This past Tuesday, we hosted the Aurelia Konrad Community Seder, a yearly event to share the Jewish story of liberation with our wider community and draw parallels with other past and present struggles for freedom. The Aurelia Konrad Community Seder is a program of the Newmark Institute.

This year's seder was particularly special, not just because of the talented interfaith leaders and soulful music, but because we were able to be together in person after countless virtual events. You can view more photos of the phenomenal program in the newsletter below.

At my table, we shared stories of growing up Jewish, discovering the beauty of the Baháʼí Faith, and staying committed to Lutheran values. We reflected on the difficulty of keeping our eyes open to injustice and challenged ourselves to take action for the liberation of all people.

This event is one of my favorites, precisely because I can invite friends and colleagues of other faiths to learn about how Jewish storytelling has helped us remain resilient in the face of generational trauma. Everyone can participate in the Passover rituals and relate the lessons around liberation to their own histories and spirituality. I left the seder this week feeling nourished by the relationships present in our Interfaith community.

The glow from this event sustains us in the work to come as we plan for the Tzedek Leadership awards, spread the word about Give STL Day, head to Jeff City to thank representatives that have supported voting rights, and celebrate Israel's Independence Day.

From Left to Right: Ram Lakshmanan, Rabbi Howard Kaplansky, Rev. Darryl Gray, Cantor Seth Warner

It was invigorating to be back in person and to celebrate and connect our festival of freedom with freedom for all people.

Join JCRC's Student to Student program for #GiveSTLDay! We're raising money to build relationships and fight antisemitism in the St. Louis region. Your donations will support leadership training for Jewish teens, create and deepen interfaith bonds, and help prevent and address stereotypes and bias in our community.

JCRC staff is hard at work planning for an outstanding Tzedek Awards program on May 24. Invitations will be mailed soon, and online registration is open. You can also place a tribute ad in the program or become an event sponsor. All of the information is available here.

We encourage our community to attend the annual Israel Memorial Day and Israel Independence Day programs. An e-blast went out early this week with details on all of the programs. Organizers are seeking volunteers for the Yom Ha’Atzmaut program on May 5. You can learn more and volunteer here.

JCRC staff was honored to celebrate the 125th Anniversary of NCJW, a JCRC council organization, at their luncheon this week.

From Left to Right: Holly Bernstein (Shaare Emeth), Rori Picker Neiss, Lauren Abraham, Amy Kuo Hammerman (NCJW and JCRC Council at Large), and Yuka Kuo. Back Row, Cheryl Adelstein, Jennifer Swanson, and Rabbi Andrea Goldstein (Shaare Emeth).

Picture credit: Philip Deitch

On Wednesday evening, the Holocaust Museum & Learning Center held a virtual Yom HaShoah Program. A video of the recording is available here and features a presentation by Noah Kleinlehrer, a JCRC Student to Student participant.

JCRC is supporting a Voting Rights Lobby Day in Jefferson City next week on May 3. Email Cheryl if you want to come along and need a ride. More information is available below.

5 - 7 pm | United Hebrew Congregation

Tuesday, May 3

10 am | Jefferson City

Hosted by MOVPC