RSVP - Congregation Adath Jeshurun

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RSVP for any event below by clicking on "here" or on the blue title in that section.

In-Person Services at AJ
All services will be conducted in person at AJ. At this time, all services will be available via Zoom. Please continue to register for Friday evening and Saturday morning services by using the link(s) below, or by using the service sign-up form link in the weekly email. Your registration will help us keep the building secure.

Service Sign-up Form for October 2025

Please familiarize yourself with our March 2024 COVID-19/respiratory illness policies. We ask that attendees of services and events at AJ review the policies and agree to them.

Orange County Community Scholar Program (CSP)
Congregation Adath Jeshurun, dedicated to the Jewish value of learning for its own sake (Torah lishmah), is excited to announce a partnership with the Orange County Community Scholar Program (CSP). As a partner with CSP, we’ll join a small group of synagogues enjoying the best Jewish learning available. AJ has the distinction of being the first Pennsylvania synagogue to partner with CSP. You can see the CSP offerings for the current month here. Please note that times on CSP web pages are Pacific Time unless noted otherwise. If you register and can’t attend, a link will be sent to you after the event to a recording. There is also an archive of classes that you can view here.

Discussion with Author Rafael Medoff
Thursday, October 16 at 7:45 PM via Zoom Only
Join us on Zoom as we welcome author Rafael Medoff following evening services. Medoff is an American professor of Jewish history and the founding director of The David Wyman Institute for Holocaust Studies, which is based in Washington, D.C. and focuses on issues related to America's response to the Holocaust. He'll be discussing his latest book, The Road to October 7: Hamas, the Holocaust, and the Eternal War Against the Jews. Click here to register by 3:00 PM on Thursday.

Adult Ed Brunch 'n Learn with Rabbi Lance Sussman, PhD: "Jews and the Development of Religious Liberty in the American Revolution and Early Nation"
Sunday, October 19 at 10:00 AM - This is an in-person event, no Zoom.

Registration for this event is now closed.
The American War of Independence was also a revolution in Jewish history. Not since the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 CE had any country enfranchised Jews as citizens and the new nation was thus the first. Jews were the perpetual outsiders until July 4, 1776, when the Founding Fathers of the United States envisioned a new type of society, not yet free of the chains of slavery but aspirationally more inclusive than any other form of government. First at the federal level and then slowly by the states, Jews were fully enfranchised. A wall of separation between government and religion was built, challenged, and rebuilt, a sustained—and mostly successful—battle over the next 250 years.

Lance J. Sussman, PhD, is Rabbi Emeritus of Reform Congregation Keneseth Israel and a Past Chair of the Board of Governors of Gratz College. Sussman has taught at Princeton, SUNY Binghamton, and Hunter College. A prolific historian, Sussman’s most recent book,the third in his trilogy with Lynda Barness, is Portrait of a Rabbi-Historian: How Did We Get Here.

AJ Grandparents Group Lunch 'n Learn with Hedda Sharapan
"What Fred Rogers Can Teach Us About Raising Mensches: Helping Our Grandchildren Grow Up Kind"
Saturday, October 25 at 12:15 PM - This is an in-person event, no Zoom.
Join us for a talk about kindness, and how we can instill that in our grandchildren. Hedda Sharapan began working with Fred Rogers 59 years ago on the very first taping day of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood in October, 1966, so she knows a thing about kindness! She’ll share ideas modeled on Mister Rogers Neighborhood that can help as we’re building long-term relationships with our grandchildren, supporting their development into mensches. Hedda was a Senior Fellow at The Fred Rogers Institute at St. Vincent College for many years and remains an advisor and regular contributor to the Fred Rogers Institute newsletter. Hedda has spoken all over the country, with presentations for early childhood educators and audiences of all ages, helping them reflect on the timeless messages in Fred Rogers’ beloved Neighborhood series—messages for adults as well as children. At the 2010 NAEYC (National Association for the Education of Young Children) conference, she was named one of two NAEYC Heroes on the Horizon, and at the 2011 NAFCC (National Association for Family Child Care) conference she was honored with a Lifetime Achievement award. In 2013 she was awarded an honorary doctorate degree from St. Vincent College, home of The Fred Rogers Institute. In March 2025 Hedda was inducted into the Gold Circle of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences for her work over 50 years in children’s television. Cost: $10 per person. Please register here by Monday, October 20. Everyone is welcome!

AJ Men’s Association and AJWA Sisterhood Brunch:
“A Modern History of AJ in Original Song and Parody”!
Sunday, October 26 at 10:00 AM
Join us for a warm, wonderful, casual, participatory, musical get-together with fellow AJers and any friends in the community that might wish to partake. The morning will feature David Seltzer on keyboard, piano, and vocals and he expects audience participation! From David: “I’ve had the joyous privilege of writing so many musical pieces for us for years, celebrating very special people at AJ, marking our sesquicentennial, helping us deal with COVID, and otherwise celebrating a myriad of AJ milestones, in song. If you think that you can sing, come. If you’re certain you CAN’T sing, come and sing even louder. I’m looking for dis-chord, AND dat-chord. This is the story of ‘US’ in song, and we’re all part of the show.” To register, click here. You must register by Monday, October 20.

Fall Blood Drive
Monday, October 27 from 2:00 PM to 7:00 PM
Perform a potentially life-saving mitzvah by donating blood at AJ between 2:00 PM and 7:00 PM. Open slots are still available. Please consider being a donor; the supplies are low while the need remains high. To schedule an appointment, click here.

Know Your Medicare Options 2026 Refresh
Tuesday, October 28 at 10:00 AM and 7:30 PM
During this free Educational Seminar, you will learn: what Medicare changes are happening for 2026; how Part “D” prescription cards work and how to pick the right one for you; and the differences between Medicare supplements and Medicare Advantage plans. This seminar is suitable whether you have decisions to make during the Medicare Annual Enrollment Period (Oct. 15 thru Dec. 7), or just want to learn in preparation of that time. Presented by our own Terry Smerling, a Medicare planning specialist with DelVal Senior Advisors. Morning Session: 10:00 AM, in person; Evening Session: 7:30 PM following evening minyan, via AJ minyan Zoom link. Please register here. If you have any questions before the meetings, please send them to tsmerling@dvsa-kbal.com or note them on the registration form.

Have You Visited AJ's Community Bulletin Board?
We have launched a new page on our website called "AJ Community Bulletin Board." In blog format, we'll be letting you know about things we think may be of interest to you. You'll find non-AJ events that are happening in the Philadelphia community and beyond, thoughts from Rav Shai, content concerning Israel, etc. Check it out here!