Event Series CommUNITY Mitzvah Day Plus!

Pack Essentials for Those in Need Locally and in Israel in South Orange

South Orange*

Join clients of JESPY House (adults with developmental disabilities) in putting together Rise and Shine Breakfast Bags to donate to Nourish.NJ to benefit community members in need. We will also create pamper-me kits to ship to Israel for widows of October 7. All materials will be provided. Program is appropriate for adults and children ages 7+. Space is limited!

Event Series CommUNITY Mitzvah Day Plus!

Learning Opportunity for Adults: Wonderland & Battleground—Exploring the Dissonance in Israel with Jonathan Kessler

Livingston*

Why are many people, once enamored by Israel, turning away from the state at an accelerating rate? This session will explore how many are grappling since October 7, and how to engage in empathetic, productive conversations at home with family, in the workplace, and with friends and neighbors. We’ll discuss the commonalities and dissonance, exploring the struggles people are having both in Israel and in America: enamor, disappointment, anxiety, etc. Learn how to approach these issues and discuss best practices for constructive intergenerational conversations about Israel.

Or Hadash: Women’s Seder

Or Hadash 153 White Meadow Road, Rockaway, NJ, United States

Join us for a mini seder, discussion & art project with Haggadah Selections focusing on women. Where do we find faith in difficult times? When we go through hardships, whether […]

$18
Event Series CommUNITY Mitzvah Day Plus!

Learning Opportunity for Teens: Being a Jewish Teen in 2024… Now What?

Livingston*

This is a pivotal moment in modern Jewish history, and teens have a crucial role to play in it. Discover ways to make a positive impact in our community by learning the difference between anti-Israel and antisemitic statements, preparing yourself to participate in advocacy on college campuses, exploring your unique Jewish identity, and hearing firsthand insights from those who recently visited Israel. Plus, participate in a service project benefiting teens in one of our Israeli partner communities, Ofakim. Our Federation is celebrating 100 years of service and impact in the Jewish community, and the next 100 years are ours to shape.

Event Series CommUNITY Mitzvah Day Plus!

Pack for a Purpose & Party with Joanie Leeds (for families) in Scotch Plains

Scotch Plains*

Join us for a meaningful Community Mitzvah Day! Help pack art supply kits for Israeli children affected by recent attacks (2:30-3 p.m.), and enjoy a musical performance by Grammy award-winning musician Joanie Leeds (3-4 p.m.) as we celebrate our community's impact! Light snacks will be provided. All families and ages are welcome!

Event Series CommUNITY Mitzvah Day Plus!

Learning Opportunity for Adults: Understanding and Responding to Anti-Jewish Ideas with Project Shema

Livingston*

Following a brief review of the common misconceptions about who Jews are and what antisemitism is, we will deconstruct progressive philosophy, putting ourselves in the shoes of progressives to better understand how they think about structural power, and how that thinking influences their rhetoric on Israel and Jews. Finally, we’ll offer tools and strategies on how to engage in effective, thoughtful dialogue, particularly on how to depolarize conversations and strengthen connections with family and friends.

Leading in the Jewish Community: A Discussion with Experienced Synagogue and Agency Presidents

Calling all Synagogue Presidents and Future Presidents! Connect with other leaders of Jewish organizations from across Greater MetroWest. Learn from the experiences of those who have already served as presidents of agencies or synagogues, how they dealt with challenges and what they found worked and was helpful. Reflect on how their Jewish identity, values, and […]

Free

Bildner Ctr: Jews by Nature: Summer Camp, Youth, & American Jewish Culture

Douglass Student Center, Trayes Hall 100 George Street, New Brunswick, NJ, United States

Fearful that growing affluence and suburbanization threatened the future of Jewish life in the decades after the Holocaust, American Jewish leaders hoped to preserve authentic Jewish culture through residential summer camps for Jewish youth. Prof. Sandra Fox (New York University) will examine how a sense of cultural crisis birthed a rite of passage for Jewish […]

Free

New Jersey Jewish Film Festival: Caregiver & Baby-Friendly Screening: Stay with Us (encore)

Come see an NJJFF film in an environment friendly to babies and their parents/caregivers. The lights will be dimmed instead of off, the volume will be lower than usual, and guests are free to move around. Baby noise is expected and nursing is welcomed. No charge for children and no worries!

Event Series Baby Fun at Gottesman RTW Academy

Baby Fun at Gottesman RTW Academy

Gottesman RTW Academy 146 Dover Chester Road, Randolph, NJ, United States

Please join us for Baby Fun, every Tuesday from 10:00 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. until May 21st. This class is for babies 6-24 months. You’ll meet lovely families and friends, enjoy sensory play, live music, and crafts and snacks with your little one. No class: 2/20, 4/23, or 4/30 Please RSVP to join - https://form.jotform.com/232055038778158 […]

Free

Kean U: From Generation to Generation: Author Michelle Weinfeld

Zoom

Michelle Weinfeld, author of From Generation to Generation: A Memoir of Food, Family, and Identity in the Aftermath of the Shoah, will share her grandfather's story of surviving the Holocaust, the life lessons he taught her, and how being the grandchild of a survivor has influenced her life.

Women’s Passover Cooking Demo

Chabad of Somerset County 3048 Valley Rd, Basking Ridge, NJ, United States

Learn to make (and taste!) delicious dishes to grace your Seder table with Chaya Shemtov

$18

Speaking Up for Those Who Can’t: An Interfaith Gathering Against Sexual Assault

South Orange*

On October 7 Hamas weaponized sexual assault, unleashing a pattern of rape, mutilation and brutality against women. Those who were raped, tortured or are still being held captive join a sisterhood of tragedy that has unfolded in such war-torn places as Ethiopia, Rwanda, Bosnia, and Ukraine. Yet many refuse to believe these assaults against Israeli […]