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
Van Gogh Shabbat by Minyan 802
Join us for a beautiful Van Gogh-Themed Shabbat Dinner filled with delicious food, and great company.
Friday, July 10, 2026
Cocktails: 7:30 PM
Kabbalat Shabbat: 7:45 PM
Buffet Dinner: 8:30 PM
80 Summit Street, Burlington, VT
Come celebrate Shabbat in a warm and welcoming atmosphere inspired by the beauty and colors of Van Gogh.
"Land" - Vermont International Film Festival
Born into a family of influential Zionist thinkers and archaeologists whose work helped shape the ideology of early Israel, filmmaker Orly Yadin sets out to examine the foundations of the worldview that defined her upbringing. The film unfolds as a metaphorical archaeological excavation: digging through layers of family history, ideology, and memory, and exploring how national identity is constructed—and how it changes when the stories we inherit are questioned. Archival home movies, photographs, and newsreels intersect with present-day conversations with Israelis and Palestinians. Animated sequences bring imagined encounters with the filmmaker’s ancestors to life, allowing the past to speak directly to the present. As the excavation deepens, the film reveals the blind spots embedded in the national narrative that shaped an entire generation. LAND ultimately becomes both a personal reckoning and a broader reflection on how identities—personal and national—are formed, sustained, and transformed.
Green Mountain Chamber Music Festival – Quintessence
July 2 | 7:30 PM | Ohavi Zedek, Burlington
This concert is dedicated to the memory of Mindy Evnin, GMCMF board member, daughter of Rabbi Wall, z'l, and longtime supporter and friend.
More Info / Tickets
Fifth Annual Pride Seder 2026
Ohavi Zedek’s fifth annual Pride Seder is a ritual that chronicles the liberation of LGBTQA people, much like the Passover Seder, which retells the story of the liberation of the Jewish people.
Join a diverse gathering of Vermont LGBTQA Jews, Jew-adjacent folks and allies to celebrate our coming out of bondage with songs, prayers, and an unusual and poignant seder plate. People of all ages are welcome.
Event History: The first Pride Seder took place in 1995, using a Haggadah written by Ray Schnitzler and Susie Kisber, of the Berkeley Queer Minyan. Copies of the Haggadah travelled to B’nai Jeshurun in New York, Sha’ar Zahav in San Francisco and many other communities around the world. View our 2024 Pride Haggadah here.
THIS WORLD IS A GARDEN
You are invited to a special performance - A live string quartet with stunning visuals & soulful niggunim.
In this moving story you will experience how this world is seen as G-d’s garden, based on a Chassidic discourse passed down and explored for generations.
This evening will mark the 3rd of Tammuz, honoring the 32nd anniversary of the passing of the Lubavitcher Rebbe.
Thursday night, June 11th, beginning at 7:00 pm
Refreshments will be served
RSVP www.chabadvt.org/garden
Vermont Choral Union presents Sim Shalom (Grant us Peace) 400 Years of Jewish Sacred Music
Sim Shalom (Grant Us Peace) 400 Years of Jewish Music
THE VERMONT CHORAL UNION
Eric J. Milnes, Director
The Vermont Choral Union presents a timely and contemplative program of Jewish music from across the centuries.
The Vermont Choral Union (VCU), under the direction of Eric Milnes, presents a collection of choral works from the Jewish tradition, featuring composers such as Salamone Rossi, Louis Lewandowski, Emanuel Kirshner, and Max Janowski. Often overlooked by contemporary audiences, these works illuminate our historical understanding and provide a new context for our present.
The program culminates with Leonard Bernstein’s iconic Chichester Psalms. VCU is excited to share this much-beloved choral masterwork with Burlington audiences. Assistant Director Cole Marino directs Bernstein’s rarely-heard chamber orchestration, featuring some of Vermont’s great instrumental performers. Complementing the first portion of the program, Bernstein’s composition highlights the influence of the Jewish tradition on both his compositional style and the broader choral repertoire.
These performances promise to entertain, enlighten, and engage audiences, and the Vermont Choral Union looks forward to seeing you there!
The Vermont Choral Union - Two Brahms Liebeslieder Waltzes - June 2025 - Burlington, Vermont
Vermont Choral Union presents Sim Shalom (Grant us Peace) 400 Years of Jewish Sacred Music
Sim Shalom (Grant Us Peace) 400 Years of Jewish Music
THE VERMONT CHORAL UNION
Eric J. Milnes, Director
The Vermont Choral Union presents a timely and contemplative program of Jewish music from across the centuries.
The Vermont Choral Union (VCU), under the direction of Eric Milnes, presents a collection of choral works from the Jewish tradition, featuring composers such as Salamone Rossi, Louis Lewandowski, Emanuel Kirshner, and Max Janowski. Often overlooked by contemporary audiences, these works illuminate our historical understanding and provide a new context for our present.
The program culminates with Leonard Bernstein’s iconic Chichester Psalms. VCU is excited to share this much-beloved choral masterwork with Burlington audiences. Assistant Director Cole Marino directs Bernstein’s rarely-heard chamber orchestration, featuring some of Vermont’s great instrumental performers. Complementing the first portion of the program, Bernstein’s composition highlights the influence of the Jewish tradition on both his compositional style and the broader choral repertoire.
These performances promise to entertain, enlighten, and engage audiences, and the Vermont Choral Union looks forward to seeing you there!
The Vermont Choral Union - Two Brahms Liebeslieder Waltzes - June 2025 - Burlington, Vermont
Shavuot On The Mountain
Come celebrate Shavuot and Shabbat with joy, fresh air, and community connection! Our 12th annual multigenerational pilgrimage hike to the Mountain Chapel on Mt. Mansfield is one of Living Tree Alliance’s most cherished traditions. Together we’ll take in Vermont’s springtime beauty, share meaningful moments, and welcome the holiday with music and creativity.
60th Anniversary Shabbat & Shavuot
Temple Sinai’s song-filled joyful Shabbat evening service, led by Rabbi David Edleson. This is a special Shabbat at it is Shavuot and exactly 60 years since Temple Sinai’s dedication!
Join us for a special oneg to follow.
We are using the Mishkan T’filah Siddur for our worship services
Saturday (MAY 23rd 10 AM) we will have a special morning service in honor of Shavuot and
60th Anniversary Torah March Reenactment
Join Temple Sinai in re-enacting the march of our Torah from our temporary home at Faith Methodist on Dorset St to our permanent home at 500 Swift St.
Join us for a special service and oneg at 500 Swift St to follow.
All are welcome and encouraged to attend.
Tot Shabbat Potluck Dinner and Services
Shabbat Dinner for Young Families on May 15th at 5:30pm. Temple Sinai will provide pizza, challah, and drinks. Please consider bringing a (vegetarian) side dish to share.
We will light candles, bless the challah and juice and eat together. We will also have a few fun Shabbat songs and toys to play with while adults finish up their own dinners.
If your child can stay up late enough, please join us for a Kabbalat Shabbat service starting at 6:30pm
Contact Aimee Hutton at aimee.hutton@templesinaivt.org for more details
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
Sisterhood Shabbat
Sisterhood Shabbat and Oneg
This special service, led by Temple Sinai's Sisterhood, will follow the Kabbalat Shabbat service. Enjoy traditional melodies along with songs, stories, and poetry that will amplify three themes:
Respecting the Environment
Caring for Each Other
Providing a Fresh Start
In Person and on Zoom
Ohavi Zedek & Ruach haMaqom Collaborative Kabbalat Shabbat
Join OZ with Ruach haMaqom for a community-led Kabbalat Shabbat service alongside our Rabbi Ariel Ya’akov Dunat & Cantor Jessica Silverberg as well as Ruach haMaqom’s Rabbi Emerita, Rabbi Jan Salzman, and community leaders Kohenet Yepeth Perla, Cheryl Carmi, Dov Michael Schiller, and Michael Jetter followed by a communal vegetarian potluck!
Held at Ohavi Zedek Synagogue in the Samuelson Saiger (the Small) Sanctuary
PJOW Author Event with Dayna Lorentz
Temple Sinai, PJ Library in Vermont & Flying Pig Bookstore present PJ Our Way author event with Dayna Lorentz
In this heartfelt animal friendship story, a troubled young boy befriends a wayward coyote after a forest fire changes both of their lives.
Purchase a book or bring your own
Get your book signed
Hear some of Wayward Creatures read by Dayna
Learn about her writing process AND how she integrated Jewish themes into her book.
Discover how you might bring Judaism into a story
Rooted In Vermont
Connecting Cultures, Strengthening Community
An annual fundraiser to support VIA & CASAN’s social and immigrant justice.
COTS Walk
Please help support COTS in this important project by contributing generously. Thanks to the Walk sponsors, EVERY DOLLAR raised through the COTS Walk supports shelter and services for families and individuals in crisis.
OZ Singing Circle
Come Sing with Us! We’re a group of people who want to join together in a circle and connect by singing Niggunim (wordless melodies), chants and prayers. No concerts, no auditions, no judgement. We will smile and sing together.
Contact Gigi / Judy if you’d like to chat.
Young Families Playgroup
The Temple Sinai Young Families Program…
offers a monthly playgroup during the school year. Children are invited to bring push toys or ride on toys to use in our big social hall. We will also have toys available to play with.
Designed for ages 0-6, but all are welcome
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.
Rock Shabbat
Looking for new ways to express your Shabbat spirit and energize your worship? Bring your rock 'n' roll soul to Rock Shabbat with Dahg! Temple Sinai's house rock band plays a mix of contemporary Jewish popular and liturgical music and great rock songs from the 60's right up to the present, all within the context of a typical Kabbalat worship service. Now live on stage at Temple Sinai or streaming on Zoom! Call the office 802.862.5125 to acquire the passcode.
Israeli Dancing
Israeli folkdance is a joyous folk art form that is easy to start and difficult to stop. It draws from many cultures and expresses itself in dances that range in complexity and speed. See this article for more information.
Join hosts Adele, Lani and Mitch and a friendly group of people that gathers periodically on Zoom or in person to enjoy the folkdances of Israel!
Minyan802 Shabbat Dinner
Minyan802
“The Living Library”
Join us for a whimsical and inspiring Shabbat evening
Yom HaAtzmaut and Kabbalat Shabbat
Join Temple Sinai for a special Yom HaAtzmaut service in person and on ZOOM. We will celebrate Israeli Independence Day with a short service and ma’agal, circle of singing and prayer.
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.