Donations

If you'd like to make a donation to AJ, you can make a donation online, on our website. Or, you can click here to download a donation form.

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A Message from Mercaz USA: Protect the Egalitarian Kotel...Take Action Today! 
On Wednesday morning, the Knesset advanced legislation that strikes at the heart of Jewish unity and religious pluralism. The bill would transfer authority over all prayer at the Kotel to the ultra-Orthodox Chief Rabbinate, criminalize religious services that do not conform to its standards, and effectively dismantle the Egalitarian Kotel. If enacted, millions of Israeli and Diaspora Jews would lose meaningful access to worship at Judaism’s holiest site. This legislation is not yet law. Several additional steps remain, and we are working intensely to stop it. But today’s vote marks a dangerous escalation — and is a clear warning. Click here to see how you can help.

Hadassah Regional Shabbat
Friday, February 27 at 6:15 PM, hosted at AJ

Please join us as Adath Jeshurun hosts Hadassah at a regional Shabbat on Friday, February 27 at 6:15 PM when they will lead Kabbalat Shabbat. Hadassah celebrates their founding in 1912 and their deep ties to the Purim story. Hadassah reflects Purim’s heroine Queen Esther and the way our namesake (Hadassah is Esther‘s Hebrew name) inspired Hadassah founder, Henrietta Szold, as a woman of action. Hadassah members and Adath Jeshurun members are welcome to participate. We look forward to seeing you at this beautiful service. There will be an extensive oneg following services with lite bites, etc. Want to volunteer or have questions? Please contact Randi Freeman at rfreeman@hadassah.org or 215.990.6715 or Marty Manson at mbmteach1@aol.com, 215.663.0546 (h), or 215.858.5931 (c). Please join us! Everyone is welcome…there is no need to be a Hadassah member to attend! Please register here by 5:00 PM this afternoon.

Adult Education Brunch 'n Learn with Melissa Klapper:

Jewish Women and the Civil War

Sunday, March 1 at 10:00 AM



We're sorry but registration for this event has closed.

Community Purim Carnival

Sunday, March 1 from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM

This year, the annual Community Purim Festival will be held at Keneseth Israel on Sunday, March 1. The times are: Families with Preschool Children—11:00 AM to 12:00 PM and General Admission from 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM. Advance registration is encouraged by Tuesday, February 24; click here. Walk-ins are welcome. On-site payment via credit card and digital wallet will be available. Cash or checks will not be accepted. Cost: $10 per person (adults and children); $25 for one adult and two or more children; and $30 for two adults and two or more children. All minors under the age of 18 must be accompanied by an adult. For more information about this event, contact kehillahevents@jewishphilly.org or 215.832.0527. If you would like to volunteer, click here!

Purim Shpiel and Celebration
Monday, March 2


This year's Purim shpiel will be an expanded version of the show we did last year with an addition of Purim songs before and after with the help of the group that came for Hanukkah, The Singulars. This is the schedule for the evening: AJ Early Learning Center Program, 5:00 PM to 6:15 PM; Minhah, 5:45 PM; Shpiel, 6:30 to 7:45 PM; Party with Band, 7:45 to 8:45 PM. Then, at 8:45, we'll go back into the sanctuary for the full megillah reading. Don't forget to dress in costume! Please register here.

Want to be involved? You've heard of Karaoke? Well, how about Band-a-roke??!!! 

Yes, The Singulars will back you up on any of the songs below. Form a group or perform solo: it's your choice. You can download a list of songs here that are still available. I'd love to have many of these already distributed; please be in touch ASAP (call the office at 215.635.6611 or send an email to hglantz@gmail.com). Watch this video!

Kabbalat Shabbat with Strings Attached

Friday, March 6 at 6:15 PM

Unplug from a busy week with an acoustic Shabbat service led by Hazzan Howard Glantz with familiar tunes that will put a smile on your face and a song in your heart. Then stay for Oneg Shabbat (lite dinner bites and gathering with friends). For all ages, from babies to bubbies. Bring your friends for this relaxed, casual, and enjoyable service! Please register using the March Service Sign-up Form. 6:15 PM

Adult Education Brunch 'n Learn with Robert Eisen:

Jewish Exceptionalism

Sunday, March 8 at 10:00 AM



No examination of the enormous influence that Jews have had on American society would be complete without considering the question: How could such a minute fraction of the American population have had such a profound influence throughout the centuries? To guide us in an exploration of American Jewish exceptionalism, we will host Robert Eisen, Professor of Religion and Judaic Studies at George Washington University, for a discussion of his new book, Jews, Judaism, and Success: How Religion Paved the Way to Modern Jewish Achievement. This program has been generously sponsored by Skip and Naomi Atkins. The cost for the brunch is $10 for AJ members, and $18 for non-members. Click here to register. ***You must register by Monday, March 2!***

Adult Ed Lunch 'n Learn with Toni Pitock:

Jews Before and After the American Revolution

Saturday, March 14 at 12:15 PM



The decision for colonial Jews to side with the Patriots was not an easy one. Jews living in British colonies met with toleration, acceptance, and more freedom than any other time in the diaspora. This presented a dilemma when the Patriots declared independence. We will use the Franks family of Philadelphia, New York, and London as a case study to explore Jews dual sense of belonging and to understand the ambivalence many of them felt during the Revolution. Cost: AJ members, $10 per person. Non-AJ members, $18 per person. The cost for the brunch and program is $10 for AJ members, and $18 for non-members. Click here to register. ***You must register by Monday, March 9!***

AJ Grandparents Group Program and Brunch: How to Support Your Children When We As Grandparents Think That Our Grandchild Might Have a Problem

Sunday, March 15; Brunch, 10:00 AM; Program, 11:00 AM

You won’t want to miss this meeting! AJ’s very own Dr. Eydie Rudman, a pediatrician, along with Dr. Hollie Roizman, a psychologist, will lead this program. As grandparents, we have experience. All we want to do is help, but times are different and the problems children face and treatments may be new to us. At this session, we can learn about some of the most frequent problems children face today, both psychological and physical; how professionals are addressing them; and how we as grandparents can be supportive of our children and grandchildren as they tackle some of these issues, especially with an eye towards figuring out what our own family needs from us and how we can best communicate with them. Come join us as we gather to learn. A brunch will be served at 10:00 AM before the program. The cost is $5 per person. Click here to register.

SAVE THE DATE!
AJWA Sisterhood Shabbat

Saturday, March 21 at 9:30 AM

The AJWA Sisterhood invites you to join them for AJWA Sisterhood Shabbat! In addition to the special gathering in commemoration of the AJ Bar/Bat Mitzvah service of January 1991, we would like to invite attendees to wear hats as an homage to our mothers and grandmothers. Our Annette W. Black Memorial Lecture speaker will be Lorna Rosenberg and she’ll present “Chosen Food: Jewish Foodways of Colonial America” in recognition of the 250th anniversary of America. As always, the Shabbat service will be followed by a delicious lunch prepared by the AJWA Sisterhood. You can register, volunteer to help with food preparation, and/or become a Shabbat Angel here.

L'olam Lunch and Cooking Demo with Chef Jennifer Abadi

Sunday, March 22 at 11:30 AM

Jennifer Abadi, author of the cookbooks Too Good to Passover and A Fistful of Lentils: Syrian-Jewish Recipes from Grandma Fritzie’s Kitchen, along with AJ’s L’olam Committee, will be hosting a lunch at AJ from 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM on Sunday, March 22. We’ll be serving a light vegetarian Middle Eastern/Mizrahi lunch while sampling a Passover Greek spanakopita that Jennifer will demonstrate for the upcoming holiday. She will share how Passover foods vary across Sephardic and Mizrahi communities, reflect on her experience writing her cookbook, and discuss diverse holiday rituals and customs. The recipe sampled from Jennifer’s cookbook, Too Good To Passover, will be provided to attendees. The cost for the event is $10 per person. Both of her cookbooks (Too Good To Passover and A Fistful of Lentils: Syrian-Jewish Recipes from Grandma Fritzie’s Kitchen) will be available for purchase at the event. Click here to register.

Adath Jeshurun Men's Association Event: Book Discussion of No One Ever Asked, with Author Arnold Rochvar (via Zoom only)

Tuesday, March 24 at 8:00 PM VIA ZOOM ONLY



A Jewish woman, Iris Geller, raised in Northeast Philadelphia, a sophomore at Temple University, discontinues her education and makes a bold decision. She commits totally to activism and life in the south during a most perilous time in the civil rights struggle. Fifty years later, the author of the book No One Ever Asked, her younger cousin, is the first one to ask her about this remarkable experience. Join the Adath Jeshurun Men’s Association as we welcome author Arnold Rochvarg, Professor Emeritus at the University of Baltimore School of Law (a Northeast High and U. of Penn grad) who will discuss this crucial period in American history and his cousin’s role in the front lines. Please register here. A Zoom link and password will be sent prior to the program.

SAVE THE DATE!
Adath Jeshurun Men's Association Shabbat

Saturday, March 28 at 9:30 AM

Enjoy the service led by members of the AJ Men's Association and stay for a delicious lunch. There is no charge for the lunch but we really, really, need your RSVPs no later than Thursday, March 19. Click here to register. Interested in a service part? Contact Elon Kaplan at 215.901.9365.

Israeli Dancing at AJ Continues Throughout the Winter!

Tuesday afternoons from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM

Join us for Israeli Dancing in the Orleans Auditorium on Tuesdays from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM! Just come or contact Susan Novack at susantnovack@gmail.com.

Orange County Community Scholar Program (CSP)

Congregation Adath Jeshurun, dedicated to the Jewish value of learning for its own sake (Torah lishmah), has partnered with the Orange County Community Scholar Program (CSP). If you register and can’t attend, a link will be sent after the event to a recording. There is also an archive of classes that you can view here. You can see current classes here.

This February, CSP welcomes an exciting mix of new voices and returning favorites as they explore Jewish identity, meaning, and history through a variety of lenses. Speakers include Dr. Eyal Dujovny, Rana Werbin, and Dr. Katherine Aron Beller. We’re also delighted to welcome back beloved CSP presenters, Evgenia Kempinski (with a four-part series), Dr. Sharon Keller, Tobi Kahn, and Gila Levitan (with a two-part series). Join CSP online this February for programs that connect past and present, place and identity, and reveal how Jewish history is continually reimagined through culture, cities, and lived experience. The members program this month showcases Prof. Stephen Berk examines modern Italy through heroes, popes, villains, and rebirth (AJ member link for registration here). You can learn more about February's offerings through links provided here.

COVID Guidelines

If you are planning to attend services or an event at AJ, you can find our current COVID-19 guidelines as of March, 2024 here.

Lifecycle Notices

We are saddened to share that Dr. Albert Brest, husband of Arlene Brest, entered olam haba, the coming world, on Saturday, February 21 2026.

We offer this list as a courtesy. If there is a lifecycle event you would like included, please contact the office at 215.635.6611.

Teachers and Substitute Teachers Wanted!

Do you love children? We have a wonderful opportunity for you! Join our Early Childhood Staff as a teacher or substitute teacher! Make some extra money and have fun doing it. All you would need are clearances and a desire to make a difference in a child’s day. Our Early Learning Center serves children from 3 months to 5 years of age. Please contact Danielle Gleason, Early Childhood Director, for more details at dgleason@adathjeshurun.info or by calling 215.635.3490. Reminder: All staff must have a complete background check to work alone with children. Please let Danielle know if you can help in any way. Thank you!

Earn Money for AJ by Shopping at House of Kosher!

For any amount that an AJ member spends, House of Kosher will give 2% of the sale to AJ! All you need to do is mention AJ's unique Shopper Code 6611 and the discount is immediately applied as a credit to your organization.

Any first-time customer that is a member of AJ will receive a 10% discount on your in-store shopping of over $100! House of Kosher is located at 9806 Bustleton Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19115.

Do you have a question about any of the events or announcements in this email? Call the synagogue office at 215.635.6611. 

Do you have good news to share? We can always use it! Let us know and we'll include it in the weekly email and/or AJ News.