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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 2024
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.
There are some CSP programs in October that Rav Shai would like to alert you to. Rabbi Avi Strausberg teaches at Hadar Institute and will be presenting “Midrash in the Wake of Crisis: Marking a Year Since October 7th.” Rabbi Sally Priesand was the first woman Rabbi and will be teaching “Breaking Barriers: Reflections on a Trailblazing Journey.” Dr. David Kaufman will be teaching a multi-part series on “History and Memory: Key Themes in the Jewish Experience.” Finally, Rabbanit Nechama Goldman Barash teaches contemporary halakhah and Talmud and taught with Rav Shai in South Africa. Her topic will be “Talmudic Perspectives on Women: Historical Insights and Their Lasting Impact Today.” We hope you’ll take advantage of this opportunity to learn from these speakers and others from the comfort of your own home!
JUST ANNOUNCED! As we celebrate the High Holidays, CSP invites you to join them for an insightful online session exploring our Jewish tradition's unique capacity for facing adversity with creativity and resilience. Can we find that capacity even now? Known for his engaging lectures and deep insights, Rabbi Ed Feinstein will help us harness our historical strengths to navigate contemporary challenges. Click here to learn more and to register.
Midweek Mindfulness!
Thursday Mornings: Moment of Mindfulness
Sit and engage in a mindful meditation, deep, healing breathing or gentle movement on Thursday mornings from 9:00 AM to 9:30 AM. Meet us in the Strauss Chapel immediately after minyan breakfast. Come as you are, come from home or work or from minyan. Join your friends or bring a friend for a moment of mindfulness, calm and community! No registration is needed.
Midweek Mindfulness!
Thursday Mornings: Moment of Mindfulness
Sit and engage in a mindful meditation, deep, healing breathing or gentle movement on Thursday mornings from 9:00 AM to 9:30 AM. Meet us in the Strauss Chapel immediately after minyan breakfast. Come as you are, come from home or work or from minyan. Join your friends or bring a friend for a moment of mindfulness, calm and community! No registration is needed.
Commemoration of the Anniversary of 10/7
Monday, October 7 at 7:00 PM at Congregations of Shaare Shamayim
On Monday, October 7 at 7:00 PM, there will be a Kehillah program in commemoration of the anniversary of October 7. Nova attendee Matan Boltax will share his experience narrowly surviving the October 7th massacre. His story and presence inspires us all with strength and resilience. The event will be at Congregations of Shaare Shamayim, located at the Keneseth Israel building. RSVP is required: call 215.677.1600 or send an email to office@shaareshamayim.org. Please note: Evening minyan will not be held at AJ that night but Rav Hazzan Glantz will lead Ma'ariv after the program at Shaare Shamayim located at 8339 Old York Road, Elkins Park.
Sukkah Decorating and Pizza Party
Tuesday, October 15 at 5:00 PM (registration not needed)
Everyone is invited! We’ll eat, shmooze, and hang decorations. Bring the kids, friends, and any (rain-resistant) decorations that you’d like to contribute (original artwork encouraged)! Fun crafts for kids and grownups of all ages—making decorations to hang in the sukkah. BYOL (bring your own 6-foot ladder if you have one). We’ll have a few if you don't. Preschool families welcome! (All children must be accompanied by a parent.) Proudly sponsored by the AJWA Sisterhood.
Dinners in the Sukkah
Wednesday, October 16 through Tuesday, October 22
Throughout the week of Sukkot, we’ll be celebrating the holiday by gathering inside AJ’s sukkah and having dinner! See the offerings for each night below. All dinners will begin at 6:00 PM, followed by the evening service at 7:00 PM, except where noted. You can learn more about the dinners on our High Holiday 5785 landing page, or click here to register. Please RSVP no later than October 11.
Please note that on Sunday, October 20, our special guest will be Zoe Marks, a Captain in the IDF in the Etzion Region. She is currently an active reservist, 24 years old, and born and raised in Israel. Zoe will be sharing about herself, her own personal experience from this past year, and of course, the war efforts from YATAR’s perspective and more. It will be a "Bring-Your-Own-Dairy-Dinner" dinner and the program will be followed by dessert provided by AJ.
SAVE THE DATE! Mid-Atlantic Region's Torah Fund Founder's Day
Sunday, November 17 at 10:30 AM at Temple Sinai in Dresher, PA
The annual Torah Fund-Founder’s Day event of the Mid-Atlantic Region (MAR) of Women’s League for Conservative Judaism will highlight the Schechter Institutes for Judaic Studies in Jerusalem. That is one of the five global institutions of higher learning supported by your Torah Fund contributions. Our speaker, Rabbi Aviva Fellman, who grew up on our local Main Line, earned a master’s degree in Talmud and Jewish Law from the Schechter Institutes and was ordained at the Jewish Theological Seminary. She will speak about Israel (the people, the land, the state), bring in Talmud as relevant, and maybe even sing! For contributions to Torah Fund, please confer with AJWA Sisterhood’s Torah Fund Chair, Merril Stup (215.782.3735 or tantemem@aol.com) For questions about the TF-Founder’s Day event, please email MAR Torah Fund VP, Ariana Burrows (ariana_b@verizon.net).
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!