Miri Leshem-Pelly will be visiting Temple Sinai to teach children and their families about the amazing beauty and diversity of Israel's flora and fauna. Her new book, A Feather, A Pebble, A Shell follows a girl’s hikes through the diverse nature sites of Israel.

Join us as Miri shares her creative process, reads her new book, and teaches us about the natural wonders of Israel

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.

Community Shabbat!

We invite you to join us for a lively community Shabbat with Oneg led by our Burlington rabbis. All UVM students and community members are welcome to celebrate Shabbat with us.

This event is free, and we're excited to bring the greater-Burlington and UVM Jewish communities together in a joyous Shabbat. Please RSVP here so we can plan accordingly. Thank you!

Questions? Email Michala@uvmhillel.org

On November 14th, 2024 The Lost Mural Project and Ohavi Zedek will host a concert featuring saxophonist Marty Fogel and his quintet, Thread of Blue, including Tom Cleary on piano, Dan Silverman on trombone, Jeremy Hill on bass and Geoff Bernstein on drums. The program, co-sponsored by The Lost Mural Project, will include improvisational jazz music emanating from Jewish sources: liturgical melodies, original pieces inspired by religious text, Eastern European tunes and original arrangements of songs by American Jewish composers Jerry Bock, Leonard Bernstein, George Gershwin and Kurt Weill.

The performance begins at 7:30 pm.  Proceeds benefit The Lost Mural Project and Full Circle Preschool.

We are excited to invite you to our Annual Northern Nosh Jewish Food Festival! 

Northern Nosh Food Festival
Sunday, November 10th at 11:15 AM
At Ohavi Zedek, 188 North Prospect Street, Burlington VT 05401
Traditional Jewish foods, music, kids activities, and more! 

Nosh entry ticket pricing:

• Adults (Age 13+): Entry cost is $10 and includes 3 food vouchers.  (If you wait to buy a ticket onsite, you will only get 2 food tickets per entry.)

• Youth (Age 5 to 12): Entry costs $5 and includes 1 food voucher.

• Age 4 and under: Free entry, no food vouchers included 

Different dishes at the event will cost 1, 2 or 3 food vouchers.  Your tickets will be available at will call.

Grade level shabbats services are attended by Religious School students and their families. During the service students lead prayers they have learned in class. Join us for this special Shabbat and Simchat Torah Service. Dance with the Torah and help us roll it back to the beginning! And then schmooze with Religious School families at the oneg after services. All are welcome!

Join Virtually*

October 7, 2024

An Evening of Remembrance & Hope
The First Anniversary of October 7

6:00 p.m. – Community Service at Ohavi Zedek Synagogue with Cantor Jessica Silverberg, Rabbi David Edleson, Rabbi David Fainsilber, Rabbi Eliyahu Junik, and Rabbi Aaron Philmus
6:45 p.m. – Silent Walk to UVM
7:30 p.m. – Vigil with the UVM Hillel community near the Howe Library

Amid ongoing heartache and loss, we come together to honor, remember, and find hope. We are proud to unite with Shalom Alliance, Hillel, Jewish Community of Greater Stowe (JCOGS), Temple Sinai, Chabad, Ohavi Zedek, and Jewish Communities of Vermont (JCVT) to commemorate the first anniversary of October 7 as one community.

This evening will be a time for reflection and healing. Soulful music will uplift us, and the voices of our speakers will inspire us. We will join in solidarity to mourn, honor survivors and heroes, and fill one another with strength and hope for the future we will build together.

RSVP

Join us for a joyful Rosh Hashanah experience at a new location this year (inside Hula overlooking the beautiful Burlington waterfront)!

Enjoy Jewish stories, skits and songs, hear the shofar sound, dip apples in honey, and more in a warm, joyful setting! This event is co-led by OZ’s clergy, including our new Cantor Jessica Silverberg and  Rabbi Aaron Philmus, as well as a host of talented volunteer community members/story tellers.  (We need your help- interested contact us!)

Jewish? Adjacent? Curious?  Join us for this day of Awe-some! This friendly event is suitable for those ages 0 to 118.  Everyone is welcome! Questions?  Contact us.

All of OZ’s high holiday programs can be seen here.

This event will be followed by an outdoor lakeside Tashlich. We will provide pebbles for an eco-friendly option!

Register Here

Join our 20s & 30s Group for wine, cheese & Rosh Hashanah classics like apples and honey!

Feel free to join us for Erev Rosh Hashanah services following the event!

Register Here

Please join Rabbis Aaron Philmus, Jan Salzman, and Cantor Jessica Silverberg for the first night of Selichot, an evening of learning and music to kick-off the High Holiday season. Composed by the greatest paytanimand medieval poets, these ancient prayers direct our hearts and minds towards the process of teshuvah(repentance).

Whether you are speaking at a town hall meeting, on campus, or shooting a video for social media, you have to know how to grab your audience's attention in the first 30 seconds and then concisely talk about Israel in a way that is engaging and resonates with your audience.

In our workshop on Sunday, we will learn techniques in presentation skills and crafting messages for various audiences in talking about Israel.

We will see some of the top influencers, spokespeople and content creators in the field for sources of information and inspiration.

And, of course, this will be hands on. Some of the participants will try their speaking skills in filmed simulations.

Linda Lovitch is a media consultant in Israel with decades of experience working with Israel's spokespersons and diplomats.

She truly knows how to talk to the toughest of crowds.

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

Click Here for Tickets

Join us for a special evening performance with Zoë Keating, consisting of roughly an hour of performance and a short discussion.  Guests will have the option of purchasing tickets for a pre-event reception with Zoë.

Proceeds from the evening will support Full Circle Preschool.

About The Artist

Zoë Keating is an Emmy nominated composer and cellist known for her innovative use of technology in live performance. She blends classical training with electronic manipulation, creating hauntingly beautiful and intricate soundscapes. Her solo cello pieces have garnered critical acclaim and a devoted fanbase

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.

Everyone welcome!

Our third summer outdoor shabbat in 2024.

Please bring chairs and/or blankets and a vegetarian dish or nosh of your choice*! 

Location is Vetran’s Memorial Park Pavilion.

6 pm service
7 pm vegetarian pot luck*

Please join us as we string together bracelets bearing the names of the hostages to maintain and spread

awareness to the greater community.

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.

Sisterhood Shabbat

Friday, June 28, 6:30 pm

We will follow our our Kabbalat Shabbat service, along with songs, stories, and poetry that amplify our theme of "Celebrating Women". Our after-service oneg will feature savoy and sweet treats made by our talented Sisterhood. We need participants to read, if you are interested, please contact Jan Orlansky.

Shabbat in the Park With Ruach haMaqom at Ethan Allen Homestead

June 28 @ 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm

Everyone welcome!

We are excited to be hosting outdoor services in our region at three locations this summer.

This gathering with Ruach haMaqom will include a group of acoustic musicians.

Please bring chairs and/or blankets and a vegetarian dish or nosh of your choice*! 

6 pm service
7 pm vegetarian pot luck*

Come out and play one of three games for friendly competition:

• Tournament style Texas Hold ‘Em: Jason Wiseberg will be our dealer for up to 22 players.  No Experience Needed!

• Mah Jongg Challenge: Our own Mah Jongg Queen Lynda Siegel will oversee a competition of four players at each of five tables. (Must be able to play 4 games in an hour.)

• Relaxed Mah Jongg:Wendy Wiseberg will oversee players more interested in a slower pace and just coming out to play.

• Scrabble Competition: Barbara McGrew will lead tournament play for two players per game.  If you have been playing WORDLE every day, this could be the game for you.

We’ll have cash prizes for top players and some fun special prizes for unique challenges.

We’ll provide snacks and soft drinks.  Feel free to bring your own refreshments as well.

Space is limited and the cost to play is $18, $36 or $54 – you choose how much to contribute.   Sign up now.

Usher in the holiday of Torah with an evening of study and discussion. Join us for fascinating presentations that tackle some of the most relevant and hot-button topics.

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.

Come celebrate Shavuot and the promise of a land of milk and honey with a scoop of ice cream from the Lake Champlain Chocolates Ice Cream Truck! Join us for one or both events!

Rising Song Workshop with Joey Weisenberg brought to you by Havurah House, Temple Sinai & Ohavi Zedek

VISIT THE LANDING PAGE FOR THIS EVENT

WHEN? Wednesday, June 5 at 7pm

WHERE? Havurah House in Middlebury VT

WHAT? Hands on workshop with Joey Weisenberg

The workshop also serves as a gateway to Weisenberg's acclaimed Master Classes in Jewish Song and Prayer, a comprehensive video library gleaned from decades of leadership in the field of Jewish music. Participants will have the opportunity to:

• Study from 18 online courses covering diverse topics from nigun (spiritual melodies) and nusach(traditional prayer chants) to composition & instruments

• Deepen their musical knowledge and practice at their own pace

• Connect with a vibrant online community of fellow learners

Subscribing members of Joey's Master Classes can attend the Rising Song Workshop for free. 

When you subscribe to the class (just $18/month cancelable anytime)

you unlock access to this amazing workshop!

Does your dog need a mid-day break? Does he/she like to play with other dogs?

Join us for our first Dog Park Meet Up at the dog park across the street from Temple Sinai.

Bring your pooch and chat with other Jewish dog parents!

**If it is raining or really muddy - it will be postponed until Tuesday, June 11th. We will update the website if it’s cancelled.**