Upcoming Events › Program

One of the greatest of all Kabbalists, R. Moshe Cordovero (or "Ramak," 1520-1570, Safed, Land of Israel), wrote a primer on Jewish mystical doctrines to encourage all Jews to explore this secret realm. This relatively short work is available on Sefaria. To mark Ramak's 500th birthday, please join Rabbi Kalmanofsky for a weekly spiritual and intellectual adventure into the teachings and techniques that make Kabbalah one of the world's great mystical traditions. (I promise: no red strings, no holy water.…

Most of the Bible reads as God's communication to humanity, in messages delivered through prophets like the unique Moses and his successors, Isaiah, Jeremiah and the rest. But in the Book of Psalms, Israel turns toward heaven and pours out its praises, hopes, fears and laments. Please join Rabbi Kalmanofsky for a 30-minute Zoom study of one Psalm each Tuesday morning. 8:30am, to explore the human poetry that reveals our ancestors' spiritual life. (You don't have to join the 7:30 am…

Martin Luther King's advocacy of non-violent protest was deeply rooted in a Christian love ethic that demands love of the enemy. Join Rabbi Bill Plevan to look at some of the most daring of King's interpretations of this love ethic and consider how Jews might view the relationship between love and non-violent social protest. In particular we will look at the relationship between love and rebuke in Leviticus 19:17-18 and its meaning for the challenges of our times. Rabbi Bill…

Hazzan Natasha J. Hirschhorn, Artistic Director “If a choir is only about singing and performing - there will be no choir for a while. If choir is about teaching and learning, growing, connecting, community, cultural exploration and transmission, and innovating - we will find a way to have choir”. --Kellie Walsh - President of Choral Canada Even in the Covid era, our Shirei Chesed Community Chorus will continue to build community through learning a rich and diverse repertoire of Jewish…

This year, the Wednesday night Talmud class will focus on Bava Kamma chapter 9. Jewish ethics require us to be responsible people -- that we fix what we break, and pay for our crimes. This year we will study some of the Talmud's lengthy examination of torts, the complicated economic damages people can cause. Bava Kamma chapter 9 examines the laws of robbery, fraud and the restitution those criminals must make. The chapters we will be focusing on can be found…

We'd like to announce the rebranding and re-imagining of the Thursday afternoon Kiddush cocktail hour, which has been a lovely way for people to connect during this crazy time. But we thought it needed a transformation into something a bit more specific. Before the pandemic, Kiddush has traditionally been a way for people at Ansche Chesed to connect with one another, to share milestones, to kvetch and moan a bit, to express support to friends who are going through one…

Join us as we welcome author and journalist Gershom Gorenberg live from Israel as he discusses his newest book War of Shadows:Codebreakers, Spies, and the Secret Struggle to Drive the Nazis from the Middle East. War of Shadows is a a true-life spy thriller: the story of the World War II espionage affair that brought Germany's Erwin Rommel to the very brink of conquering the Middle East - bringing with him the S.S. officer already responsible for the murder of…