Holidays
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Holidays 〰️
Iron Chef Competition
Come celebrate the Festival of Lights with the famous JCOGS Iron Chef Competition! Enter with an amazing dish prepared with the secret ingredient or come hungry and vote. Bring your family menorah as we light up the dark together. Dreidel games, latkes, and song.
The secret ingredient this year is .... Light and Dark! Be creative! Think out of the "black and white cookie" box ;)
This year's celebrity judge is Ari Fishman of ZenBarn in Waterbury.
Compete for fantastic prizes from local businesses:
Commodities, Piecasso, Stowe Cider, Ranch Camp, Skinny Pancake, and Black Diamond BBQ!
To compete in the Iron Chef (registration appreciated at jcogs.org):
1. Dishes must be vegetarian*. Your creation can be savory or sweet or a combination ... (*dairy and fish are fine but no meat, no shellfish)
2. No peanut products please.
3. Make enough for fifty people to taste: small portions or can be cut into pieces after presentation. The celebrity judge will decide the first place winner. Party-goers will be voting for their favorites in the other categories.
4. Please prepare an ingredient list on a sheet of paper that's clear and easily read (computer printed preferred but not required).
5. Be creative! Judging will be for taste, presentation, and creative use of the secret ingredient
https://www.jcogs.org/event/iron-chef-competition.html
NEK Hanukkah Party & Havdallah
Gather with the northern Jewish community for Hanukkah music with Rabbi David, a fabulous potluck, basking in the glow of the fourth candle . Bring your favorite menorah and a creative dish to share as we celebrate the Festival of Lights together in the Northeast Kingdom. Fun and games, too! All welcome!
Chanukah Celebration
Havdalah, Chanukah candlelighting, a potluck supper, and most of all, being with community!
Chana-Kava
Ruach HaMaqom and Ohavi Zedek join together in this celebration of Winter’s darkness and the light of hope kindled by the menorah’s flames. We’ll share in the most ancient of Jewish—human!—spiritual technologies: song and story.
BYOM – Bring Your Own Menorah: we will light them together.
Kava tea and sufganiyot/donuts will be served. Bring a story, a song and some snacks!
Light up Waterbury & Stowe
Join us Sunday afternoon, December 29th, at Rusty Parker Memorial Park, at 4:00 pm for our third annual Menorah Lighting and Chanukah Celebration! Delicious Chanukah treats, music, hot cocoa, and and so much more! Also on the menu: good vibes and festive fun.
Our noses may be a little frosty, but with community togetherness and a public display of BEAMING Jewish pride like no other, our souls will be warm and bright.
We are so looking forward to you joining us for our biggest and best year yet. This event is open to all.
We hope to see you there!
https://www.chabadofstowe.com/templates/articlecco_cdo/aid/5741315/jewish/Chanukah-at-Chabad.htm
Chanukah Bonfire & Community Sing
We'll gather at Living Tree for an intergenerational celebration including:
Community crafts and games for all ages—you don't want to miss the infamous Maccabee fort, human dreidel contest, and gelt stacking!
A special music performance for the little ones with Miss Andrea of Musical Munchkins
Menorah lighting—feel free to bring your own!
Chanukah storytelling
Cozy potluck dinner—Latkes and Soup will be provided - bring a vegetarian dish to share
Seasonal song circle around the bonfire with Musicians Avi Salloway and Emma Back.
Co-sponsored by Jewish Communities of Vermont, PJ Library VT and Living Tree Alliance
Pay-what-you-can donation ($18–$56 per family suggested). No one turned away for inability to pay.Donations for this event will be split between LTA's end-of-year fundraising goals and the Good Samaritan homeless warming shelter in Montpelier.
8th Night of Hanukkah Party
Hanukkah Party Everyone Welcome 8th Night!!!! Bring Latkes and Menorahs
Family Hanukkah Glow Party and Concert with Joanie Leeds
Kids of all ages come celebrate Hanukkah with the catchy pop tunes of Grammy winner Joanie Leeds! Latkes, dreidels, and lots of Hanukkah fun as we light the second candle together.
This is event is free and open to all thanks to JCVT and a generous grant from the Covenant Foundation.
Hanukkah Candle Lighting and Chinese Food
Join us for the 1st night of Hanukkah to light our Menorahs (bring yours from home) and eat Chinese Food!
UVM Green Grand Menorah Lighting
Grand Menorah lighting UVM green, corner of S. Prospect & Main
Chanukah Party
Join us for our annual Chanukah Party on December 22 at 3:00pm! Latkes and other refreshment are potluck style. Please email Sarah if you are intending to bring latkes/condiments! Other vegetarian dishes are encouraged as well. Registration is encouraged
Tot Shabbat and Hanukkah Celebration
Tot Shabbat is a Shabbat service designed to engage young children and their families. Snacks and social time will follow the service.
Join us to celebrate Hanukkah!
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.
Quotes from previous class:
“I found myself surprised and delighted with my opening up to the creative and spiritual experience and opportunities, which I didn’t know I could access.” Phylis
“The combination of text, color and the facilitation of a safe group gathering can be a powerful one for connecting with the light of the soul.” Kim
“Awesome! Ways to connect with the hidden light and bring more light into my life.” Sephira
“Being creative with a supportive non-judgmental group felt heart centered and essential for spiritual development.” Ellen
“a sense of connection to others in the workshop, inspiration about the meaning of lighting Chanukah candles, and my own creative expression on paper that I really resonate with” Julia
“Appreciation for creativity in all aspects of life. I feel more relaxed when I allow myself to be creative.” Ellen
Community Chanukah Celebration!
Light Chanukah Candles! & Play Dreidel! Eat Latkes, Sufganiyot and Pizza!
Cantor Scott Buckner and Jason Weinberger, orchestra conductor and concert producer, will present a musical program fun for the whole family!
RSVP by December 13th
Just click link or call 802-362-4578
Chanukah Party
Live klezmer music, latkes & doughnuts, crafts & dreidel games!
To help us plan our set up needs please RSVPand let us know what you can bring! (You are most welcome to attend without bringing anything but like all Havurah events this is a community effort with lots of ways to lend a hand).
Chanukah Party
Join us for our annual Chanukah Party!
Including delicious food, fun games, songs, a candle lighting, raffles and crafts.
Food – latkes, salad, doughnuts
Music with Brass Balagan / 11:30 – 12:00 pm
Sing Along and Menorah Lighting with Cantor Silverberg / 12 – 12:30 pm
Toy/Game Raffle
Chocolate Fountain
Photo Booth
Family Gift Swap
Crafts
Dreidel
Preschool Activities
Chanukah Gift Shop
Suggested Donation: $18 per family or $5 per individual, $3 per child.
Hanukkah Fun at the Johnson Jubilee
Come play dreidel, sing Hanukkah songs, and make art for the Festival of Lights. We're excited to be part of this wonderful community tradition in downtown Johnson.
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
A three session series focusing on the teachings on Hanukkah, Tu B’Shvat & Purim 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
Shabbat Worship & Simchat Torah Celebration
Friday, October 25
6:30 pm - Shabbat Worship/Simchat Torah Celebration. To join services on Zoom, click here to join.
K-3 Shabbat Service and Simchat Torah Celebration
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!
Simchat Torah
SIMCHAT TORAH
Featuring Ida Mae Specker on Fiddle with guest Rabbi Lee Moore
Simchat Torah
Shemini Atzeret/Yizkor Services
Thursday, October 24, 5:00 pm
Live and Virtual
Simchat Torah Service
Thursday, October 24, 6:00 pm
Live and Virtual
For more information, please do not hesitate to get in touch with the RJC Office or Rabbi Shemtov.
Israel Congregation Hebrew School Simchat Torah
Israel Congregation Hebrew School
Wednesday, October 23
Simchat Torah
in person and via Zoom!
5:30 pm Celebrate Simchat Torah- Get ready to dance, sing, and celebratel Join us for a lively
Simchat Torah celebration featuring the incredible Ida Mae Specker, a masterful fiddle player whose music is sure to fill the room with joy. Bring your dancing shoes, your friends, and your family, as we come together to celebrate the completion of the Torah reading cycle and the beginning of a new one. Our Hebrew School students will be participating in the service.
Immediately following Sukkot, we observe Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah, a fun-filled day during which we celebrate the completion of the annual reading of the Torah and affirm Torah as one of the pillars on which we build our lives.
As part of the celebration, the Torah scrolls are taken from the ark and carried or danced around the synagogue seven times. during the Torah service, the concluding section of the fifth book of the Torah D'varm (Deuteronomy), is read, and immediately following, the opening section of Genesis, or B'reishit, is read. This practice represents the cyclical nature of the relationship between the Jewish people and the reading of the Torah.
Collaborative Sukkah Building Featuring Talking Hands Theatre
Calling all PJ and PJ Our Way Families!
Save the date for a Pop Up Sukkah contest on Sunday morning, October 20th, 10:30-12:30 at Living Tree Alliance. Families will be given the simple guidelines of how to create a Sukkah. We will then use our innate creativity and ingenuity to construct a very fun, easy small sukkah. We will provide the natural materials for the Sukkot and you can add materials you find in nature. Afterwards, you and your kids can take it home and enjoy it for the rest of the Sukkot holiday! We will also learn why Sukkot is called the Festival of Joy, shake the lulav, hear a story, dance and sing songs. A light vegetarian lunch will be provided for eating in the Sukkah.
Potluck Breakfast in the Sukkah
10:00 AM - 11:30 AM
Join us for a breakfast in the sukkah on the (almost) halfway mark of the Sukkot holiday! Bring a dairy or vegetarian dish to share and a sweater/jacket! Seating will be prepared inside the sukkah. Come for a meal and a craft for the kids to help decorate our sukkah!
Sukkot Dance Party
Admission is free, however, donations are greatly appreciated. Donations can be made ahead of time using this link or at the door during the event.
Joe Alpar, well-known musician and Bennington College professor*, along with his ensemble, will treat you to lively Jewish music from the Middle East, Balkans, Eastern Europe and more. Their music will lift your spirits, gladden your heart, and coax you out of your seat and onto the dance floor!
Come and celebrate Saturday night of Sukkot with Havdalah, food and dancing.
This event is a collaboration between Brattleboro Area Jewish Community and Congregation Beth El of Bennington, supported by a Covenant Grant from Jewish Communities of Vermont.
Celebrate Sukkot with Living Tree!
Now in its 11th year, our Sukkot on the Farm festival brings together song, learning, nature, community, delicious food, and fun—all centered around the abundance of the fall harvest and the shelter of our creatively designed temporary dwelling, the sukkah.
This year’s highlights include:
Harvest Festival on Saturday afternoon, with sauerkraut making, apple pressing, and more
Saturday-night musical extravaganza, with harvest veggie soup from the farm, spirited havdalah, and a barn concert with Vermont’s own art-rock global spirit band, Billy Wylder
Come for the day, or bundle up and camp overnight! Note that event and camping tickets are separate—please read through the ticket options on the registration page carefully. Limited indoor sleeping accommodations are also be available; if you’re interested, please contact usdirectly for more info.
We’re delighted to have Rabbi David Fainsilber, of Jewish Communities of Greater Stowe, and Rabbi Aaron Philmus, of Ohavi Zedek, back this year to bring their voices and music to our programming. We’re also delighted to have Jewish Communities of VT with us for a pop-up sukkah-building contest on Sunday morning.
We’re grateful to our sponsors: JCVT, JCOGS, Ohavi Zedek, and Beth Jacob Synagogue, with support from Harold Grinspoon Foundation.
Rosh Hashanah in the Field with Rabbi Lee
Led by Rabbi Lee Moore and Cellist Aaron Fried
Join us for an inspiring, land-based, musical outdoor prayer ceremony!
Greet the new year with a radical Jewish prayer experience in nature that weaves together traditional melodies with eco-poetics. At Living Tree’s fifth annual Rosh Hashanah celebration, we’ll tap into our roots as we soar with song—all while surrounded by the stunning peak foliage of the Mad River Valley.
When: October 4, 10 am–12:30 pm, with vegetarian potluck lunch to follow
Where: All activities held under the pavilion in the Living Tree meadow (rain or shine)
96 Living Tree Lane, Moretown, VT
Suggested donation: $36–$360
Children welcome!
Youth will join with adults for the first part of the service, where our woods, sandbox, and tree house provide a child’s wonderland within sight of our open-air pavilion.
Partway through the program, kids under age 8 will be able to join our youth program, celebrating the earth’s birthday with interactive story and song—and snacks, of course!
We’ll come back together for the awakening Shofar service.
Tashlich
All participants are welcome to join us for a Tashlich ceremony in the afternoon, 2:30–4 pm. We’ll walk down to Living Tree’s private beach on the Mad River and together enact this High Holy Days ritual of casting away/releasing what no longer serves us.
Rosh Hashanah By the Lake
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!
20's/30's Wine & Cheese
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!
Selichot
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).
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.
Bagels, Lox, Tefillin
JOIN US IN THE FRESH SEPTEMBER AIR FOR A SUNDAY MORNING OF BAGELS, SCHMEAR, AND A SIDE OF TEFILLIN WRAPPING FOR THE GUYS. THE KIDS WILL GET TO CREATE A ROSH HASHANA CRAFT AND THEIR OWN SHANA TOVA CARDS FOR FRIENDS. WE'LL BLOW THE SHOFAR AS IS CUSTOMARY IN THE MONTH OF ELUL AND ENJOY PLENTY OF ROSH HASHANA SWEET TREATS, PRETTY VIEWS, AND GOOD COMPANY