Events
Spring Gardening
Cafe & Play in the Children's Village from 9 - 11 am. From 9 - 10 am it's Open Play, and for the next 3 weeks we are offering Spring Gardening from 10 - 11 am! (It's a drop-in/by donation for Open Play, and the gardening program is $5.)
THE TRANSFORMATION OF A RABBI, A SYNAGOGUE, AND VERMONT’S RELIGIOUS LANDSCAPE, 1944-1952
The Transformation of a Rabbi, a Synagogue and Vermont’s Religious Landscape, 1944-1952
The Annual Rabbi Max B. Wall Endowment Lecture
Wednesday, April 9, at 5 p.m.
McCarthy Recital Hall
The Annual Rabbi Max B. Wall Endowment Lecture will be presented by local historians Jeff Potash, Ph.D., and Aaron Goldberg, J.D. on Wednesday, April 9, at 5 p.m. in the McCarthy Recital Hall. The talk, entitled The Transformation of a Rabbi, a Synagogue and Vermont’s Religious Landscape, 1944-1952, will touch on the importance of Max B. Wall and his impact on the local community.
Community Seder for Passover
Saturday, April 12 beginning at 5:30 pm, the Rutland Jewish Center will hold its annual Passover Community Seder. Celebrate the first night of Pesach by joining in the community fun. Reservations are required. The cost for the catered meal is $50 per adult and $25 for children 6—12, it is free for children under 6.
As the meal is catered, you must RSVP by Tuesday April 1, to Jane Kierstein by phone or email.
Community Passover Seder: A Journey to Freedom
Ruach HaMaqom Presents
Community Passover Seder: A Journey to Freedom
Led by Rabbi Lee Moore
Join Our Earth-Conscious Vegetarian Potluck Seder!
Experience a soul-stirring ritual where ancient wisdom meets song, story, and joy. Guided by Rabbi Lee we’ll explore dimensions of liberation and reinvigorate our commitments to end oppression. We'll use "The Promise of the Land" Haggadah by Rabbi Ellen Bernstein, weaving together the themes of freedom and ecological connection.
Eco-Conscious Potluck Contributions (Vegetarian Only)
Please bring a dish based on the first letter of your last name:
A-J: Bring a main dish
K-O: Bring a dessert
P-Z: Bring an appetizer
Earth-Honoring Dietary Guidelines:
Strictly vegetarian (milk, eggs, cheese allowed)
NO chametz: wheat, rye, barley, oats, or spelt
Gluten-free options welcomed
Locally-sourced and organic ingredients encouraged
Consider bringing your own reusable plates, cups, and utensils
Bring an ingredients list to place beside your dish
As we invite liberation from narrow places, we call in the Divine presence in all Creation. Bring family, friends, and open hearts to journey through the Red Sea together and beyond, traversing our ancient freedom songs along with contemporary visions for wholeness and justice.
RSVP by April 5th
Questions?: [contact@ruachhamaqom.org]
Annual Community Second Night of Passover Seder
Welcome to our 2025 Community Seder!
Our Seder will begin at 5:00pm, with potluck dinner being served around 7:00pm.
Kosher-for-Passover vegetarian or dairy dishes are welcome! Matzoh ball soup will be provided. Regular and gluten-free matzoh will be available. Space is limited.
Registration is required by April 6.
Passover Community Seder
All are invited to attend this in-person, interactive, Kosher-for-Passover, and musical seder led by Rabbi David. Passover resources for youth will be provided.
BAJC Community Seder
This year’s Seder will again be catered by Chef Gretchen Hardy from The Porch with a bit of help from some of us. Below is the registration / reservation form, the Shalom Cloud payment link and a Sign Up Genius link for items not provided by The Porch – such as Charoset, Gefilte fish, karpas, maror, desserts, hard boiled eggs, horse radish. Due to the caterer’s increased supply chain costs our costs have gone up. Based on an estimate of 65 participants, the actual cost per person including security and space rental is $68.00 but we are only asking $35 for adults. The net difference (> $2000) will be partially covered by BAJC’s Pesach budget ($1000). We hope to make up the remainder with a grant from the Harold Grinspoon Foundation, but there is no guarantee. If you’d like to contribute more than $35, BAJC will be grateful.
Online registration and payment information at this link.
Or register & pay via snail mail as described below. You need not sign up for a specific entree. As was the case last year, everyone may have some of each dish.
Leonard Cohen, 9 Years Gone
At this community event we will remember
the life, poetry, and music of Leonard Cohen (1934-2016) Middlebury Professor Shalom Goldman will speak about Cohen's religious and spiritual ideas, and his ties to both
the Jewish and Buddhist traditions. We will listen to recordings of Cohen's songs and
watch videos of his great performances.
Good will offerings gratefully accepted.
Light refreshments will be served.
JUDA Kids Club's Great Model Matzah Bakery!
Happening Sunday, April 6th from 10:00 am - 12:00 pm at Chabad of Burlington! RSVP at www.chabadvt.org/juda
JCOGS Passover Palooza
In partnership with PJ Library and Stowe Free Library.
Storytime, crafts, music & fun for kids birth to 6 years old and families at the Stowe Free Library! Join Shabbasaurus and Tzipi the Curious Bird and special guest for a sweet Shabbat morning learning all about Passover. With special treats!
For families with kids from birth to six years old.
In partnership with PJ Library and Stowe Free Library.t
Runaway Matzo Ball
Tot Shabbat with Anna Sobel’s Talking Hands – pre-Passover program: The Runaway Matzo Ball, followed by Pizza
Scholar-in-Residence, Jared Goldfarb
Jared Goldfarb is an independent educator and licensed tour guide who teaches the history of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, biblical geography, and the geopolitical history of Israel/Palestine, to religious leaders of all faiths educators, university students, and seminarians from around the world. Based in Jerusalem, he teaches throughout Israel and Palestine and has served as Scholar-in-Residence in many communities across North America. After raising three wonderful children. Jared now devotes his free time to peace activism, sustainable zero-waste living, hiking the Holyland, vegan cooking, and genealogical research.
Enhance Your Awareness & Preparedness
Differentiate between security and safety
Develop a better understanding of active threat incidents
Identify action steps during an active threat incident, such as Run, Hide, Fight
Prepare for an active threat event
Respond to law enforcement's arrival
Recognize the importance of additional training such as Stop the Bleed
Commit to action during an active threat event
Spring Gardening
Cafe & Play in the Children's Village from 9 - 11 am. From 9 - 10 am it's Open Play, and for the next 3 weeks we are offering Spring Gardening from 10 - 11 am! (It's a drop-in/by donation for Open Play, and the gardening program is $5.)
International Folk Dancing
Please join us for International Folk Dancing at the RJC. Come and dance, or you can enjoy sitting and watching. Please bring clean, dry shoes for dancing.
For more information, please get in touch with Judy.
Paul Orgel
A concert to benefit Full Circle Preschool
sponsored by Jeff Priest & Nazly Guzman and Barbara McGrew & Fred Childs
Pianist Paul Orgel has concertized throughout the United States, Europe, and China as a recitalist, soloist with orchestra and chamber musician. Critics have praised his playing for its “subtlety and attention to nuance” (Philadelphia Inquirer), “rare pathos” (New York Times), “brilliant technique, sense of humor and fantasy” (Bridgeport Post), “warmth and beauty of sound” (Barre-Montpelier Times Argus), and “power and grace” (Vermont Times).
Sugar & Schmooze
Celebrate early spring in the sugar bush!
Join us as we gather in the Living Tree sugar bush to wake up Mother Earth and honor the Jewish month of joy and Vermont’s great miraculous thaw. Hibernation season is over, so let’s celebrate!
We’ll have lots to do at this all-ages seasonal celebration:
See an old-school maple sugar operation run by the Crowley family at Living Tree
Have fun with flower wreath making and face painting
Enjoy music and food by the fire
Revel in our community theater pageant—an “everyone plays a part” production
Share in the joy of fresh sap, syrup, and the new season
A few more details:
Admission is by pay-what-you-can donation ($18-54 suggested)
Be prepared for lots of mud (muckboots and waterproof pants recommended), as getting to the sugar house involves a walk.
Fresh maple syrup will be available for purchase—cash only!
Please leave your dogs at home
This event is co-sponsored with Jewish Communities of Vermont, with generous support of Harold Grinspoon Foundation.
BJ Purim Party!
Come celebrate Purim with us!
Our annual Purim Party is fun for all ages. Come in costume (if you want!) Get ready for tzedekah box decorating, listening to a portion of the megillah in both English and Hebrew, and of course, stay for pizza and hamantaschen!
Registration is required.
Understanding Our Roots
“Understanding Roots" is a presentation given by a pair of Roots leaders - one Israeli and one Palestinian - who tell their personal stories and offer inspiring accounts of inner transformation as a result of face-to-face contact with the other side.
This is an online only event that will feature a Q&A after the presentation.
Registration is required to get the zoom link.
Family Purim Party
Carnivale-inspired puppets get folks up and moving with games, parades, rhythm, and dance, while smaller hand puppet versions of the characters handle the story of Queen Esther.
Family Purim Celebration
Celebrate the joyous Purim holiday with the entire family with a day filled with fun, laughter, and community spirit! Here’s what we have planned for this amazing day:
10:15 – 10:30 AM:
We’ll kick things off with a delightful Preschool Storytime with Clergy, where little ones can hear the Purim story come to life in an interactive and engaging way.
10:30 – 11:00 AM:
Join us for the Megillah Reading and Costume Parade! Everyone is encouraged to dress up in your favorite costumes as we read the Megillah together and parade through the celebration.
11:00 AM – 12:30 PM:
The fun continues with our Purim Carnival! There’s something for everyone, with games, crafts, prizes, bouncy castle, and more! Be sure to check out all the activities, including:
Mishloach Manot Making to share with friends and family
Delicious Hamantaschen to enjoy
Fun Face Painting to get into the spirit of the day
A fabulous Raffle with great prizes!
We’re so glad you’re here to celebrate with us—let’s make this Purim one to remember!
Suggested Donation – $18/Family
Purim Speil & Party
Join us in celebrating Purim and Cantorial Soloist Mark Leopold!
Set to music from Man of La Mancha, this original and ambitious show is a must see.
Long-time Cantorial Soloist Mark Leopold celebrates his retirement by donning the silly king’s crown—his first time ever in the role. Bring your groggers and cheer on our talented community as we transport you to a Persia set in seventeenth-century Spain for music and merriment and where the impossible dreams come true!
The Purimspiel starts at 6:00 and has a runtime of about one hour. It will be streamed on Zoom.
Note: In accordance with Ketuvim, some characters in the Purimspiel will portray excessive drinking. That aside, the show is family friendly.
Purim Party
The Purim party begins immediately following our performance and will have family-friendly activities and sweet treats. Costumes optional but encouraged.
Purim Palooza
Costumes Encouraged! Fun For All Ages! Free!
Donations Appreciated
Music & Dancing
Hamantaschen & Refreshments
Craft Projects
Juggling Workshop & More!
Tot Shabbat and Young Families Purim Party
There will be a Tot Shabbat service in the sanctuary starting at 9:30 am. Then we will move into the social hall for crafts, toys, face painting, and a photo booth.
Costumes are encouraged!
Please register by clicking on the button below so that we will know how many Purim baskets (Mishloach Manot) to make!
Contact Aimee Hutton for questions and more information.
Erev Purim Megillah Reading
Join us at Beth Jacob for a Hebrew reading of the megillah with a guest reader from Chabad in Burlington. Stay for a hamentaschen (or two!) RSVP below!
Megillah Reading and Purim Celebration – 2025
Join us for a joyous Purim celebration! We’ll begin with the weekday Maariv evening service, followed by the reading of the Megillah. Afterward, we’ll transition into a lively celebration with food, schmoozing, and dancing for those who feel like it.
We’ll celebrate the mitzvah of eating together and, of course, indulge in some delicious hamantaschen. A hearty lentil stew, quinoa salad, and dessert will be served.
As part of the Purim tradition, we will be collecting Matanot L’Evyonim (gifts for those in need). Please bring a donation—either food or a financial contribution—to benefit the South Burlington Food Shelf.
Come in costume or check out our costume bin (think Mardi Gras). Hope to see you there!
JCOGS Family Purim Party
Come and join us at JCOGS for this annual Family Purim Party. Expect games, songs, Persian potluck, Megillah reading, and a silly spiel. Come in costume or dress up on sight.
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.
