Wednesday, December 20, 3:30 pm EST
(online in partnership with the Orange County Jewish Community Scholar Program)

Tuesday, December 19, 1:00 pm EST
(online in partnership with the Orange County Jewish Community Scholar Program)

Berlin’s Hanukkah Glow: From Darkness to Light – A Virtual Exploration

From the grandeur of the Hanukkah Menorah near the Brandenburg Gate to intimate local celebrations, you’ll witness how Berlin honors the “Festival of Lights”, symbolizing the resilience and hope of a city that has emerged from a dark past. As we explore the festive sights, our guide will contrast Berlin under Nazi rule to Berlin today – a vibrant, diverse city focused on remembrance, cultural diversity, and building bridges of understanding. We will witness the strong bonds of friendship Berlin has built with the global Jewish community and Israel, encapsulated by Germany’s Interior Minister recently articulating that “support for Israel is an essential element of current German policy.” The tour ultimately offers insights into how Berlin commemorates Hanukkah as a commitment to learning from its complex history while moving positively towards a future defined by solidarity.
About our guide: Olga’s journey started in 1998 when she left her home country and went to California to attend a business school. After obtaining an MBA degree, she worked in California, London, and Moscow. Recently, Olga had to leave her life in Odessa and is currently living between Berlin and Krakow. Join us as we learn about Krakow and hear Olga’s story.
 

Between History and Memory – Understanding Jewish Life in Medieval Spain

The Jews of medieval Spain represent one of the most fabled societies in all of Jewish history. Already in the Middle Ages, Jewish writers had begun to extol the virtues of Jewish Spain, or “Sepharad,” presenting it as a land of poets and philosophers, wealthy merchants and pious rabbis. Its reputation was such that, even after the summary expulsion of Spanish Jews in 1492, the legend of a Golden Age of Jewish culture continued to grow. Centuries of nostalgia, pride, hope, and guilt have sustained, and embellished, the memory of medieval Sepharad among Jews and non-Jews alike. But the reality of daily life for medieval Jews was often far different, and perhaps far more familiar, than these legends would have us believe. This talk will highlight some of the key aspects of the Jewish experience in medieval Spain, and consider the reasons for some of the more idealized images of their society, past and present.
Jonathan Ray is the Samuel Eig Professor of Jewish Studies in the Department of Theology and Religious Studies at Georgetown University. He holds a B.A. from Tufts University in History and Religion, and a Ph.D. in Jewish History from the Jewish Theological Seminary. Professor Ray specializes in medieval and early modern Jewish history, focusing on Sephardic Jews. He is the author of several books and articles on Jewish history and culture. His latest book, Jewish Life in Medieval Spain: A New History (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2023), illuminates interfaith relations in Spain from the Jewish perspective.

 Hiddur Mitzvah – A Journey Through Jewish Ritual Art

Join us for a virtual tour of the Seidler-Feller collection of objects of Jewish material culture from Alsace and Iran, from India and Italy and from the US and Israel. Items include an 18th Century embroidered Italian tallit, a Yemenite wedding headdress, ketubot from across the globe and contemporary Israeli silver. The tour will include a reflection on how the Seidler-Feller’s came to collect Judaica and the stories that background their acquisitions.
Rabbi Chaim Seidler-Feller recently celebrated his 40th year of working with students and faculty as the Executive Director of the Yitzhak Rabin Hillel Center for Jewish Life at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). He is currently Director Emeritus. He was ordained in 1971 at Yeshiva University where he completed a Masters in Rabbinic Literature. Chaim has been a lecturer in the Departments of Sociology and Near Eastern Languages and Cultures at UCLA and in the Department of Theological Studies at Loyola Marymount University. He is currently a faculty member of the Shalom Hartman Institute, North America and of the Wexner Heritage Foundation. He was the founding director of the Hartman Fellowship for Campus Professionals and a founding member of Americans for Peace Now. In 2014 he initiated a fact finding mission for non-Jewish student leaders to Israel and the Palestine Authority which is now offered on ninety campuses. In 2020 a Festschrift entitled Swimming Against the Current: Reimagining Jewish Tradition in the 21st Century was published in Chaim’s honor. He is married to Dr. Doreen Seidler-Feller, a clinical psychologist, and is the father of Shulie, a photojournalist and Shaul, an ordained rabbi who is currently serving as a Judaica consultant at Sotheby’s while pursuing a doctorate in Jewish History at the Hebrew University.

The Dark and the Surreal World of Etgar Keret

Etgar Keret is an internationally acclaimed Israeli writer and filmmaker. Known for his short stories, rarely extending beyond three or four pages, Keret fuses the bizarre with the banal, and offers a window on a surreal world that is both dark and comic. Keret’s books have been published in over 45 languages and are bestsellers in Israel. His books include The Bus Driver Who Wanted to Be God, Missing Kissinger, The Nimrod flipout, The Girl on the Fridge,  Suddenly a Knock on the Door and Fly Already, which won the prestigious Sapir Prize. Keret is also the author of a memoir, The Seven Good Years, in which he contemplates moments of his life against a backdrop of constant conflict, casting an absurd light on both the monumental and mundane. More than 60 short movies have been based on his stories.  Keret’s work has appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Guardian, and the Paris Review, among many other publications. He is a regular contributor to This American Life. In 2016 Keret was awarded The Charles Bronfman Prize, recognizing his work as inspiring Jewish Values and having global impact. Keret has also received the Book Publishers Association`s Platinum Prize several times, the Chevalier medallion of France’s Order of Arts and Letters, and has been awarded the Prime Minister`s Prize and the Ministry of Culture`s Cinema Prize. Keret’s stories have inspired Polish architect Jakub Szczesny to build the narrowest house in the world (38 inches wide) in Warsaw.
Program video

COMMUNITY PROGRAMS

Israel Civil Society During War

Part 2 – Thursday, December 7, 12:00 pm EST
Part 3 – Thursday, December 14, 12:00 pm EST
(online program presented by the Schusterman Center for Israel Studies at Brandeis University)

All are welcome to Join Professor Yehudah Mirsky for a series of conversations with three leading figures from Israeli civil society to hear about how diverse groups of Israelis are responding to the aftermath of October 7th, and what it can teach us about Israeli society as a whole.
Part 2 – Rabbah Yael Vurgan, Rabbi of the Gaza Border Communities
Part 3 – Mr. Mohammad Darawshe, Givat Haviva Center for Shared Society

Chelsea Public Menorah Lighting

Monday, December 11, 6:00 pm EST
(in person at Chelsea Square, hosted by Tobin Bridge Chabad and the City of Chelsea in partnership with the Walnut Street Synagogue and Temple Emmanuel)

Join us for the seventh annual Chelsea Chanukah celebration in Chelsea Square (Winnisimmet Park on Broadway between Second and Williams Streets in front of the Chelsea Police Station) as we light the giant menorah and celebrate Chanukah as a community with latkes, jelly doughnuts and dreidels.

The Chelsea Carol Incident of 1949

Monday, December 11, 4:00 pm EST
(online program presented by the Wyner Family Jewish Heritage Center)

Nondenominational season’s greetings and celebrations have prompted numerous cultural conversations about “the war on Christmas” in recent years. But such controversies are not new. In this webinar, Dr. Miriam Mora discusses a story she uncovered in her research in the archives of the Wyner Family Jewish Heritage Center: How a Jewish family’s 1949 request for inclusivity around Christmas carols and pageants in their public school led to a widespread misunderstanding, and eventually caused panic and uproar within the Jewish community of Chelsea.

SUPPORT ISRAEL IN BOSTON

Israel Emergency Fund

Combined Jewish Philanthropies (CJP) has launched the Israel Emergency Fund in response to the unprecedented and horrifying attack against Israel was launched over Shabbat and Shemini Atzeret. 100% of donations received will help support victims of terror and address the unprecedented levels of trauma caused by these horrific attacks.
Donate here

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YAD CHESSED

Yad Chessed helps Jewish individuals and families who struggle with financial hardship pay their bills and buy food. As a social services agency rooted in the Jewish values of kindness (chessed) and charity (tzedakah), they are committed to helping those in need navigate a path toward financial stability while preserving their privacy and dignity.  They provide emergency financial assistance, grocery gift cards and compassionate advice for those trying to make ends meet. Hundreds of families and individuals throughout the state rely on Yad Chessed to provide for their essentials, and even at times, a Jewish burial for a loved one.  Members of our community, as well as others in the Jewish community, who need assistance may contact Yad Chessed by phone at 781-487-2693 or by Email at intake@yadchessed.org for a confidential conversation.    Questions can be directed to info@yadchessed.org.
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