Beth Sholom B'nai Israel's Third Annual Jazz Festival happens this weekend, with a full lineup of performers on Saturday evening, December 1, from 7 to 10:30 p.m. and Sunday afternoon, December 2, from 1 to 5 p.m. The festival will be held at Cheney Hall, 177 Hartford Road, Manchester. Click here to see the lineup and to purchase tickets.

George Bacall, M.D.

Beth David Synagogue will hold a breakfast program with George Bacall, M.D., entitled "The Little German Shul That Could" at 9:15 a.m. on Sunday, December 2, immediately following Tefilot (prayer). Dr. Bacall will give us a multimedia overview of his return to his childhood community in Germany. We'll learn about a little synagogue that was badly damaged on Kristallnacht, abandoned, and then transformed into a cultural and educational center. Dr. Bacall will tell us about his experience at the first Shabbat service held there since Kristallnacht. The cost for breakfast is $8 per person. Click here to register, or call the synagogue office at 860.236.1241.

As the days grow ever shorter, Jews join the rest of humanity in our attempt to increase light and chase away darkness. During Hanukkah, we kindle flames both literal and symbolic. In this workshop on Sunday, December 2 at 10:30 a.m. at B'nai Tikvoh-Sholom, we'll use Jewish text and a simple Japanese cut-paper technique called notan to explore the interplay between light and dark and the connections between Hanukkah and the solstice. No artistic or textual experience needed! All materials will be supplied. You'll take home a beautiful and meaningful project. The cost is $8 for BTS or Mandell JCC members, $10 for the general public, and free for Neshama Patrons. RSVP to 860.243.3576 or [email protected]. BTS is located at 180 Still Road, Bloomfield.

	Early Hartford labor activists

You're invited to a brunch and learn on "Jewish Voices for Economic Justice:  Hartford Labor Activists and Organizers who Made a Difference" with retired labor organizer Steven Thornton on Wednesday, December 5 at 12:15 p.m. at the Mandell JCC, 335 Bloomfield Avenue, West Hartford. Thornton is the author of A Shoeleather History of the Wobblies: Stories of the Industrial Workers of the World and Wicked Hartford. The cost is $6 for Jewish Historical Society of Greater Hartford or Mandell JCC members and $8 for non-members. Pre-registration is required by Monday, December 3; click here. This program is co-sponsored by Jewish Historical Society & the Mandell JCC Senior Adults. Questions? Contact Lynn Newman at [email protected] or 860.727.6170.

JTConnect teens baked pumpkin pies for local shelters.

More than 50 JTConnect teens volunteered their Sunday afternoon to bake 134 pumpkin pies that were donated to Hands on Hartford, House of Bread and Mercy Housing & Shelter's St. Elizabeth House for Thanksgiving.  For Sophie Kudler, the highlight was "uniting for a good cause.  It was fun because I got to bake with friends I don't usually get to see because they attend different JTConnect sessions.  It was like one community helping another."

All Jewish women in the Greater Hartford area are invited to celebrate Rosh Chodesh Tevet with the Mitzvah Mamas on Saturday, December 8 from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Temple Beth Hillel, 20 Baker Lane, South Windsor. This month's shomeret (guide) is Joni Harris, who recently returned from a JWRP MOMentum experience in Israel. Our program starts promptly, so please arrive early if you'd like to schmooze. No RSVP is necessary and you're welcome to bring a friend. For more information on our Rosh Chodesh gatherings, pop-up road trips or the next free trip to Israel for moms, email us at [email protected] or call 917.698.7952.

The Emanuel Synagogue will host an American Red Cross blood drive on Sunday, December 9 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. This is a wonderful opportunity to do a mitzvah and spread miracles during Hanukkah! To make an appointment, visit redcrossblood.org/rapidpass or call 1-800-REDCROSS. The Emanuel is located at 160 Mohegan Drive, West Hartford.

	The Ma'ale Adumim Youth Symphony

For the first time ever, Beth El Temple is excited to welcome a young Israeli orchestra to our synagogue! The Ma'ale Adumim Youth Symphony (MAYS), part of The George W. Schaeffer Music Conservatory, is composed of young musicians handpicked from school music programs in Israel to study with some of the country's leading artists. Before they play Carnegie Hall, they will perform for us on Monday, December 10 at 7 p.m.! Tickets are $25 for adults; $20 for seniors 62+ and students; and free for children 12 and under.  Click here for details or to purchase. Tickets will also be available at the door and at the synagogue office. Beth El Temple is located at 2626 Albany Avenue, West Hartford.

Lisa Langsner

The University of Hartford has appointed Lisa Langsner as Hillel Director to oversee Jewish campus life. Lisa previously worked in global planning at The Jewish Federations of North America in New York City and, prior to that position, she directed Hillel programming at the University at Albany, SUNY and the University of Rhode Island. Lisa lives in West Hartford with her husband and two daughters.

	Avi Weiss, Ph.D., and Suzie Patt Benvenisti

Avi Weiss, Ph.D., President of the Taub Center for Social Policy Studies in Israel, and Suzie Patt Benvenisti, the center's Director General, will present "Israeli Society at 70: Looking Back, Thinking Ahead" on Wednesday, December 12 at 7 p.m. at the Maurice Greenberg Center for Judaic Studies. Their free presentation will highlight Israel's changing social and economic landscape with a particular focus on Israel's diverse population groups. It will be held in the Greenberg Center's Millie and Irving Bercowetz Research Library on the University of Hartford campus at 200 Bloomfield Avenue, West Hartford. Reservations required; call 860.768.5018 or email [email protected].

Some of the many lecture attendees at Young Israel of West Hartford

On November 11, the Young Israel of West Hartford hosted the first annual Margot Jeremias Kristallnacht Commemoration Lecture. Rabbi Brahm Weinberg, rabbi of Kemp Mill Synagogue and former rabbi of Young Israel, gave an inspiring presentation entitled "From Monuments to Memory: The Responsibility of Holocaust Remembrance in our Time." Helen Loew, daughter of Margot Jeremias ^z"l, commented that "the lecture was a perfect way to remember my mother while commemorating Kristallnacht. Rabbi Weinberg was brilliant, inspirational and personal. The wonderful turnout was a recognition of my mother's impact on our community." The annual lecture is made possible by a generous donation from Helen and Les Loew to perpetuate Mrs. Jeremias's memory. She was a Holocaust survivor and pillar of our community who spent her life teaching the next generation about peace, tolerance and standing up in the face of evil.

	Jennifer Gelband and Taylor McLeod

Camp Laurelwood is pleased to announce the newest members of its professional staff. Jennifer Gelband, Director of Community Outreach and Engagement, is originally from New Haven. She worked around the country as a journalist, publicist and corporate marketing professional before returning to focus on nonprofit work in Greater New Haven. She is a second-generation Camp Laurelwood alumna; she also taught swimming and was a lifeguard at a local Jewish day camp during high school and college. Jennifer loves Camp Laurelwood and is excited to be part of the team! New Director of Development Taylor McLeod has over 10 years of experience with political campaigns, mostly focused on fundraising. She hails from Charleston, S.C., and has lived in places as varied as Colorado, Virginia and California. Taylor is thrilled to join the Camp Laurelwood team and is excited to help support an organization that has brought so much joy to thousands of campers throughout its 81 years. Camp Laurelwood is located at 463 Summer Hill Road, Madison.

Wear your PJs to the Mandell JCC on Friday, December 14 and make a donation of $1 or more to benefit the Connecticut Children's Medical Center! Thousands of children each year spend days, weeks or longer in PJs at Connecticut Children's while receiving care. PJ Day for the Kids shows our support for these brave kids! We are dedicating our efforts to Abigail Zittoun, part of the Mandell JCC family, who was treated for cancer at Connecticut Children's this past year. Click here to make a donation online. The Mandell JCC is located at 335 Bloomfield Avenue, West Hartford.

Artist David Friedman from the Israeli city of Tzfat developed his own original system of translating Kabbalistic concepts into shapes and colors. He is visiting Greater Hartford and will lead an evening of hands-on art and instruction on Saturday, December 15 from 7 to 9 p.m. at Young Israel of West Hartford, 2240 Albany Avenue, West Hartford. This event is presented by Young Israel of West Hartford and co-sponsored by Jewish Federation of Greater Hartford, Ohr Torah Stone's Amiel BaKehila initiative, and Israel's Ministry of Diaspora Affairs. The cost is $15 before December 1, $20 after December 1, or $25 at the door; it includes supplies and refreshments. Click here to register. Questions? Contact Meira Goldfischer at [email protected].

CBI member and Holocaust educator Edee Tenser will present a film based on the book Haven by Ruth Gruber on Sunday, December 16 at 9 a.m. at Congregation Beth Israel, 701 Farmington Avenue, West Hartford. Ruth Gruber helped bring nearly 1,000 Jewish and Christian refugees to the U.S. during the Holocaust, and then fought for their rights to make a home in their new country after they were placed in an internment camp in New York. This program is free and open to all; please join us!

Alan Shuchat, Ph.D.

The Jewish Genealogical Society of Connecticut welcomes everyone interested in Jewish genealogy to its monthly meeting on Sunday, December 16, at 1:30 p.m. at Temple Sinai, 41 West Hartford Road, Newington. Guest speaker Alan Shuchat, Ph.D., will discuss the history of Jewish migration, the Diaspora and changing national borders in the Russian Empire, including exit routes from Russia. Dr. Shuchat is a retired professor of mathematics at Wellesley College who teaches courses with the Jewish Genealogical Society of Greater Boston and coordinates its Ukraine Special Interest Group.

Mona Golabek in The Pianist of Willesden Lane

Registration is now open for the Jewish Federation Association of Connecticut's Annual Night at the Theater Fundraiser on Sunday, December 16 from 3 to 7 p.m. at the Westport Country Playhouse, 25 Powers Court, Westport. We'll see the acclaimed one-woman show The Pianist of Willesden Lane, which tells the true story of a Jewish girl, Lisa Jura, who escaped Vienna on the Kindertransport and found refuge in music. The show is performed by Mona Golabek, Jura's real-life daughter, herself a concert pianist. Golabek sets the scene throughout by performing the works of Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, Rachmaninoff and more. After the show we'll enjoy a cocktail reception next door at Positano's Restaurant, where we'll honor the legislators who were crucial in passing Connecticut's new Holocaust Education bill. Click here for tickets and sponsorship information. Questions? Contact Ayelet Weber at [email protected] or 860.727.5771.

	Josh Squire

The University of Connecticut Hillel announces the election of a new Board President, Josh Squire, and four new members to its Board of Directors. The new board members are Rabbi Felipe Goodman, Micah Grossman, Lawrence Handler and Avi Smith-Rapaport. This marks the first time that a recent Hillel alumnus has taken the reigns as Board President. Josh Squire's appointment has special significance because of Hillel's role in shaping philanthropic-oriented Jewish leaders who play a key role in supporting and shaping the Jewish community.

Do you know a teen with a passion for making the world a better place? The Diller Teen Tikkun Olam Awards program is seeking nominations of exceptional Jewish teens leading meaningful community service and social change initiatives. The national award annually recognizes up to 15 Jewish teens with $36,000 each toward their project or education. Up to five teens from California and 10 from across the United States will be recognized. The deadline for nominations is December 18, 2018 and the deadline for applications is January 8, 2019. Self-identified Jewish teens who are 13 to 19 years old on January 8, 2019 are eligible. Since its inception in 2007, this program has awarded more than $4 million to 114 teens in recognition of their vision, innovation and leadership. Click here to complete the online nomination form. For more information, email [email protected] or call 415.512.6432.

Learn the fundamentals of Judaism including Torah, basic Hebrew, prayers, history, and more from the Reform rabbis of Greater Hartford. Classes will rotate among local Reform synagogues. For more information, contact Cheryl Goldberg at [email protected] or 860.233.8215 x2230.

Hoffman SummerWood is happy to offer its residents two physician groups that specialize in geriatrics, the addition of an audiologist, and soon a podiatrist! Our afternoon café will also be open starting in December to offer baked items, fresh fruit, coffee and tea. Hoffman SummerWood is a national award-winning, not-for-profit rental community for seniors conveniently located in West Hartford, just around the corner from the Mandell JCC, Bishop's Corner and much more. It offers fine kosher dining and an array of services. To learn more or to schedule a tour, call us at 860.523.3808.

Looking for a unique perspective to bring new meaning to Shabbat? Look no further than UHart Hillel's HawkTorah, a weekly commentary (now on the Haftorah) created by University of Hartford senior Amanda Eastman and alumna Marissa Levitt. Click here to read the latest commentary and follow HawkTorah on Facebook.

Voices of Hope requests your presence at the Ninth Annual International Holocaust Remembrance Day commemorating the January 1945 Liberation of Auschwitz. The program will include an HKC Kosher brunch, presentation of the 2019 Chesed Award and honoring the passing of Connecticut Holocaust and genocide legislation. The Chesed Award is bestowed on individuals who demonstrate exemplary "acts of loving kindness" that find expression in the mission of Voices of Hope. This year, the Chesed Award will be presented to several Holocaust survivors who speak in schools across Connecticut. Registration is required by Tuesday, January 22, 2019; click here to register. For more information, email [email protected].

Jewish women are invited to step out of day-to-day life for a unique opportunity to recharge, reset, and reconnect in mind, body and soul at Hazon's Jewish Women's Yoga Retreat, to be held at the Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center in Falls Village, Conn., on February 15 through 18, 2019. All levels of yoga practitioner are welcome. Learn more and register here. Hazon is also leading a Sustainable Israel Tour from May 12 to 19, 2019. The tour will explore how investment in social change initiatives has transformed the community landscape and conversations in Israel. Early registration discounts end soon; register here today!