This longstanding Adult Education group meets on Zoom two Tuesdays a month at 7:30pm to study the Torah in English translation, in depth, considering it from the perspectives of literature, sacred text, religious mythology, family lore, psychology, drama, history, pop culture, and more.
Song-filled, joyful service open to all, featuring our in-house band, and particularly welcoming to children and their families (who help with leadership!). Today, especially, a celebration of Chanukah!
From October through June, a dairy/parve potluck dinner follows the "First Friday" intergenerational service. (No potluck over the summer). Unless otherwise noted, this service will always be in person and on Zoom.
Israeli Dancing with instructor Rina Rinkewich.
All levels welcome.
Members (in advance): $10
Non-members (in advance): $12
At the door: $18
Register here
Discussion and text study of West End’s Middah (ethical value/character trait) of the month.
All WES members are invited to join our study of a selected Middah of the month. Discussions are text-based using materials from both ours and other spiritual traditions, as well as insights from modern authors, pop culture and more. Texts may range from Talmud to Psychology Today, from Maimonides to Leonard Cohen, from modern-day rabbis to classic Broadway.
Jane Ziegelman, daughter of WES co-founder Aaron Ziegelman, will discuss the history and culture of Yizkor books, or Jewish books of remembrance, an interest inspired by her father and his work on the Luboml Project.
Musical Kabbalat Shabbat service, in the round.
Services are always both in-person and on Zoom, unless otherwise specified. For Zoom access, please check your weekly newsletter or contact admin [at] westendsynagogue.org (Joan).
Interview with Rebecca Clarren, author of The Cost of Free Land: Jews, Lakota, and an American Inheritance, describing how Jews settled on land in the Western United States in the 1890s that was later discovered to have been stolen from Native Americans through a series of broken treaties.
A discussion of the movie Crossfire (1947), led by Steven Weinstein. The film was directed by Edward Dmytryk and starred Robert Young, Robert Mitchum, Robert Ryan, Gloria Grahame and Sam Levene. The plot concerns a murder investigation among a group of demobilized military personnel, where antisemitism is a motivating factor. The film was nominated for five Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Supporting Actor (Robert Ryan).
Participants should view the movie ahead of time (available on YouTube, Apple, Amazon Prime, Google Play and Fandango).
During services, WES member Carole Kessner will present a program on the life and work of Emma Lazarus (1849-1887).
Known for composing the sonnet that is inscribed at the base of the Statue of Liberty, Lazarus was involved in aiding refugees to New York who had fled antisemitic pogroms in Eastern Europe, and in encouraging Jews to move to Palestine. Carole will focus particularly on Lazarus' correspondence with Henry James.
