January 12, 2021 - 10 Shevat 5782
JCA PROGRAMS & PARTNERSHIPS
*Local programs highlighted in light blue
Tracy Walder discusses The Unexpected Spy: From the CIA to the FBI, My Secret Life Taking Down Some of the World's Most Notorious Terrorists
A virtual author talk presented by the JCA 
Thursday, Jan. 13th | 7:00 PM ET 
 
The Unexpected Spy is the riveting story of Walder's tenure in the CIA and, later, the FBI. In high-security, steel-walled rooms in Virginia, Walder watched al-Qaeda members with drones as President Bush looked over her shoulder and CIA Director George Tenet brought her donuts. She tracked chemical terrorists and searched the world for Weapons of Mass Destruction. She created a chemical terror chart that someone in the White House altered to convey information she did not have or believe, leading to the Iraq invasion. Driven to stop terrorism, Walder debriefed terrorists—men who swore they’d never speak to a woman—until they gave her leads. She followed trails through North Africa, Europe, and the Middle East, shutting down multiple chemical attacks. 
 
Then Walder moved to the FBI, where she worked in counterintelligence. In a single year, she helped take down one of the most notorious foreign spies ever caught on American soil. Catching the bad guys wasn’t a problem in the FBI, but rampant sexism was. Walder left the FBI to teach young women, encouraging them to find a place in the FBI, CIA, State Department or the Senate—and thus change the world. 
 
The book is available to order from our friends at Longfellow Books. 

Advanced registration required by Jan. 13th at 12 pm to receive the Zoom link. 
SAVING YOUR HISTORY: How to Review and Organize Your Stuff to Meet Legal and Personal Needs 
A free Zoom workshop with Susie Bock, presented by the JCA and USM’s Judaica Collection  
Wednesday, Jan. 19th | 12:00 PM 
  
Humans create and collect material culture (documents, objects) in the course of living. Establishing control over your material culture can be daunting, but important so you can put your hands on what you need when you need it. This workshop will: 

• Help you sort and evaluate material culture (papers, objects, photographs, audio-visual material) created or collected. 
• Provide advice on storing and caring for the materials to ensure their preservation. 
• Present suggestions on donating material to a cultural/historical institution. 
  
These principles and procedures can be used by individuals or groups! Advance registration required by Tuesday, Jan. 18th to receive the Zoom link. 
In honor of International Holocaust Remembrance Day 
January 27th – the date the Soviet Army liberated Auschwitz in 1945 
 
UNDER DUST AND SHARDS MY BREATH: ABRAHAM SUTZKEVER'S POETRY OF RESISTANCE, RENEWAL AND WONDER
A virtual presentation by poets Mark Melnicove and Anna Wrobel 
Thursday, Jan. 27th | 6:30 – 7:45 PM ET 
 
An exploration of the great Yiddish poet of ghetto, forest, Moscow and Tel Aviv. Yiddishist scholar, Ruth Wisse, speaks of Sutzkever's poetry as “an exceptional instance in the history of art” whose poems reveal “the saving grace of beauty...the redemptive power of art.” Sutzkever's metaphoric and documentary poetry gave voice to both personal and communal resistance to death in a time of forbidden Jewish survival. Mark and Anna weave some original poems into the fabric of Sutzkever's poetic biography. Q & A to follow. 

Program dedicated to Lee Sharkey (of blessed memory) - storied Maine Jewish poet, editor and recipient of the Sutzkever Translation Prize in Vilnius, Lithuania in 2013 
MUSICAL FAMILY HAVDALAH with Eliana Light
An interactive virtual event with PJ Library in Southern Maine
Saturday, Jan. 29th | 4:30 PM  
 
Join PJ Library and the JCA for a special musical family Havdalah live on Zoom with acclaimed Jewish educator and musician Eliana Light. Eliana will lead us in fun interactive songs and blessings to mark the end of Shabbat – the Jewish day of rest – and the beginning of a new week. This program is geared toward families with children ages 2-8 years old. 

Advanced registration required by Thursday, 1/27 to receive the Zoom link
  
FREE Havdalah gift bag for registered participants! 
Gift bags will include a plastic kiddush cup to decorate, a spice bag, a glow stick, and Havdalah instructions. Available for pickup at the JCA weekdays starting Tues. 1/25, 8:30 am – 3:30 pm, while supplies last.* 

*If you're signed up and your child attends the JCA's Goldman Family Preschool, we can send the gift bag home with them! 
DELICIOUS SHABBAT SUPPERS FROM CHEF REBECCA SCHILLING
With facility support from the JCA 
Seasonal, organic, vegetarian meals from Food Love Laughter 
 
Chef Rebecca Schilling will offer a seasonal menu of vegetarian dishes, packaged in biodegradable containers with easy heating and serving instructions. Each portion is $18 and includes one entree, one side, and one dessert. You may also choose to add a freshly baked challah from Standard Baking Co. 
 
Order pickup will be on Fridays (noted below), between 3:30 - 4:30 PM in the eastern parking lot by the main entrance of the JCA, next to the JCA preschool playground fence. Orders, pickup, and all proceeds are managed by Rebecca Schilling. 
 
Upcoming menus: 

January 21, 2022  (Orders due by Monday, January 17th at 4PM) 
• Entree: Pasta e Fagioli 
• Side: Tuscan Kale Salad with Lemon-Parmesan Dressing 
• Dessert: Lemon Bars 

To place your order, get on the mailing list, purchase a gift card, learn more about the meals, and to read about Chef Rebecca visit: https://www.foodlovelaughter.com/shabbat 
ADULT ED CLASSES & CLUBS
*Local programs highlighted in light blue
EXPLORING OPERA: Compare & Contrast
Hosted on Zoom by the Osher Marin JCC 
Three Thursdays, January 13, 20 & 27 | 4:00 - 5:30 PM ET  

Who was better Sutherland or Sills? Domingo or Pavarotti? The answer is complex; it depends on the role, the moment in each career, especially on the listener’s preferences, and more! Still, to compare and contrast the same aria sung by different voices can be very interesting, sometimes illuminating, usually beautiful. Join James Sokol for this special mini-series filled with popular arias, fabulous singers, and gorgeous music; a great series for opera newcomers and the long-time fans. Tickets: $37.50   
SONGS & STORIES: A Tribute to Jule Styne
Hosted on Zoom by the Osher Marin JCC 
Wednesday, January 19th | 4:00 – 5:00 PM ET  

Take a front row seat at your computer and join Paris-based jazz & cabaret entertainer Gilda Solve for her special program featuring songs by Jewish-English-American songwriter Jule Styne, best known for Broadway’s Gypsy, Funny Girl and more. Guests are welcome to ask questions via the chat throughout the program. Tickets: $12.50 - $15
OPEN MAH JONGG CLUB
In-person at the JCA – 1342 Congress St., Portland 
Wednesdays & Fridays* | 9:30 AM – 12 PM 

*Upcoming sessions: Friday, Jan. 21 and Wednesday, March 2, weather permitting. Please note: No meeting dates in February 
 
Players of all levels are welcome – participants should have a basic understanding of the principles of the game and be able to play without instruction.  RSVP below to join the Mah Jongg contact list for scheduling updates, and see the JCA website and our calendar for holiday and weather closures. (For beginners who are not familiar with the game, we hope to offer an instructional course this spring.) 
 
Per the JCA’s updated COVID policy as of Nov. 2021, proof of vaccination and masks are required at our indoor programs. Please review our full policy before you arrive: https://www.mainejewish.org/jca-covid-policy-update-11-1-21/ 

If you are joining our group for the first time, RSVP to our volunteer Judi Slotsky to join the Mah Jongg email list and receive the latest updates and schedule changes.
TORAH CONVERSATIONS: A weekly online study group facilitated by Ellie Miller
Thursdays, 10:00 – 11:00 AM  

This is a weekly Zoom gathering, informed by various translations of the Hebrew text and a variety of commentaries, ancient and modern. All are welcome to participate on a drop-in basis – no prior experience is necessary. A text of the Hebrew Bible is required - all translations are appropriate. The sessions will last one hour, with an opportunity to continue the discussion for an additional 15 minutes until 11:15 AM. 

To join the study group email list and receive the Zoom link, weekly readings and schedule updates, contact our volunteer Diane Newman.
AROUND THE JEWISH WORLD
*Local programs highlighted in light blue
BUILDING A COMMUNITY OF BELONGING
Presented by the Shalom Hartman Institute and UJA Federation NY 
In honor of MLK Day 
Sunday, January 16th | 5:00 - 7:30 PM 
 
Join UJA and scholars from the Shalom Hartman Institute and Ammud: The Jews of Color Torah Academy for a free evening of virtual learning to honor Dr. King’s legacy and contribute to a world where everyone feels like they belong. Learn how traditional and modern teachings help inform the contemporary struggle for racial justice and universal belonging, with Hartman scholars including Dahlia Lithwick, Rivka Press Schwartz, Ginna Green, and Mijal Bitton. 
Martin Luther King Day Morning Fuel & Call to Service: EXPLORING THE INTERSECTION OF BLACK & JEWISH IDENTITY IN AMERICA
Presented by JFNA’s Jewish Together initiative
Monday, Jan. 17th | 11 AM ET 
 
Each year we not only remember the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and leaders of the Civil Rights Movement, we step into our own power, take action in the name of justice and liberty, and fuel our cause for racial justice and equity in our Jewish community and for society. Join JFNA on to explore the intersection of Black and Jewish identities in America. 
THE UNTHINKABLE: IT COULD HAPPEN HERE
Jonathan Greenblatt in conversation with Abigail Pogrebin
Presented by the Temple Emanuel Streicker Center 
Wednesday, Jan. 19th | 6:30 PM ET 
Free (with option to buy book) 

Even as we read about the beating of Jews on the streets of Brooklyn, watch images of the mourners at Tree of Life synagogue and see a growing number of swastikas scrawled on buildings, few of us can imagine a widespread explosion of unbridled violence. “Not in America” is too firmly implanted in our minds. 
 
But in his new book, It Could Happen Here, Jonathan Greenblatt issues an urgent warning against such complacency, especially at a moment when the age-old trend of hatred is gathering momentum in the United States, presaging violence on a potentially larger, more catastrophic scale.
TROPE TRAINING WITH ELIANA WILLIS
A 3-week online community program with the Center for Small Town Jewish Life
Thursdays - January 20 and 27, February 3, 2022 
6:30 - 7:30 PM 
$36 suggested donation 
 
Would you like to learn Torah trope? This three-week class with Center rabbinical fellow Eliana Willis will cover the basics of Torah cantillation, focusing on the most common tropes. Eliana will also discuss how to go about learning an aliyah, using the Rosh Hodesh Torah reading as a case study, and share online resources to support your Torah reading beyond this class.  
HAVDALAH, TOGETHER with Elana Arian
A virtual event with the Center for Small Town Jewish Life 
Saturday, Jan. 22nd | 6:30 PM 

Join us on Saturday to illuminate, sing, sip, and send out our hopes for the new week together! We could not be happier to share the exciting news that we're bringing the incredible musician and singer Elana Arian back to Maine—virtually this time—to lead us in a spirited statewide Havdalah service.
BETH ISRAEL CONGREGATION – 100 YEAR CELEBRATION 
Corner of Washington and Centre Streets, Bath, ME
Sunday, January 30th | 1:00 PM 

Please join us as we gather together to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the opening of Beth Israel Congregation! We will assemble at the corners of Washington and Centre Streets and march up Washington Street to the synagogue as our Beth Israel ancestors did 100 years ago. Whether you are a present member, a previous member or just a friend of Beth Israel, we welcome you to be part of this historic and memorable occasion. Because of health concerns our “ceremony” will be outside, so dress warmly.
ISRAELI DANCING OPPORTUNITIES IN THE COMMUNITY:
HAVDALAH AND ISRAELI DANCING
Temple Beth El, 400 Deering Ave. Portland, ME
Saturdays, Jan 15 - Feb 19 | 6:00 - 7:00 PM

Join Israeli dance enthusiast Danika Kuhl to welcome the new week with ruach (spirit)! The class will last approximately one hour, all levels of experience are welcome. Ages 12 and up. RSVP preferred but no registration required.

Please review our current COVID-19 Policy prior to attending this program.
ISRAELI DANCE SESSIONS with Barbara Merson
At Congregation Etz Chaim - 36 Bacon St., Biddeford, ME 
In-person & on Zoom 
Every other Sunday 3:30 - 5 PM | Beginning on January 23

Barbara Merson will return for her fourth season at our synagogue.
You may attend in person, if you are be vaccinated and masked during your time in the synagogue OR You may attend via Zoom. Please RSVP to Beth ([email protected]) to get on the class list and receive the Zoom link.
JCA NEWS & UPDATES

We were so pleased to welcome the JCA’s first Afghan refugee family through HIAS last week, just before the snowstorm. We are grateful that they are safe and warm here in Maine, and that we have the opportunity to be here for them in the days and weeks to come.
EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES AT THE JCA

The JCA is currently hiring for several part time positions, including PJ Library Coordinator and a Refugee Resettlement Case Manager. For more information about these opportunities to join our team and how to apply, CLICK HERE.
1342 Congress St. Portland, ME 04102 | 207-772-1959