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.

REMINDER: All services are now in person at AJ. For the month of May, services will be available via Zoom. Starting in June, Kabbalat Shabbat and Shabbat morning services will be live-streamed and all other services will be available via Zoom. Please continue to register for Friday evening and Saturday morning services by going to https://tinyurl.com/AJ-May2022-services, or by using the April service sign-up form link in the weekly email or on the AJ website. Your registration will help us plan and help with contract-tracing, if necessary. Thank you!

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. For all ages, from babies to bubbies. Bring your friends for this relaxed, casual, and enjoyable service! 6:15 PM. In person and via Zoom.

We are looking forward to seeing all of those who have registered for the Torah Fund Brunch honoring Tammy Zebovitz!

Unfortunately, we can't accept walk-ins.

If you have any questions, please contact Merril Stup at 215.782.3735 or [email protected].

On Thursday, May 19, Gratz College will present a class called "Creating 21st Century Readers in Jewish Education." This class is made possible by an endowed lecture series established in memory of Joan Wohl and Nona Levin Abram's parents: The Elizabeth T. and Abram P. Piwosky Memorial Lecture for Emerging Scholars in Jewish Education. You can find out more about Abe Piwosky and his impact on AJ in an AJ News article printed in both 2008 and 2016 here. In the picture at the right, from left to right: I. Jerome Stern, Leonard Goldfine, Rabbi Yaacov G. Rosenberg, Elizabeth T. Pilowsky, Abram P. Piwosky.

"Creating 21st Century Readers in Jewish Education."Jewish studies is at a crossroads. Tasked with enormous and competing responsibilities including textual literacy, Jewish literacy, decoding skills, reading skills, language skills, cultural transmission, identity development, and spiritual inspiration, the Jewish studies teacher faces a near impossible challenge. The laundry list of competing outcomes often results in hodgepodge curricula with constant moving targets. In response, this talk offers a new focused answer to the goal of Jewish studies in Jewish day schools: inducting students into a Jewish literate practice. Ziva R. Hassenfeld, Ph.D. will offer a new vision for what Jewish studies classes could be and how they can prepare students for the reading demands of the 21st century.

Information and the link to register can be found here. 7:00 PM, Online.

The Grandparents’ Group’s final session this year will feature Jane Isay, with a program entitled “Being There, Loving Them, Listening to Them: How to Build Memories.” Jane began her career as a book editor, specializing in psychology. In 2004, she began a new career as a writer of books about family: Walking on Eggshells, Mom Still Likes You Best, and Unconditional Love. Jane attempts to understand the emotions that lie behind the ordinary tensions of family life and to help readers find strategies that may make family life a little easier. Click here to register.

Would you like to be a special sponsor? You can donate at these levels: One Scoop—$18; Two Scoops—$36; Three Scoops—$54; Four Scoops—$72; Five Scoops—$90; and Six Scoops—$108. Please send a check made out to "Adath Jeshurun" to 7763 Old York Road, Elkins Park, PA 19027. Put "Sara's Castle" in the memo line.

If you enjoyed the Dr. Bernat series, don't miss this year's Tikkun Leyl Shavuot on Saturday evening, June 4. Dr. Bernat will be with us in person with a much-anticipated interactive class: "God's Wine Cellar" will guide us in the art and science of wine appreciation and wine–food pairing. We will sample four world-class Israeli wines, with appropriate snacks, and be spiritually and gastronomically transported to the Holy Land. At the same time, our immersion into Israel’s wine culture will open a window to the history of our homeland, from ancient times to today. Be prepared for an experience that will excite your palates and enrich your souls.

Learning sessions will continue with Rabbi Leah Berkowitz of Congregation Kol Ami, Rabbi David Glanzberg-Krainin of Congregation Beth Sholom, Rabbi Robert Leib

of Old York Road Temple–Beth Am, and our own Rav Shai Cherry.

Advanced registration for attendance is required. For “God’s Wine Cellar,” the cost is $18 for members of sponsoring synagogues* and $36 for the public. All other learning sessions, beginning roughly at 9:00 PM, are free and open to the public. Please register here.

Dr. David Bernat is a consultant in Outreach and Development with JALSA, The Jewish Alliance for Law and Social Action. He has a Ph.D. in Biblical and Ancient Near Eastern Studies from Brandeis, is the author of Sign of the Covenant: Circumcision in the Priestly Tradition and co-editor of Religion and Violence: The Biblical Heritage. Dr. Bernat has held faculty positions at UMass Amherst and Wellesley College, and regularly leads adult education tours to Israel with an historical and archaeological focus.

Saturday Evening, June 4, at 7:00 PM

This year's Tikkun will be hosted by AJ and sponsored by four other Old York Road synagogues. See description above.

Sunday Morning, June 5, at 9:30 AM

Our morning service for Shavuot will be accompanied by our very talented pianist/organist, Soyeon Bin and a professional choir under the direction of Dr. Julia Zavadsky. It will begin at 9:30 AM and will be both in-person and online. The service will be followed by lunch.

Monday Morning, June 6, at 10:30 AM

Hazzan Glantz will be leading a special Healing Service on Monday morning.

Please sign up for the Sunday and Monday services here.

Do you have ru’ach (spirit?) Did you do Israeli dancing a while ago and want to do it again? Never done it? Just want to do some easy dances? Join Susan Novack each Tuesday from 1:00 to 3:00 PM for a beginner group. The basic steps and dances will be taught and reviewed. The group meets in the Orleans at AJ. Email Susan at [email protected] to sign up.

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 find details on all of the programs and the presenters for April at https://occsp.net/current-online-events/. 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.

Thursday, May 19: Gratz Class – "Creating 21st Century Readers in Jewish Education." Jewish studies is at a crossroads. Tasked with enormous and competing responsibilities including textual literacy, Jewish literacy, decoding skills, reading skills, language skills, cultural transmission, identity development, and spiritual inspiration, the Jewish studies teacher faces a near impossible challenge. The laundry list of competing outcomes often results in hodgepodge curricula with constant moving targets. In response, this talk offers a new focused answer to the goal of Jewish studies in Jewish day schools: inducting students into a Jewish literate practice. Ziva R. Hassenfeld, Ph.D. will offer a new vision for what Jewish studies classes could be and how they can prepare students for the reading demands of the 21st century. This class is made possible by an endowed lecture series established in memory of Joan Wohl and Nona Levin Abram's parents. (You can find out more about Abe Piwosky and his impact on AJ in an AJ News article here.) Information and the link to register can be found here. 7:00 PM, Online.

Sunday, June 12: Barrack Hebrew Academy Birthday Bash. Barrack Hebrew Academy is turning 75 and to celebrate they are hosting a Birthday Bash, free and open to the public. Join the community as Barrack Hebrew Academy celebrate 75 years with music, food, fun, and games, including a special live performance by the one and only Matisyahu! The Matisyahu concert is from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM and is $36 per person, with advanced registration. Space is limited. 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM. Register today

Want to improve your Hebrew before the 2022 AJ trip to Israel? Gratz is offering Hebrew Ulpan classes in the spring. Their Continuing Education department is offering a number of sessions at various levels and times. To register for any of them, click here.

If you would like to attend Friday evening and/or Saturday morning services, you must pre-register by 2:30 PM Friday afternoon.

From a post by Social Action Committee lead Michele Rifkin on the AJ Acts Facebook page:

The cousin of AJ's administrative assistant (Beryl Rosoff-Verbit) has gone to Ukraine to help. She recommends donating to the NGO that she is working for: Rapid Aid Liaison Group. She also recommends:

We’ve tried to make the trip affordable — $5,099 per person, double occupancy, land only. The detailed itinerary for the "Pioneers" is here, and the itinerary for the "Veterans" is here. Since you’re wondering — YES! It will sometimes be possible to jump tracks on occasion. We are capping each track at 24 people.

We just received pricing for the flight on El Al: Economy is priced at $1,244 each and premium at $2,304 each.

Bernie Dishler is chairing the Israel Committee. Send him an email to let him know if you’re interested, if you have questions, or if you’re ready to put down a deposit. Or you can register here.

Yale University is offering five courses in its newest specialization, Religions and Ecology: Restoring the Earth Community. They are offered through Coursera and they can be audited for free.

·     Introduction to Religions and Ecology

·     Indigenous Religions and Ecology

·     South Asian Religions and Ecology

·     East Asian Religions and Ecology

·     Western Religions and Ecology

The AJ Early Learning Center is hiring! We have immediate openings for both full-time and part-time educators for our infant room and pre-K. If you or someone you know has experience working with children and enjoys the attention, love, and responsibility the position requires, please apply today. Contact Anita Block at [email protected] or 215.635.3490.

AJELC is an equal opportunity employer in the state of Pennsylvania.

This program is for first-time overnight campers who attend a Foundation for Jewish Camp-approved camp. Campers must be attending 12+ consecutive days of camp. One Happy Camper provides grants of up to $1000 to families with children attending nonprofit Jewish overnight camps for the first time. One Happy Camper, a program of the Foundation for Jewish Camp, is funded locally by Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia. Families can learn more and apply here.

This program is for financial aid scholarships for camp. Campers can receive up to 30% of the cost of camp; determination is made based on need. The website has been updated so that the criteria are very clearly laid out, and there is another important change: awards will be made on a rolling basis. The sooner parents apply, the sooner they will know about their award. Families can learn more and apply here.

Our Montgomery County location is OPEN for one in-person exercise class 10:30-11:30 AM, Tuesday through Thursday, with some virtual classes still available, as well as other special programs. Reservations are appreciated one week in advance to partake in the in-person classes. For more information and/or to reserve your spot, please call 215.635.5244 or email [email protected]. You can download their Newsletter here. You can find their calendar of events here.

Grab & Go Meals! Kleinlife is now offering Grab & Go frozen meals once a week from AJ. You MUST RESERVE at least a week ahead of time for 5 frozen kosher meals. Thursday is the regular pick-up day, between 11:00 AM and 12:00 PM. Call 215.635.5244 for more details.

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.