jewish life Classes and Workshops
Jewish learning comes in so many forms for all ages. Regular classes offered include several levels of Hebrew; Introduction to Judaism; Love & Religion, our interfaith couples workshop; and more.
Click here to meet our Jewish Life instructors and please make sure to read our registration policies before registering for a class.
Upcoming Events
Dates: 10 weeks, Thursdays 12:15 – 1:15 PM February 9th – April 27th (no class April 6th and April 13 for Passover)
Class is currently meeting virtually, and will discuss the possibility of returning to in-person sessions this Spring as a group.
Join our long-standing cohort of Torah learners to discuss Torah each week.
The class is currently studying Genesis at a leisurely pace. We discuss up to a chapter of text each week and will be focusing on the life of Jacob, Rachel, Leah and their family. This small group of learners has been meeting together for many years and is excited to welcome some new faces into their close-knit community. Resources include traditional rabbinic literature, art, modern scholarship and translations, etc.
Community educator Norman Shore is a graduate of Hebrew College in Newton, Massachusetts, and has studied at the Hayim Greenberg Institute and Hebrew University in Jerusalem. A founder of the Jewish Study Center in Washington, DC, since 1978 he has taught in many adult education programs throughout the Washington Jewish community. He has been teaching at the DCJCC for over thirty years.
Our Jewish community is diverse in many ways – including in cultural and ethnic background. This workshop helps couples from different cultural and/or ethnic backgrounds explore how they can blend their heritages together to create Jewish traditions that are meaningful to both of them. Like an ube hamantaschen, this process is unique to each couple and their journey. Join us for three facilitated sessions to explore the different strands of your identity and to create new aspects of Jewish practice that reflect your family’s story.
Week 1: February 22, 2023, 7:00-8:30 PM
Facilitator: Dee Sanae
Activist, community builder, and founder of Mosaic Visions Dee Sanae, a Black Japanese Jew, will lead a discussion about multifaceted identity and will help you create narratives of meaning around your own cultural and/or ethnic heritage(s).
Week 2: March 1, 2023 7:00-8:30 PM
Facilitator: Primrose Madayag Knazan
Food is an important component of cultural and ethnic identity. Hear from author, playwright, and foodie Primrose Madayag Knazan, a Filipinx-Canadian Jew, and create a unique family recipe that blends aspects of your cultures. This session will also include a cooking demo!
Although it isn’t required for the workshop we strongly recommend Ms. Knazan’s new book, Lessons in Fusion.
Week 3: March 15, 2023 7:00-8:30 PM
Facilitator: Dee Sanae
Ritual is deeply imbedded in all aspects of Jewish identity and many Jews perform Jewish rituals without necessarily attaching them to a belief in God. In this workshop, you will draw on the narratives that you created in the first week to design a ritual or a ritual object that brings together elements of your heritages.
While we understand that conflicts can come up we encourage every participating couple to do their best to attend all three workshops in this series.
Registration:
Cost: $56 per couple
Please email Sonya at sweisburd@edcjcc.org if cost is a barrier – we want everyone to be able to attend.
In partnership with the Bender JCC
Come join us for an exciting morning of mezuzah decorating and learning, all while enjoying a delicious bagel brunch! MyZuzah will explain in a super kid-friendly way what a mezuzah is and what it is used for, and will provide the mezuzah cases that kids decorate, and a kosher scroll for the first mezuzah case per family (valued at $90). Kids will even get to practice parts of writing their own scroll! We will also read books about the meaning of the mezuzah and its place in Jewish tradition.
Cost:
Child 1: $25 (includes kosher scroll & mezuzah)
Child 2: $10 (no kosher scroll, includes mezuzah)
Child 3: $10 (no kosher scroll, includes mezuzah)
Add on kosher scroll for $45
This event is co-sponsored by MyZuzah, EDCJCC Jewish Life & Learning, JFamily, Honeymoon Israel, and PJ Library.
Join us for our wonderful Second Night Seder – the open, welcoming, pluralistic celebration of freedom you’ve come to expect from the EDCJCC.
Registration deadline, March 30th 8:00 AM
At the Seder, we find joy in intergenerational community, storytelling, and song. Join us to meet new friends, partake in joyous singing accompanied by a guitar, and have meaningful discussions with your friends, family, and neighbors.
Our Seder will feature a delicious kosher-for-Passover vegetarian meal. We’re serving DC rooftop-grown parsley, and 100% compostable plate ware with composting services generously provided by our sponsor CompostCab. Amanda Herring, Director of Jewish Life and Living, will guide you through the Seder accompanied by Ari Jacobson’s beautiful singing and guitar.
Whether this is your first Seder or your 100th, there’s a place at our Passover table for you!
Seder Menu for 2023 (subject to change)
- Gefilte Fish
- Butternut Squash soup
- Potato Kugel
- Stuffed Peppers
- Veggie Cutlets
- Spring Salad
- Seder Plate classics
- Desert assortment
Ticket Prices:
Adult Ticket: $72.00
EntryPointDC/Young Adult: $54.00
Child (under 12): $36.00
Need assistance? We’re looking for volunteers to help set up and check folks in. We have limited volunteer pricing available. Please reach out to aherring@edcjcc.org.
Seder Leaders:
Amanda Herring is the Director of Jewish Life and Learning at the Edlavitch DCJCC. In 2018, Amanda received her Master’s in Experiential Education and Jewish Cultural Arts at GW, and completed the JOFEE Fellowship in Jewish, Outdoor, Food, Farming and Environmental Education. It was there that she combined her passions for Shabbat and sustainable food which together can nourish and heal communities and ecosystems. Amanda is also the CEO of Gold Herring, co-creater of the Jewish Planner and the Omer Self-Care Workbook, a dance instructor and pickler. Amanda lives in Northeast DC with her partner, Greg and their kids: Abraham, Simkha, and Mensch (the dog).
Song leader Ari Jacobson has been involved in music, Judaism, education, and various overlaps of the three for as long as he can remember. While studying music and theatre at UMass Amherst, he honed his song leading skills at URJ’s Eisner Camp in Great Barrington, MA. Since moving to the DMV two years ago, Ari has been happily providing music for the EDCJCC’s programs for all ages, from baby classes with the parenting center to pre-school music to various community events like this one. Also an actor and a singer/songwriter, Ari can be seen as Mikey Thomas in The Kennedy Center’s Shear Madness, and his original music can be found on his website www.arijacobson.com.
Seder FAQ:
Do I have to be Jewish to attend? (Observant? Old? Young? Ashkenazi? Sephardic? etc.)
Nope. We welcome everyone who would like to join our community-wide seder and celebrate Passover’s lessons of freedom! In fact, every year, we have a beautiful mix of people. Some are Jewish, and some are not. All are welcome, and (if they choose) can easily participate in a variety of ways – singing, reading, discussing ideas, or just generally being among the community.
What if I don’t read Hebrew?
Not a problem. Most of the seder is in English, and most readings in Hebrew also appear with English transliteration.
What about dinner? Is it kosher?
There is a delicious catered Kosher-for-Passover dinner at the community-wide seder. This is a vegetarian meal – and of course we’ll have dessert! Please let us know about any allergies in your registration.
Accessibility?
We’re happy to provide ASL or other interpretation upon advance notice. The Edlavitch DCJCC building is wheelchair/mobility device accessible. If you need other accommodations to allow you to fully participate in the Seder (or simply have questions), please let us know in advance and we’ll be happy to help.
Is there a dress code? What should I wear?
There is no official dress code. Most people dress as they would for a family Seder or holiday – dressed nicely, a little dressed up, but not overly formally. (For many people that could mean a button-down or sweater, a skirt/dress, a jacket, slacks, etc. Most people do not wear jeans.) Please wear what feels appropriate to you to celebrate the holiday.
Is it appropriate to bring kids?
Yes! This is not specifically a “kids” Seder, but our atmosphere is fun and festive! We welcome all who would like to participate.
Was your question not answered? Email Amanda so we can help!
About our sponsor:
Compost Cab is providing their composting services for this event along with discounts for new home composting customers who attend!
The Second Generation (2G) has been handed a torch, passed on by an ever dwindling number of Shoah survivors. Gina’s novel, Don’t Ask, her short stories, biography and documentary all focus on this responsibility. Since 2017, she has been coaching 14 daughters of Holocaust survivors in memoir-writing, almost all from in and around DC. Despite the diversity in their ages, backgrounds, professions, and temperaments—their haunting stories all carry common threads. Hear from Gina Roitman about the second generation’s onerous responsibility to move forward and yet, still honor their parent’s stories.
45 minute lecture with 30 minutes for Q&A and book signing
Co-presented with 3GDC
* Learning should never be cost-prohibitive. If the cost of any EDCJCC class prevents you from registering, please contact Amanda Herring at aherring@edcjcc.org to discuss payment plans or other alternatives.
The Edlavitch DCJCC embraces inclusion in all its programs and activities. We welcome and encourage the participation of all people, regardless of their background, sexual orientation, abilities, or religion, including interfaith couples and families.