Join Congregation Beth Israel, 701 Farmington Avenue, West Hartford, in person or or via Facebook Live on Tuesday, June 1 at 10:30 a.m. for the annual raising of our Jewish Pride flag. The flag will fly in the front circle of Beth Israel for the entire month of June in recognition of Pride month. Our Pride flag is a declaration to our neighbors, to Jews everywhere, and to our community that Congregation Beth Israel embraces LGBTQ+ Jews no matter where they fall on the spectrums of identity and love. We will also hold a special Pride Shabbat on Friday, June 25, at 7:30 p.m. Click here to register to attend the flag raising. For more details on either event, contact Rabbi Andi Fliegel at afliegel@cbict.org.

Solomon Schechter Day School of Greater Hartford is excited to announce its new Head of School. Rabbi Jonathan (Yoni) Berger has worked for over 15 years in Jewish day schools, most recently serving as the Associate Head of School for Judaic Studies and Programs at the Gross Schechter Day School in Cleveland, Ohio. His thoughtful nature, passion for child-centered education, commitment to our core values and mission, love of community and eagerness to continue advancing our academics excites us as we enter our next 50 years. Rabbi Berger is a graduate of the University of Michigan and the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York City; he is also a graduate of the Day School Leadership Training Institute.

Men's Club of Beth El Temple invites the community (both men and women) to this special, interactive Zoom event on Wednesday, June 2 at 8 p.m. Generating more than a half-billion dollars in sales during his 45-year career, business executive Joel Malkoff demonstrates that ethical business decision-making isn’t just the right thing to do — it’s the profitable thing to do. By sharing his expertise in sales, marketing, and ethical leadership, Malkoff teaches, motivates, and inspires people around the world to conduct business both ethically and profitably. Joel and his wife, Lynn, are members of Beth El Temple and live in Avon, Connecticut. His book, “Selling Ethically,” was published earlier this year. Click here to receive a special purchase offer for "Selling Ethically," or click here to register for the Zoom event.

Above: Author Joel Malkoff

Camp Laurelwood, Connecticut’s premier Jewish co-ed overnight summer camp, is open for summer 2021 and we couldn't be more excited! First-time camper discounts are available, and we'd be happy to answer any questions and arrange a personal tour. Contact us at 203.421.3736 or info@camplaurelwood.org or click here to enroll today!

Gishrei Shalom Jewish Congregation will hold Zoom Shabbat Services on Friday, June 4 at 7 p.m. Gishrei Shalom also invites you to an outdoor Shabbat service on Friday, June 25 at 6:30 p.m. at 35 N Main Street, Southington. Come join us as Rabbi Alana Wasserman leads us in joy and song. For directions, please email events@gsjc.org or call 860.276.9113. In the event of rain, the service will be held via Zoom. For the Zoom links, please contact Rabbi Wasserman at Rabbi@gsjc.org.

Chai Mitzvah is offering our "Grandparents & Beyond" program for free! This program includes fun-filled, intergenerational Jewish activities for all ages. You'll receive a new sourcebook every month for 12 months, share meaningful text-based conversations, and have access to exclusive virtual community events. Our goal is to enroll 1,000 participants in "Grandparents & Beyond" at no charge by Grandparents Day, which is Sunday, September 12. To meet our goal, we're offering materials and registration at no cost. Click here to learn more and join today!

Friendship Circle invites you to celebrate the bar/bat mitzvah milestones of the pandemic year with an outdoor concert featuring contemporary Hasidic folk and popular music by the Rogers Park Band. This COVID-safe event will take place on Sunday, June 6 at 3 p.m.; we'll applaud the children, teens, and young adults - living with and without disability - whose friendships have prevailed during these challenging times. The concert will be held in the West Hartford Town Hall parking lot at 50 South Main Street, West Hartford, with outdoor seating or stay-in-your-car options. Click here to register today.

JTConnect gives teens the opportunity to continue their Jewish education in compelling and meaningful ways. Together, teens examine religion, history, and traditions through innovative, hands-on programming that includes classroom study, volunteer projects, and special events. As we wrap up another incredible year of learning, friendship, and connection, we hope you'll watch the video above to get a glimpse of our special year!

The Emanuel Synagogue Adult Education Committee will host a dialogue with Professor Susannah Heschel on Sunday, June 6 at 7:45 p.m. Professor Heschel serves as the Eli M. Black Distinguished Professor and Chair of the Jewish Studies Program at Dartmouth College. In this Zoom event, she will discuss the topic "Moral Grandeur and Spiritual Audacity: The Life and Thought of Abraham Joshua Heschel" with Emanuel's Rabbi David Small. Click here to register for this online event; a Zoom link will be sent to all registrants. For further information, contact the Emanuel Synagogue office at 860.236.1275. 

You're invited as author Menachem Kaiser discusses his critically acclaimed book "Plunder" via Zoom on Monday, June 7 at 7 p.m. Kaiser's memoir recounts his quest to reclaim his family’s apartment building in Poland — and the astonishing entanglement with Nazi treasure hunters that followed. Click here to register, or visit the Voices of Hope website for a full list of upcoming speakers. Then on June 24 at noon, Voices of Hope and Café Europa at the Mandell JCC of Greater Hartford will participate in the inaugural Holocaust Survivor Day celebration, a project from JCC Krakow and partners worldwide. A March 6 Jerusalem Post op-ed noted that “Holocaust survivors deserve a day of joy, a day of celebration. Not a day to share with condemnation of the Nazis, but a day to celebrate the lives they built in response to the Holocaust.” This program is open to Holocaust survivors and their families. Details to follow on the Voices of Hope website. For questions about either event, contact Robin Landau at robin@ctvoicesofhope.org.

Dave Sifry, Anti-Defamation League Vice President for the Center on Technology and Society, will speak on Tuesday, June 8 from 7 to 8 p.m. about "Online Hate: From Gaming to Social Media - How Parents, Teens, and Communities Can Fight Back." In this Zoom presentation, Sifry will address hate trends in the billion-dollar business of online gaming, how ADL is pushing the world's largest technology and social media companies to do a better job blocking hate, and how you can participate in the fight against hate. A question and answer session will follow. Click here to register. If you have questions you'd like Sifry to address, please send them to Leah Kagan at lkagan@adl.org.

Hoffman SummerWood continues to bustle with activity... and we invite you to join us on Tuesday, June 8 for a belated Lag Ba’Omer festival complete with a bonfire, live Caribbean music, and s'mores under the stars! The fun happens from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. (If we are rained out again, we'll celebrate on June 15.) Click here to RSVP. This is just one of the many festivities our residents enjoy year-round; in May we celebrated Jerusalem Day with our very own “Western Wall of the West.” Residents wrote personal notes and made donations to the Western Wall Heritage Foundation, which places their notes in the Kotel. For more information, tours, and unit availability, contact Sophia Cannavo-Ostroski at 860.920.1866 or scannavo@hoffmansummerwood.org, or visit our website.

Celebrate Pride Shabbat with Rabbi Debra S. Cantor and B’nai Tikvoh-Sholom! We will gather safely outside at BTS, 180 Still Road, Bloomfield, on Friday, June 25 at 7 p.m. for Kabbalat Shabbat (no registration required) and again remotely via Zoom on Saturday, June 26 at 11 a.m. for Shabbat Deep Dive: Queer Torah Edition. To register for the June 26 Zoom event, click here. As always, all are welcome at BTS.

Beth Sholom B’nai Israel is pleased to announce that the Abitz-Angel Memorial Golf Tournament will take place on Wednesday, September 1 at Blackledge Country Club in Hebron, Conn. The tournament, which will benefit Connecticut Children's (CCMC) this year, is named in memory of two dedicated men who constantly gave back to the community and helped make this event the success it is today. In 2019, the tournament raised $10,000 to benefit CCMC. Registration is open to both golfers and sponsors and includes 18 holes; tournament contests; breakfast, lunch, and dinner; and a live auction if COVID-19 guidelines allow. Click here to register or learn more. Questions? Contact BSBI at 860.643.9563.