Torah Study with Guest Rabbi Joel Soffin

Saturday, February 17 & February 22
9:30 AM | Breakfast
10 AM - 12 PM | Study

Format: In-Person

Do you have free will?  Did you ever really exercise it?  What helps or hinders you from doing so?  How would Martin Luther King, Jr. have answered?

Join Rabbi Soffin, familiar guest rabbi and teacher at Barnert, on Saturday, January 17 at 9:30 a.m. to study the portion Vaeira and discover the answer(s)!

Advance registration requested.

* Rabbi Soffin will also be joining us on Sunday, March 14.  Stay tuned for details and registration!

Tallit Making Workshop
with Heather Stoltz

Sunday, April 12 and 26
12:30 - 2:30 PM

Format: In-Person

Create your own custom tallit with fiber artist Heather Stoltz.  Participants are asked to bring material with them for the main section of their tallit.  You will prepare the atarah and begin sewing the atarah and corners.  During the second session, you will continue to sew and tie your components together to create your individual, custom tallit. Attendance at Session 1 is required to attend Session 2.

$18/person.  Advance registration required.

Rosh Chodesh
with Sara Losch, Educator Emerita

One Sunday a Month
January 18, February 22, March 22*, April 19, May 17, June 14
11:30 AM - 1 PM
* March date will begin at noon

Format: In-Person (off-site in Wyckoff)

Rosh Chodesh means "head of the month" and marks the beginning of the new month on the Jewish calendar.  For much of history, it has been associated with women.  Rosh Chodesh groups have emerged as powerful opportunities for women to be and learn together. 

Sara Losch, Educator Emerita, is back to lead our Rosh Chodesh group once again.  With Sara's guidance, our monthly gatherings will allow us to engage in Jewish conversations, learn together, get to know one another, and have fun while we build community with those who identify as women in the Barnert community.

* Refer to the online calendar for the most up-to-date dates and times as they are subject to change.

2025-26 JJP Parent Education Sessions
with Rabbis Rachel Steiner and Eliza Scheffler

All Sessions start at 9:30 AM
Grade 7: September 16
Grade 4: November 16
All Grades: November 23 (with Dr. Betsy Stone)
Grades 5 & 6: March 16
Grade 3: April 12

Format: In-Person

Learning isn’t just for kids. These sessions are designed for JJP Parents to explore some of the topics your children learn about, but with adult-level depth and nuance. Topics include rituals and symbols, Torah, siddur and God, mitzvot and middot, Israel, and responding to antisemitism. The topics covered are specific to each grade. If you have more than one child, you are welcome to come to multiple sessions. If you must pick, please come to the session for your older child.

LEARN TO READ HEBREW

Learn the shapes and sounds of the Hebrew alphabet with a warm and supportive educator to guide you and a group of classmates through practicing together. Recognize and understand common Hebrew words and phrases that are often heard in Reform congregations and in Jewish prayer. Perfect for Introduction to Judaism alumni and other adults, this course assumes no prior Hebrew experience.

This course has been developed specifically for online learning, and is taught by experienced educators. Live sessions meet weekly over video conferencing. Participants are given access to online course materials and a link to purchase a workbook.

Each session is 10-weeks in duration, and sessions run throughout the year.

Click image for details and to register.

READING HEBREW PRAYERS

Gain comfort and fluency reading Shabbat prayers in Hebrew in this new six-session course from the Union for Reform Judaism. Explore the meaning of the prayers, learn key Hebrew prayer vocabulary, and hear common prayer melodies.

Participants should already be familiar with the sounds and shapes of the Hebrew aleph bet and be able to slowly sound out Hebrew words. Each session focuses on a different selection of prayers from the siddur (prayer book) and includes reading practice with an experienced instructor and a classroom community. Registration includes online access to all class materials, including audio recordings of each prayer selection.

Click image for details and to register.

On Being Jewish Now
with Rabbi Steiner

Three Lunch-and-Learn Sessions
Monday, December 2, 9, 16
12 - 1 PM

Format: In-Person

On Being Jewish Now is an intimate and hopeful collection of meaningful, smart, funny, sad, emotional, and inspiring essays from today’s authors and advocates about what it means to be Jewish, how life has changed since the attacks on October 7, 2023, and the unique culture that brings this group together.

Purchase your copy of the book On Being Jewish Now, and join Rabbi Steiner for a deep dive into this very personal and timely topic.  This collection of essays by 75 Jewish authors reflects their stories of love, family, joy, fear, and pain.  Writers include descendants of Holocaust survivors, several Israelis, and one author who lost a cousin in the war in Israel.  The essays are short and accessible, and the reflections are poignant, nostalgic, honest, humorous, and direct. 

Each week we will read a few of the essays in this book and dig into what we learn and feel.  (The first reading assignment will be sent out to registrants approximately one week before the first class.)

Profits from book sales will be donated to Artists Against Antisemitism, a 501(c)(3) founded by Alison Hammer, that Zibby Owens joined as a founding member after the attacks on October 7, 2023.

Stories of Offense and Forgiveness
with Rabbi Scheffler

Sunday, September 15, 22, 29
10:45 AM - Noon

Format: In-Person and Zoom (in-person participation is encouraged)

A friendship-ending argument. A predeliction for prostitutes. And... Jesus? The Talmud has it all!  Come encounter dramatic Talmudic tales about repentance, forgiveness, and when pride gets in the way. Through close reading and reflection, we will elicit lessons that apply to all of us as we approach the High Holidays.