VT Jewish Community trip to S Africa - Informational meeting on Zoom
Vermont statewide Jewish community service trip to South Africa hosted by Ohavi Zedek in January 2027.
Join friends from across Vermont to engage in meaningful service, build relationships, and experience Jewish life through a unique social justice lens. Meet the Jewish community, eat Kosher food and celebrate Shabbat!
Led by Naomi Barell, Director of Youth Education and a certified tour guide, in partnership with
Justifi, an international tour company that creates trips designed to strengthen Jewish identity through Tikkun Olam adventure
Informational meeting on Sunday, July 26th, 10 - 11AM with Brian Schneider, Justifi COO
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81614687089?pwd=f7XeKrJGFvaAuRM8ApsmOTNRBjKrEY.1
Meeting ID: 816 1468 7089
Passcode: Africa
A Bissel Borscht Belt
A Bissel Borscht Belt is a fun-filled tribute to the Catskills variety shows of yesteryear that truly shaped modern American entertainment. This interactive performance experience filled with live Klezmer music, dancing, comedy, juggling, acrobatics, Yiddish language and culture, schtick, spiel, kvetching, and cursing will have you kibbitzing, kvelling, and getting verklempt from all the meshuggaas! In other words, you’ll have a blast and won’t want to miss it!
Featuring an all-star cast of trouble-makers hosted by physical comedy duo Stephanie Abrams and Patrick Branstetter along with…
@sirfossilot
@teolinbianco
@fleeky.flanco
& Klezmer music by Rachel Leader, Ariel Shapiro, & Ozzy Irving Gold- Shapiro
*Dress to impress! Vintage attire encouraged
This project has been made possible through support and sponsorship from:
@yiddish_book_center -Yiddish Arts and Culture Initiative
@jcvt75 JCVT
@haroldgrinspoonfoundation
@brattleboroareajewishcommunity
@morninggloriousvintage
and other generous individual donors
Artwork by @slamboni.mov
#vaudeville #varietyshow #borschtbelt #yiddish #yiddishculture
Spirits & Skepticism: God, Prayer, and Ritual for the Religious Skeptic with Rabbi Sid Schwarz
This interactive discussion helps both religious skeptics and believers access some of the treasured concepts and practices of Judaism without assuming a conventional belief in God. Whether you were raised in a faith community or not, this is a chance to ask “forbidden questions” about religious concepts. Delicious food and flowing drinks provided.
Cocktails in Memory - an online gathering
Cocktails in Memory is a monthly gathering on Zoom. We joke that it’s a club that you would never want to be a member of. An opportunity for those that have lost their partners to share memories and joys, thoughts on coping and possibilities for laughter. Sometimes friends come broken hearted, and share their challenges, sometimes coping skills that have brightened their days. The group is very informal. Although many members were married for the better part of half a century, we have some young members. If your loss was recent or you’ve garnered experience over time, please come and share. Date & Time: Look for the upcoming Cocktails in Memory meeting in the Shir Shalom weekly newsletter. Cocktails in Memory meets on Zoom at 6 pm (EST) 3 pm (PST) Link to Zoom: https://zoom.us/j/7259482096
The Teachings of Lord Rabbi Jonathan Sacks with Rabbi Ilene Haigh
Summer Learning Opportunity
This summer the Shir Shalom community is invited to join Rabbi Haigh in an exploration of the thinking of Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks. ז׳׳ל . Rabbi Sacks was described by King Charles III as “a light unto this nation” and by former British Prime Minister Tony Blair as “an intellectual giant.” Rabbi Sacks has also been a deeply spiritual voice in our own Shir Shalom weekly Torah study.
In his final book, Morality, Restoring the Common Good in Divided Times (2020), Rabbi Sacks, the author of dozens of books expanded on his thoughts as outlined in Not In God’s Name (2025) and The Dignity of Difference, How to Avoid the Clash of Civilizations (2002). We will use these three brilliant books as the basis for our learning. An Orthodox Rabbi, Chief Rabbi of Great Britain, his teaching and his voice are cautionary, deeply inspiring and offer us hope and wisdom in these divided times. Please join us at the temple at 11:00 am three Monday mornings this summer. This learning will be repeated after the high holidays on Sunday mornings for the Hebrew School Community and those unable to attend during the week.
We hope that you will join this learning
Monday mornings June 22, July 20 and August 24
11:00 am at Shir Shalom
Out of state guests will be welcome to join on Zoom.
Together we will consider the wisdom of Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks.
For a full biography, click the button below.
Hungarian Strudel Party!
Hungarian Strudel Party!
Join CBE for a fun filled Strudel party with Vera Eisenberg,
the "Strudel Queen", as she demonstrates the art
of the Hand-Stretched Hungarian Strudel.
Lunch and strudel will follow the demonstration.
Need assistance with registration? Email the office
Book Discussion with Rabbi Jim Glazier: The Boston Girl
Anita Diamant’s historical novel tracing the life of Addie Baum from Boston’s immigrant community to sharing her story with her granddaughter.
Doris Bass Book Club
This is the first complete English-language translation of a classic of Yiddish literature, one of the great comic novels of the twentieth century. The Zelmenyaners describes the travails of a Jewish family in Minsk that is torn asunder by the new Soviet reality. Four generations are depicted in riveting and often uproarious detail as they face the profound changes brought on by the demands of the Soviet regime and its collectivist, radical secularism. The resultant inter-generational showdowns—including disputes over the introduction of electricity, radio, and electric trolley—are rendered with humor, pathos, and a finely controlled satiric pen. Moyshe Kulbak, a contemporary of the Soviet Jewish writer Isaac Babel, picks up where Sholem Aleichem left off a generation before, exploring in this book the transformation of Jewish life.
Not yet a member of the Doris Bass Book Club? Click here to register!
Menashe
Third in a four part Sunday Series:
Movie & Discussion with Rabbi Jim Glazier:
A widowed Hasidic father struggles to raise his son within community expectations.
Light refreshments will be served Rabbi James S. Glazier is a retired rabbi who served as the spiritual leader of Temple sinai in South Burlington, Vermont, for 37 years. He and his wife Meg have been members of JCOGS since 2018.
Building a Sacred Relationship with the Divine
The next Creating Spiritual Journeys session entitled, Building a Sacred Relationship with the Divine will be on Sunday, May 17, 10:30-12:30. This workshop combines an exploration of Jewish sources with partners (Hevruta) and group discussion, followed by making our own art as a response to what we learned. For those who really don't want to make art, you can creatively express yourself through writing. Register here.
Come and try it out! For those who need financial help, please contact Rabbi Tobie.
CBE Bookclub
Join us for a discussion of "The Book of Israela" by CBE Rabbinic Team Member, Rabbi Rena Blumenthal. In person, in the Social Hall.
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Jerusalem, 2002: the height of the second intifada. Kobi Benami is a middle-aged psychologist whose life is in shambles. His wife has thrown him out for casual philandering; his daughter won’t speak to him; and he may lose his job due to indifferent work habits. At this desperate juncture, Kobi gets a new patient, Israela, whose story is full of uncanny Biblical references, and whose powerful enigmatic husband Y may or may not exist. Israela hasn’t seen Y in months, but she is being stalked by his prophet-like emissaries, spanning the spectrum of Israeli society — Orthodox to secular, right-wing settlers to left-wing urban elites — united only in their harsh condemnation of Israel, a fierce devotion to Y, and connection to The Outstretched Arm, a sinister organization purported to be run by Y.
As Kobi becomes ensnared in a surreal encounter with anthropomorphized ancient Israel, and preoccupied with questions about the nature and existence of Y, he is forced to confront his dysfunctional life patterns, his family’s tragic past, and the endless war that rages around him.
Discover a New Side of Israel: The Past, Present and Future of Israeli Conservation
Discover a New Side of Israel --
The Past, Present, and Future of Israeli Conservation
Wednesday, May 13, 7:00pm
In person and on Zoom
Join Jay Shofet, seasoned activist and member of the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel (SPNI), as he paints a vibrant picture of Israel as seasonal sanctuary for millions of birds, and explains how this migration fly route serves as a keystone for global environmental resilience. We will explore Israel's transformation from technological innovator to global environmental trailblazer, and explore the question of: How is a tiny global diversity hotspot rebounding after war and wildfires, and how can nature heal a traumatized nation? You'll learn about pioneering efforts to restore Israel's lost swamps, challenge myths about the century-long journey of Israeli tree-planting and how Israel is becoming a green beacon to the world.
Opening Courageous Conversations on Israel/Palestine
All Jewish identified adults to explore our feelings and reactions to the tensions in Israel/ Palestine today. We will use Jewish values, and Jewish and Palestinian writings as a basis for holding courageous conversations together. Coffee and goodies included.
These 5 conversations will build on each other. Come to as many as you can. In person at Ohavi Zedek, monthly on Sunday mornings. Please register so we can send you materials ahead of each session.
Sundays from 9:15 – 11:00 in the OZ Sanctuary & Social Hall
Adult Education
The Book of Ruth is traditionally chanted during the upcoming festival of Shavuot. For the next several weeks, we will be reading and studying The Book of Ruth contained in this unique edition, Stong As Death Is Love.
Click here to participate via Zoom! Or connect via telephone. Dial in number 929-436-2866, meeting ID is 423 184 465, password 334401.
Purchase your book for class!
Paperback editions are available from the Northshire Bookstore.
Hardcover, paperback and e-book editions are available from Amazon
ChaiLights – Making Pickles with a little Jewish Food History on the Side
ChaiLights gatherings will give you a chance to learn, taste and connect.
Each gathering will start off with food and open conversation, followed by a unique experience that will engage and inspire, let us create and improve the world.
Shttl: Yiddish Film Screening
"Shttl" documents a day in the life of a traditional Jewish shtetl on the Ukrainian border, 24 hours before the Nazis invade their territory.
The film features an international cast headlined by Brooklyn-based actor Moshe Lobel (The Vigil) and award-winning veteran actor Saul Rubinek (Hunters, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, Warehouse 13, Unforgiven). "Shttl" has proven to be a phenomenon, running for eighteen weeks (and counting) in New York City theaters and screening to sold-out crowds across America and around the world!
In the words of film critic Danielle Solzman, "Shttl" is "one of the all-time great films about Jewish life in Eastern Europe."
Register
No, the Name Was NotChanged at Ellis Island
No, the Name Was Not Changed at Ellis Island
with Sallyann Sack
The pursuit of Jewish family history and genealogy has burgeoned worldwide in recent years. Drawing on nearly 50 years of experience, Sallyann Sack will explain how Jewish names were created and how that has shaped the way we search our family histories.
Sallyann Sack is an internationally known genealogist. She was instrumental in founding the International Institute for Jewish Genealogy, the Jewish Genealogical Association of Greater Washington, and the International Association of Jewish Genalogical Societies. She has chaired many conferences, authored seven books, and has consulted on numerous projects. If you want to know anything about Jewish genealogy, she is the premier expert.
Join us in-person or via Zoom
Hineni Mindfulness Retreat
Shabbat Rest as a Mindfulness Practice, explores the Jewish wisdom of Menucha (spacious rest). Through a blend of teaching, silence, and sitting, walking, and eating meditations, we will create a sweet and joyous refuge from the turbulence of daily life. Our time together will include contemplative Shabbat prayer, moving beyond a high volume of words to find deep connection through chant, song, and silence.
YIVO Presents: The Future of Holocaust Memory: Poland and Beyond
Holocaust distortion in Poland involves reshaping or minimizing facts about the Holocaust, often emphasizing Polish victimhood while obscuring instances of local collaboration, participation, or indifference. It appears in political rhetoric, memory laws, public commemorations, and attacks on critical scholarship. YIVO’s Poland vs. Holocaust History series examines these dynamics and situates the Polish case within a broader European context.
This discussion panel will reflect on the future of Holocaust memory in Poland and in a broader international context. Bringing together Jan T. Gross, Elżbieta Janicka, and Jan Grabowski, the conversation will address the evolving challenges facing Holocaust remembrance amid political polarization, historical revisionism, and generational change. The panelists will consider the roles of scholarship, education, public debate, and cultural institutions in sustaining honest engagement with the past. The discussion will also explore how national and transnational perspectives can coexist, and what is at stake for historical truth, democratic values, and moral responsibility in shaping the future of Holocaust memory.
This online event will take place via Zoom at 1:00pm ET.
Jewish Play Reading Series – Arnold Perl: World of Sholom Alechim
Are you interested in plays? Come together in person from 2-4:00 on a Sunday afternoon to read and discuss a Jewish play.
Mussar Class with Rabbi Joshua Boettiger
Join CBE for a rare opportunity to learn and practice "Foundations of Mussar" with Rabbinic Team Member, Rabbi Joshua Boettiger. 12-week course in person for two sessions with weekly Zoom practices.
$325/pp.
REGISTRATION REQUIRED.
Participants will need to purchase the following workbook: Becoming an Adult: A Mussar Companion for Taking Responsibility by Nancy Axelrod, Adie Goldberg
AVAILABLE HERE: https://contemporarymussar.myshopify.com/
Foundations of Mussar with Rabbi Joshua Boettiger
Mussar could be called the ancient Jewish spiritual practice of ethical mindfulness – an orbiting around the question of if we intellectually know what it is to be good, what keeps us from being good?
Join us for a twelve-session immersion in the theory and practice of Mussar. We’ll be studying both traditional and contemporary Mussar texts and working with the different middot (character traits) to track how this practice is directly impacting our lives and relationships – where the rubber meets the road.
The first class will be held in person on Sunday, April 19th at 11:00am in the sanctuary at Congregation Beth El. The next ten classes will be held on zoom, with a final class in person.
The zoom sessions will be held Wednesday evenings from 7:00pm-8:00pm.
Scholar in Residence Weekend
Scholar In Residence 2026 Richard Rosenberg
Artistic director, conductor & co-founder of the National Music Festival
From Shtetl to Shtardom!
Jewish Migration’s Impact on American Music
~ From Broszniów to Broadway, From Carnikava to Carnegie Hall,
The Climate Crisis: What You Should Know and What You Can (and Should) Do
Climate Change Solutions Part II – What Can We Do? – Focus on System Change from communities to states to global actions. Susan covers state public health policies and actions.
Lunch & Learn // Jewish Traditions in Classical Choral Music
An Exploration by Musicologist & Choral Conductor Nathaniel G. Lew
Freylekh Musik (Joyous Music)
The Annual Rabbi Max B. Wall Endowment Lecture
Fleylekh Musik (Joyous Music); Klezmer and the Tools of Melody
Presented by OZ member – Michael Schachter, PH.D.
McCarthy Recital Hall Saint Michael’s College
Free and open to the public
A lecture and musical performance featuring Klezmer musicians Ozzy Irving Gold-Shapiro, Ariel Shapiro and Rachel Leader
