Events
Mitzvah Mania
Everyone is invited to participate in Mitzvah Mania!
Please sign up for one of 12 different mitzvah projects with folks of all ages by contacting Melissa Herman
Suitable for people ages 4-94. Children must be accompanied by an adult.
Mitzvah projects will include making food for local soup kitchens, preparing soup kitchen garden for planting, Jewish cemetery cleanup, performing music for and playing games with nursing home residents, etc.
Young Families Concert: Wayne Potash
The Temple Sinai Young Families Program…
presents Wayne Potash!
Designed for ages 0-6, but all are welcome!
Tot Shabbat In The Garden
Young families join Rabbi David and Beth in the JCOGS Mitzvah Garden for our final gathering of the year. We'll dance and sing and hear the classic story, Eliezer and the Gezer, about a stubborn carrot and then plant carrots to eat next year. Followed by a lite nosh.
For kiddos birth to 6 years old and their grown ups.
With thanks to PJ Library in Vermont for partnering on this event.
ANNE FRANK: A HISTORY FOR TODAY
The Williston Central School is hosting a traveling exhibit from the Anne Frank Center at the University of South Carolina called Anne Frank: A History for Today. The exhibit tells the story of Anne Frank through photographs and "peer education," in which WCS students are responsible for most of the guided tours.*
Peer education is the educational philosophy crafted by the Anne Frank House and embraced by its partners for decades in over sixty countries around the world. This practice is based on Otto Frank's commitment to centering the voices of young people in the work done in his daughter's memory.
There will be a short film, music, art, WCS students and administrators will discuss the exhibit, a keynote presentation given by K. Heidi Fishman of the Vermont Holocaust Memorial, and the exhibit will be open for tours by the student docents.
*Appropriate for ages 12 and up
For more information: VermontAnneFrank@gmail.com
Feen Lecture 2025 – Rabbi Jill Jacobs: Why is Antisemitism at the Center of Attacks on Democracy?
The A. Pearly and Edith C. Feen Lecture Series was created to honor the memory of A. Pearly Feen, one of Vermont’s most outstanding attorneys and legal scholars, and Edith C. Feen, his wife. Feen was especially known for hiring a number of new lawyers, just starting out, many of whom were also members of OZ.
Rooted in Vermont
Connecting Cultures, Strengthening Community
A fundraiser to benefit VIA's immigrant and social justice work
Triangle
Temple Sinai will be hosting a special community showing of Vermont Stage's "Triangle" by Laurie Brooks, a stylistically thrilling play about the young immigrants who worked at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory leading up to its infamous fire of 1911. The play will be followed by a theatrical companion piece focusing on the Jewish story behind the story. Show runs about 1.5 hrs, followed by a reception, hosted by Sisterhood, in the social hall.
A FIRST HAND ACCOUNT OF THE SHOAH
Rena Bernstein returns to Israel Congregation to share her story, open up to you for questions and to discuss her feeling about the rise of worldwide anti-semitism in the wake of the war between Israel and Hamas.
Refreshments will be offered following the presentation
History Of Yiddish Film
Starting in silent movies and extending to today’s hit series “Menasha” and “Unorthodox,” Yiddish language films started as an attempt to entertain the Jewish masses only to become a powerful visual and esthetic record on 20th/21st century Jewry.
Covering over a dozen films all with newly composed sub-titles, author/producer Henry Sapoznik and Rick Winston, Vermont's favorite movie maven, talk not only about the great stars of the Yiddish stage and screen (Molly Picon, Maurice Schwartz) but also shed light on the nearly lost legacy of pioneers like producer/director Joseph Seiden and director Edgar G. Ulmer (better known for his gritty, low budget film noirs) who helped will Yiddish films into existence despite tremendous odds during its brief “Golden Age” In addition to films made by and for the immigrant Jewish community, their talk will also focus on how Yiddish was presented in mainstream Hollywood films featuring James Cagney, Joe E. Brown and the Three Stooges.
Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Memorial Event
Please join us for this important event. We will begin with Introductory remarks by Rabbi David Edleson and Rabbi Aaron Philmus. Then we will explore museum exhibits provided by Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center in Israel. There will be docents available to answer questions as you walk through the following exhibits:
Heroism and Resistance: Rescue by Jews during the Holocaust
Spots of Light: To be a Woman in the Holocaust
"They Say There is a Land" Longings for Eretz Israel During the Holocaust
Yom HaShoah Commemoration
Yom HaShoah Commemoration with speakers Ari Gradus, Ellie Roden & Tony Eprile
Yom HaShoah Memorial Service
Join us on Wednesday, April 23rd, at 5:30 PM in the College Chapel for a Yom HaShoah Memorial Service.
Together, we’ll honor the memory of those lost in the Holocaust through reflection, readings, and yahrzeit lighting as we commit to remembrance and resilience.
Yom Hashoah-Holocaust Remembrance Day Commemoration
The Jewish Community of Greater Stowe with our interfaith partners in Lamoille County join together to commemorate Yom HaShoah-Holocaust Remembrance Day.
This year's theme is: The Holocaust is Personal, as the event includes the tragic, heroic, and uplifting stories of JCOGS members Marcie Scudder and Edee Simon family histories during the Shoah. This event will also include traditional memorial prayers, readings, and candle lighting. Lite refreshments will be served after, as we gather together in community connection.
BAJC Community Seder
This year’s Seder will again be catered by Chef Gretchen Hardy from The Porch with a bit of help from some of us. Below is the registration / reservation form, the Shalom Cloud payment link and a Sign Up Genius link for items not provided by The Porch – such as Charoset, Gefilte fish, karpas, maror, desserts, hard boiled eggs, horse radish. Due to the caterer’s increased supply chain costs our costs have gone up. Based on an estimate of 65 participants, the actual cost per person including security and space rental is $68.00 but we are only asking $35 for adults. The net difference (> $2000) will be partially covered by BAJC’s Pesach budget ($1000). We hope to make up the remainder with a grant from the Harold Grinspoon Foundation, but there is no guarantee. If you’d like to contribute more than $35, BAJC will be grateful.
Online registration and payment information at this link.
Or register & pay via snail mail as described below. You need not sign up for a specific entree. As was the case last year, everyone may have some of each dish.
Passover Community Seder
All are invited to attend this in-person, interactive, Kosher-for-Passover, and musical seder led by Rabbi David. Passover resources for youth will be provided.
Annual Community Second Night of Passover Seder
Welcome to our 2025 Community Seder!
Our Seder will begin at 5:00pm, with potluck dinner being served around 7:00pm.
Kosher-for-Passover vegetarian or dairy dishes are welcome! Matzoh ball soup will be provided. Regular and gluten-free matzoh will be available. Space is limited.
Registration is required by April 6.
Community Passover Seder: A Journey to Freedom
Ruach HaMaqom Presents
Community Passover Seder: A Journey to Freedom
Led by Rabbi Lee Moore
Join Our Earth-Conscious Vegetarian Potluck Seder!
Experience a soul-stirring ritual where ancient wisdom meets song, story, and joy. Guided by Rabbi Lee we’ll explore dimensions of liberation and reinvigorate our commitments to end oppression. We'll use "The Promise of the Land" Haggadah by Rabbi Ellen Bernstein, weaving together the themes of freedom and ecological connection.
Eco-Conscious Potluck Contributions (Vegetarian Only)
Please bring a dish based on the first letter of your last name:
A-J: Bring a main dish
K-O: Bring a dessert
P-Z: Bring an appetizer
Earth-Honoring Dietary Guidelines:
Strictly vegetarian (milk, eggs, cheese allowed)
NO chametz: wheat, rye, barley, oats, or spelt
Gluten-free options welcomed
Locally-sourced and organic ingredients encouraged
Consider bringing your own reusable plates, cups, and utensils
Bring an ingredients list to place beside your dish
As we invite liberation from narrow places, we call in the Divine presence in all Creation. Bring family, friends, and open hearts to journey through the Red Sea together and beyond, traversing our ancient freedom songs along with contemporary visions for wholeness and justice.
RSVP by April 5th
Questions?: [contact@ruachhamaqom.org]
Community Seder for Passover
Saturday, April 12 beginning at 5:30 pm, the Rutland Jewish Center will hold its annual Passover Community Seder. Celebrate the first night of Pesach by joining in the community fun. Reservations are required. The cost for the catered meal is $50 per adult and $25 for children 6—12, it is free for children under 6.
As the meal is catered, you must RSVP by Tuesday April 1, to Jane Kierstein by phone or email.
THE TRANSFORMATION OF A RABBI, A SYNAGOGUE, AND VERMONT’S RELIGIOUS LANDSCAPE, 1944-1952
The Transformation of a Rabbi, a Synagogue and Vermont’s Religious Landscape, 1944-1952
The Annual Rabbi Max B. Wall Endowment Lecture
Wednesday, April 9, at 5 p.m.
McCarthy Recital Hall
The Annual Rabbi Max B. Wall Endowment Lecture will be presented by local historians Jeff Potash, Ph.D., and Aaron Goldberg, J.D. on Wednesday, April 9, at 5 p.m. in the McCarthy Recital Hall. The talk, entitled The Transformation of a Rabbi, a Synagogue and Vermont’s Religious Landscape, 1944-1952, will touch on the importance of Max B. Wall and his impact on the local community.