In response to requests for us to have opportunities to get together and talk about questions that matter, Havurah is happy to introduce Havurah House Hangouts. During the coming year there will be a number of programs that will draw from both the “town and gown” sectors of our community.

Each program will have a facilitator speak briefly about the topic of the day, related to his or her professional/personal interest, and then open a conversation where we can get to better know and learn from each other.

Sunday, October 19 at 5:00 PM
Honoring the 50th anniversaries of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Selma to Montgomery Civil Rights March of 1965, Emily Joselson will engage us in a conversation on the role of law and activism in the pursuit of civil rights, both past and present. While the country still reels from the recent death of Michael Brown, in Ferguson, MO, we can fairly ask ourselves how much has really changed. But we can also celebrate such positive legacies of the civil rights movement in the gains made in such areas as gender pay equity and gay rights. Emily’s law practice spans cases involving employment discrimination, environmental harms, and personal injury/wrongful death, among others.

Sunday, November 16 at 5:00 PM
Join us in a safe space to talk about Zionism, Israel, and the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. This is an opportunity for members of Havurah to share reflections and questions about Israel’s history, its present situation and its future. Robert Schine will introduce some of the complexities involved in any discussion of Israel and Zionism, and will moderate the discussion. Robert, who, as many members of Havurah know, is Professor of Jewish Studies at Middlebury College, frequently teaches a course on the history of Zionism.

Wednesday, December 17 at 7:00 PM
In addition to getting together to light our hanukiot and sharing latkes and sufganiot (jelly donuts!), Mitch Pearl will lead a discussion on adult spiritual journeys. Mitch, Havurah’s Ritual Chair, has been an adult Jewish learner for many years and a participant in Jewish spiritual retreats at Elat Chayyim, the Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center in Falls Village.