
Events

Makhlohet Matters Series: Disagreeing in Civil and Constructive Ways
Join Rabbi David Edleson for an engaging exploration of how to have difficult conversations in ways that are civil and constructive.

BUILDING RESILIENCE AND COMMUNITY IN THE FACE OF ANTISEMITISM
KEYNOTE SPEAKER: DR. SUSANNAH HESCHEL
FOLLOWED BY WORKSHOPS
Susannah Heschel is the Eli M. Black Distinguished Professor of Jewish Studies at Dartmouth College and chair of the Jewish Studies Program and a faculty member of the Religion Department.
Prof. Heschel and her Dartmouth colleagues from Israel, Lebanon, and Egypt, have been widely commended for their swift and academically rigorous response to the Israel-Gaza crisis that exploded on October 7, 2023. The forums they led, on October 9 and 12, while other campuses were in turmoil, drew huge audiences of students and members of the general public who wanted to understand what was happening. “We have friendship, and we have trust,” Dr. Heschel said of the panel of experts, “and when this happened, we knew we had to do something.”
Breakout Session:
Yoga- Laurie Greenberg
Creating Art as a Process of Exploration and Discovery- Kathy Parsonnet
Dialogue Circle - what is the intersection between growing resilience regarding antisemitism and collective trauma?- Pam Steiner
Israeli Dancing- Diane Roston
Healing Circle- Gene Kadish
The Poetry of Resilience and Resistance “in the midst of life” —in the Face of Antisemitism - Doris Ferlerger & Beth Kanell
Equanimity through Chant - Peggy Kasden & Shari Borzekowski
Community Interfaith Dialogue- Rev. Amy Spagna, Rev. Leon Dunkley, Rev. Jonathan Hauze,
Symposium Sponsored By :
Shir Shalom VT & Upper Valley Jewish Community/Kol Ha'Emek Learning will be as part of our combined responsibility under the auspices of the Memorial Scrolls Trust, The Gravitz Family Shir Shalom VT and the Roth Center.
With support from JCVT and Harold Grinspoon Foundation.

Flying Pig Bookstore presents Penguin Random House author Jack Fairweather
Join Flying Pig Bookstore at Shelburne Town Hall Monday, February 24th at 7PM, for an evening with Jack Fairweather to celebrate the launch of his new book, The Prosecutor: One Man’s Battle to Bring Nazis to Justice.

Challah Baking Class
On Thursday, February 13th, at 6:30 pm, on what is also the holiday of Tu B’Shvat, we’ll be hosting a Challah Baking Workshop. Learn how to make your own Challah, or if you know how, join us in whipping up a big batch to share with the Waterbury Common Market (previously known as the Waterbury Area Food Shelf.)
We’ll have a delicious Tu B’Shvat spread and celebrate the holiday as we get covered in flour for a good cause. Send a RSVP to sara@chabadofstowe.com so we can be prepared with materials for you.
ZOOM Zentangle Workshop with Jan Orlansky
Temple Sinai Sisterhood and Members, and Friends of both are invited to sign up for the class.
Learn a new skill and have fun doing it!
Theme: Valentines
Jan Zatzman Orlansky, Certified Zentangle Teacher (CZT) will teach some basic tangles that we will do together. The creative part comes when you incorporate these patterns in your own unique ways. You may be pleasantly surprised by your creativity!
No special equipment is necessary. Here is a list of suggested materials that you probably have at home and should have at hand for the workshop:
Fine tip black pen
Paper
Charcoal pencil for shading
Gold gel pen
Red pastel pencil or a red gel pen.
Q-tip
Please register by Friday, January 31st
ZOOM LINK will be shared after registration.
(Sponsored by Sisterhood)

When Critique Becomes Hateful: Defining Antisemitism and Anti-Zionism – Derek Penslar, Harvard University (Copy)
What rights do people have to criticize their country? Other countries? When do those criticisms become hateful? And when they become hateful, how should they be combatted? This talk discusses how these questions relate to contemporary anti-Zionism and antisemitism. His discussion draws upon three relevant documents: The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s “Working Definition of Antisemitism” (2016); The Nexus Document: Understanding Antisemitism and its Nexus with Israel and Zionism (2021); and The Jerusalem Declaration on Antisemitism (2021).
Derek Penslar is the William Lee Frost Professor of Jewish History at Harvard University and Director of Harvard’s Center for Jewish Studies. He is also a resident faculty member at the Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies (CES) and is affiliated with Harvard’s Center for Middle Eastern Studies.
Penslar takes a comparative and transnational approach to modern Jewish history, which he studies within the contexts of modern nationalism, capitalism, and colonialism. His books have engaged with a variety of approaches and methods, including the history of science and technology (Zionism and Technocracy: The Engineering of the Jewish Settlement in Palestine 1870-1918, 1991), economic history (Shylock’s Children: Economics and Jewish Identity in Modern Europe, 2001), military history (Jews and the Military: A History, 2013), biography (Theodor Herzl: The Charismatic Leader, 2020), and the history of emotions (Zionism: An Emotional State, 2023). In two co-edited volumes, Penslar has brought Jewish studies into conversation with postcolonial studies (Orientalism and the Jews, 2005) and Unacknowledged Kinships: Postcolonial Theory and the Historiography of Zionism, 2023). His current interests lie in international history, and he is writing a book about worldwide reactions to the 1948 Arab-Israeli War.
Sponsored by the Raul Hilberg Distinguished Professorship of Holocaust Studies at the University of Vermont

Two pastors, a priest, & a rabbi- MLK Legacy: Must We Love Our Enemy?
All are welcome to an evening of food provided and discussion with Pastor Dan Haugh of Stowe Community Church, Pastor Becca Girrell of United Community Church of Morrisville, Father Rick Swanson of St. John's Episcopal Church, and Rabbi David Fainsilber of Jewish Community of Greater Stowe. In honor of the legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Suggested donation: $20

Can We Talk & Listen About Israel?
Are you nervous about sharing your views and beliefs about Israel?
Do you want to be able to safely say to others at Ohavi Zedek how you feel?
…So do we!
YOU ARE INVITED TO PARTICIPATE IN AN ONGOING SERIES
OF FACILITATED CONVERSATIONS ABOUT ISRAEL.
The goal is to engage and learn from each other honestly, respectfully, and with curiosity in order to better understand each other. This is not about changing anyone’s mind or coming to agreement.
We know members of Ohavi Zedek hold diverse views – and we welcome them! Sharing will help us enhance our trust, learning and community here at OZ.
In person at Ohavi Zedek, open to all OZ adult members – you don’t have to be Jewish.
Hosted by Adult Education at Ohavi Zedek

Jewish Mindfulness Retreat
The second annual Hineni* retreat is a day-and-a-half of mindfulness meditation for Jewish, Jewish-adjacent, and curious individuals from all backgrounds. It is open and appropriate for experienced and new meditators alike.
Taught by Rabbi Seth Castleman, the retreat is offered by Ohavi Zedek Synagogue and will be held at the Burlington Friends Meeting House.
The retreat will have interspersed periods of silence, along with sitting meditation, walking meditation, guided meditation, eating meditation, instructions, teachings, and Q&A. Friday dinner and Saturday lunch will be provided.
The retreat runs between Friday January 10 from 5:30 pm – 8:30 pm and Saturday January 11 from 9:00 am – 6:00 pm

Connecting with our Hidden Light through the mystical teachings of Hanukkah
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.

Vermont Jewish Poets Gathering Monthly Workshop
Vermont Jewish Poets is offering a monthly poetry workshop open to any Vermont poet identifying as Jewish. We will meet the 3rd Monday of each month beginning October 21, 2024, from 6-7:30 on Zoom. Join a welcoming space where we give and receive constructive feedback on poems-in-progress. Register here to receive a link to our workshop meeting.

The Richard Ader Memorial Lecture series presents Remembering Kristallnacht
Michael Braunold will be joining us from Israel via Zoom to share his family story, particularly his parents' rescue via the kindertransport program just weeks after Kristallnacht. Having spent years doing research, Michael has an impressive knowledge of the Holocaust, especially the significance of Kristallnacht, the kindertransport program and settlement thereafter in England.
Lunch will be provided following the presentation.
Please join us on November 10th!
To request a Zoom link email cbevtoffice@gmail.com

WHO SUPPORTS HAMAS?
Dr. Khalil Shikaki, prominent Palestinian researcher and pollster, explores the support of Hamas among Palestinians.
10/30/2024
6:00 PM – 7:30 PM
Haldeman Hall 41 (Kreindler Conference Hall)
Sponsored by: Dickey Center, Jewish Studies Program, Middle Eastern Studies (MES) Program
Intended Audience(s): Public
Categories: Dartmouth Dialogues
How much support does Hamas have among Palestinians? Opinion polls give mixed signals, so how do we make sense of these polls? How do we explain the level of support Hamas has, including in Gaza, despite October 7 attacks, the ensuing war and the death and destruction this brought on Palestinians? To answer these - and other - questions, The Middle East Initiative and Dartmouth Dialogues is hosting Dr. Khalil Shikaki, prominent Palestinian researcher and pollster. Ben Valentino, Dartmouth Professor of Government, will be moderating the discussion.
The event is free and open to the public; It will be livestreamed and recorded.
Please click here to register for the webinar.

Preparing Spiritually for the High Holidays
Are you living a life that you love guided by your values and your soul’s wisdom?
In Judaism, during the month of Elul, we are called upon to prepare for the High Holidays through a process called Cheshbon HaNefesh, an Accounting of the Soul. We are encouraged to do a personal inventory or self-assessment of the different aspects of our life and ascertain what areas we feel good about, where we are missing the mark and what we would like to change.
Rabbi Yafa Chase, a Spiritual Life Coach, will be leading a workshop to help us do our own inner work to personally prepare for the New Year. She will guide participants through self-assessment and intention setting exercises and share Jewish wisdom that can support us in creating a life that is guided by the wisdom of our tradition and our soul.
Click here to access the Zoom link.