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📯 Shofar blown
The month of Elul is a month of preparation for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. That’s why Jews blow the shofar (almost) every day of the month.
Do the mitzvah of donating blood at Ahavath Achim Synagogue's quarterly Blood Drive. Every day, blood donors help patients of all ages: accident and burn victims, heart surgery and organ transplant patients, and those battling cancer. The need for blood is constant! The quarterly Blood Drive is sponsored by Ahavath Achim Synagogue, Congregation Shearith Israel, […]
Come join us for Kesher and Nesiah's End of the Year Ceremony, where we'll celebrate our students and those who made our year possible. Brunch to follow. This event is free and open to the community. Questions? Contact the Interim Director of Education: Annsley Klehr (404.603.5754; aklehr@aasynagogue.org).
Join us rain or shine at the Memorial to the Six Million at Greenwood Cemetery as we remember the six million Jews murdered in the Holocaust and the heroism of survivors and rescuers. The featured speaker is Holocaust survivor from Poland, George Rishfeld. As a child Holocaust survivor from Warsaw, Poland, George's life took a […]
Join us every Monday for a prayerful experience. This short one-hour experience will start your day on the right foot. Torah reading, traditional liturgy, singing, and a thought for the day are on the docket—coffee, sweets, and fellowship to follow. Join us in Ellman Chapel or via Zoom. Join Via Zoom
All Sisters are invited to the Closing Program, where we will celebrate the installation of our new leadership team and thank the outgoing board for all their hard work and dedication. Since it will be Cinco de Mayo, we will socialize, enjoy a Latin-themed cooking class by Margot Alfie, and enjoy a wonderful Cinco de […]
Join Rabbi Rosenthal every Wednesday for an exploration into the minds of our rabbis to better understand our modern Jewish world and the innovative process of Rabbinic Judaism. This year we will be studying Tractate Megillah, Chapter 1 "Megillah Nikret," understanding the days that different Jewish communities and townships can read the Biblical Book of […]
Join us every Wednesday for Biblical Hebrew Class, led by Hebrew instructor, Jim Dricker. In this class, we will cover all aspects of grammar and a well-rounded basic vocabulary. Students set the pace of the program, and we will proceed as fast or as slow as the majority of the class requests. We might take […]
Join us once a month on Rosh Chodesh to elevate the new month with Ahava parents and minyan regulars! After the morning minyan service, we'll be offering the opportunity for our two wonderful communities to schmooze and learn a short bit of Torah that's friendly for the whole family. Stop in for coffee and a […]
The Epstein School is celebrating 50 years of excellence in Jewish education throughout the 2023–24 school year. Founded in 1973 by Rabbi Harry Epstein and a group of thoughtful and visionary leaders from Atlanta’s Ahavath Achim Synagogue, the school has grown and flourished over the last five decades, providing a welcoming, nurturing, and challenging education […]
Join us as we celebrate concluding our latest Arnovitz Leadership Institute with special honors throughout the service! Previous Arnovitz graduates—Please reach out to the Director of Community Connection so we can ensure you are included in the Arnovitz graduate list for future communications: Jackie Nix (404.603.5743; jnix@aasynagogue.org). Join Via Zoom
Join us every Shabbat morning for Torah Study, where lay leaders, rabbis, and congregants lead lively discussions about the weekly parashat. This discussion requires no special knowledge and is designed to deepen your understanding and appreciation of the Torah and the wisdom of our Sages. Questions? Contact the chair: Michael Miller (mgmiller@sloan.mit.edu). Join us in […]
Join us one Saturday a month to learn about and discuss current issues involving Israel. With the incredibly complex reality that the Jewish state finds itself, the goal of this group is to learn and discuss. We will read through recent articles and publications highlighting major issues and welcome educators, advocates, Israeli Government, and NGO […]
Join us each week as we say goodbye to Shabbat and start the following week anew. Prayer, Torah reading, a short study with the rabbi, a light seudah sheleshet (third meal), and a musical havdallah will be part of this experience! Join Via Zoom
What are the AA tunes? Our rabbis hear this question yearly as the journey toward the High Holidays begins. The AA tunes are melodies that have accompanied us through countless High Holidays throughout our youth and as we grew with the congregation. Cantor after cantor, choir after choir, some melodies have followed us, embraced us, and given us a sense of the holiness of the AA prayer experience. But what are they? We embarked on a mission to “find” the AA tunes, with our community’s help. Check out the journey!
Our Meshorerim (Hebrew for “spiritual singers”) group enhances prayer through music and song. The group is open to anyone regardless of musical background, Hebrew ability, or rehearsal attendance. Even if you’ve never attended a practice before, you can join our Meshorerim anytime. All we ask is that you sit up front during the Holidays in the designated “Meshorerim” section and sing along when you can! See the full schedule of gatherings on the AA Tunes Linktree.
Questions? Please contact the Interim Director of Music and Tefillah: Bonnie Levine (music@aasynagogue.org).
The Children’s Choir, introduced for the first time during the 5784 High Holiday services, will sing again this year! The Children’s Choir currently includes young singers ages 5–15 and rehearses on Sundays during our Kesher Jewish School program and Saturdays after Rebbe’s Tish.
They say listening to a band’s album before attending their concert can help people enjoy the show. The same is true of spiritual preparation for the High Holiday services. Familiarizing yourself with the audio tracks of the AA Tunes will lead to a more meaningful High Holiday experience! While we may not have an AA Tunes album (at least not yet), we offer sheet music and audio files for some of our selections. You can find an index with links here.
Ahavath Achim has a rich musical history of over a century, from commissioned choral works to rock band tributes. In addition to the AA Tunes Campaign playlist, please enjoy inspirational musical kavanot (Hebrew for “intentions” or “sincere feelings, directions of the heart”) and some of our favorite musical memories and stories about our beloved “AA Tunes” and other resources.
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Selichot—Saturday, September 28 | ||
6:15–7:45 p.m. | Mincha/Seudah Sheleshet Service | In-Person: Ellman Chapel |
7:45–10:30 p.m. | Ma’ariv/Havdallah/Selichot Service | In-Person: Ellman Chapel |
Sunday, September 29 | ||
10:30 a.m. at Greenwood Cemetery | In-Person: Greenwood Cemetery and Arlington Memorial Park | |
Erev Rosh Hashanah—Wednesday, October 2 | ||
7:15–8:00 a.m. | Morning Minyan | Virtual: Zoom |
6–7:00 p.m. | Mincha/Ma’ariv Service | In-Person: Sanctuary |
1st Day Rosh Hashanah—Thursday, October 3 | ||
7:45–10:00 a.m. | Childcare (6 months–6th grade) | Check-In at Ahava |
8–9:30 a.m. | Coffee and Breakfast Oneg | In-Person: Breezeway |
8:00 a.m.–1:15 p.m. | Sanctuary Service | In-Person: Sanctuary |
10–11:00 a.m. | Torah Study (Led by Dr. Michael Miller) Rosh Hashanah: An Origin Story—The Talmud teaches that Rosh Hashanah is on the first of Tishrei because that is when the world was created (but was it?). We will look at what the Torah and later texts say about Rosh Hashanah and how we got to where we are today. | In-Person: Ellman Chapel |
10:00 a.m.–1:15 p.m. | Child/Teen Programming (6 months–12th grade) | Check-In at Ahava |
10:15–10:50 a.m. 10:15–10:50 a.m. 10:15–10:50 a.m. 10:55–11:30 a.m. 10:55–11:30 a.m. 10:55–11:30 a.m. | Family Services: Pre-K–2nd Grade: Family Service 3rd–7th Grade: Audience Performance 8th–12th Grade: Speaker and Drum Circle Pre-K–2nd Grade: Audience Performance 3rd–7th Grade: Family Service 8th–12th Grade: Speaker and Drum Circle | In-Person: Tent In-Person: Paradies Hall In-Person: Library In-Person: Paradies Hall In-Person: Tent In-Person: Library |
1:15–2:15 p.m. | Oneg and Light Kiddush and Committee Fair | In-Person: Srochi Auditorium |
6–7:00 p.m. | Mincha/Ma’ariv Service | In-Person: Ellman Chapel |
2nd Day Rosh Hashanah—Friday, October 4 | ||
7:45–10:00 a.m. | Childcare (6 months–6th grade) | Check-In at Ahava |
8–9:30 a.m. | Coffee and Breakfast Oneg | In-Person: Breezeway |
8:00 a.m.–1:15 p.m. | Sanctuary Service | In-Person: Sanctuary |
10–11:00 a.m. | Torah Study (Led by Rabbi Michael Rothbaum) | In-Person: Ellman Chapel |
10:00 a.m.–1:15 p.m. | Child/Teen Programming (6 months–7th grade) | Check-In at Ahava |
Following End of Sanctuary Service | Tashlich | In-Person: Meet at the Tent to walk to the corner of Peachtree Battle and Woodward Way |
6–7:30 p.m. | Mincha/Kabbalat Shabbat/Ma’ariv Service | Virtual: Zoom |
Shabbat Shuvah (Shabbat of Return)—Saturday, October 5 | ||
9:30 a.m.–12:15 p.m. | Shabbat Morning Service | In-Person: Sanctuary Join Zoom |
10:30–11:30 a.m. | Torah Study | In-Person: Cavalier Room Join Zoom |
12:45–2:00 p.m. | Rebbe’s Tish—Meshorerim Singing | In-Person: Srochi Auditorium |
6:15–7:45 p.m. | Mincha/Seudah Sheleshet/Ma’ariv/Havdallah/Kaddish D’Lavana Service | In-Person: Ellman Chapel Join Zoom |
Sunday, October 6 | ||
1:45–4:00 p.m. | Reverse Tashlich | In-Person: Peachtree Creek Greenway |
Kol Nidre—Friday, October 11 | ||
5–5:30 p.m. | Family Kol Nidre Service (up to 10 years old) | In-Person: Tent Join Zoom |
5:30 p.m. | Vegan Kapparot | In-Person: Breezeway |
6–6:15 p.m. | Mincha | In-Person: Sanctuary Join Zoom |
6:15–7:00 p.m. | Kol Nidre Service | |
7–9:00 p.m. | Ma’ariv Service | |
Yom Kippur—Saturday, October 12 | ||
7:45–10:00 a.m. | Childcare (6 months–6th grade) | Check-In at Ahava |
8:00 a.m.–2:15 p.m. | Sanctuary and Yizkor Services | In-Person: Sanctuary Join Zoom |
10:00 a.m.–2:15 p.m. | Child/Teen Programming (6 months–12th grade) | Check-In at Ahava |
10:15–10:50 a.m. 10:15–10:50 a.m. 10:15–10:50 a.m. 10:55–11:30 a.m. 10:55–11:30 a.m. 10:55–11:30 a.m. | Family Services: Pre-K–2nd Grade: Family Service 3rd–7th Grade: Audience Performance 8th–12th Grade: Speaker and Drum Circle Pre-K–2nd Grade: Audience Performance 3rd–7th Grade: Family Service 8th–12th Grade: Speaker and Drum Circle | In-Person: Tent In-Person: Paradies Hall In-Person: Library In-Person: Paradies Hall In-Person: Tent In-Person: Library |
10–11:00 a.m. | Torah Study (Led by Dr. Douglas Ander) | In-Person: Ellman Chapel Join Zoom |
2–3:00 p.m. | Beit Midrash Study Hall | In-Person: Sanctuary Join Zoom |
5:15 p.m. | Mincha | In-Person: Sanctuary Join Zoom |
6:15 p.m. | Neilah Service | |
7:32 p.m. | Ma’ariv/Havdallah/Final Shofar Blast Service | |
7:45 p.m. | Break Fast | Gold Doors and Breezeway |
Sukkot—October 16–23 | ||
Wednesday, October 16 (Erev Sukkot) | Erev Sukkot Evening Service | In-Person: Sanctuary Join Zoom |
Thursday, October 17 (Sukkot Day 1) | Sukkot Morning Service | In-Person: Sanctuary Join Zoom |
6–7:00 p.m. | Mincha/Ma’ariv Service | In-Person: Sukkah Join Zoom |
Friday, October 18 (Sukkot Day 2) | Shacharit Service | In-Person: Sanctuary Join Zoom |
6–7:00 p.m. | Shabbat Evening Service | Virtual: Zoom Join Zoom |
8–9:30 p.m. | AAbsolute Sukkot Shabbat | In-Person: Sanctuary Join Zoom |
Saturday, October 19 (Sukkot Day 3) | Chol Hamoed Shabbat Morning Service | In-Person: Ellman Chapel Join Zoom |
10:30–11:30 a.m. | Torah Study | In-Person: Cavalier Room |
12:30–2:00 p.m | Rebbe’s Tish | In Person: Sukkah |
Wednesday, October 23 (Sukkot Day 7) | Hoshanah Rabah Morning Service | In-Person: Ellman Chapel Join Zoom |
Shemini Atzeret—October 23–24 | ||
Wednesday, October 23 (Erev Shemini Atzeret) | Erev Shemini Atzeret Evening Service | In-Person: Ellman Chapel Join Zoom |
Thursday, October 24 (Shemini Atzeret) | Shemini Atzeret and Yizkor Morning Service | In-Person: Sanctuary Join Zoom |
Simchat Torah—October 24–25 | ||
Thursday, October 24 (Erev Simchat Torah) | Erev Simchat Torah Evening Service—Kesher Consecration | In-Person: Sanctuary Join Zoom |
Friday, October 25 (Simchat Torah) | Simchat Torah Morning Service | In-Person: Sanctuary Join Zoom |
6–7:00 p.m. | Mincha/Kabbalat Shabbat/Ma’ariv Service | In-Person: Sanctuary Join Zoom |
Congregation Bet Haverim is a Reconstructionist Jewish community in Atlanta. Our mission, in a nutshell, is to provide contemporary Jewish spiritual, educational, cultural, and social experiences in which an individual can integrate practice of Judaism with other aspects of their life, including social consciousness, intellectual curiosity, sexual orientation, and familial bonds. We serve and support the lesbian, gay, and transgender communities and promote the Reconstructionist concept of Judaism as an evolving religious civilization.
Ma’alot is an inclusive spiritual community that transforms lives through nature, music, and Jewish wisdom. Through immersive gatherings, we experiment, we remember, and we reimagine powerful Jewish practices that have transformed communities over the centuries. We take creative approaches to building holistic Jewish lives and welcome you just as you are.
18Doors is dedicated to empowering people in interfaith relationships to engage in Jewish life and make Jewish choices. We encourage Jewish communities to welcome these families and provide educational content, programs, and resources to support them in their Jewish journeys.
Music in Common curates experiences for people across social divides to discover common ground through facilitated conversation and music. Our nonprofit organization’s mission is to strengthen, empower, and connect communities through the universal language of music.
At our core, we hold high two foundational principles: it is hard to hate up close, and music can change the world. Our proven person-to-person methodology is informed by evidence-based social psychology and education models that help communities work through conflict. Gordon Allport’s Intergroup Contact Theory, Elliot Aronson’s Jigsaw Classroom, and 21st Century Learning’s Four C’s (communication, collaboration, creativity, critical thinking) are the cornerstones of our unique approach.
Since 2005, our programs and projects have directly served more than 10,000 people in over 400 communities worldwide, bringing together face-to-face Black and White Americans, Israelis and Palestinians, refugee, immigrant, and American-born youth, and Jews, Christians, and Muslims, among many others. 90% of MIC program participants surveyed report new learning about different faiths and cultures and resolve to reject stereotyping and increase respect for others moving forward.
Lili Baxter, a writer and teacher, was born in a DP camp in Sweden and grew up in Paris and New York. Having witnessed the familial and social ravages of hatred and war, she has devoted her life to the study and practice of nonviolence. Lili was hired by Coretta Scott King as the King Center’s director of nonviolence education and training and served for two decades on the U.S. and international boards of the Fellowship of Reconciliation, the world’s oldest interfaith peace organization. She directed the Weinberg Center for Holocaust Education at the Breman Museum and, upon her retirement, was invited to return to The King Center as NV365 Senior Educator. Lili holds a PhD from Emory University in Women’s Studies and Human Development.
Jordan Forman has been the Ba’al Korei at AA since 1998 and has been the Ritual Coordinator and one of our Shlichei Tzibbur since 2010. In his role as Ritual Coordinator, he has been the “closer” for our B’nai Mitzvah and maker of MP3s for those looking to assist with T-ah, Haftara, and tefillot. In his “spare time”, Jordan is a Partner at the law firm of Fox Rothschild LLP. Jordan has been married to native AA member Lori Tillem for nine years. His son Joshua is going into his third year at Georgia Tech, and he also has two stepchildren, Maxwell and Isabelle.
Audrey Galex is the author of the children’s picture book Turtle Rocks and the creator of The Abandoned Mattress Photojournalism Project. She serves as Community Engagement Director for AIB Network (Atlanta Interfaith Broadcasters.) Audrey is on the Jewish Community Relations Council of Atlanta and Essential Theatre boards. She enjoys making a fool of herself on the dance floor, telling, listening to, and sharing stories and folktales, playing miniature golf poorly, drinking strong coffee, pulling weeds in her vegetable and herb garden, doing Duolingo despite the lack of mastery in any language other than English, and schmoozing with friends.
Gayanne Geurin currently offers vocal coaching and healing work in both individual and retreat settings. She served as music director at CBH for 18 years. Her experiences as a spiritual leader, music director, singer, and psychotherapist, along with her skills in vocal function and improvisational exploration, offer a unique and diverse toolkit for guiding folks in their journey with their voice. She came to claim her own singing voice through a long stop-and-start journey mixed with fear, spiritual cultivation, and expansive possibility. You can hear her on her album on Bandcamp: by the god tree and recordings by Congregation Bet Haverim on Spotify. What calls and inspires her now is how each of us develops a deeper relationship with the natural world, Earth. She can be reached at gayannegeurin@gmail.com.
Scott Glazer is a renowned musician based in Atlanta, and he is celebrated for his versatile talents as a bassist and vocalist. With several decades of career, Scott has become a staple in the Atlanta music scene, known for his dynamic performances and deep-rooted passion for music.
Rebekka Goldsmith, CBH Music Director, believes in the collective voice’s sacred and liberatory potential and regularly bears witness to the transformation and healing that can happen when people sing together. Trained as a singer, group facilitator, professional coach, and ritual leader, Rebekka has spent over 17 years guiding individuals and groups in explorations of voice, creativity, spirituality, and social justice. She uses voice as a physical, emotional, and spiritual practice for activating personal development and supporting deep group connection. She collaborates with many of today’s Jewish music artists. She has recorded an album called Seeding the Tree, exploring themes of nature, mysticism, ancestry, and the feminine in Judaism.
Lyra Hudson (she/her) is proud to have the opportunity to lend her voice and musical skills to the CBH community. A 27-year-old baritone from Atlanta, Georgia, she graduated from Yale in 2019 with a music degree and a background encompassing singing, guitar, piano, and composition (orchestral and digital). She is incredibly excited to be a new member of CBH and wants to extend her deepest gratitude to every person in the community.
Rebecca Leary Safon, a member and lay leader at Bet Haverim, is a Certified Yoga Therapist (C-IAYT) offering Therapeutic Yoga + Meditation specializing in Oncology Yoga for Cancer, Meditation, Gentle Yoga, and Yoga + Meditation through a Jewish lens. Her classes are available virtually, on my YouTube channel, and in studios, schools, and centers around the Atlanta metro area. Through Mother-to-Mother, she offers yoga for women throughout their lifecycles, including prenatal and postpartum, pelvic floor training, yoga for seniors, and chair yoga.
Bonnie and Michael form a Jewish music duo known as “sunmoonpie,” specializing in Jewish liturgical music and creative musical prayer experiences. Recently, they worked on Eliana Light’s album Ora Hi and Rabbi Sam Blustin’s album as part of the Sonia Project in memory of Sonia Fishkin z” l. Bonnie Levine serves in ritual and musical roles at Ahavath Achim Synagogue and Congregation Bet Haverim and is a practicing employment attorney. Michael is a professional musician, music educator, music producer, and audio engineer. He performs and leads musical experiences at Ahavath Achim and Bet Haverim, frequently with his wife Bonnie and their two children. You may know him as “Mr. Michael,” cofounder of The Learning Groove and music producer for the first four “Pete the Cat” books authored by Eric Litwin. Michael currently teaches music at The Weber School. Bonnie and Michael have two children, Eden (age 10) and Emet (age 8).
Dr. Linda Lippitt is a dedicated educator, researcher, and physician with a profound commitment to the advancement of medical science and education. A member of Ahavath Achim synagogue, she regularly chants Torah and Haftorah and teaches about Jewish wisdom and the ancient Jewish mystical tradition of Kabbalah.
Rabbi Chaim Stephen Listfield is a proud member of Ahavath Achim Synagogue. A magna cum laude graduate of Rutgers University, he was ordained at the Jewish Theological Seminary in 1974, at which he delivered the valedictory address. Rabbi Listfield led Conservative congregations for 40 years. Now semi-retired, he is the part-time rabbi of Etz Chayim Synagogue in Huntsville, AL.
Michael Miller is mostly retired from careers as a consultant and business school faculty (most recently Goizueta, where he still teaches a summer course—hence the “mostly”). His children are grown and out of the house and he and his wife live in the Midtown Garden District after relocating from Boston. At AA, he cheerleads for, coordinates, and occasionally leads Shabbat morning Torah Study. He would love to have any or all of you join us on Shabbat mornings at 10:30 a.m. in the Cavalier Room (or via Zoom) for Torah Study.
Rabbi Laurence Rosenthal grew up in Los Angeles, graduating from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, eventually earning a Master of Arts degree in Hebrew Letters and Rabbinic Ordination from the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies in May 2008. Laurence served as the president of the Atlanta Rabbinical Association (2019–2021) and is currently Board Chair for Georgia Interfaith Power and Light, inspiring faith-based organizations to take up the cause of environmental stewardship and justice. He continues to hone his skills as a musician, focusing lately on jazz guitar. He has worked hard to develop a yoga practice for health and mindfulness and is currently trying jogging.
Rabbi Michael Rothbaum is Bet Haverim’s senior rabbi. Ordained at the pluralistic Academy of Jewish Religion in New York (AJR-NY) in 2006, he graduated from the New College of Florida in 1997 with a BA in Public Policy/Economics. Rabbi Mike was raised in Rockland County, New York, just north of New York City. As a teenager, Rabbi Mike became involved in the local NAACP and helped start his high school’s first Amnesty International chapter. In retrospect, he has identified the Jewish imperative of r’difat Tzedek—the command to pursue justice—as the force that solidified his love of Judaism and his passion for becoming a rabbi. Rabbi Mike lives in the Summerhill section of Atlanta with his husband, internationally acclaimed Yiddish vocalist Anthony Mordechai Tvzi Russell, who kindly tolerates his passion for fair-trade coffee, Bob Dylan, and manual transmission.
Rabbi Emeritus Rabbi Neil Sandler served as Senior Rabbi of Ahavath Achim Synagogue from 2004–2019. He remained a member of the congregation’s rabbinic staff through June 2021. Upon retirement, Rabbi Sandler was given the title of Rabbi Emeritus. Today, in a period of rabbinic transition, he continues to serve the congregation in several ways. Neil is a graduate of the University of Minnesota. He received a master’s degree and Rabbinic Ordination from the Jewish Theological Seminary. Upon ordination, Neil completed a Master of Science degree in Social Work at Columbia University. In retirement, Neil regularly participates in tai chi and dabbles in “diamond art.” Rabbi Sandler’s wife, Susan, is a longtime, well-respected social worker with Weinstein Hospice. Susan and Neil are the parents of three children: Ariel (Jamie Freedman), Aliza (Matt Jay), and Joshua (Rachel Diamond). The Sandlers have been blessed with three grandchildren: Remi, Avery, and Bennett.
Dave Schechter has been a freelance journalist for the past decade, writing primarily for Jewish publications, including a regular column and in-depth articles for the Atlanta Jewish Times. In this capacity, he has been honored by the American Jewish Press Association. Before writing freelance, he worked for CNN in Israel for two years before 26 years on the national desk. He is the author of a soon-to-be (self-published) work of historical fiction about his Communist great-aunt.
Rabbi Ariel Root Wolpe is a mother, musician, and spiritual educator. Originally from Philadelphia, Ariel studied religion and music as an undergraduate at Emory University and was ordained at Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies, where she focused on Hasidic commentaries and feminist interpretations of Jewish history and ritual. After ordination, Ariel studied Jewish music as a Rising Song Resident in Philadelphia. She founded Ma’alot in 2021 and has been serving as Rabbi and Executive Director since then. To learn more about Ariel, visit her website or read her vision for the Jewish community and spiritual life.
Time | Paradies Hall | Garden | Ellman Chapel This is the Zoom link for all sessions held in Ellman Chapel | Cavalier Room This is the Zoom link for all sessions held in Cavalier Room | Koplin-Borochoff Library This is the Zoom link for all sessions held in Koplin-Borochoff Library | Basement | Cohn Room |
7:00 p.m. | Plenary Session Join us in kicking off our Tikkun Leil Shavuot program for a powerful opening program by Music in Common! The program will feature a documentary screening, dialogue, and musical performance focused on Music in Common’s Israel-Palestine and interfaith work in the U.S. and Middle East. (7–9:00 p.m.) | Child Play and Sleep Space | |||||
9:00 p.m. | Ma’ariv Service | Iliane (Lili) Kshensky Baxter Holocaust/Nonviolence Training/Education Nonviolence is a love-centered way of thinking, speaking, acting and engaging that leads to personal, cultural and societal transformation. It’s both a way of life and a method for social change. This session will serve as a short introduction to this timely subject with emphasis on the teachings of Martin Luther King, Jr. (9–9:50 p.m.) | |||||
9:30 p.m. | Rabbi Ariel Root Wolpe When You Study Talmud, is it a Song? Deep in the pages of Talmud, we find an ancient adage: “”When you study Talmud, is it a song?”” Are the pages like lyrics that we do not quite understand? Do the words move us, or invite us to join in? Together, we will read sugyot (passages) that explore these questions to deepen our relationship to this foundational work of story-telling, legal debate, and perhaps, of song. (9:30–10:00 a.m.) | Rebekka Goldsmith and Gayanne Geurin (In-Person Only) The Secret of Many Voices—B’sod Kolot Congregation Bet Haverim’s current and former Music Directors Rebekka Goldsmith and Gayanne Geurin are teaming up to facilitate an exploratory music session as a way in to unravel some of the mystery of receiving and revelation that are Shavuot’s core mystical elements.Rebekka and Gayanne will work with a structure called, “Circle Singing” to guide participants to create a singing and sound experience that reveals itself moment to moment. You are welcome to sing with us or lay down and listen. All Voices Welcome. No prior experience necessary. (9:30–11:00 a.m.) | |||||
10:00 p.m. | Chevruta (Partner)/Self-Paced Study Space Check out independent, partner, and group study materials along with coffee and snacks in Paradies Hall. | Rabbi Chaim Listfield God’s Rain and God’s Reign Deuteronomy 32 is written in symbolic poetry and it needs interpretation. As an example, at the start of the chapter we read: “”May my discourse come down as the rain, My speech distill as the dew, Like showers on young growth, Like droplets on the grass.”” Rabbi Listfield will explain what the rain means in that verse, and he’ll explain other metaphors in that poetic chapter of Scripture. His goal is to show us how it all fits with the reign of the Almighty. If you like Biblical poetry you might want to come learn why God is compared to an eagle and how we Jews are being protected in our cozy little nest. (10–10:50 p.m.) | |||||
10:30 p.m. | Lyra Hudson Sight Singing In an hour, learn how to look at a line of music and sing it through without accompaniment! (10:45–11:45 p.m.) Audrey Galex Turtle Rocks What Jewish values are embedded in a children’s book about turtles trying to get to a lake to sun themselves on a log? Join author Audrey Galex, whose book Turtle Rocks also invites you to explore your life’s journey. (11–11:50 p.m.) | ||||||
11:00 p.m. | Rabbi Neil Sandler Kol Ha’olam Kulo: Teachings from Rebbe Nachman of Breslov Kol HaOlam Kulo Gesher Tzar Me’od—You’ve probably sung the song. Now, come learn about this statement that Rabbi Nachman coined many years ago. What does it say about Reb Nachman’s God and his worldview? Most importantly, as we celebrate this Torah – centered holiday of Shavuot, does this statement provide us with direction? Come discuss and learn. (11–11:50 p.m.) | ||||||