Virtual Events and Programs for the Russian-speaking 
Jewish  Community
JUNE 10 - 24, 2020

D ear friends!

We hope that you and your family are doing well and are staying strong and safe during these times of uncertainty and instability. 
Summer is here! Like everything else this year, this summer will be very unusual. We need to find new creative ways to enjoy the summer, so COJECO and our community partners are doing everything to bring you educational and entertaining content and experiences for every age group. 
In our newsletter you will find unique virtual projects, events and initiatives: COJECO Virtual Academy of the Russian Jewish Heritage sessions, a virtual visit to visit Marvelous Mrs Maisel, exploration of Jewish communities from Israel to Ethiopia, an art ruffle, children's activities, and important resources related to current challenges.  
COJECO public events are free. We do ask you to consider a charitable donation that will enable us to continue offering top quality programs and to engage the Russian-speaking Jewish Community of NY/NJ and beyond Please make your donation today .

We are here for you!

Your COJECO Family
COJE CO Programs and Events
Weekly Torah Portion through the Eyes of a Contemporary RSJ
by COJECO Virtual Academy of the Russian Jewish Heritage
Thursday, June 11th, at 7PM

The curious history of the menorah, the mysteries of our greatest holiday and the mystical details of the manna streaming from heaven- all in this weekly Torah portion Behaalotecha. Yigal Kotler, COJECO Director of Jewish Education, and Yuri Tabak, a well-known religion scholar from Moscow, discuss The Weekly Torah Portion through the Eyes of a Contemporary Russian-speaking Jew.
Presentation will be conducted in Russian. Advance registration is required.
 
COJECO Family Shabbat Live - in Russian
Friday, June 12th, at 5PM

Please join us as we go live, welcoming Shabbat with a beautiful story, songs and blessings. For children of all ages and their parents! Please be ready with your own candles so we can light them together.
 
by COJECO Virtual Academy of the Russian Jewish Heritage
 in partnership with Federation CJA
Tuesday , June 23rd, at 7:30PM

Historian and educator Yigal Kotler will devote this session to the first decade of the Soviet Jewish history- with all its new opportunities and challenges. The participation of Jews in the Cheka-NKVD and their role in the murder of the Tzar's family, the fight of the Jewish section of the Communist Party against Zionism, Hebrew and Judaism; new Communist Jewish schools, and how authorities tried to turn Jews into collective farmers. 
Presentation will be conducted in Russian. Advance registration is required.

 
Multi-media Virtual Tour:
 Mrs Maisel and Other Residents of the Upper West Side
by Gregory Kegeles
  Wednesday , June 24th, at 7PM

Want to figure out where a respectable romantic comedy hero (or heroine) should reside, buy groceries, meet their friends and run off to in search of adventures?  Take a marvelous multi-media virtual tour with us. Gregory will talk about the principles of geography in romantic comedy "The Marvelous Mrs Maisel". (In Russian)
This program is free, but requires advance registration.
 
From Israel to Ethiopia: Virtual Tour with Einat Klein
Sunday , June 28th, at 5PM

How did the Jews end up in Ethiopia, what was their significance in the royal court, what role did Biblical Judith play, where are the Tablets of the Covenant, and much more.
Tour will be led by Einat Klein, a famous Israeli journalist, photographer and guide of ethno- and photo-tours in the Middle East, Asia and Africa.
(In Russian)

This program is free, but requires advance registration.
 
Yemenite Jewry: From the Times of the Temple to Today

A virtual tour of sights, sounds and culture with Drora Arussy, Director of the Institute of Jewish Experience of the American Sephardi Federation, and Eddie Ashkenazie, Co-Curator of the Teimani Experience. 
During this journey we will explore the unique history of Yemenite Jewry, their famous cultural sights, wedding traditions, jewelry and traditional food, and learn about the Yemenite Jewish community in modern Israel.
COJECO Network Organizations Initiatives
Virtual Raffle: Arts Against Pandemics
by Jewish Folk Craft Guild

The Jewish Folk Craft Guild's mission is to research, preserve and develop the traditional, rare and contemporary Folk Visual Arts.
Watch a short film about Guild's last year exhibition at the UJA Federation
Please join the "Arts Against Pandemics" raffle- all proceeds will go to the medical personnel who are working to combat the current pandemic every day under tremendous stress and pressure, and need our support.
 
WhatsApp Group
by the Russian-speaking Jewish Community Jewish Center "Nachalat Zion"

The group was created to share happiness and sorrows, to post prayer requests and congratulations, to stay up to date with all the events, Holidays and classes at the community @JCNZ
Community Programs and Events
COVID-19 Resources for You

The UJA-Federation of New York  has been providing numerous resources to assist and support the Jewish community during these times of crisis and we want to make sure that the RSJ community is aware of them.
Grab-and-Go meal sites, Interest-free Bridge Loans, Free Legal Resources, Virtual programming for all ages, Resources for families and individuals.
 
Tikvah Online Academy
by Tikvah Fund

Announcing the launch of Tikvah Online Academy - an effort to bring Tikvah's big ideas, master teachers and high-level seminars to students across the country, this summer, in a dozen of new online courses. Learn about the rich menu of seminars - on Jewish and Western thought, Zionism and Modern Israel, Politics and Strategy, Classical Literature.
For 7th-12th graders and college students.
 
Israeli Technology & Innovation
by The Alexander Muss High School In Israel and Jookender Community 
Wednesdays, July 8th - August 12th, at 10:30AM

A six-week in-depth course is exploring the amazing world of Israeli technology and innovation. Each session will take a deep dive into a different sector of the "Start-Up Nation." The best candidates will be offered an opportunity to spend 1/2 year in Israel and a $10,000 Scholarship to study in Israel High School.
Open for students in 8th-12th grades.
 
Justice in Action: Police Brutality
Thursday, June 11th, at 2PM

On the heels of the tragic murders, it is critical that we work to understand the systems that lead to this moment in history. These systems are the same ones that have contributed to the discriminatory social distancing policing we have witnessed in NYC and the ways that COVID-19 is disproportionately  impacting Black communities. Please join a conversation about police reform with representatives from Communities United for Police Reform.
 
Watermark Virtual Series: Taste Of Israel
Thursday, June 11th, at 4PM

Join Chef Kfir Kertes as he demonstrates live how to cook easy and delectable specialties from his home country. These cherished recipes will impress and amuse your palate. Watch to learn, or simply to be entertained by Chef Kertes' extraordinary talent as you explore Israeli cuisine from the comfort of your kitchen and delight in familiar and foreign recipes.
 
Global Community Sing-Along in Russian
by Solnechniy Krug @ the Y
YM & YWHA of Washington Heights and Inwood
Saturday, June 13th, at 11AM

Bring your children, parents, grandparents, relatives, and friends to Solnechniy Krug screen for live performance /sing-along of your beloved songs in Russian.
Featuring Zhenya Lopatnik performing not only your children's favorite songs but also YOUR favorite adults' songs by Цой, ДДТ, Никитины, БГ, Машина Времени, and more. FREE, but registration is mandatory:

 
15 Minute Yiddish - For Adults
by National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene
Tuesday, June 16th, at 1PM

15 Minute Yiddish -  A weekly lunch and learn with Motl Didner.
The basics of Yiddish conversation, no Yiddish experience necessary.
 
Circus Jews Under National Socialism: A Lecture/Performance
by Leo Baeck Institute - New York
Wednesday, June 17th, at 3PM

The stories of Jewish circus artists between the world wars are told with sensitivity and humor by Stav Meishar, circus artist and academic.This event will explore the lives of Jewish circus artists in Germany from 1880-1945 and the process of transforming historical research into performance. Join for a glimpse into a little-known colorful and fascinating world.
 
The East Side Jew Who Conquered Europe
Wednesday, June 17th, at 4PM

Leon Trotsky through the Eyes of Jews - many Jews, during Trotsky's lifetime, saw him differently. Jewish admirers viewed Trotsky as an intellectual genius and a fearless revolutionary; a Russian by cultural attainment but still a Jew in some essential sense; a Jewish hero and a hero to the Jews. This lecture will explore Jewish perceptions of Trotsky, as they appeared in Yiddish and English.
 
The Kabbalah of Bob Dylan, with Seth Rogovoy
by Yiddish Book Center
Thursday, June 18th, at 7PM

A multimedia presentation in which Yidstock artistic director Seth Rogovoy-the author of "Bob Dylan: Prophet Mystic Poet"- examines the life and songs of the Nobel Prize-winning rock poet through a Jewish lens.
 
Virtual Celebrate Israel Parade
by Jewish Community Relations Council of New York
Sunday, June 21st, at 1PM

Join the Celebrate Israel Virtual Parade: 
a one hour program chockfull of special performances & appearances.
This year's theme is TODAH ("thank you" in Hebrew) as the event dedicated to the frontline heroes in NY, across the US, in Israel and worldwide.
We look forward to being Together on Fifth Ave next year!
 
After the Synagogue Shooting: Pittsburghers Reflect
Tuesday, June 23rd, at 2PM

"Meanings of October 27th" is an oral history project that explores Jewish and non-Jewish Pittsburghers' life histories and reflections on the October 27th, 2018 synagogue shooting at the Tree of Life building. Join project co-creators Noah Schoen and Aliza Becker for this interactive webinar.
 
The Lost Family With Libby Copeland - Live on Zoom
by the Center for Jewish History
Wednesday, June 24th, at 4PM

In her acclaimed new book, The Lost Family: How DNA Testing Is Upending Who We Are (Abrams, 2020), award-winning journalist Libby Copeland investigates the rapidly evolving phenomenon of home DNA testing, uncovering the story of Alice Collins Plebuch, whose supposed Irish ancestry is overturned by a DNA test that indicates Ashkenazi Jewish heritage.
 

Calling all Russian Speakers to join JDC Entwine's Babushka Hotline, an Insider Connections Global Virtual Service opportunity to virtually engage in service with a community member in need. JDC Entwine volunteers have unique access to help meet the social needs of JDC aid recipients across the FSU, Israel and beyond, including the elderly and teens in the community.
 
Host Margarita Korol speaks with fellow Russian-speaking Jewish young professionals on their efforts to build community. In this second episode of Not Your Babushka's Russian Speaking Jew, she explores the "why" that drives RSJ young professionals, with and without recent immigration out of the FSU. 
 
The National Library of Israel

The National Library of Israel continues to serve as a platform for culture, knowledge and inspiration even during this difficult time.
You are invited to visit The Reading Room, a new virtual space where you can enjoy live lectures, conversations and interviews via Zoom, as well as a range of previously recorded events.
 
Diarna - The Geo-Museum 

Diarna (דיארנא ديارنا "Our homes" in Judeo-Arabic): The Geo-Museum of North African and Middle Eastern Jewish Life is working to digitally preserve the physical remnants of Jewish history throughout the region. We are in a race against time to capture site data and record place-based oral histories before even the memories of these communities are lost.
 
  Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan VIRTUAL PROGRAMS  

During this unprecedented time, our friends and partners at  Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan are busy creating innovative opportunities for the community. This is in order to stay connected and engaged. In some cases, this will help to continue hosting programs previously scheduled by making them accessible to you in your home.  
Thank You to Our Funders