. The aim is to look at the writing from a historical perspective and talk about how the background of the writers and the times influenced the writing.

Jewish LIFE Special Events, Films, Lectures, Courses

Jewish Film Series

April

Three Mothers

Special Event

Saturday, April 9 7:00 pm

The New Passover Menu

Location: TBE Suggested Donation $5/person

Paula Shoyer

Discussion to follow film screening.

Wednesday, April 6 12 Noon Location: SSBJCC Fee: $18/person in advance; $22/person day of (includes lunch) Are you looking to update your Passover menu? Of course you are… who isn’t?! Passover is a celebration of freedom, and Paula Shoyer, author of several Jewish cookbooks, delivers an innovative Passover collection that celebrates culinary freedom, while still honoring the holiday’s dietary rules. Her dishes combine all the nostalgic pleasure of family favorites with 65 contemporary creations sure to please all cooks. Shoyer redefines Passover dining with updated and global recipes for both Seder nights and all eight days of the holiday. Passover has never been so easy or delicious! Paul Shoyer graduated from the Ritz Escoffier Pastry Program in Paris, and teaches classes in French pastry and Jewish cooking in the Washington, DC. area. She is a frequent guest on television and radio cooking programs and is a contributing columnist.

“Three Mothers” weaves a remarkable story of triplets named for flowers: Rose, Jasmine and Flora. Born in Egypt before 1948, these Jewish sisters immigrated to Israel and grew into three very different young women. Now Flora has retired from her work as a midwife, Jasmine awaits a kidney transplant, and Rose, once a successful singer, is wrapped in silence since the death of her husband. The film explores the limits of the bonds of sisterhood as they reveal the decades-old secret that has twisted their lives and families together. As the sisters’ story of love, sacrifice, and resentment unfolds against the backdrop of their daughter and niece Rucha’s struggle to start a family of her own, the filmmaker confronts, with great insight and compassion, the difficult question of what it means to be a mother. Awards: WON Israeli Film Academy for 2006 Best Picture, Best Director, Best screenplay; WON Jerusalem Film Festival for best cinematography; more nominations and win.

Save the date for two additional film nights on May 21 and June 18.

Special Event Fiddler on the Roof on Broadway

Thursday, April 7 7:00 pm Show Fee: $150/person • Members: $140/person - Limited Tickets Available! Be there as the sun rises on a new production of this beloved theatrical masterpiece from Tony winner Joseph Stein and Pulitzer Prize winners Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick . A wonderful cast and a lavish orchestra tell this heartwarming story of fathers and daughters, husbands and wives, and the timeless traditions that define faith and family. Featuring the Broadway classics “To Life (L’Chaim!),” “If I Were A Rich Man,” “Sunrise Sunset,” “Matchmaker, Matchmaker,” and “Tradition,” Fiddler On the Roof will introduce a new generation to this uplifting celebration that raises its cup to joy! To love! To life! Leave the JCC at 3:00 pm by coach bus. Return to the JCC by approximately 11:00 pm. There will be time to have dinner on your own before the show.

Jewish LIFE Special Events, Films, Lectures, Courses

Jewish LIFE

April A Three-Part Series: Judaism at the End of Life Instructor: Rabbi Susan Falk Date: Sunday, April 3 Time: 9:30-11:30 am Location: CKS Fee: Free for Kehilat Shalom Members All others: suggested donation $7, $18 for all three sessions. Session 3: Body and Soul: Jewish Beliefs About the Afterlife

The Jewish LIFE program is made possible in part by a grant from the Jewish Federation of Somerset, Hunterdon & Warren Counties

Special Event 4th Annual

A Night to Celebrate Israel

Our Community’s Support of Israel and Bond Event

Thursday, April 14

Raritan Valley Country Club Bridgewater, New Jersey

Hold The Dat e!

Educate, Celebrate & Enjoy Dinner! More details to come! $50/Adult • $18/Student

The Roots of Jewish Social Justice

Resurrection, immortality, reincarnation, heaven Instructor: Rabbi Jack Kramer and hell. Do Jews believe in an afterlife? Discover Date: Saturday April 16 what our rich tradition has said through the ages Time: 7:30 pm about life after death. Together we’ll study Location: CKI Jewish prayers, teachings and stories; learn each movement’s position on the subject; and grapple Explore the roots of Jewish Social Justice and how that relates to Jewish Secular Messianism. How and why were Jews instrumental in so many social justice movements with these concepts and teachings for ourselves. such as communism, socialism, Zionism, Workman’s Circle, Unionism, Civil Rights. What For questions or additional information, please is it about Jewish culture that has led so many Jews into social justice work? contact (908) 359-0420, admin@kehilatshalomnj.org

The Womens’ Rosh Chodesh Society of Hunterdon County Topic: Fashion Design, Interface & Engagement Instructor: Rachel Kornfeld Date: Thursday, April 12 Time: 7:30 pm Location: CJC-HC Fee: $95/year or $18/session We are fascinated by artists. Their work embodies what we want our lives to be: beautiful, meaningful, and purposeful. But art is not only for artists. It’s for anyone who craves to know how to live more creatively, more deeply. Join us on a seven-part journey as we explore Judaism’s insights into the arts and how they beautify and transform our lives, one brush stroke at a time. This year’s theme: “Art and Soul: Live Creatively.”

May

The Womens’ Rosh Chodesh Society of Hunterdon County Topic: Cuisine, the Art of Self Transformation Date: Thursday, May 12 Time: 7:30 pm Location: CJC-HC Fee: $95/year or $18/session We are fascinated by artists. Their work embodies what we want our lives to be: beautiful, meaningful, and purposeful. But art is not only for artists. It’s for anyone who craves to know how to live more creatively, more deeply. Join us on a seven-part journey as we explore Judaism’s insights into the arts and how they beautify and transform our lives, one brush stroke at a time. This year’s theme: “Art and Soul: Live Creatively.”

Jewish LIFE Special Events, Films, Lectures, Courses

Special Event

Yom HaShoah

Holocaust Remembrance Day Community Service Thursday, May 5 Location: TBE Program details to follow.

Biblical Heroes and Villains Instructor: Rabbi Eli Kornfeld Tuesdays: 7:30 pm Dates: Begins May 17 (6 sessions) Location: CJC-HC Fee: $95(Includes Text Books.) JLI Spring “Heroes and Villains” Enigmatic Biblical Tales of Kings, Warriors, and Prophets and conspirators, magic-makers and miracleworkers: this course analyzes some of the Bible’s most controversial episodes, uncovering powerful insights into the human spirit and man’s purpose on earth.

Special Event

Kosher Food Excursion in Brooklyn

with Arthur Schwartz Thursday, May 12 Leave the JCC at 8:30 am and return approximately 5:30 pm. Fee: $150/person includes bus, breakfast and lunch. Shopping is on your own. Must RSVP by May 1 • (Maximum of 12 participants; minimum of 10) No one knows kosher cooking and shopping like Arthur Schwartz! We are extremely fortunate to have Arthur Schwartz as our personal tour guide for the day! First stop is Arthur’s home for breakfast. Then we are off for a great day in “Kosher” Brooklyn with Arthur bringing us to some of his favorite Kosher food hotspots. We will enjoy lunch together at a kosher restaurant. Arthur Schwartz, aka The Food Maven, was the restaurant critic and executive food editor of the New York Daily News for 18 years. Perhaps what he’s best known for is as a chameleon—he’s successfully worked in radio, print media, cookbook publishing, TV, and teaching. Arthur Schwartz also teaches extensively, both demos and hands-on classes. He has a cooking school in Paestum, Italy, just south of the Amalfi Coast, where he conducts week-long classes that also include cultural touring. His work in radio and television is critically acclaimed. For 13 years, Schwartz did a daily broadcast on WOR, receiving the IACP’s Award of Excellence in Electronic Media for his work in radio. Jewish Home Cooking: Yiddish Recipes Revisited published in 2008, won the IACP’s Best American Subject Cookbook award and was nominated for both a James Beard book award and the Sophie Brody Medal of the American Library Association. His most recent book, The Southern Italian Table: Authentic Tastes from Traditional Kitchens, was published in 2009.

Special Event

Nothing like A Dame:

Conversations With the Great Women of Musical Theatre Eddie Shapiro

Thursday, May 19 12 Noon Location: SSBJCC Fee: $5/person includes bagel “and”

Calling all Broadway enthusiasts!!! Hear first-hand about your favorite women of Broadway. Eddie Shapiro promises a fun afternoon you won’t soon forget!

Community Shabbat Dinner in Honor of Yom HaShoah Date: Friday, May 20 Time: 6:45pm Location: CJC-HC Fee: $18/Person

Event featuring first- and second- generation survivors.

In “Nothing like a Dame,” theater journalist Eddie Shapiro opens a “jewelry box” full of glittering surprises, through in-depth conversations with 20 leading women of Broadway. He carefully selected Tony Award-winning stars that have spent the majority of their careers in theater. The women interviewed spent endless hours discussing their careers, offering insights into the iconic shows, changes on Broadway over the last century, and the art (and thrill) of taking the stage night after night. Hear first-hand accounts from Chita Riviera, Angela Lansbury, Audra McDonald and Carol Channing, right alongside contemporary Broadway stars like Idina Menzel and Kristen Chenoweth ,who describe their roles in the smash hit Wicked.

Jewish LIFE Special Events, Films, Lectures, Courses

June Special Event Secrets of Kabbalah & the Meditive Art of Yoga Guru Audi Gozlan Sunday, June 19 6:45 pm Location: CJC-HC Fee: $18/Person includes Community Shabbat Dinner

Special Event Kabbalah Yoga Flow Guru Audi Gozlan Sunday, June 19 11:00 am Location: At the Hunterdon Art Museum Terrace Fee: $18/Person - Smoothie and Organic Tea bar.

Audi will present a stirring discussion and meditation on the secret power of Shabbat with a modern fusion of ancient secrets of Kabbalah and the meditative art of yoga.

Kabbalah Yoga Guru Audi Gozlan presents a unique style of Vinyasa Flow Yoga based on the unique shapes of the Hebrew alphabet. Experience the outdoor connection listening to the current of the river.

Celebrate Israel Parade Sunday, June 5 Fifth Ave â€˘ New York City Details to follow.

July Special Event Jewish Music Festival & BBQ Featuring: Shlock Rock Sunday, July 17

5:00 pm Location: CJC-HC Fee: $25/Person Featuring world famous Schlock Rock Band performing Jewish parodies of your favorite oldies! Gourmet Kosher BBQ available.

Jewish LIFE 775 Talamini Road Bridgewater, NJ 08807 ssbjcc.org â€˘ 908-725-6994

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