February 10, 2021 - 28 Shevat 5781 |
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Though it may be cold outside, there are so many fantastic ways to stay connected and involved with Jewish life! We have a fun new J Talks episode out this week featuring Margaret Hathaway and Karl Shatz, whose Ten Apple Farm in Gray is a hive of activity even during this time of year! And if you haven’t had a chance already, please bookmark the JCA’s community calendar; we’ve designed it to give you a one-stop destination to find out what is happening throughout the Jewish community. If you don’t see an event on our radar, please let the organizers know – events can be submitted 24/7 via our website.
As part of Black History Month, we are highlighting some opportunities to deepen learning and engagement around racial justice and the experiences of Jews of Color, and we’re looking forward to partnering with MJFF on their February 19-21 “Weekend Edition” program with two screenings: They Ain’t Ready for Me (2020) and Rosenwald (2015).
Next week, we welcome our new Michael Klahr Jewish Family Services Manager, Adam Seigal. Adam has a strong background in volunteer and project management, and a deep commitment to human services. He received an M.Ed. in Higher Education Administration from Suffolk University, and has a BA in Secondary Education from Lesley University. Most recently, Adam has been working at the Southern Maine Agency on Aging as their Volunteer Services Supervisor. He served as Volunteer Coordinator at KJFS several years ago, and we are thrilled to have him with us once again!
As we look forward to Purim, we’ll be opening our “Holiday Hub” once again, and PJ Library has activity kits available to help make the holiday festive at home!
L’shalom,
Molly Curren Rowles
Executive Director
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The Book of V. – Zoom author talk with novelist Anna Solomon
Thursday, February 18th | 7:00 PM EST
The Purim story of Esther is often told as the triumph of a Jewish minority over one man’s blinding hatred, through the courage and selflessness of one woman. Anna Solomon’s The Book of V. challenges this simple narrative — asking, what is Vashti’s story? And how do we choose to represent women’s lives, both in the past and today?
Advanced registration required by Weds. 2/17
Free. Suggested donations of $10/household gratefully accepted.
The Zoom link will be emailed to registered participants on Weds. afternoon 2/17. The book will be available to order from our friends at Longfellow Books. The first 15 copies purchased will include a signed bookplate.
* The JCA is a member of the Jewish Book Council network.
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THEY AIN’T READY FOR ME & ROSENWALD
Free Films & Discussion in honor of Black History Month
Presented by the Maine Jewish Film Festival (MJFF) and the JCA
February 19-21 | FREE
THEY AIN'T READY FOR ME
Film streaming online – Feb. 19-21
Tamar Manasseh, an African American rabbinical student, leads the fight against gun violence in her Southside Chicago neighborhood. A fascinating look at the complex identity and motivations of an extraordinary person who is Jewish and Black, and how these two identities offer her a road map for citizen activism.
Zoom discussion with Tamar Manasseh and film producer Brad Rothschild
Sunday, Feb. 21 | 7 PM
When Tamar Manasseh decided to set up a presence on her Chicago block, she did so as a mother and neighbor, who wanted the gun violence to stop. Six years later, the organization she founded, MASK (Mothers and Men Against Senseless Killings) is credited with plummeting violence in that neighborhood. Join Tamar and the film's producer and director on Sunday, Feb 21st for an energetic and fascinating discussion.
ROSENWALD
Film streaming online – Feb. 19-21
The story of the son of an immigrant peddler, Julius Rosenwald, who rose to head Sears, and partnered with Booker T. Washington and African American communities to build 5,400 Southern schools in African American communities in the early 1900s during the Jim Crow era. Directed by Aviva Kempner, this was one of the most popular films shown at MJFF 2016. Renewed public attention to Rosenwald's work makes this film as timely today as when it was first shown.
You must reserve your ticket to receive the film links. (Links will not be emailed).
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PJ LIBRARY PURIM STORY TIME & COSTUME PARTY
Sunday, February 21st | 3 PM
Free via Zoom
Join us to share some Purim fun with a story and songs. Show off your costume, dance along to the music and shake your grogger (noise maker)! Register by noon on Friday 2/19 to receive the Zoom link. For families with children 0-8 years old.
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COOK-ALONG WITH MARGARET HATHAWAY OF TEN APPLE FARM
Italian-American “Mac & Cheese” & Noodle Kugel
Sunday, February 21st | 4:00 – 5:30 PM
Noodles with cheese are a classic comfort food that can take many forms. In this cook along, we’ll make variations from the last century’s Jewish and Italian immigrant communities of Maine. Nana Q’s “Mac & Cheese” and classic Luchen Kugel from 100 Selected Recipes, plus a slightly embellished version of kugel that our family makes at home.
Free! Register by Tues. Feb. 16 - Registered participants will receive the Zoom link, recipes and ingredient list on Tues. 2/16.
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A JCA Podcast highlighting the voices of community leaders and amazing people here in Southern Maine.
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For Yoga Classes, Torah Study Group, Israeli Folk Dancing sessions, and more,
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NATIONAL JCC ADULT & SENIOR ALLIANCE PROGRAMS |
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Coordinated by the Osher Marin JCC in partnership with JCCs around the country
For program details and ticketing information, click the ‘Register’ link below each listing.
Please select “ME - JCA of Southern Maine - Portland” when asked through which program partner you learned about this event. A portion of the proceeds benefit the JCA.
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BEWITCHING BROADWAY
Mondays, February 15 & 22 | 2:00 - 3:30 PM
Let JCC Trip Leader James Sokol Zoom you to New York City to meet and "tour" with our terrific local guide, a Broadway history expert who shares interesting stories, rarely seen photographs and videos to see Broadway's past and present merge before your eyes. You may know the many of the shows, now come learn the fascinating history of Times Square, its theaters, and beyond. Sessions include:
Feb. 15 - Act III: "Hamilton": The Real NYC Sites
Feb. 22 - Act IV: Hippies, Discos & Dogs, Oh My!
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GOUDA: THE TOWN AND THE TRADITION
Sunday, February 21st | 2:00-3:15 PM EST
Let JCC trip leader James Sokol whisk you away to The Netherlands to explore – with a terrific, professional local guide – facets of their beloved cheese. Begin off the beaten path at the quaint farm/shop where our guide buys her cheese. Learn about her traditional Dutch breakfast. Follow our guide to for a highlights tour of the town of Gouda and other points of cheesy interest. Finally, head to Amsterdam for a stop at the Rijksmuseum to see how cheese shows up in Dutch art.
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BOOK FESTIVAL IN YOUR LIVING ROOM |
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Presented in partnership with the JCC Literary Consortium and the Atlanta JCC
A portion of the proceeds benefits the JCA
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BILL GATES - How to Avoid a Climate Disaster: The Solutions We Have and the Breakthroughs We Need
Interviewed by Kristen Welker, Co-Anchor, “Weekend Today” and NBC News Chief White House Correspondent
Weds. February 24th | 8 PM ET
In this urgent, authoritative book, Bill Gates sets out a wide-ranging, practical--and accessible--plan for how the world can get to zero greenhouse gas emissions in time to avoid a climate catastrophe.
Tickets: $36 for a virtual ticket and hardcover copy of the book (shipping included)
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WALTER ISAACSON - The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing, and the Future of the Human Race
Thursday, March 4th | 8:00 PM EST
The bestselling author of Leonardo da Vinci and Steve Jobs returns with a gripping account of how Nobel Prize winner Jennifer Doudna and her colleagues launched a revolution that will allow us to cure diseases, and have healthier babies. Should we use our new evolution-hacking powers to make us less susceptible to viruses? What about preventing depression? Should we allow parents to enhance the height or muscles or IQ of their kids?
Tickets: $11 – virtual ticket, or $38 – one virtual ticket and one copy of the book
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STATEWIDE HAVDALAH, TOGETHER
Zoom event organized by the Center for Small Town Jewish Life
Saturday, Feb. 13th | 6:00 PM
This month our statewide Havdalah will be led by Rabbi Rachel Isaacs from Beth Israel, Waterville and Rabbi Lily Solochek from Adas Yoshuron, Rockland. Join Jews from across the state as we say goodbye to Shabbat and welcome a new week.
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WINTER FUNTENSIVE FOR KIDS
With the Center for Small Town Jewish Life
Daily - February 15-19, 9-10 AM
There will be songs, stories, Hebrew games, and crafts, and every day will have a color, letter, and number. Recommended for kids ages 4-11, but all are welcome! We recommend that kids have paper, crayons or markers, and a snack with them as needed. If your kids are old enough, they should keep tape or glue and a pair of scissors nearby, too.
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BIBLICAL PROPHECY AND APOCALYPSE
A Zoom course with Temple Beth El led by Dr. Sarah Emanuel of Loyola Marymount University
Sundays, February 21, 28; March 7, 14 | 10 AM
What is biblical prophecy? What does it have to do with conceptions of the end of the world? Through this four-week course, we will investigate the historical, cultural, and theological contexts of ancient prophecies and apocalypses. We will then put into dialogue these ancient ideologies with contemporary ideations, including those surrounding our current political climate. No prior knowledge is required. Register by 2/18.
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JEWS AND THE RELIGION OF WHITENESS
Featuring J. Kameron Carter
Presented by University of Pennsylvania’s Katz Center
Thursday, Feb. 11th | 1:30 PM EST
What is the nature of the entanglement of Jewishness with Whiteness? This talk will address the figural meaning of the Jews within the Whiteness of the West, elaborating on Whiteness as a geopolitical practice of religion, indeed as a practice of myth, that institutes the global idea of race or that organizes the planet through racial capitalism.
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THIS IS WHAT JEWISH LOOKS LIKE
A free online series presented by the Temple Emanuel Streicker Center in honor of Black History Month
Mondays, Feb. 15, 22 | 6:00 PM EST
It’s long been a point of pride that Jews are a multicultural people with roots in every corner of the planet; that we are of all hues; that our grandparents spoke Yiddish and Hindi, German and Malayalam, Hebrew and Amharic.
Their descendants, in turn, migrated to the United States, where an estimated 12-15 percent of the Jewish community are Jews of color, including many of African descent. Four prominent Black Jews will talk about life as a minority within a minority and discuss what the Jewish community needs to do to turn the word inclusion into a reality.
Monday, Feb. 15th | 6:00 PM – Rabbi Isaama Goldstein-Stoll, Senior Jewish educator, Yale
Monday, Feb. 22nd | 6:00 PM – Michael Twitty, culinary historian and anthropologist
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PROTESTS, PANTHERS, AND POLITICS:
Rethinking Blackness in Israel
Presented by Brandeis University’s Schusterman Center
Tuesday, Feb. 16th | 12-1 PM EST
Join us to examine the changing meanings of Blackness in Israel, Africa and the USA. We will consider how these are linked through global cultural exchange, the impact on people’s daily lives in different contexts, and the role of Diaspora politics and Black identity.
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TALKING ACROSS TIME: A Conversation between Three Great Jewish Women Poets
Part of the Great Jewish Books Lecture Series from the Yiddish Book Center
Tuesday, Feb. 16th | 1–2 PM ET
Join Zohar Weiman-Kelman for a discussion of the lines connecting the lives and work of Emma Lazarus, Anna Margolin, and Irena Klepfisz.
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TRUTH, DIFFERENCE, AND LOYALTY: An Interfaith Symposium
Presented by the Shalom Hartman Institute
February 15-18, 2021
In this moment of pandemic and political unrest, what can we hold sacred? When should faith groups learn from each other, and when should they reinforce their protective boundaries? How can interfaith encounters engage not only aligned groups, but also reach across deep divides?
Join Hartman scholars, faculty, and special guest experts exploring the ways in which faith engenders connections with others, even those who think differently. Our 5-day symposium includes daily 90-minute beit midrash sessions, interfaith learning, panel conversations, and a new short video series exploring spirituality, faith, and the values we hold in common.
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1342 Congress St. Portland, ME 04102 | 207-772-1959
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