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 Wide 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; 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 Har Shalom, Warren; Temple Sholom, Bridgewater.
Program Guide
2017-18/5778
The Jewish LIFE program is made possible in part by a grant from the Jewish Federation of Somerset, Hunterdon & Warren Counties.
Jewish LIFE Registration Form $180/Person $360/Couple
Patron*/ Benefactor** Excludes: Melton School, iEngage, Imagine, Celebrate Israel
Events
Date
Event Price
Shannon Sarna: Modern Jewish Baker
Sunday, October 8
$10
Avi Melamed, Your Personal GPS to Navigate the Middle East
Thursday, October 17
Free
Irma Horowitz Film Series, Falafel & Israeli Films
Thursday, October 19
$15
Bernard Beck: One American Dream
Thursday, October 26
$10
Erwin Ganz: One of the Last Survivors of Kristallnacht
Thursday, November 9
Free
Sheryl Olitzky: Muslim and Jewish Women
Thursday, November 14
$10
Rachel Braun: Embroidery and Sacred Text
Sunday, November 19
$10
Rabbi Richard Address: The 3/4 Life Challenge
Sunday, November 19
$18 w/brunch
Alexandra Zapruder: Twenty-Six Seconds
Monday, December 4
$10
Elisha Russ-Fishbane: Jewish-Muslim Relations: Challenges & Opportunities
Tuesday, December 5
$10
Leibel Mangel: Former IDF Soldier Speaker
Friday, December 8
$18/Adults $10/Children
Irma Horowitz Film Series, Falafel & Israeli Films
Thursday, December 14
$15
Eddy Portnoy: Bad Rabbi
Thursday, January 11
$10
Dr. Ali Chaudry: Understanding Islam
Tuesday, January 23
$10
Simcha Weinstein: Jewish Humor
Friday, January 12
18/Adults $10/Children
Yvette Corporon: Something Beautiful Happened
Thursday, January 18
$10
Abigail Pogrebin: My Jewish Year
Thursday, February 8
$10
Joseph Bensmihen: A Story of Courage and Perseverance
Friday, February 9
$18/Adults $10/Children
Film: The Book Thief
Saturday, February 10
$5
Marilyn Simon Rothstein: Lift and Separate (Book Club Event)
Thursday, February 22
$10
Film: The Women’s Balcony
Saturday, March 3
$5
Irma Horowitz Film Series, Falafel & Israeli Films
Thursday, March 8
$15
Douglas Stark: When Basketball was Jewish
Sunday, March 11
$10
David Kirshner: Matzo: 35 Recipes for Passover
Sunday, March 25
$10
iEngage: Israel’s Milestone and Their Meanings
Thursday, April 19
$36
Rachel Korazim: Yom Ha’atzma’ut
Thursday, April 19
$10
Francine Klagsbrun: Lioness: Golda Meir & the Nation of Israel
Sunday, April 22
Free
Phoenix Schneider: Support Our LGBTQ Community
Wednesday, April 25
$10
Danielle Capalino: Healthy Gut, Flat Stomach
Thursday, May 10
$10
Qty
Total
Name:________________________________________________________ Address:_____________________________________________________ City:________________________State:_________Zip:_______________
*Patron: $180 includes 1 Ticket with Reserved Seating for each Event. **Benefactor: $360 includes 2 Tickets w/Reserved Seating for each Event.
Phone#:____________________Email:____________________________
*Patron/Benefactor excludes: Melton School, iEngage, Imagine, Celebrate Israel
I/We wish to pay by credit card: VISA
M/C
AMEX
Account #:___________________________________________________ Expiration Date: ______________CVV Code:_______ Name on Credit Card: _________________________________________ Signature: _____________________________________________________
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Please call JCC Executive Director Laura Friedman for details: (908) 725-6994 x9001; LFriedman@ssbjcc.org Please complete and return the registration form with payment to: Jewish LIFE 775 Talamini Road Bridgewater, NJ 08807 Checks payable to: Shimon and Sara Birnbaum Jewish Community Center
Jewish LIFE Special Events, Films, Lectures, Courses
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 08503 (908) 359-0420 Fax: (908) 359-8848 Denomination: Reconstructionist Rabbi Susan Falk
JCNWJ
Jewish Center of Northwest Jersey 115 Youmans Avenue, Washington 07882 (908) 689-0762 Denomination: Reform Rabbi Mary Zamore
CKI Congregation Knesseth Israel 229 Mountain Avenue, Bound Brook, NJ (732) 469-0934 Fax: (732) 356-1325 Denomination: Independent Rabbi Jack Kramer
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
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
JFED
Jewish Federation of Somerset, Hunterdon & Warren Counties 775 Talamini Road, Bridgewater 08807 (908) 758-2006 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
CJC-H Chabad Jewish Center of Southern Somerset County 26 New Amwell Road, Hillsborough 08844 (908) 874-0444 Fax: (908) 450-3333 Denomination: Independent Miriam Krinsky
TBE
CJC-HC Chabad Jewish Center 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 Rabbi Eric Cohen
TS
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
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
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CONNECT TO... 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.
2017-2018 Course Jews in America: Insiders and Outsiders
Class Dates:
Instructor: Rabbi Richard Fagan Tuesday(s) October 17- May 1 Time: 9:15 am -10:45 am Location: SSBJCC Fee: $510/person
October 17, 24, 31 November 7, 14, 21, 28 December 5, 12, 19 January 9, 16, 23, 30 February 6, 13, 20, 27 March 6, 13, 20, 27 April 10, 17, 24 May 1
No prerequisites required.
Lessons will explore education, the Three Generation Hypothesis, Anti-Semitism and the Holocaust, Zionism and the State of Israel, the Civil Rights Movement, and other issues that address American and Jewish culture and identity.
An inspiring and empowering adult learning experience, the Melton School will give you the tools to mine Judaism’s rich treasury of wisdom. Classes integrate Jewish history, practices, ideas & ideals through direct study of primary sources, reflective analysis & group discussion. Class meet once a week and are taught by knowledgeable and experienced educators. If you are looking to live meaningfully and thrive spiritually, the Melton School is for you! No previous background of study or Hebrew knowledge required and no tests. This course of study is non-denominational and open to all. For more information, and to register, contact Rhonda Lillianthal, 973-530-3519 (rlillianthal@jccmetrowest.org). All programs are suited for ages 18 and up. Class beginning and ending dates may be subject to change.
Give us two hours a week… we’ll give you 5778 years! Jewish LIFE thanks JCC MetroWest for bringing The Melton School of Adult Learning to our community. 4
Jewish LIFE Year Long Learning
September
Jewish LIFE Special Event Mega Challah Bake Co-Sponsored by Chabad and the Birnbaum JCC Date: Thursday, September 14 Time: 7:30 pm (Doors open at 7pm) Location: SSBJCC Fee: $18 Join hundreds of women across Hunterdon and Somerset counties as they unite, learn, discover, create, share and play.
! T U DO
L O S
Inclusion is Key
Led by Scholar-In-Residence: Ed Frim, USCJ Ruderman Inclusion Specialist Friday, September 15 & Saturday, September 16 Friday Services: 8pm; Saturday Services: 9:30am, Lunch and Learn: 12:30pm Location: TS Free. All are Welcome Inclusion is key: finding ways to ensure that all community members of different abilities are included in synagogue life. Ed Frim, a synagogue inclusion specialist, will speak at services on Friday and Saturday, as well as a lunch and learn Shabbat afternoon.
Shabbat Morning Round Table Torah Discussion
Saturday Mornings 9:00 -10:00am Location: CJC-HC Free. All are welcome. Join a relaxed discussion as we delve into a topic from the weekly Torah portion and apply it to a current event. Coffee and Cake served
Film Event
Opening Night Temple Beth-El Jewish Film Series
Policeman
Saturday, September 9 Time: 7:00pm Location: TBE-H Suggested Donation: $5
Wine and Cheese will be served.
Policeman captures the flashpoints in Israeli society between the haves and the have-nots, contrasting opposing societal forces and finally pitting them against each other in a thrilling drama. Unusual is the film’s focus on the economic gap between rich and poor. A discussion of the film and its implications for Americans and Israelis in our increasingly radicalized world, led by David Cohen, will follow. Event is Co-Sponsored by TBE Social Action and Cultural Arts Committees.
Jewish LIFE Special Events, Films, Lectures, Courses
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Jewish LIFE
September
Community Special Event Community Slichot Service High Holy Days Preparation Evening Saturday, September 16 Time: 8:30pm Location: TBE Free to Community
Join Temple Beth-El, Congregation Knesseth Israel, and Temple Sholom to mark Slichot, the night of spiritual preparation for the High Holy Days. We will learn and reflect together with rabbis from across the community, and participate in a lovely musical slichot service.
Israeli Dancing
Thursdays: 7:30pm Location: TBE Everybody is welcome, beginners and experts. (Private extra time for beginners. First time is free!) Don’t be shy, come and try. Any questions contact Simona Rivkin at bakerec@comcast.net.
High Holiday Workshop Series
Rosh Hashanah: Children, Health & Wealth
“Dummies” Come to Bridgewater!
Rosh Hashanah Day Two Friday, September 22 Time: 11:00am – 12:00pm Location: TS (Blumberg Chapel) Free to Community Ring in the New Year with a ventriloquist with a Jewish twist. All ages are welcome to enjoy this hilarious way to start the New Year. On the second day of Rosh Hashanah, renowned ventriloquist Jonathan Geffner presents madcap, meshugeneh puppets who will present their acclaimed show/mishmash in celebration of Rosh Hashanah. Jewish skits, stories, sound effects, etc. presented in a hilarious manner.
Instructor: Rabbi Eli Kornfeld Tuesday, September 19 Time: 7:30pm Location: CJC-HC Fee: $36/person In preparation for the High Holidays, we invite you to join High Holiday Workshop Series us for a series of workshops that probe the depths of contemporary insights into the upcoming High Holidays. Yom Kippur: More than Perfect Each of the three workshops offers meaningful and Instructor: Rabbi Eli Kornfeld timely lessons, and fascinating discussion. Tuesday, September 26 Time: 7:30pm Location: CJC-HC Fee: $36/person /program 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.
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Jewish LIFE Special Events, Films, Lectures, Courses
Jewish LIFE High Holiday Workshop Series Sukkot: Connecting
Instructor: Rabbi Eli Kornfeld Tuesday, October 6 Time: 7:30pm Location: CJC-HC Fee: $36/person 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.
Introduction to Biblical Hebrew
Instructor: Sarah Gluck Sundays October 8, 15, 29; November 5; December 3, 17; January 7, 28; February 4, 11, 25; March 4, 11, 18, 25; April 15, 22, 29 Time: 10:00-11:30am Location: TBE Fee: Cost of Materials Imagine understanding what you hear when the Torah is read! This class will guide you toward reading, understanding, and translating passages from the Hebrew Bible through building grammar and vocabulary. All you need is the ability to read Hebrew comfortably. No prior knowledge of biblical Hebrew necessary. Textbook: The First Hebrew Primer (EKS Publishing)
Mussar: Seeking Everyday Holiness
Instructor: Rabbi Arnie Gluck Tuesdays October 10, 24; November 7, 28; December 12; January 2,16, 30; February 13, 27 Time: 7:00-8:30pm Location: TBE Fee: $90 The entire Jewish world is asking for deeper, richer spirituality and the Jewish spiritual tradition of Mussar can help meet this need. At the core of Seeking Everyday Holiness: A Community Mussar Program is the inspiring book Everyday Holiness by Alan Morinis, Dean of The Mussar Institute. This course will delve into nine of the most important soul-traits (middot) that the book covers, including group meetings alternating with personal study and practice.
October Simchat Torah Celebration
Thursday October 12 Time: 7:30pm Location: TS Free to the Community. All are welcome. Come celebrate with us as we finish and begin the Torah cycle! Candy apples, simcha dancing, singing and general merriment. Pasta dinner will be served.
Special Event Shannon Sarna Modern Jewish Baker
Challah, Babka, Bagels & More Sunday, October 8 Time: 1:00pm Fee $10 Location: FJCC Step-by step instruction for the seven core doughs of Jewish baking. Sweet and comforting Jewish baked goods have brought families together around the table for centuries. In Modern Jewish Baker, Sarna pays homage to those traditions while reinvigorating them with modern flavors and new ideas. One dough at a time she offers the basics for challah, babka, bagels, hamantaschen, rugelach, pita and matzah. Never one to shy away from innovation. Recipes include: Chocolate Chip Hamantaschen Tomato-Basil Challah Everything-Bagel Rugelach S’mores Babka Shannon Sarna, the Queen of Challah, is the editor of the popular Jewish food blog The Nosher. Her work has been featured in Edible Brooklyn, Parade, Tablet, and Buzzfeed.
Jewish LIFE Special Events, Films, Lectures, Courses
7
October
Jewish LIFE
Special Event
This program is sponsored by the Friends of the Israel Defense Forces.
, day 17 s r Thu tober CC Oc pm J B S 0 7:0 ion: S unity at mm Loc to Co e Fre In the second decade of the
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21st Century, the 20th Century Middle East disappears. A new, yet at the same time, an old Middle East emerges. Avi gives us a comprehensive understanding of the Middle East today, including: the background to today’s events and real time analysis of unfolding events in the Arab and Muslim world.
Yo igate 21s Nav in the t Eas tury Cen
Avi Melamed is a former Israeli intelligence official and senior official on Arab affairs. He serves as the Fellow of Intelligence and Middle Eastern Affairs for the Eisenhower Institute. He is an expert on current affairs in the Arab and Muslim world and their impact on Israel and the Middle East.
Special Film Event
Irma Horowitz Film Series Featuring Falafel & Israeli Short Films
Films by Students of Ma’aleh School of Television Film and the Arts in Jerusalem
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Def
he Thursday, October 19 f t s o d n e 6:30pm Fri the y b Location: SSBJCC red 8. nso 901 podinner Fee: $15/person includes falafel s 4x s 9 i 9 6 m 25gra 8-7 One Too Many pro 0 9 s l i l
Th Thirty year old Kobi is married to Rachel, who’s been in a coma for 4 yearsofollowing an accident. Kobi uses a little known loophole in Jewish r ca .orgfact his first wife is not deceased. However, the first wife wakes up law – the signatures of 100 Rabbis – in order to marry again, despitejccthe sb from her coma as he is marrying his second, and Kobi must make at s a choice between the two women.
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A noisy disturbance from some young men on the Re street erupts into Noni and Tamar’s home, shattering their evening. The violence that ensues raises questions for both of them about fear and ethics, testing the relationship between them to the limit.
Hanna is Beautiful
Hanna, a special needs 37 year old, shows a moving and philosophical insight into her situation. She lives in protective housing, follows her daily routine and hopes for love. Earning well below the minimum wage in the kitchens of a government ministry, Hanna applies for a re-evaluation of her salary in the lightof her high level of competence at work. The film accompanies her through her hardest and happiest moments.
This program is supported by the Irma Horowitz Endowment Fund.
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Jewish LIFE Special Events, Films, Lectures, Courses
October Primordial Israel:
The Talmud through a Deep Read of its Great Stories:
The Rarely Taught Untamed Stories of Israel
An Introductory Class Ruth Calderon’s A Bride for One Night: Talmud Tales
Instructor: Rabbi Dan Selsberg Thursdays beginning October 19 Time: 11:00am Location: TS
Most Jews don’t know our foundational stories well. Learn the real stories of our all-too-human ancestors. A deep dive into the stories that are too loaded to teach in Sunday School the uncensored stories from parts of the Hebrew Bible are rarely taught in synagogues. This year, this popular class will look at the tumultuous reign of King David. The baffled king composing Hallelujah... complete with adultery, violence, and religious fervor.
Instructor: Rabbi Dan Selsberg Thursdays beginning October 26 Time: 7:00pm Location: TS A discussion of unusual stories from the Talmud. We’ll look at unexpected tales of sages of old selected by one of Israel’s master teachers, former Member of Knesset Ruth Calderon. We’ll learn the original stories, discuss and compare with Calderon’s take in her masterful book, A Bride For One Night: Talmud Tales. Good for beginners and those with more experience with Jewish texts.
The Women’s Rosh Hodesh Society of Hunterdon County Series
Series Dates:
Pause & Affect, A Shabbat Outlook
October 19: Gift of Rest November 16: Glow of Peace December 21: RSC Social: Comedy for a Cause January 18: The Feminine Shabbat & Beauty Demo February 15: Divine Delights & Cooking Class March 20: Sacred Symbolisms April 19: Order from Chaos & Yoga May 17: Havdallah & Movie June 10: RCSocial: Trip to New York
Instructor: Rachel Kornfeld Thursdays 7:30 pm Location: CJC-HC Fee: $95 Yearly Enrollment, or $18 per Session Shabbat is G-d’s gift to the Jewish people. It offers respite from labor and a break from the intrusion of our ubiquitous technologies. It allows family and community the time to connect and reflect without distraction. Yet to many, Shabbat is archaic, restrictive, and daunting, and it is therefore altogether ignored. The objective of this course is to remove the barriers that keep people from enjoying what Shabbat has to offer. We invite women of every level of observance to experience the mystery of this most precious of Jewish treasures on their own level. Corresponding activities will be incorporated into several of the classes offered.
New this year: Rosh Chodesh Society Social!
Join fellow women from the community for an evening of socializing and fun.
Special Event
JFEDSHAW Women’s Philanthropy Event
Tuesday, October 24 Vendor Shopping: 8:30-10:00am and 11:30am-12:30pm Brunch and Program: 10:00-11:30am Fee: $36/person Location: Raritan Valley Country Club
Each year we choose a project close to the hearts of the women in our community. This year’s theme will be Youth at Risk. The Women’s Division will be supporting the Yemin Orde Youth Village in Israel and the Somerset Home for Temporarily Displaced Children here at home. We hope that you will join us and give these children a bright future. To register call Topaz at 908-758-2003 or visit www.jfedshaw.org/imagine2017
Jewish LIFE Special Events, Films, Lectures, Courses
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Jewish LIFE
October
Special Event
One American Dream Bernard Beck
Thursday, October 26 Time: 7:30pm Location: FJCC Fee: $10
Touching on the influence of religious faith in the secular world, debut novelist Beck intriguingly examines Jewish immigrant life in New York City during the early 20th century. In July 1890, arriving in America from Minsk, Jacob Rubinowitz decided to become Jack Rubin. In this three-generation family story, Jack is the catalyst, and Beck paints a portrait of a man equally admirable and frustrating. After youthful struggles, Jack marries Rose, the daughter of immigrant scholar Ben-Zion Perlman. Jack helps Rose harness her fashion talent. With Jack’s investments, the Rubins prosper and provide a home for Ben-Zion, who grows resentful and jealous as he ages. The interfamilial tension grows worse as the relationship between Ben-Zion and his precocious granddaughter, Ruthie, deepens. Ruthie, an accomplished writer as a teen, is invited by a publisher to expand a short story into a novel about the Pale of Settlement and its “heritage of pogroms, and life in the shtetle.” Ruthie falls in love with her young editor, Harry Berger. Angry objections arise. The Rubins are Orthodox Jews; the Bergers are Reform. Then, Ben-Zion encourages a decision that soon provokes unintended consequences, one aggravated by Harry’s religious conviction growing more fervent. A novel best enjoyed for its examination of a people and a culture. Bernie, a native of the New York/New Jersey area, spent two years in the army, then managed his father’s gift ware business for thirty years. After the recession of 1988, he began his second career as a business consultant and an adjunct professor of marketing at Rutgers University; Upon retirement, Bernie authored the book; The Bible, The Greatest Marketing Tool Ever Written; True Jew, Challenging the Stereotype , drawing upon his religious school background, combined with his marketing knowledge.
Special Film Event Temple Beth-El Jewish Film Series
Year Zero
Saturday, October 28 Time: 7:00pm Location: TBE Suggested Donation: $5
It seems to happen at some point in everyone’s life: you are permitted (or forced) to start over again from square one. That very thing happens to the protagonists of Year Zero. Employing the popular multiple-stories genre, the film offers a portrait of contemporary life as seen in the everyday realities of several characters. A real estate agent upset with his wife’s newest pregnancy, throwing their marriage into turmoil; a blind man who has lost his seeing eye dog; a suspicious businessman returning to Israel to care for his ailing father; a single mother trying to stay afloat after losing her job; a radio technician producing a program that could shed light on his past. These characters, connected by various relationships, must come to terms with unexpected, though transformational, reversals. Their lives unavoidably connect and intertwine and create a beautiful and enchanting collage.
Read Hebrew Crash Course:
Learn to read Hebrew in Just Five Lessons! Instructor: Rabbi Eli Kornfeld Sundays, Beginning October 29 (5 sessions) Time: 10:30am - 12:00pm Location: CJC-HC Fee $50/person 10
Jewish LIFE Special Events, Films, Lectures, Courses
Jewish LIFE November Special Event
Erwin Ganz:
One of the Last Remaining Survivors of Kristallnacht Tuesday, November 9 7:00pm Location: SSBJCC Free to Community In 1938, the Nazis began their crusade against Jews with discriminatory laws and the looting of property. They turned to violence openly in what has been known as Kristallnacht: The Night of Broken Glass. German soldiers set fires to synagogues, destroyed Jewish stores and businesses, and deported thousands of men to concentration camps. Erwin Ganz was born in Frankfurt, Germany in 1929. He lived there until he was three. When his family was forced to leave, they relocated to Bernkastel Koos, Germany. Erwin was 8 years old when Kristallnact occurred. In 1939, Erwin at the age of 9, and his family immigrated to the United States, where they settled in Newark, NJ.
This program is co-sponsored with the Jewish Federation.
Special Event Part One of Three Part Series: Muslim/Jewish Relations Sheryl Olitzky
Muslim and Jewish Women:
The Building of Strong Mutual Trust, Respect and Friendship Tuesday, November 14 7:00pm Location: SSBJCC Fee $10 Sheryl Olitzky is the Executive Director and Co-founder of the Sisterhood of Salaam Shalom, an emergence of all types of women from local groups, designed to foster abiding relationships between Muslim and Jewish Women. It is the first national grassroots organization of Muslim and Jewish Women committed to living in harmony. In just a few years, this Sisterhood has grown into a movement with members throughout the United States and Canada.
Jewish LIFE Special Events, Films, Lectures, Courses
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Jewish LIFE November Special Event
Special Event
Jewish Federation
Rachel Braun Embroidery and Sacred Text:
Super Week Nov. 27-Dec. 3
New Designs in Judaic Needlework Sunday, November 19 Time: 2:00pm Fee $10 Location: FJCC
Embroidery and Sacred Text introduces nineteen new designs in Judaic and Biblical embroidery, in stunning photographs of Rachel Braun’s original and colorful needlework. The author has embellished sacred texts from liturgy, piyyut (prayerful poetry) and Bible in creating her designs, in embroidery canvasses stitched in ‘blackwork’ embroidery technique. Erudite and insightful commentary accompanying each piece adds a spiritual dimension for appreciating the designs and for understanding the associations of sacred text and art.
“The Jewish Federation of Somerset, Hunterdon & Warren Counties presents the Federation’s first ever Super Week! It is the community’s largest fundraising event of the year! Keep an eye out for details on www.jfedshaw.org/SuperWeek
Questions? Want to volunteer? Contact Dan Fahrer at dfahrer@jfedshaw.org or 908-758-2002”
Rachel Braun explores how Jewish and Biblical texts can be embroidered – literally and figuratively – in original needlecraft designs. The results have been elegant and inspiring, and have graced the walls of libraries and places of worship.
JLI Great Debates in Jewish History Instructor: Rabbi Mendy Herson Mondays November 6 - December 11 (6 consecutive weeks) Times: 7:30-8:30pm Location: CJC-BR Fee: $100
Instructor: Rabbi Mendel Shemtov Wednesdays November 8 - December 13 (6 consecutive weeks) Times: 9:30-10:30am Location: CJC-BR Fee: $100
Wednesdays November 8 - December 13 (6 consecutive weeks) Time: 7:30-8:30pm Location: SSBJCC Fee: $100
Instructor: Rabbi Eli Kornfeld Tuesdays Begins October 31 (6-session course) Time: 7:30pm Location: CJC-HC Fee: $100
Debate and disputation are not only encouraged within Judaism, but reside at the very heart of Jewish history and theology. The Rohr Jewish Learning Institute (JLI) presents Great Debates in Jewish History, a six-session course exploring six fundamental conflicts that pit the greatest Jewish minds against each other--six instances of vastly divergent perspectives from throughout our history, including several that remain questions for us today. Discover a stirring and surprising account of Judaism’s intellectual history, from the ancient to the modern-day; as you relive epochs rich in narrative that provide fascinating context for six of the most monumental intellectual and theological debates in our history. The parade of characters presented in this course spans two millennia of biblical, rabbinic, and modern disputation, reflecting the panorama of Jewish history with its monumental political, ethical, and spiritual challenges. All courses include text book as part of the fee.
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Jewish LIFE Special Events, Films, Lectures, Courses
November Special Event Rabbi Richard Address
The 3/4 Life Challenge – Who Is That Person in the Mirror? Sunday, November 19 11:00am Location: SSBJCC Fee $18 includes brunch
As we age we become more aware of our own mortality and ask how we can live so life has meaning. In this presentation, we will explore how a series of Torah texts can form a foundation for our own life’s next stage. Following Rabbi Address’ talk, representatives from the Wilf Campus for Jewish Living will be available to discuss and advise on specific challenges related to aging and care giving. Rabbi Richard F. Address, is the founder and Director of Jewish Sacred Aging, LLC® and the website www.jewishsacredaging.com. He hosts a regular series of Jewish Sacred Aging pod-casts. Rabbi Address was ordained from HUC-JIR in 1972 and has served congregations in New Jersey and California. He served on the staff of the Union for Reform Judaism for over three decades as Regional Director, and then as founding Director of the Department of Jewish Family Concerns. He has served as adjunct faculty at HUC-JIR in New York, Co-Chairs the Jewish Advisory group for Sukkat Shalom, and the the Jewish Hospice of Samaritan Health Care. Rabbi Address also serves on an advisory committee for Jewish committee for the Alzheimer’s Association of Delaware Valley, and co-chairs the Committee of Spirituality and Diversity for C-TAC, the Coalition to Transform Advanced Care, in Washington, DC. He has contributed to numerous sites and publications on issues related to Boomers, spirituality and aging. His recent book (Behrman House) is Seekers of Meaning: Baby Boomers, Judaism and the Pursuit of Healthy Aging. This program is co-sponsored by The Wilf Campus for Jewish Living and Brandeis National Committee, Somerset Chapter.
Lunch and Learn Torah Studies
Instructor: Rabbi Eli Kornfeld Hosted by CJC-HC Thursdays Starting in November (Three Courses) Time: 12:30pm Location: Turntable Junction, 35 Fulper Rd., Flemington Fee: $80 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.
Thanksgiving Mitzvah & Holiday Toy Drive Kickoff
Sunday, November 19 Time: 5:00pm 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.
Thanksgiving Mitzvah Project
Thursday, November 23 Time: 3:00-5:00pm Location: CJC-HC Help serve Thanksgiving meals and spread holiday cheer as Chabad hosts 40+ residents of the Freedom House.
Jewish LIFE Special Events, Films, Lectures, Courses
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Jewish LIFE December Film Event Twenty-Six Seconds
A Personal History of the Zapruder Film Alexandra Zapruder
Monday, December 4 7:00pm Location: SSBJCC Fee $10/person Meet the woman whose grandfather filmed 22 seconds of the event that changed history. On November 22, 1963, Abraham Zapruder left his office hoping for a glimpse of President John F. Kennedy’s motorcade. A Russian Jewish immigrant who loved his home in America, Abraham was thrilled at the chance to see the young president in person – and perhaps be lucky enough to bring back a home movie. The 26 seconds of Zapruder’s footage depicting the JFK assassination is now iconic. Alexandra Zapruder began her career on the founding staff of the United States Holocaust Museum in Washington, DC. She is the author of Salvaged Pages: Young Writers’ Diaries of the Holocaust, which is a National Jewish Book award winner.
Special Event Leibel Mangel
Former Lone Soldier and a Voice of Israel Friday, December 8 6:45pm services 7:30pm Dinner & Speaker Location: CJC-HC Fee: $18 adults, $10 children at the door ($15/$8 per-paid) Liebel, at the age of 19, left his home in Cincinnati to enlist in the IDF, where he took part in numerous high profile anti-terror operations. Even after his military discharge, he has continued his service by fighting for Israel in both the main-stream and social media. Liebel was recently nominated for a Jewish People’s Choice award. Join us as we hear his story! 14
Jewish LIFE Special Events, Films, Lectures, Courses
December Special Event Part Two of Three Part Series: Muslim/Jewish Relations Jewish-Muslims Relations: Challenges and Opportunities Elisha Russ-Fishbane
Tuesday, December 5 7:00pm Location: SSBJCC Fee $10 At a time when Jewish-Muslim relations are too often fraught with mutual suspicion and competing narratives, there is a great need for both communities to take stock of where we are and how we got here. In this presentation, we shall explore our present predicament from a number of overlapping angles - history, religion and politics - and consider alternative routes being explored today in Israel, Europe and the United States to confront these challenges and work toward a more viable future. Elisha Russ-Fishbane, Assistant Professor of Hebrew and Judaic Studies at New York University, is a historian of Jewish life and culture in the Islamic world and of the religious and cultural encounters between Judaism and Islam. He is the author of a book on the Jewish-Sufi movement of thirteenth-century Egypt, entitled Judaism, Sufism, and the Pietists of Medieval Egypt: A Study of Abraham Maimonides and His Circle (Oxford University Press, 2015), awarded the Salo Baron Brize for best first book in Jewish Studies.
Film Event
Temple Beth-El Jewish Film Series
Keep Quiet
Saturday, December 9 Time: 7:00pm Location: TBE Suggested Donation: $5 Rising through the ranks of Hungary’s far right extremist party, Csanad Szegedi has built a career of denying the Holocaust happened and dehumanizing Jews. His world is rocked, however, when he discovers the family secret that his maternal grandparents were Jewish as well as Holocaust survivors. This shocking revelation causes an improbable, but seemingly genuine, conversion from prejudiced provocateur to devout Jew. But is his story one of genuine epiphany and rectitude or an act of fraud and moral impropriety? You decide! Discussion to follow.
Jewish LIFE Special Events, Films, Lectures, Courses
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Jewish LIFE December Young Family Havdalah
Saturday, December 9 Time: 4:15-5:30pm Location: TS Free A great chance for young kids (and those who care for them!) to engage in arts and crafts and celebrate havdallah. Songs, joy, snacks and light all included. For families with children up through second grade (older siblings welcome!).
HanukkahFest
Sunday, December 17 Time: 11:00am-12:00pm Location: TS Free Celebrate the Festival of Lights with Hanukkah activity stations for the kids and olive oil tasting for adults. All ages are welcome!
Irma Horowitz Film Series Featuring Falafel & Israeli Film by Menemsha Films / Sherman Pictures
Thursday, December 14, 6:30pm, Location: SSBJCC Fee: $15/person includes falafel dinner In Search of Israeli Cuisine is a portrait of the Israeli people told through food. It’s a “feast for the cultures that make up Israel today – Jewish, Arab, Muslim, Christian, Druze- a rich, complex and human story emerges. Through a documentary-like setting, we will learn about food through interviews, farms, markets, restaurants, kitchens, landscapes and history. We will discover that this hot, multi-cultural cuisine has developed only in the last 30 years.
91%
liked it on Rotten Tomatoes! This program is supported by the Irma Horowitz Endowment Fund.
Save the Date! JCC Family Chanukah Party Wednesday, December 13 5:30pm $10/person $35 max/family
Join us and have fun participating in activities including a “Mitzvah Matt” mitzvah project! Dinner included! More info to come!
All are welcome to attend. 16
Jewish LIFE Special Events, Films, Lectures, Courses
Jewish LIFE January Special Event Bad Rabbi Eddy Portnoy
Thursday, January 11 Time: 7:00pm Location: SSBJCC Fee $10
Really??? Bad Rabbi??? No Way! True stories plucked right out of the Yiddish papers from the late 18th Century to early 20th Century, Eddy introduces us to thieves, wrestlers, poets, and beauty queens, and all their misadventures! Part journalism, part “Jerry Springer”, get ready to laugh and be entertained by a bit of history not so easily found. Eddy Portnoy is an expert on Jewish popular culture, and has an MA in Yiddish from Columbia and a PhD in Jewish history from JTS. He has taught at JTS and Rutgers, and lectured worldwide.
Special Event A fun-filled evening with
Simcha Weinstein Friday, January 12 6:45 PM Services, 7:30 Dinner & Speaker Location: CJC-HC Fee $18 adults, $10 children at the door ($15/$8 pre-paid) Simcha Weinstein is an internationally known speaker and the best-selling author of Up, Up, and Oy Vey: How Jewish History, Culture, and Values Shaped the Comic Book Superhero and Shtick Shift: Jewish Humor in the 21st Century. He has appeared on CNN and NPR and has been profiled in leading publications, including the New York Times, Miami Herald and London Guardian.
Special Event Something Beautiful Happened
A Story of Survival, Faith and Courage in the Face of Evil
Yvette Corporon
Thursday, January 18 7:00pm Location: SSBJCC Fee $10 Seventy years after her grandmother helped hide a Jewish family on a Greek island during World War II, Yvette Corporon sets out to track down their descendants, and discovers a new way to understand tragedy, forgiveness and the power of kindness. In beautifully told interweaving storylines, the past and present come together in a nuanced, heartfelt story about the power of faith, the importance of kindness, and the courage to stand up for what’s right in the face of evil. Yvette Corporon is a three-time Emmy Award winning writer, author and producer. She has received the Silurian Award for Excellence in Journalism and the NYC Council & Comptroller’s Award for Greek Heritage & Culture.
Event is co-sponsored with Jewish Family Service.
Jewish LIFE Special Events, Films, Lectures, Courses
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Jewish LIFE
January
Special Event Part Three of Three Part Series: Muslim/Jewish Relations Dr. Ali Chaudry Understanding Islam
The meaning of the Islamic Faith, its core theological principles, and its ethical teachings Tuesday, January 23 Time: 7:00pm Location: SSBJCC Fee $10 Dr. Ali Chaudry, a prominent leader of the Muslim community in Basking Ridge, and a talented educator and leader of the great interfaith community in NJ, will share the fundamental principles of Islam. Dr. Chaudry was elected to the Bernards Township Board of Education serving from 1990-1995 and as Mayor in Bernards Township in 2004, becoming the first Pakistani born Muslim to become Mayor in the United States. He is the co-founder of the NJ Interfaith Coalition. He serves on the NJ Attorney General’s Muslim Outreach Committee and as a member of the Interfaith Advisory Council of the NJ Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness. Dr. Chaudry is a frequent speaker at interfaith events and initiated the Pledge to Stand for the Other, calling on everyone to challenge bigotry in any form.
The Art of Communication: Jewish Insights into Forging Positive, Effective and Fruitful Interactions JLI the Art of Communication Instructor: Rabbi Eli Kornfeld Tuesdays Beginning January 23 (6 sessions) Time: 7:30- 8:30pm Location: CJC-HC Fee: $100 (includes textbook)
Instructor: Rabbi Mendel Shemtov Wednesdays beginning January 24 (6 sessions) Time: 9:30 -10:30am Location: CJC-BR Fee: $100 (includes text book)
Instructor: Rabbi Mendy Herson Tuesdays starting February 27 (6 sessions) Time: 7:30- 8:30pm Location: CJC-BR Fee: $100 (includes text book)
In the era of social media, the value of healthy communication between family, friends, and associates is widely appreciated, even as its form now undergoes a drastic shift. How do we find suitable paths for effective communication? This course explores Judaism’s insight into forging positive, effective, and fruitful interactions.
3rd Annual Kosher Cook-Off
Hosted By Chabad of Hunterdon County Date: Monday, January 29 Time: 6:00pm Location: Juniper Hill Restaurant, 73 Beaver Ave, Clinton Township Fee: $36/person Chefs face off in three heated cooking rounds to see who will be the ultimate creator of kosher cuisine. Who will take home the trophy this year? Open bar, hors d’oeuvres, and food tastings. 18
Havdalah and Movie Night
Saturday, January 27 Time: 6:00pm Location: TS Free Join us to sing in the new week with Havdalah and an all-ages movie.
Jewish LIFE Special Events, Films, Lectures, Courses
Jewish LIFE
February
Special Event Abigail Pogrebin
Return Engagement
My Jewish Year
18 Holidays, One Wondering Jew Thursday, February 8 7:00pm Location: SSBJCC Fee $10 Whether you’re seeking an accessible, digestible roadmap for Jewish life, or a fresh take on what you have been practicing for a lifetime, Abigail’s journey will leave you educated, charmed and inspired. She had great teachers- over 60 rabbis - whose wisdoms are woven throughout Abigail’s personal journey. Abigail Pogrebin is a former producer for 60 Minutes and Charlie Rose, and she moderates her own interview series at the JCC Manhattan.
Special Event Joseph (JB) Bensmihen, MSW, RG A Story of Courage and Perseverance… Friday, February 9 Time: 6:45pm Services, 7:30pm Dinner & Speaker Location: CJC- HC Fee $18 adults, $10 children at the door ($15/$8 pre-paid) Joseph (JB) Bensmihen was born in Montreal in 1969, the child of Moroccan-Jewish immigrants. Diagnosed with spastic cerebral palsy, Bensmihen was not expected to walk. Years later he would become the first Canadian student with disabilities to be mainstreamed in a public school. Come join us as we hear his story and recognize February as Jewish Disability Month.
Jewish LIFE Special Events, Films, Lectures, Courses
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Jewish LIFE February Film Events
The Book Thief Saturday, February 10 Time: 8:00pm Fee $5 Location: FJCC
In 1938, young orphan Liesel (Sophie Nélisse) arrives at the home of her new foster parents, Hans (Geoffrey Rush) and Rosa (Emily Watson). When Hans, a kindly housepainter, learns that Liesel cannot read, he teaches the child the wonders of the written language. Liesel grows to love books, even rescuing one from a Nazi bonfire. Though Liesel’s new family barely scrape by, their situation becomes even more precarious when they secretly shelter a Jewish boy whose father once saved Hans’ life.
Sunday, February, 25 12:30-4:00pm
Location: SSBJCC Sensory Friendly Hour 11:30am12:30pm Fee: $20/child includes unlimited activites Adults are free. Games, inflatable, DJ, Costume Parade, Sparkee, Animals, Rides Prizes and more!
at the Bridgewater JC C
CARNIVAL MOUNTAIN CLIMBER INFL ATABLES UNLIMITED GAMES & ACTIVITIES SOMERSET PATRIOTS’ SPARKEE DIKKI ELLIS ENTERTAINS
Saturday, February 10 Time: 6:30pm Location: TS Free Sing in the new week with Havdalah and hang out with friends old and new with board games.
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FAMILY
Food for purchase! Make your own Hamantaschen Cookies! Dress up in Costume! Esther’s Bazaar!
Food for Purchase. Great Family Fun! Everyone Invited! Please bring a non-perishable food donation to benefit local food bank.
Havdalah & Games
OPEN TO THE COMMUNITY!
DJ BY PULSE ENTERTAINMENT COSTUME PARADE PONY RIDES FUNKART RACEWAY COTTON C ANDY
A Taste of Purim
Sunday, February 25 Time: 10:00am Location: TS Free A preview of Purim with a bit of Megillat Esther, hamentashcen baking, preparing, gifts for the poor, and Purim games and snacks. Feel free to come in costume and let out your inner Esther (or Mordecai if that’s your thing)!
Jewish LIFE Special Events, Films, Lectures, Courses
Jewish LIFE February Special Event Marilyn Simon Rothstein Lift and Separate Thursday, February 22 7:00pm Location: SSBJCC Fee $10
Book Club Event
This novel tells the story of a Jewish mother of three grown children whose husband left her for a younger model, tries her best to conquer family weddings by herself, divided loyalties, and the news that her husband’s pretty young chippy is now pregnant…oy!!! It’s time for her to pull herself up by her lacy bra straps and find a way to begin life again, second time around! Marilyn does a great job cramming in lots of hilarious scenarios for everyone to discuss! Marilyn Simon Rothstein has owned an advertising agency for 25 years, became an adult bat mitzvah (achieving her lifelong goal of chanting from the Torah), and happily married a nice Jewish man. Bring your book club to this event! Contact Lisa Kopman; LKopman@ssbjcc.org
Jewish LIFE March Film Events
The Women’s Balcony Saturday, March 3 Time: 8:00pm Fee $5 Location: FJCC
The small Jewish community in “The Women’s Balcony” is a tight-knit one. When they talk, they don’t say “I,” they say “We.” They are not just a community, they are a “congregation,” with all that that implies to the faithful. A huge box office hit in Israel, the film was written by Shlomit Nehama and directed by Emil Ben-Shimon. “The Women’s Balcony” is an eccentric portrait of an already devout community suddenly under pressure from a super Orthodox rabbi to observe their faith in a more rigid way. While the mood is that of a gentle and affectionate comedy, the film makes some extremely sharp points about fanaticism, sexism masked as holiness, and tolerance among the faithful.
Jewish LIFE Special Events, Films, Lectures, Courses
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Jewish LIFE March Film Event
Special Event
Irma Horowitz Film Series
Douglas Stark
Films by Students of the Ma’aleh School of Television Film and the Arts in Jerusalem
Voices of Those who Played the Game
Featuring Falafel & Israeli Short Films
Thursday, March 8 6:30 pm Location: SSBJCC Fee: $15/person includes falafel dinner Newspapers & Flowers
Carmel is looking for love, but is tired of being judged by appearance and dress code. By the time she meets Miki, the newspaper boy, she is willing to hide certain details about herself in order to put him to the test. Can Miki pass Carmel’s defenses?
11 Minutes
A military ambulance is called to evacuate a seriously wounded young soldier and bring him to a helicopter pad where he will be taken to the hospital. Aboard the ambulance there is a staff of three young soldiers, one of whom is Karen, a young female paramedic on her first tour of duty. Faced with life and death situations in the ambulance, Karen will either succeed in bringing her emotions and fears under control or fail, and be responsible for the death of a fellow soldier.
The Invitation
Noa survived a terrorist attack in which her boyfriend Udi was killed. Five years later, on her wedding day, Noa discovers Udi among the guests...
This program is supported by the Irma Horowitz Endowment Fund.
The Ma’aleh School
When Basketball Was Jewish Sunday, March 11 Time: 2:00pm Fee $10 Location: FJCC In the 2015–16 NBA season, the Jewish presence in the league was largely confined to Adam Silver, the commissioner; David Blatt, the coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers; and Omri Casspi, a player for the Sacramento Kings. Basketball, however, was once referred to as a Jewish sport. Shortly after the game was invented at the end of the nineteenth century, it spread throughout the country and became particularly popular among Jewish immigrant children in northeastern cities because it could easily be played in an urban setting. Many of basketball’s early stars were Jewish, including Shikey Gotthoffer, Sonny Hertzberg, Nat Holman, Red Klotz, Dolph Schayes, Moe Spahn and Max Zaslofsky. In this oral history collection, Douglas Stark chronicles Jewish basketball throughout the twentieth century, focusing on 1900 to 1960. As told by the prominent voices of twenty people who played, coached, and refereed it, these conversations shed light on what it means to be a Jew and on how the game evolved from its humble origins to the sport enjoyed worldwide by billions of fans today. The game’s development, changes in style, rise in popularity, and national emergence after World War II are narrated by men reliving their youth, when basketball was a game they played for the love of it. When Basketball Was Jewish reveals, as no previous book has, the evolving role of Jews in basketball and illuminates their contributions to American Jewish history as well as basketball history. Douglas Stark is the Museum Director of the International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museum. He also worked at the Basketball Hall of Fame and the United States Golf Association.
6th Annual Celebrate Israel Event Wednesday, March 21 Time: 6:30pm Location: Raritan Valley Country Club, Bridgewater Fee: $50/adults; $18/student includes dinner Honorees and Guest Speaker to be announced. 22
Jewish LIFE Special Events, Films, Lectures, Courses
March
Special Event David Kirshner
Matzo:
Film Event
35 Recipes for Passover and All Year Long
Temple Beth-El Jewish Film Series
Apples from the Desert
Sunday, March 25 Time: 1:30pm Location: FJCC Fee: $10
Saturday, March 17 Time: 7:00pm Location: TBE-H Suggested donation: $5
Rebecca is an only child, living a cloistered existence with her strictly religious Sephardic parents in Jerusalem. Unhappy with the restrictive traditions of home and community, she secretly breaks taboos, attending dance classes where she forms a relationship with a secular kibbutznik. Suspicious and angry in the face of Rebecca’s growing acts of rebellion, her strict father reacts by setting in motion a prearranged marriage to an older widower with children of his own. Rebecca’s mother and aunt are appalled, but dare not defy the authoritarian man of the household. After Rebecca runs away from home, the family conflict culminates in a moment of truth, forcing them to confront their beliefs and one another. Discussion to follow.
Jewish LIFE
A cookbook from the preeminent fine Kosher food company, Streit’s, with Jewish recipes for enjoying matzo during the eight days of Passover and all year long. Matzo and the story of its creation are the centerpiece of both the meals and the observance of Passover; it is eaten in place of bread and other leavened products for the holiday’s eight day duration. David will share 35 receipes from the Streit family learning ways to cook with matzo that are so good, readers will want to make them all year round! With its bright photography and fun package, this book is sure to become an instant seder (and anytime) must-have.
April
Annual Community Wide Yom Hashoah Observance Wednesday, April 11 Time: 7:00pm Location: TS Free to Community Guest Speaker: George Blank, Community Leader
The Meaning and Purpose of Life According to Jewish Text and Teaching Instructor: Rabbi Arnie Gluck Tuesdays April 10, 17, 24; May 1 Time: 7:00 -8:00pm Location: TBE-H
Reception to follow program! Jewish LIFE Special Events, Films, Lectures, Courses
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Jewish LIFE April Special Event
Rachel Korazim
Visiting Scholar from Israel joins us for Yom Ha’atzma’ut
When Longing Meets Reality Thursday, April 19 Time: 7:00 pm (6:30 pizza for teens) Location: SSBJCC Fee: $10 adults; free for teens
Based on one of the first paragraphs of Israel’s Declaration of Independence, this lecture offers a chronological exploration of the longing for Zion and its reality. The clash between romantic longing from afar and the harsh realities of the land, have been, and often still are, very difficult even for the greatest lovers of Zion. Popular songs and poetry put to music will be part of this lecture.
Film Events Temple Beth-El Jewish Film Series
Transit
Saturday, April 21 7:00 pm Location: TBE Suggested donation: $5 Transit explores the intersecting stories of Filipinos in Tel Aviv when a newly enacted law deporting the children of migrant workers looms over their lives. Janet, a domestic worker on an expired visa, struggles to hide her half-Israeli daughter, Yael- a rebellious teenager caught up in a juvenile romance. More vulnerable to the deportation law because he is under the age of five is Janet’s four-year old nephew, Joshua, whose father, Moises, works during the week as a caregiver. Janet and Moises try to hide the child from the immigration police, who regularly patrol the neighborhood. The film examines what it means to be a family and what it means to be a stranger, within one’s home and in a foreign land. Discussion to follow.
Co-Sponsored by the TBE Sisterhood and Cultural Arts Committees. 24
Jewish LIFE Special Events, Films, Lectures, Courses
April Community Wid e
Sunday, April 22 3:30-6:30pm Location: SSBJCC
Celebration
Free Admission!
Marking 70 Years of the State of Israel
MUSIC • WINE TASTING • ISRAELI DANCING • OUTDOOR GAMES • INFLATABLES • FIRE PIT & PITA MAKING • LOCAL CHOIRS ISRAELI VENDORS • ISRAEL BOOT CAMP • CRAFT BOOTHS MITZVAH PROJECT • MINI ZIP LINE
ome. Food available for purchase. More info to come. Food
Special Yom Ha’atzmaut Event Francine Klagsbrun
Lioness
Golda Meir and the Nation of Israel
Sunday, April 22 Time: 6:00 pm Location: SSBJCC Free to Community “You will never find a better sparring person than adversity”.
Golda Meir was a world leader like no other. Born in czarist Russia in 1898, she immigrated to America in 1906 and grew up in Milwaukee, where in her early years she displayed political consciousness. From there, this would eventually catapult her into the inner circles of Israel’s founding generation. Francine Klagsbrun is the author of more than a dozen books. Her writing has appeared in the New York Times, The Boston Globe, Newsweek and Ms. Magazine..
Jewish LIFE Special Events, Films, Lectures, Courses
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Jewish LIFE April Special Event
Come Support Our LGBTQ Community!
Phoenix Schneider Wednesday, April 25 7:00pm Location: SSBJCC Fee $10
Learn what LGBTQ means, the broad spectrum of gender and sexual orientation, and how we can best support loved ones in their expressed identity. This is the time for education and Q & A!! The program is open to one and all. Phoenix Schneider, MSW, is a trans activist and social worker who has worked in the nonprofit sector since 2000. Phoenix specializes in program development and direct services with the LGBTQ communities. Phoenix is a thought leader in the area of LGBTQ youth and mental health and has extensive experience developing local and national programming. Under Phoenix’s leadership with JFCS of Greater Philadelphia, the agency was awarded The Human Rights Campaign Foundation “Seal of Recognition” for Leadership in Supporting and Serving LGBTQ Youth and Families. Phoenix’s lifelong mission is to help people seek their highest potential as well as to promote culture shifts towards full acceptance and inclusion of everyone.
Event co-sponsored by Jewish Family Service.
iEngage 4 Israel’s Milestones and Their Meanings
Instructor: Rabbi Dan Selsberg Thursdays beginning April 19 (8 Sessions) 7:00 pm Location: TS Fee: $36 for materials; Scholarships Available To register, contact Temple Sholom; dorit@temple-sholom.net or 908-722-1339. This course explores the pivotal events of 1917, 1947, and 1967 as key moments when Zionism unleashed new thinking about the meaning of Jewishness for generations to come. Memory is a central element in defining modern Jewish identity. As we look to Israel’s future, we need to engage anew with our past and explore its meanings and consequences. This iEngage series grapples with the different ideas and values that shape the meaning of modern Israel, Zionism, and Jewish identity today. Together we will engage in a new values-based discourse about Israel, including topics such as nationhood, land, sovereignty, Jerusalem, occupation and Moral Red Lines. Through video lectures, text study, and lively group discussion, we are pleased to bring the world-renowned faculty of the Shalom Hartman Institute into Temple Sholom in the spring of 2018. 26
Jewish LIFE Special Events, Films, Lectures, Courses
April JLI Existence
Wednesdays April 25- May 30 (6 consecutive weeks) Time: 7:30-8:30pm Instructor: Rabbi Mendy Herson Location: CJC-BR Fee: $100 (includes text book)
Wednesdays May 2- June 6 (6 consecutive weeks) Time: 9:30 -10:30am Instructor: Rabbi Mendel Shemtov Location: CJC-BR Fee: $100 (includes text book)
Rethink everything you know about our universe. Explore the nature of our world and the meaning of the human condition as you contemplate existential questions about consciousness, the physical, and the metaphysical, to unveil the hidden unity and pervading truth of our existence.
Jewish LIFE May Special Event Danielle Capalino
Healthy Gut, Flat Stomach Thursday, May 10 7:00pm Location: SSBJCC Fee $10
Jewish people are notorious for having digestive issues – and we LOVE to talk about them! Learn about the right foods to eat. This lecture will break down the science so that you can understand it – and implement it easily on your own. Danielle Capalino is a registered dietitian in a private practice in New York City. She wants you to feel great without having to wear an elastic waistband!
Film Event
Temple Beth-El Jewish Film Series
Brothers
Saturday, May 12 7:00 pm Location: TBE Suggested donation of $5
Dan chooses to work on the land, living in a kibbutz in the South of Israel. Aaron, his brother, is a doctor of law and philosophy and a distinguished scholar of the Torah. He comes to Jerusalem from the United States to defend the rights of Torah students. The conflict which arises between the two brothers reflects that of a society torn between its religious and political principles. This film opens a subtle yet essential debate on the question of separation of the state and religion in Israel. Discussion to follow the film with Rabbi Gluck.
Jewish LIFE Special Events, Films, Lectures, Courses
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May Special Event
Jewish LIFE Tikkun Leil Shavuot
Saturday, May 19 Time: 7:30pm Location: TS Free to the Community We all stood together at Mt. Sinai; for all of our differences, we still stand together today. Join Congregation B’nai Israel, Congression Knesseth Israel, Temple Beth-El and Temple Sholom at Temple Sholom for a communal celebration of Shavuot. We’ll learn together, talk together, and eat together as we celebrate the receiving of the Torah. Dessert and youth programming included. All ages are welcome!
June Israeli Day Parade New York City Sunday, June 3 More info to come!
Show your support of Israel!
July Special Event 3rd Annual Jewish Music Festival & BBQ at the Hunterdon Art Museum Terrace
Hosted By Chabad of Hunterdon County Monday, July 9 Time: 5:00 PM Location: Hunterdon Art Museum Fee: $15 at the door, $10 pre-paid Featuring critically acclaimed band and kosher BBQ Truck. Vendors, Arts & Crafts, Face Painting and more. 28
Jewish LIFE Special Events, Films, Lectures, Courses