Session 1, 1:45-3:30pm
Listening Circle
The Listening Circle will be back the afternoon of Yom Kippur with an intention to offer several throughout the year to match current events and community interest. Our purpose, as always, is to foster connection, community building, sustenance, and healing that can come from authentic expression met by open-hearted, empathetic listening.
Our first Listening Circle, “Listening through Grief”, emerged from the horror of October 7, 2023 and its tragic aftermath. The second Listening Circle was titled “Active Hope” in February, 2024, when participants chose the focus of their own sharing and we added a prompt to include the political/social actions participants were taking. The third Listening Circle was Yom Kippur 2024 and came after the Presidential election. We focused on the grief that comes with the loss of the assumptive world.
For this Yom Kippur afternoon Listening Circle gathering, our inquiry will be: “How have these difficult times affected your sense of self, home, and community?” We look forward to being with you.
From your facilitators Jeff Basch, Idelle Hammond-Sass, Julie Norris, Anita Rubin-Meiller, and Lisa Wexler
Session 2, 3:45-4:45
The Jewish Genesis of the Superhero, led by Dan Mishkin
Superheroes were invented by Jews—young men eager to be all-American, but leavening their stories with Jewishness whether they knew it or not. They brought to life characters with amazing powers…who served the cause of the powerless. Explore the history and the contradictions with comics writer Dan Mishkin.
Judaism Beyond the Human, led by Rafe Neis
We don’t necessarily consult the rabbis of the Talmud for the history of science, zoology, and reproduction. But it turns out they had a lot to say about these topics. This workshop will introduce Jewish sources that may surprise you. It turns out that despite the much-celebrated idea of humans being “b’tselem elohim” (“in the image of God), the rabbis blurred the lines between humans and animals and conceived of reproduction beyond the two heterosexual parents. We will explore powerful historical alternatives to the paradigms associated with so-called traditional ideas.
Niggun Circle, led by Deb Kraus
Join Deb Kraus and friends to sing niggun together. Group with gather outside if weather permits.
