The idea for a Lunch and Learn program was an initiative inspired by the shuttering of our synagogue in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. The organizers of the program were concerned about helping members maintain a connection to the shul and each other while the doors were locked and everyone was sheltering in place at home. Enter Lunch and Learn.

Every Monday,  Lunch and Learners zoom in (via Zoom, a videoconferencing antidote to the shelter-in-place restrictions) for sessions led mostly by our members. Recent offerings included quilting with Roberta Garris, family history with Dede Whitsit, ukulele basics with Ellen Jaffe, all about the flute with Bill Packard, and the joy of chicken farming with Cookie and Michael Slade.

Each Thursday, Rabbi Gadi fills the noontime slot with probing questions about Judaism, often a follow-up to the theme of the Monday program. During August and upcoming in September, Rabbi Gadi is offering preparation for the upcoming High Holidays, including the covenants of the three Hebrew patriarchs — Abraham, Isaac and Jacob —  and the four Hebrew matriarchs — Sarah, Rachel, Rebecca and Leah.

What have we cooked up for the fall? Zoom at noon every Monday and Thursday at noon, and find out. You’ll discover that our shul members are pretty talented and interesting folks, willing to share ideas and expertise with viewers. There’s always discussion, Q&A, and chitchat. It’s instructive, it’s entertaining, it’s fun.

To Zoom at noon for Lunch and Learn, visit www.tiferethisraelgreenport.org, click on “Go to meeting/services,” follow the prompts, and enter code 955110. Come learn. Bring lunch.

The Lunch and Learn program joins Danielle Grafas and Angelo Zisimopoulos in thanking Dr. Lewis Teperman for his heroic work in saving the lives of baby Athena and her mother. Shul member Lewis Teperman honored our L&L program at its July 9 session.  Newsday photo