Jewish Culture Connect - Exploring Jewish Arts, Culture & Education in Western Massachusetts
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Holiday Celebration
All Regions
Rosh Hashanah Retreat
Sep 8-12
Rosh Hashanah Retreat with Rabbi Shawn Zevit, Rabbi Phyllis Berman, Rabbi Arthur Waskow and Simcha Zevit. The Biblical name for Rosh Hashanah is Yom Hazikaron—the Day of Remembrance. Our teacher Reb Zalman Schachter-Shalomi says that remembering
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Family Program
Upper Pioneer Valley
Beit Ahavah Family Rosh Hashanah Service
Sep 9
Rosh Hashanah Family Service with joyous singing and celebrating geared towards families with ages 6-10, but all are welcome! Hear the shofar blown by our master youth shofar blowers, and enjoy delicious apples and honey for a sweet new year. Grow
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Family Program
Upper Pioneer Valley
B'nai Israel Rosh Hashanah Family Programs
Sep 9-10
Congregation B'nai Israel welcomes you to celebrate both days of Rosh Hashanah with a variety of options for families and children of all ages. At 10 am, hear and try the Shofar and celebrate the Birthday of the World with families and children up to
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Holiday Celebration
Pioneer Valley
JCA Rosh Hashanah Family Service
Sep 9
The Jewish Community of Amherst will be holding an interactive family service on the first day of Rosh Hashanah for families with children up to age nine. Michelle Greenfield will lead in celebrating the new year with Hebrew and English prayers, song
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Holiday Celebration
Pioneer Valley
JCA Rosh Hashanah Family Service (Day 2)
Sep 10
The Jewish Community of Amherst will be holding a second-day of Rosh Hashana mountain service. This service, which will be led by Michelle Greenfield and Ruhi Sophia Rubenstein, will follow a moderate trail starting from the Notch Visitors Center, 15
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Family Program
Lower Pioneer Valley
Info Session: Core Values Class for PJ Parents
Sep 12
Rabbi Amy Wallk Katz gets asked the following questions fairly frequently: Rabbi, what are you doing for young families? She now feels she has an answer. Quality parallel learning experience for parents and children of all ages. Sunday mornings a
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Community Program
Upper Pioneer Valley
Beit Ahavah Open House - Grow with Us
Sep 12
Please join our Open House for all new and prospective members, our community and friends who wish to learn more about Beit Ahavah, meet and shmooze with Rabbi Riqi Kosovske and our congregation's members in a lovely home-cooked brunch. Please R
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Author Appearance
Upper Pioneer Valley
Jacob's Cane: Author's Talk with Elisa New
Sep 12
Scholar Elisa New discusses her new novel, which traces the journeys of two family patriarchs from Eastern Europe and unravels the mysterious etchings on her great-grandfather’s elegant cane.
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Holiday Celebration
All Regions
Yom Kippur Retreat
Sep 17-19
Yom Kippur retreat with Rabbi Shawn Zevit, Rabbi Phyllis Berman, Rabbi Arthur Waskow and Simcha Zevit. Children welcome. Yoga classes daily. Commuters welcome; camping available.
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Family Program
Upper Pioneer Valley
Beit Ahavah Family Yom Kippur Service
Sep 18
Cantorial singer and edutainer Felicia Sloin once again leads a riveting Yom Kippur Family Service geared towards families with children ages 6-10 (all ages welcome) at the start of the holiest day. Using new and familiar melodies, song, guitar, dru
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Class
Upper Pioneer Valley
Jewish Family Jam
Sep 22 - Dec 22
Jewish Family Service presents this popular program for infants, toddlers and their caregivers. Appropriate for ages 0-3. Together we will sing, drum and dance our way through the Jewish cycles and explore musical play and rituals that your family
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Holiday Celebration
All Regions
Sukkahfest
Sep 22-26
With Rabbi Rivka Arad, Rabbi Jill Hammer, Rabbi DovBer Pinson, Rabbi David Seidenberg, Rabbi Jonah Steinberg and Rabbi Ezra Weinberg All streams of Judaism come together in our sukkah as we honor the joy of this festival, the abundant harvest and
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Holiday Celebration
Upper Pioneer Valley
Sukkot Shmooz & School Open House
Sep 22
An afternoon to prepare our sukkah & a harvest food meal to share. As an introduction to JCA School share in the fun, mingle with our teachers and meet our new rabbi. JCA School offers community, Jewish experiential educational opportunities, an i
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Community Program
Pioneer Valley
Ride to Provide
Sep 26
The Ride to Provide is a community Sukkot bike ride, to celebrate the season and help raise money to support UMass Hillel’s community service programs and environmentally-friendly projects. The 4th Annual Ride to Provide has planned 9, 18 and 36 mi
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Family Program
Berkshires
Avodah: A Family Education Program
Sep 26
Avodah is a family education program for families with children in 1st through 4th grade. The program's goal is to make participants feel confident and comfortable to attend Jewish worship services and to make Jewish communal life a more fulfilling a
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Family Program
Upper Pioneer Valley
Sukkah Hop
Sep 26
Join us as we hop from one neighborhood sukkah to another. We will share in good food, friendship, fun and learning. We will engage in art activities such as making ushpizin (guests) to bring to our own sukkahs or to the synagogue sukkah. Walk, ri
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Workshop
Lower Pioneer Valley
Rosh Hodesh: It's A Girl Thing
Sep 26
Rosh Hodesh: It’s A Girl Thing! is a nationally acclaimed Jewish program for adolescent girls which meets monthly to strengthen self-esteem and Jewish identity through discussion, arts and crafts, drama and more. The girls integrate core Jewish va
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Family Program
Upper Pioneer Valley
Simchat Torah Celebration
Sep 30 - Oct 1
For Simchat Torah, Congregation B'nai Israel will celebrate beginning with dancing, singing, story-telling and the welcoming of all those new to religious education. The evening brings a service that introduces all those students who are beginning t
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Family Program
Berkshires
Hand in Hand
Oct 3
Hand in Hand is a Jewish education program for families with pre-school and kindergarten-aged children. Through a joyous and fun program of storytelling, singing, crafts, games, and cooking families explore Jewish concepts and practices and develop a
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Spiritual Practice
Upper Pioneer Valley
Embodied Shabbat Prayer Services
Oct 9 - Dec 11
Join us in the beautiful hills of Conway as we joyfully enhance our connection with Infinite Divine Energy through enthusiastic chanting of traditional prayers, a twenty minute Shema/Amidah comprised of the gentle meditative movements and prayerful v
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Workshop
Berkshires
Spirt Qigong
Oct 10 - Dec 12
Spirit Qigong Join us for an energizing experience as we deepen our connection with the Infinite Divine Healing Energy of YHVH through the gentle meditative movements and prayerful visualizations based on the amazing self-healing practice from the M
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Exhibit
Upper Pioneer Valley
Monsters and Miracles: A Journey Through Jewish Picture Books
Oct 15 - Jan 23
This ambitious exhibition explores the evolution of Jewish picture books from illuminated manuscripts, alef-bets [books of Hebrew letters], and Passover Haggadot to stories that consider monsters [golems, dybbuks, and wild things], life in the shtetl
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Family Program
All Regions
Colors of Autumn Farm Day
Oct 17
Led by ADAMAH Staff and Fellows Enjoy peak New England foliage while you learn about ecological farm design and harvest vegetables on the largest Jewish educational farm in North America. With activities for all ages, you'll get to meet our goats,
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Family Program
Upper Pioneer Valley
Recreating the Golem: A History of Golem Imagery
Oct 17
Join artist and author Mark Podwal as he discusses one of the most fascinating Jewish legends - that of the golem, a man-like creature created by the use of mystical powers. Numerous ways the golem has been depicted will be shown in a series of slide
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Community Program
Lower Pioneer Valley
Global Day of Jewish Learning
Nov 6
Jews from around the world will share a day of Jewish learning, dialogue and exploration, joining together in celebration of all that unites us. Community Havdallah, Study opportunities with community Rabbis; Rabbi Max Davis - B'nai Torah, Rabbi A
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Artist Talk
Upper Pioneer Valley
The Whole Megilah - Presentation by Rich Michelson
Nov 7
Meet award-winning writer and storyteller, Rich Michelson as he shares personal life stories and their connections to his work. Both lyrical and literary, his presentation will weave together the connections between story and history.
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Reading & Discussion
Upper Pioneer Valley
Latke Breakfast with Lisa Brown
Nov 14
Join us for some good food and fun as illustrator Lisa Brown reads from her book The Latke Who Wouldn't Stop Screaming, and revels in the true meaning of this holiday season.
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Book Discussion
Upper Pioneer Valley
A History of Jewish Children Book Illustration
Nov 14
In a wide-ranging discussion of the history of illustration for Jewish children's books, the two guest curators, Neal Sokol and Ilan Stavans, of Monsters and Miracles: A Journey Through Jewish Picture Books, will engage in conversation with two vener
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Family Program
Pioneer Valley
Rekindle Shabbat
Jan 1 - Jun 30
Rekindle Shabbat seeks to share the joy and vibrancy of being Jewish with families through the Pioneer Valley. Through intimate at-home Shabbat dinner celebrations and festive community events, Rekindle offers opportunities to connect with others in
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Film Program
Pioneer Valley
Pioneer Valley Jewish Film Festival
Mar 24 - Apr 7
Think globally. Screen locally.
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