Jewish Federation of Greater Ann Arbor

BIC: Anthony Russell joins BIC as Musician-in-Residence
2023-10-13 - 2023-10-14 | Beth Israel Congregation, 2000 Washtenaw Avenue, Ann Arbor, MI, USA, Ann Arbor, MI, 48108, United States
Anthony Russell joins Beth Israel as Musician-in-Residence on October 13 and 14th.
Anthony Russell will join Beth Israel as our fall Musician-in-Residence on October 13th and 14th. He will co-lead Friday services, and give d’var on Saturday, as well as an adult education class on Saturday afternoon. Mr. Russell joins us in partnership with the Frankel Center, where he will be participating in the Frankel Center’s conference on Jewish Education on October 15th.
Anthony Russell is a performer, composer and arranger specializing in music in the Yiddish language. His work in traditional Ashkenazi Jewish musical forms led to a musical exploration of his own ethnic roots through the research, arrangement and performance of African American folk music, resulting in the EP Convergence (2018), a collaboration with klezmer consort Veretski Pass exploring the sounds and themes of one hundred years of African American and Ashkenazi Jewish music.
Inspired by an ethnographic trip to Belarus and Poland as a Wallis Annenberg Helix Fellow, Anthony formed a duo, Tsvey Brider (“Two Brothers”), with accordionist and pianist Dmitri Gaskin for the creation of new music set to modernist Yiddish poetry of the 20th century. Their new album, Kosmopolitn, is set for release this August on the Borscht Beat label.
A Hadar Rising Song Fellow (2021-22), Anthony is also an essayist on music and culture in a number of publications including Jewish Currents and Moment Magazine. Anthony lives in Atlanta, GA with his husband of six years, Rabbi Michael Rothbaum. https://www.anthonyrussellbass.com/

BIC: Musician-in-Residence Talk- "Written in Breath" with Anthony Russell
2023-10-14 13:00 - 14:30 (America/Detroit) | Beth Israel Congregation, 2000 Washtenaw Avenue, Ann Arbor, MI, USA, Ann Arbor, MI, 48108, United States
Anthony Russell will teach “Written in Breath”, a class on Yiddish language and t’fillah.

Rosh Chodesh Cheshvan
2023-10-15, 2023-10-16 | MI
Beginning of new Hebrew month of Cheshvan

ORT Fall Opening Event
2023-10-15 10:30 - 12:30 | MI
Plans are being developed for an exciting start to the 2023-24 year. A brunch will be held at a local home and an outside speaker will bring first-hand news of the ORT schools in Israel. See the website, ortannarbor.org, for more information. This event is open to current members and potential new members, who want more information about the ORT programs, upon reservation and space availability.

Unexpected Gifts: A Convening on Jewish Education to Honor the Memory of Harlene Appelman z"l
2023-10-15 13:00 - 21:00 | University of Michigan School of Social Work, 1080 South University Ave, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, United States
Unexpected Gifts: A Convening on Jewish Education to Honor the Memory of Harlene Appelman z”l
Presented by the Jewish Communal Leadership Program and the Covenant Foundation
U-Michigan School of Social Work
1080 S. University Ave., Room 4704
Ann Arbor, MI 48109

FED: Board Meeting
2023-10-16 19:00 - 21:00 | Jewish Community Center of Ann Arbor, 2935 Birch Hollow Drive, Ann Arbor, MI, 48108, United States

FED: Lions & Poms: Embracing our Differences with Tea & Treats
2023-10-17 14:00 - 17:00 | MI
A gathering of the Lions & Poms….first, we will participate in a docent-led tour of the Embracing our Differences exhibit at Gallup Park (3323 Geddes Rd), followed by a tea in the Gallup Park Meeting Room (3000 Fuller Rd).
Tour begins at 2 pm; tea begins at approximately 3:30 pm.
Should the weather not cooperate, we will meet directly at the Gallup Park Meeting room at 3:30 pm. Please be on the lookout for correspondence that day!
REGISTER HERE
Looking forward to celebrating the awesome dedication and tremendous impact of our members of the Lions & Pomegranate Societies. Please link to our website if you are interested in learning more about opportunities in Women’s Philanthropy.

BBYO Michigan Region Parent Info Night
2023-10-17 18:30 - 20:00 | Adat Shalom Synagogue, 29901 Middlebelt Road, Farmington Hills, MI, United States
Parents are invited to join BBYO Michigan Region staff and teen leaders to learn all about the BBYO experience and what what you can expect this year! You’ll gain an understanding of our chapters, conventions, structure, and more. And, in our Centennial year, we have even more surprises ahead!

ORT Book Group
2023-10-18 19:30 - 21:00 | Jewish Community Center of Ann Arbor, 2935 Birch Hollow Drive, Ann Arbor, MI, 48108, United States
The ORT Book Group meets monthly on the third Wednesday of the month. During the Spring and Fall, the meetings will be in person at the Jewish Community Center. During the bad weather months, they will meet on zoom.
Schedule information, the books being discussed, and the requirements for membership can be find on our website: ORTannarbor.org.

TBE: Songs for Solace, Healing, and Hope
2023-10-19 19:30 - 21:00 | Temple Beth Emeth, 2309 Packard St, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
Please register HERE.
Music is the universal language that most deeply expresses our emotions. Join with us to sing songs of healing and hope as we pray for peace and safety for all! Hand percussion instruments like egg shakers, etc. are welcome.

TBE: LGBTQ Shabbat Potluck
2023-10-20 18:00 - 19:00 | Temple Beth Emeth, 2309 Packard St, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
Please register with the dish you’re bringing: https://bit.ly/tbelgbtq
Join us for a Shabbat dinner and candle lighting with members of the local queer community! Bring a dish to share with others, make new friends and let us know what you’d like to see in future queer programming!
Temple Beth Emeth is launching a new queer affinity group, and we’d like to invite others to join! We’re starting things off with our first LGBTQ Shabbat Potluck, an opportunity to expand our community and to share what you’d like to experience moving forward. Join us for a candle lighting and meal with the local community in our Adult Lounge and help us craft a group that meets all our needs. In order to make sure we can feed everyone, please respond to this survey (https://bit.ly/tbelgbtq) or email Ariane Smith at brariane@umich.edu with the dish you’re planning to bring.
The LGBTQ Shabbat Potluck will generally occur every 3rd Friday of the month. Please check the calendar for any changes.

Hatmadah BBYO's Downtown Scavenger Hunt
2023-10-21 15:30 - 17:30 | MI
Join us for a team scavenger hunt in downtown Ann Arbor! Pre-registration is required. Meeting location will be provided prior to the event.

Yom HaAliyah
2023-10-22 | MI
Recognizes Aliyah; immigration to the Jewish State of Israel

HDS Taste of Gan
2023-10-22 10:00 - 11:00 | Hebrew Day School of AA, 2937 Birch Hollow Drive, Ann Arbor, MI, 48108, United States
All prospective families with children ages 3-5 are welcome to join a Taste of Gan at HDS! Please RSVP to astern@hdsaa.org

Race Into BBYO
2023-10-22 14:00 - 16:00 | Full Throttle Adrenaline Park, 44225 W. 12 Mile Road, Novi, MI, 48377
Calling all 9th & 10th graders! We want you to experience the thrill of a BBYO event! Join us for an afternoon of gokarts, VR games and more!
This event is for non-members only!

JCOR: Traditional Folk and Klezmer
2023-10-22 15:00 - 17:00 | Jewish Community Center of Ann Arbor, 2935 Birch Hollow Drive, Ann Arbor, MI, 48108, United States

FED: Ladies' Night Out
2023-10-25 19:00 - 21:00 | The Session Room
Join us for a night of community building, connecting, networking and fun! This is a great event to meet new people and connect with old friends. Please spread the word and bring anyone along!
This event is free of charge. Feel free to order food or drinks on your own.
REGISTER HERE

TBE: Getting Good at Getting Older
2023-10-26 12:00 - 13:00 | Temple Beth Emeth, 2309 Packard St, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, United States
As part of a new initiative at Temple Beth Emeth we are offering programming and study sessions centered around the art of aging through a Jewish lens. More information about future programming will be coming soon. Until then, please join us for our 6 part book discussion using the text Getting Good at Getting Older by Richard Siegel and Laura Geller. The book can be purchased from most major book retailers. This is open to adults of all ages who are open to learning about aging.
One time registration required for in-person meeting. REGISTER HERE.
On zoom here.

FED NEXTGen A2 Havdallahween
2023-10-28 19:30 - 22:00 | MI
Making Halloween Jewish!
Time and Destination: Register for location
Registration link here

Limmud Michigan
2023-10-29 | MI

Hatmadah @ Wiard's Haunted House
2023-10-29 19:00 - 21:00 | Wiard’s Orchard, 5565 Merritt Rd, Ypsilanti Charter Twp, MI, 48197, United States
Join Hatmadah BBYO for this annual tradition! Experience Wiard Orchard’s Haunted House, cider and donuts and more!
Please pre-register with the link!

Ukraine, Russia, and the Art of Felix Lembersky
2023-10-30 14:30 - 16:30 | MI
“. . . Art Comes Before Anything Else. . .”
Ukraine, Russia, and the Art of Felix Lembersky

October 30, 2023 at 2:30-4:30 PM
Space 2435, North Quad, University of Michigan
105 South State Street, Ann Arbor, MI

THE UNIVERSITY AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS are invited to a lecture and opening of an interactive virtual exhibit on the art of Felix Lembersky. With images of her grandfather’s work, UM alum Yelena Lembersky expands on her award-winning memoir, Like a Drop of Ink in a Downpour: Memories of Soviet Russia (2022), co-authored with her mother Galina Lembersky. The family tenet, “Art comes before anything else,” is actualized in the courageous struggle to preserve a father and grandfather’s paintings in the face of Soviet oppression.
Virtual exhibition and the event are sponsored by the University of Michigan, LSA /College of Literature, Science, and Arts; Arts Initiative; Arts and Resistance LSA Theme Semester; Residential College; Weiser Center for Europe and Eurasia, and the Uniterra Foundation.
Refreshments and book signing to follow.

https://lembersky.org/
https://yelena-lembersky.org/
UMMA University of Michigan Museum of Art Events

EMU Center for Jewish Studies Presents Professor Maya Barzilai
2023-10-30 19:00 - 21:00 | Eastern Michigan University Student Center 300, 900 Oakwood St, Ypsilanti, MI, 48197, United States
Professor Barzilai will talk about Jewish folklore around the Golem.

JFS Board of Directors Meeting
2023-11-01 17:00 - 19:00 | MI

Amster Gallery Exhibition with Sheldon Markel and Paulo Neuhaus
2023-11-02 18:00 - 20:00 | Jewish Community Center of Ann Arbor, 2935 Birch Hollow Drive, Ann Arbor, MI, 48108, United States

Trio Cantilena Concert
2023-11-04 19:30 - 22:00 | Beth Israel Congregation, 2000 Washtenaw Avenue, Ann Arbor, MI, USA, Ann Arbor, MI, 48108, United States
The Jewish Community Center, in partnership with Michigan State University College of Music, proudly presents Trio Cantilena! Join us for a night of beautiful Sephardic Jewish music on Saturday, November 4 at 7:30 PM at Beth Israel Congregation in Ann Arbor.
Tickets are $18 for JCC Members and $25 for Community Members, and can be purchased here: https://operations.daxko.com/Online/4088/ProgramsV2/OfferingDetails.mvc?program_id=TMP35624&offering_id=SES923279&location_id=B368
Tickets are FREE for sponsors of the Ann Arbor Jewish Book Festival. Sponsors must call (734) 971-0990 to receive their tickets.
Trio Cantilena, Jerusalém de España–Cantilena is an internationally renowned trio that brings Sephardic Jewish classical music to concert halls worldwide. The trio delivers an impassioned performance of a stirring mixture of works rooted in an ancient Judeo Español culture as depicted through Romansas, Cantigas and Piutim that go as far back as 2000 years ago. Stories of Love, loss and longing take center stage in classical concert form including both traditional and original contemporary works, one of which is a monument in the memory of the Jewish community of Salonika who perished in the Holocaust.

2023 Ann Arbor Jewish Book Festival
2023-11-05 - 2023-11-19 | Jewish Community Center of Ann Arbor, 2935 Birch Hollow Drive, Ann Arbor, MI, 48108, United States
The 36th Annual Ann Arbor Jewish Book Festival is fast approaching! Mark your calendars for November 5-19, 2023 for two weeks of in-person, virtual, and hybrid events featuring a diverse array of authors bringing new fiction, nonfiction, and children’s literature to the greater Ann Arbor community.
Most events are free and open to the public; paid admission is required for Lunch & Learn sessions and the annual Sponsors’ Dinner.
To see our author lineup, learn more about sponsorship, or visit the JCC’s virtual bookstore, please visit https://jccannarbor.org/book-festival/ to learn more!
Organizational Sponsors as of October 2023

Ann Arbor Jewish Book Festival Sponsor Night
2023-11-05 17:30 - 21:00 | Jewish Community Center of Ann Arbor, 2935 Birch Hollow Drive, Ann Arbor, MI, 48108, United States
SPONSOR NIGHT @ THE JCC
With Author Benyamin Cohen, The Einstein Effect: How the World’s Favorite Genius Got into Our Cars, Our Bathrooms, and Our Minds
Moderated by Timothy Chupp, Professor of Physics and Biomedical Engineering, University of Michigan
DINNER @ 5:30 PM
PROGRAM WITH AUTHOR @ 7:00 PM
Register HERE to attend the FREE public program!
Almost 70 years after his death, Albert Einstein’s genius continues to define our everyday lives and his enduring legacy has shaped him into a modern-day pop culture icon. Albert Einstein’s face is still one of the most recognizable in the world and he’s widely considered to be the first modern-day celebrity. While many of his discoveries continue to define our daily lives, it’s not just his genius that continues to shape our world. Today, more people know Einstein as an icon rather than a theorist — decades after his death, he’s a celebrity with a massive online following.
The Einstein Effect shows all the ways his influence is still with us today — in our systems and our culture. Interspersed between chapters on his long-lasting scientific legacy, author Benyamin Cohen (the mind behind Einstein’s Twitter account!) also tells the story of how Einstein became an unlikely social media figure and pop culture icon in the modern age.
Benyamin Cohen manages the official social media accounts of Albert Einstein. He is the News Director of the Forward. Cohen is also the author of My Jesus Year: A Rabbi’s Son Wanders the Bible Belt in Search of His Own Faith, named one of the best books of the year by Publishers Weekly and for which he received the Georgia Author of the Year award. He is based in Morgantown, West Virginia.

Ann Arbor Jewish Book Festival Program
2023-11-06 19:00 - 20:30 | Zoom
VIRTUAL PROGRAM
With Author Diana Fersko, We Need to Talk About Antisemitism
Moderated by Dr. Jonathan Trobe, Ophthalmology, Michigan Medicine
7:00 PM over Zoom

A millennial rabbi explores why we’re reluctant to discuss antisemitism — and empowers us to fight against it.
Antisemitism is on the rise in America, in cities and rural areas, in red states and blue states, and in guises both subtle and terrifyingly overt. Rabbi Diana Fersko is used to having difficult conversations with members of her congregation about the issues they face — from the threat of violence to microaggressions and identity denial. In We Need to Talk About Antisemitism, she gives all of us the ultimate guide to modern antisemitism in its many forms.

Exploring topics like vile myths about Jewish people and the intersection of antisemitism with other forms of discrimination, We Need to Talk About Antisemitism gives readers the tools they need to understand the state of antisemitism today. Fersko shows Jews and non-Jews alike how to speak up and come together, spreading a message of solidarity and hope. This is a timely read for anyone passionate about fighting for social justice.
Rabbi Diana Fersko is the Senior Rabbi at the Village Temple in Manhattan. She is the national vice president of the Women’s Rabbinic Network and a member of the New York Board of Rabbis. Fersko has been profiled in The New Yorker and has been published in HuffPost. She lives in New York City.
