Adult Education
Adult Ed Brunch Series – Judy Livingston – Start with YES
Sunday, Postponed due to weather – new date coming soon, 11am in the Lipson Lounge at the JCC – Free and open to the public
Judy Livingston is a local artist, designer, and educator. Join Judy as she shares the story of her advocacy initiative: Start with Yes: Creating Inclusive B’nai Mitzvah Ceremonies.
The initiative includes a website, StartwithYES.org, which is an online resource for Jewish families caring for children with special needs. These families, for a variety of reasons, may feel that a bar, bat, or b’nai mitzvah is out of reach.
The website is a compilation of inclusive b’nai mitzvah success stories, proven ideas, and helpful resources. All of which are intended to encourage these families to have meaningful b’nai mitzvah experiences. The goal is to open the door wider for participation in Jewish community and Jewish ritual life.
Our morning will include a delicious brunch. Please contact Jon Rubin (jrubin566@gmail.com) if you are able to help with cooking or set-up.
Adult Ed Series – Exploring Jewishness
Wednesdays at 7 pm, Mar 19 – Jun 11, via Zoom
Rabbi Drorah Setel will be teaching this course as an opportunity to learn about Jewish history and traditions from a nuanced and contemporary perspective. It is meant for those who are learning about Judaism for the first time, as well as those who were raised as Jews and seek more adult, in-depth study. Our text will be Judaisms: A Twenty-First-Century Introduction to Jews and Jewish Identities by Aaron J. Hahn Tapper. It is available in both paperback and ebook formats at bookshop.org, which supports local independent booksellers.
Register for Exploring Jewishness
Adult Ed Series – The Berlin Diaries – refreshments and conversation after the play
Sun, Mar 2 following the performance of The Berlin Diaries, in the Lipson Lounge at the JCC
Join us for a special event at the JCC. The JCC Centerstage is presenting The Berlin Diaries on Mar 2 at 2pm in the Hart Theater, and the playwright, Andrea Stolowitz, will be there in person for a talk-back session following the performance. Gather with TEE friends afterwards in the Lipson Lounge for refreshments and conversation.
About the Play:
Oregon Book Award-winning playwright Andrea Stolowitz opens the pages of her great-grandfather’s journal to discover a previously unknown genealogy in The Berlin Diaries. How do you find home when a family history is scattered like the torn pages of a journal entry released to the wind? Two performers become generations of characters in an attempt to stitch together clues and restore memories formerly lost to time.
How do people become verschollen, lost, like library books, leaving only the dusty outline – a life reduced to negative space? Stolowitz searches for clues that propel her forward and backward in time, pursuing a family history formerly lost to war. In a breathtaking journey around the world, what will remain lost and what will be found at the intersection of national history and private lives?
Board of Trustees Meetings Online
Our Board meets on the 3rd Tuesday of the month at 7pm – our next Board meeting is on Tues, Mar 18 via Zoom
Our monthly Board meetings are open to all current Temple Emanu-El members. To login by phone, call 1-929-205-6099 and use meeting ID 848 0442 4414. [Photo: Our 2025 Board in Zoomland]
Chesed Caring Community Team Meetings Online
All are welcome. For information about our Chesed Caring Community Team, contact Denise Lippa at ddl3621@g.rit.edu or 585-698-7391. To login by phone, call 1-929-205-6099 and use meeting ID 889 6805 3220. [Photo by Temple Emanu-El member Dave Kassnoff]
Chesed Caring Community Zoom Link
Chevre Torah Study
Every Saturday morning
Chevre Torah provides an in-depth discussion of the weekly Torah portion and highlights from the other books of the Bible, combining traditional commentaries with contemporary perspectives and the wisdom of our own experience. No prior knowledge of the texts is assumed. For the Hebrew blessing for Torah study, click here: blessing.
Our next meeting is on Feb 22 via Zoom.
From 10am – 10:55am: Hosea 6:1
From 11:05am – 12pm: Exodus 23:20 – 25
Note that Chevre Torah Study will take a break and not meet on Mar 1 and Mar 8. It will resume on Mar 15, in-person at the TEE Library at the JCC and also online on Zoom, at 9am.
To login by phone, call 1-929-205-6099 and use meeting ID 884 3153 5267.
[Photo: Temple Emanu-El members Charlie and Charly Sommers unrolling our Torah scroll on Simchat Torah]
Family Fun
One Saturday morning each month at one of our member’s homes
Join us each month as we gather with our young children to enjoy a Shabbat morning together. We look forward to sharing traditions and celebrating each new season with our Jewish community.
Coming Up:
Mar 1, 10am – 12pm – Purim Party!
Apr 5 – Matzah Mash
May 3 – Torah Time
Jun 7 – Summer Splash
For more information and to rsvp, contact Alexa at alexalacey@me.com.
Hamentaschen Baking
Sun, Feb 23, 10am in the Main Kitchen at the JCC
Bring dough, a rolling pin, cookie cutter, baking sheet and your favorite fillings – we’ll assemble and bake hamentaschen for our members who have difficulty leaving their homes and for our upcoming Congregational Purim party. All ages welcome – we’ll have children’s activities and coffee for the grown ups.
Hebrew for Adults Online
One hour a week via Zoom
November starts another year of Hebrew classes at Temple Emanu-El. The classes are taught by Leslie Schwartz once a week via Zoom.
Beginning Hebrew – By the end of this course, you’ll be able to pronounce (decode, read aloud) any Hebrew word and also know the meaning of a number of Hebrew words that are important in our liturgy. We use the text, Aleph Isn’t Tough, Book 1, by Linda Motzkin, URJ Press, 2000. The classes meet each week on Tuesday mornings from 8-9am.
Continuing Hebrew – We continue our Hebrew study using the text, Aleph Isn’t Enough, Book 2, by Linda Motzkin, URJ Press, 2001. This text emphasizes the Hebrew used in prayers and Torah readings in the synagogue, the blessings and rituals of Jewish home observances, and words or phrases arising out of a Jewish cultural context. The prerequisite for joining this class is to be able to read (decode, read aloud) any Hebrew word (without necessarily knowing what it means). The classes meet each week on Thursday mornings from 9-10am.
The courses are open to everyone. They are free for Temple Emanu-El members; non-members are asked to make a donation from their hearts. Contact Leslie Schwartz (schwartzljs@gmail.com) for more information and to sign up.
[Graphic by Emma Rhodes of Emma Tang Designs]
Hospitality Team Meetings Online
Our online meetings are generally on the first Tuesday of the month at 7pm – our next meeting is on Mar 4 via Zoom
All are welcome! For more information, contact Brenda Mudd at bbbhd0929@gmail.com. To login by phone, call 1-929-205-6099 and use meeting ID 889 6805 3220. [Photo: At our 2018 Summer Picnic, showing Temple Emanu-El member Marty Neweroff, taken by member Carl Wetzstein]
Men’s Club
2nd Tuesday of the month, 10am – our next get-together will be on Mar 11 at Riki’s Family Restaurant
Riki’s Family Restaurant is located at 25 N. Main St in Fairport (14450). Join us for breakfast and conversation. For more information, contact Carl (561-699-1494, carlwetzstein38@gmail.com).
Music Mondays
First Monday of the month at 7pm at members’ homes – our next get-together is Mar 3
Join us on the first Monday of every month for Music Monday — a chance to learn new songs and dig into old favorites with Temple Emanu-El’s cantorial soloist, Charly Sommers. During our March Music Monday, we will be exploring songs of Purim. All are welcome. Please contact Charlygirard9@gmail.com for details.
[Image by Fruke Riether courtesy of Pixabay]
Rabbi’s Book Club
Selected first Sundays at 11am in the TEE Library at the JCC
Join us for a lively discussion of Jewish literature.
April 6 – David Baddiel, Jews Don’t Count – Our April selection is Jews Don’t Count by David Baddiel, British comedian and author. In an engaging and entertaining way, Baddiel asks why, in popular perception, Jews don’t count as a minority and antisemitism is so often ignored by those who consider themselves “on the right side of history.”
May 4 – Anita Diamant, The Red Tent
June 1 – Adina Hoffman and Peter Cole, Sacred Trash: The Lost and Found Worlds of the Cairo Geniza
Sit ‘n Stitch
Last Tuesday of the month from 10:30 – 11:30am in the TEE Library at the JCC – our next get-together is Feb 25
We have a monthly group where we knit, crochet, sew, and work on needle crafts together. Bring your projects and a snack and beverage if you’d like. There is no need to RSVP. We hope you’ll come by!
Spiritual Practices Team Meetings Online
2nd Tuesday of the month, 7pm – our next meeting is Mar 11 via Zoom.
All are welcome. To login by phone, call 1-929-205-6099 and use meeting ID 852 6777 2051. [Photo by Temple Emanu-El Member Dave Kassnoff]
Tikkun Olam Team
As Reform Jews, we participate actively in Tikkun Olam, “repair of the world.” Our social justice work is done in a variety of ways: education on the issues, advocacy for specific policies and legislation, and implementing our vision through direct action and service. Please join us to hear what we’re doing next – we’d love to have your input and help. For meeting dates and more information, contact Carl (561-699-1494, carlwetzstein38@gmail.com).