Join renowned storyteller, scholar, and rabbi Dan Judson for a thoughtful lecture and interactive conversation on The Past and Future of Liberal Zionism. At this moment of crisis in Israel, the very possibility of a Zionism that is grounded in liberal, humanistic values has come into question. In this lecture, we will define what liberal Judaism means in today’s context, explore some of its history, and ask what the future holds for liberal Zionism. Catered dinner and desserts served.

6:00pm Dinner and 6:30-8:00pm Lecture 

This event will be on Zoom starting at approximately 6:30pm.

Rabbi Dan Judson, Ph.D. serves as the Provost of Hebrew College in Newton, MA where he is also a lecturer in Jewish history. Rabbi Judson received his doctorate in Jewish history at Brandeis University and his book, Pennies for Heaven: The History of American Synagogues and Money (University of Chicago Press, 2018) was a finalist for the National Jewish Book Award. He is presently working on a book about American Zionist history, When America Became Zionist: The Lodge-Fish Resolution of 1922 and the Surprising Group of Politicians who Changed American Policy Towards Israel. His research and writing on new models of synagogue finance have appeared in The New York Times, The Boston Globe, Haaretz, Reform Judaism magazine and many other Jewish publications. He is also a storyteller who has appeared on the MOTH national radio hour.

This program is funded in part by the Harold Grinspoon Foundation     

A four-part series with Rabbi Lee. Online learning in Jewish mysticism.

Link to register

Ruach HaMaqom members need not register. Zoom link will be provided in our email newsletter.

A fascinating presentation by the executive director of the American branch of the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel.

Learn why Israel is so important environmentally, why its ecology is so unique, and how the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel has helped shape Israeli culture and society to love nature. Nature Israel will introduce you to the important work of Israel’s largest environmental organization founded in 1953, its historic achievements right up to its innovative nature-based solutions to climate change today.

Open to all! Bring your friends! You do not need to be a member of Hadassah to attend.

Register at the $72 level or above and be entered into a drawing for a fabulous gift basket!

Register at the $250 level or above and receive 2 tickets!

Due to great interest and a generous donor, another opportunity to experience Anne Frank: A History for Today will be available for the Woodstock Vermont area community! Join together for Community Night at Woodstock Union High School on Thursday, May 29th at 5pm.

*Appropriate for ages 12 and up

For more information: VermontAnneFrank@gmail.com

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 with speakers Ari Gradus, Ellie Roden & Tony Eprile

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.

“Understanding Roots" is a presentation given by a pair of Roots leaders - one Israeli and one Palestinian - who tell their personal stories and offer inspiring accounts of inner transformation as a result of face-to-face contact with the other side.

This is an online only event that will feature a Q&A after the presentation.

Registration is required to get the zoom link.

Are you ready to make a difference, both within yourself and in the world around you? Join us for a transformative monthly series that blends self-care, spiritual exploration, and community action. This series invites you to integrate your personal growth with your commitment to social change, cultivating inner awareness that makes us better community members and more effective agents of tikkun olam. 

All are welcome, including mitzvah students and their families!

Session Themes & Schedule
Structured around Jewish holidays, each month will focus on a theme that connects spiritual insight with action.

March 4 – From Purim to Pesach: Freedom and Transformation

Upcoming sessions: 

April 1 – From Pesach to Shavuot: Liberation and Wisdom

May 6 – The Omer: Counting and Spiritual Development

June 3 – Revelation, Reflection, and What’s Next

Exploring our Natural Creativity through Spiritual Teachings of Hanukkah, Tu B’Shvat and Purim

We will be focusing on the teachings on Hanukkah and how they resonate with each person. We will explore selected texts from the Jewish tradition in Hevrutah (with a study partner) and then will follow a simple process to creatively express ourselves through making art. No previous knowledge of Hebrew, Jewish Text study or artistic expression necessary! Materials provided. (The process we will use comes from the Jewish Studio Project that R. Tobie Weisman has been learning for the past year) Co-sponsored by Beth Jacob and JCVT.

Come join us and learn! On Sunday, December 8, we will consider the topic of Jewish Peoplehood: Concepts, Challenges, Futures. Our keynote by Dr. Claire E. Sufrin will begin at 11:30am followed by a kosher luncheon by Valerie Philmus and two sessions of workshops by local speakers including: Cantor Jessica Silverberg, Rabbi Danielle Stillman, Rabbi Ira Schiffer, Rabbi Eliyahu Junik, Rabbi David Fainsilber and Susan Leff.

Click below to sign up before Dec. 2!

The registration deadline is Monday, December 2 at 5pm. This cannot be extended because this is a catered event.

Register Here

Chai Lights: Confronting Antisemitism in Schools

September 22 @ 9:15 am - 10:45 am

Register Now!

This Sunday morning discussion will be led by OZ’s Kulanu workgroup, who will provide details of some recent school incidents and advice for talking to kids about antisemitism.

Led by Scott Silverstein and others in OZ Kulanu group.

Meet informally for bagels and coffee at 9:15 am, with the program starting at 9:30 am

Rabbi Hanan Schlesinger and Noor A'wad are leaders of the West Bank-based Roots/Shorashim/Judur, a local Palestinian-Israeli grassroots initiative for understanding, non-violence, and transformation. Roots' work is aimed at challenging the assumptions the two communities hold about each other. They represent a unique network of Israelis and Palestinians who have come to see each other as partners in the work to make changes to reduce tension, prevent escalation, and end the conflict.

Rabbi Hanan and Noor will discuss their personal experiences having spent most of their lives living in the heart of the conflict, both before October 7, 2023, and since. They will also share how their perspectives, their work, and their societies have and have not been changed in recent months, how Israeli and Palestinian communities view Roots, and what they see for the future.

To Register, please go to www.shalomalliancevt.org and click on events.

Hadassah Vermont Brunch & Conversation

with Barbara Vinick, author ‹ f 100 Jewish Brides

Ohavi Zedek Synagogue, Burlington, Vermont Please join Hadassah Vermont for a sumptuous brunch and conversation with Barbara Vinick, co-editor with Shulamit Reinharz, of 100 Jewish Brides: Stories from Around the World which features stories of Jewish brides from six continents, highlighting diverse customs and rituals related to weddings now and in the past. Please bring Jewish wedding pictures or mementos that you would like to share. Honoring the Hostages from October 7th. Remarks by Rabbi David Edleson. We invite you to paint your ring finger nails yellow to raise awareness of the hostages still in captivity.

REGISTER BY AUGUST 23 AT

https://events.hadassah.org/vermontlunch24

Registration fee: $36

Guest speakers and Israeli citizens Gabe Axler and Ravit Greenberg examine the multifaceted crises in Israel prior to and following October 7th. They outline the political instability marked by frequent elections and a deep mistrust in government under Netanyahu's leadership.

They will also discuss the failure of high-tech military solutions and the right-wing government's "tough on terror" stance, which did not prevent the devastating October 7th attacks. They also explore the shattered hopes of the left for a peaceful two-state solution, exacerbated by the widespread support among Palestinians for the attacks. Finally, Gabe and Ravit will highlight the significant civil society mobilization in Israel and the state's commitment to rescuing hostages.

Living Tree Alliance, Ohavi Zedek & JCVT are please to present this Covenant Grant Funded Program.

Hear how a Bedouin philanthropist and Israeli Shared Society activist have collaborated to contribute to the next phase above and beyond ‘coexistence’ in Israel: a Shared Society of mutual understanding, respect and opportunity. They will explore philanthropy’s role in safeguarding Arab and Shared Society in Israel post-October 7.

About our speakers:

Ibrahim Nsasra will be attending on Zoom.  He is an entrepreneur, business man, founder and board member of Qudra Arab Funders Network. Nsasra is a co-founder of Qudra – Arab Philanthropists Network, an organization that unites Arab philanthropists and ensures strategic development of philanthropy in Arab society. Ibrahim additionally founded a number of other companies and ventures including:

• Nazid, a food production factory

• The Tamar Center, which promotes education in Bedouin society, and

• The Tamam Group, a business group established with the aim of bringing about economic and social change in Bedouin society

A native of the Negev, Ibrahim holds a bachelor’s degree in education from Kaye College and a master’s degree in public policy from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Ravit Greenberg will be in person.  She is a Grant Manager, Social Venture Fund and Executive Director of Nisaba Foundation

Ravit sees her work – and personal goal – as helping visionary people and organizations ground their dreams through effective planning, financial management, operational implementation, and evaluation. From 2010-2020, Greenberg’s work focused on the advancement of mission-driven non-profits in Israel’s Negev. In 2020, she transitioned to work with the Nisaba Foundation, and in 2023 she joined the Social Venture Fund. To nourish herself and her family, Ravit seeks out earth-based Jewish spaces to engage in intentional ecologically minded community building, which is how her and her family have become summer residents over the last five years at Living Tree Alliance.

 Rabbi Barbara Penzner will lead Friday evening services followed​ by a community Shabbat dinner catered by the popular​ Yalla's Mideastern restaurant in Brattleboro.  After dinner,  Rabbi Barbara will lead a discussion, Prophetic Wisdom for Thriving in Turbulent Times

Rabbi Barbara Penzner has been the spiritual leader of Temple Hillel B'nai Torah, a Reconstructionist synagogue in Boston, for 28 years. While Rabbi Penzner continues to serve HBT as rabbi emerita, she has just been appointed the Interim CEO of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association. 
She loves leading services and teaching all ages. Rabbi Penzner creates a joyful service of singing and poetry to engage people of every level of Jewish knowledge. She and her husband Brian Rosman are looking forward to welcoming Shabbat with Congregation Beth El.
This event is made available by the Harold Grinspoon Foundation

Susannah Heschel 
Dartmouth College Professor
and Renowned Scholar  

“Antisemitism as a cultural code:
what’s new in the scholarship?”

Antisemitism is not new, but the scholarship analyzing its varied manifestations is young and underdeveloped. Professor Heschel will discuss debates among scholars about the nature and purpose of antisemitism and suggest new approaches, drawing from theories of emotions, gender, sexuality, and temporality to better understand antisemitic motivations and impact.

Brown Bag
Lunch & Learn
Saturday, June 29 at 11:30 am
Join us in-person or via Zoom

From Nazi Germany to Main Street: 
Finding Refuge in Hanover

Dena Rueb Romero will discuss her book All for You: A World War II Family Memoir of Love, Separation, and Loss. This memoir tells how her father came to Hanover from a small German village in 1939. A penniless refugee, he struggled to find footing in a new culture and language while seeking to reunite with his fiancée in England and save his family. The story reminds us what it means to leave your homeland and the impact that experience has on the next generation

Join us Tuesday June 11th 6:30-9pm for brief Mincha (afternoon) and Festival Maariv (evening) services, followed by a workshop with Kulanu where we will study classic definitions of antisemitism. In chevrutah pairs and through group discussion we will explore the Torah’s perspective on this oldest form of hatred and consider how we might build alliances with non-Jews. After that we will take a break for some cheesecake and then conclude the evening with some chanting of niggunim (wordless melodies) and learning with Rabbi Aaron about the mystical origins of Shavuot rituals.

Lunch and Learn: The Two Lives of Henrietta Szold

Wednesday, June 5, 12:00pm-2:00pm at JCOGS

Let's get together for lunch and learn something new! Linda Kopper, president of VT Hadassah, presents a fascinating look at Henrietta Szold's historic early years as a Jewish scholar and trailblazer in the United States. Learn about her life-changing decision to start Hadassah and the profound effect this has had on generations of Jews. Learn more and Register

Join us for a third installment of the Listening Project practice session hosted by Andy Robinson. We'll warm up with a few listening exercises. Then we'll set up small groups to discuss whatever subjects you want to talk about: Israel and Palestine, antisemitism, how you're thinking about Judaism, etc. Come prepared to listen with curiosity and without judgment.

https://www.bethjacobvt.org/event/the-listening-project-continues-in-person.html

HOW DO YOU DEFINE ANTISEMITISM? HOW ARE WE IMPACTED? WHAT’S NEXT?

An Event Sponsored by OZ’s Kulanu Committee

Kulanu is Hebrew for “all of us”. OZ is one of more than 250 synagogues participating in Kulanu, a program sponsored by ADL.

BAGELS AND COFFEE AT 9:15

WORKSHOP 9:30 TO 11:30 AM

With deep ties to Burlington and Montpelier, Barre’s Jewish families nevertheless forged their own singular identity in a diverse environment of Yankees, Italians, French Canadians, Scots, Spanish, Syrians and other vibrant ethnic groups.

Dr. (and Rabbi) Carol Harris-Shapiro (who is also a part-time resident of Barre) will share some of the unique stories of Barre’s Jewish residents and the life of their community, based on information she has gathered from interviews, books and articles, and genealogical research.

View and Print our Lunch & Learn Brochure

Register for Lunch & Learn Talks