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

Living Tree Alliance and Ohavi Zedek 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.

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.

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

My Friend Anne Frank by Hannah Pick-Goslar

In 1933, Hannah Pick-Goslar and her family fled Nazi Germany to live in Amsterdam, where she struck up a close friendship with her next-door neighbor, an outspoken and fun-loving young girl named Anne Frank. For several years, the inseparable pair enjoyed a carefree childhood of games, sleepovers, and treats with the other children in their neighborhood of Rivierenbuurt. But in 1942, Hannah and Anne’s lives abruptly changed forever. As the Nazi occupation of Amsterdam progressed, Anne and the Frank family seemingly vanished, leaving behind unmade beds and dishes in the sink—but no trace of Anne’s precious diary. Torn from her dear friend without warning, Hannah spent the next two years tormented by questions about Anne’s fate, wondering if she had, by some miracle, managed to escape danger.

In this long‑awaited memoir, Hannah shares the story of her childhood during the Holocaust, from the introduction of anti-Jewish laws in Amsterdam to the gradual disappearance of classmates and, eventually, the Frank family, to Hannah and her family’s imprisonment in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. As Hannah chronicles the experiences of her own life during and after the war, she provides a searing look at what countless children endured at the hands of the Nazi regime, as well as an intimate, never‑before‑seen portrait of the most recognizable victim of the Holocaust. Culminating in an astonishing fateful reunion, My Friend Anne Frank is the profoundly moving story of childhood and friendship during one of the darkest periods in the world’s history.

Lunch and Learn: The Two Lives of Henrietta Szold

Thursday, April 18, 12:00 PM

Henrietta Szold was one of the most important Jewish leaders of the 20th century. Her long life, from 1860 to 1945, spanned some of the most turbulent years in modern history. The events of that time shaped the lives of millions of people and are woven into the fabric of Szold’s life story.

Long-time OZ member Linda Kopper, who serves as President of Hadassah Vermont, will explore the “two lives” of Henrietta Szold, and discuss how her legacy lives on today.

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Rebecca J. Epstein-Levi is Assistant Professor of Jewish Studies and Gender & Sexuality Studies at Vanderbilt University. An expert on sexual ethics, she uses unconventional readings of classical rabbinic text to

study the ethics of sex and sexuality, disability, and neurodiversity. She will discuss a chapter from her most recent publication, When We

Collide: Sex, Social Risk, and Jewish Ethics from Indiana University Press.

The Annual Rabbi Max B Wall Lecture Series

Navigating the complexities of the conflict in the Middle East

Saint Micheals College McCarthy Arts Center

Exploring the Politics of Contemporary

Education How can it be that many of our institutions of higher learning are grappling with outbreaks of antisemitism, even as they espouse the values of social justice and diversity? In pursuit of this question, we must delve into the prevailing ideas and ideologies that have gained prominence in the

educational arena. We will also consider what might be gained and what might still be missing from current approaches and implementations of critical theory as we strive for greater tolerance, understanding,

and healing across all communities.

Join the Greater Burlington Jewish Community to bear witness to the massacres of October 7th and show your support for a survivor as they bravely share their story and experience.

THE PROGRAM:

Are you a caregiver for someone you love? A partner, family member, friend?

Do you anticipate being called to a caregiving role sometime in the near or distant future? 

Together we will learn from a panel of three health professionals and an experienced caregiver about the blessings and challenges of caregiving.

SPEAKER PANEL:

Melissa Brandes, MD, is a Doctor of Internal Medicine caring for patients age 18-100+. The scope of her practice includes caring for patients in nursing home settings, providing home visits to homebound patients, and providing end-of-life care. She has been in practice for over 25 years and is currently in private practice in South Burlington with Green Mountain Internal Medicine.

Karen Cote, MSW, is a Social Worker and a certified end of life doula, and a very active member of our Temple Sinai's congregation. She is employed with The Burlington Housing Authority, working with residents in need of caregiving. Karen has been working in this field for 37 years. She has extensive experience in caregiving in her personal life as well. Karen has spent many years working with the Chevra Kaddisha. Karen recently became the recipient of the Vermont Rays of Kindness Honor!

Marjie Kaye Sheppard is a native Vermonter, retired massage therapist and long time member of Temple Sinai and Sisterhood. Together with her sister, Laurie, Marjie has cared for their mother, Joan, in a variety of settings since Joan suffered a stroke in July of 2020. Their journey together has been a series of roller coaster rides. Marjie is not a fan of roller coasters, literally or figuratively.

Alan Rubel, Author, is a past Barre City Alderman, Barre Town School Board Member, past President of Beth Jacob synagogue and past Board Member of Central VT Health and Hospice, among many other active community memberships. He is the author of numerous books, including his current co-editorship of the award winning book, The Greatest Burden The Greatest Blessing: Caregiving Stories of Hope, Humility and Love. Alan will discuss his book at this event, selling and signing copies at the end of the evening. Alan is a member of Ohavi Zedek Synagogue.

Information about caregiver resources in our area will be shared at the event.

REGISTER HERE

An Introduction to Hebrew Reading for Adults

Want to begin to read Hebrew?  Want to brush up on your skills?  Join with Rabbi Aaron and Lani Ravin to learn how to read Hebrew and in particular key words and prayers. This series will also deepen your understanding of the prayers and the Israeli cultural context. There are two, 6 week sessions: attend one or both. At the end of each session, students are invited to participate in a Shabbat service and help lead a prayer.

WHEN: Tuesdays at 7:30 – 8:30 PM; On Zoom; for 12 weeks, starting January 16, 2024

Session I:  For beginners and those who want to refresh their memory

• Jan 16, 23 and 30; Feb 6, 13 and 20 (6 weeks)

Session II:  Continue your learning or brush up on what you once knew

• Feb 27; March 5, 12, 19 and 26 (6 weeks)

Register Here