Lunch and Learn
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The Happy Holiday of Tu B’Av Inspires Love-ly Lunch and Love Stories
A red and white theme for the holiday of Tu B’Av was reflected in roses, room décor, and apparel as shul members gathered for a “Lunch and Love” event in the community room on Wednesday, August 2. Rabbi Gadi provided a history of the holiday and the occurrences that make among the happiest on the Jewish calendar. The kitchen crew, led by Chef Joanna Paulsen, turned out fabulous salads, served with tasty breads, and a platter of baked goods for dessert. Everyone relayed a love story with photos, tokens and even music. All agreed that Tu B’Av, a love-ly new concept for our shul, was an idea worth repeating next year. Mark your calendars now. Thanks to all the helpers: Liz Adams, Sara Bloom, Caren and Marc Demel, Miriam Gabriel, Roberta Garris, Veronica Kaliski, Joanna Paulsen and crew chief Adrianne Greenberg, president of the Sisterhood.
Francis DuBois and SMBloom photos
Lunch and Love
Celebrate Tu B’Av, the ‘Jewish Valentine’s Day’
All Are Invited For “Lunch and Love”
Be sure to join us as we celebrate the holiday of Tu B’Av, the Jewish Valentine’s Day, with lunch and a program titled, of course, “Lunch and Love.” It all happens on Wednesday, August 2, at noon, in the community room. It’s going to be a love-ly event.
Sisterhood president Adrianne Greenberg is planning a menu to complement the “Love and Lunch” theme. Those attending are invited to bring stories, poems, photos and tokens that symbolize what love means to them. Rabbi Gadi will offer asides on the history of the holiday through the ages, when women danced in white dresses. Maybe we should…
As with many Jewish traditions, the roots of Tu B’Av are ancient, but beautifully adaptable to modern times. The Hebrew calendar, which is based on the lunar cycle, places the holiday of Tu B’Av on the 15th day of the Jewish month of Av, when the moon is full. Many ancient cultures believed that a full moon gives off positive vibes for love and romance. Tracing the holiday’s roots, Jewish historians have found mentions in texts from the Second Temple period, which lasted from 530 BCE until 70 CE. The holiday was once referenced as “the Second Temple period version of a singles mixer.”
Fun time ahead. There is no charge to attend, but voluntary contributions will be accepted and appreciated.
Lunch and Learn: A Tu B’Shevat Seder
You are invited to join Rabbi Gadi for a special Lunch and Learn to celebrate Tu B’Shevat with a
seder, direct from Israel. The holiday event will be held on Monday, Feb. 6, at 1 p.m., on Zoom.
Rabbi Gadi’s Tu B’Shevat seders are always a gorgeous sight to behold, a table laden with all
manner of fruits and nuts including those native to Israel, such as olives, dates, grapes, figs and
pomegranates. Enjoy cups of wine as we recite the blessings for fruits and the fruit of the vine in a joyous tribute to trees and the gifts they provide.
Come for the holiday. Come to toast our earth and the fruits of its trees. Come for the fun.
Lunch and Learn: Blessing The Animals, October 13 @ Noon
Join a special Lunch and Learn on Thursday, Oct. 13,
when Rabbi Laura Duhan-Kaplan will be with us on Zoom with our feathered,
furry and, Yikes!, even slimy critters for a blessing to ask for their continued good health and companionship with us. Come one, come all — those of us who share our homes with these animals, those who admire them from afar.
Rabbi Duhan-Kaplan is the author of Mouth of the Donkey, writings about Biblical animals and what they teach us.
Zoom at noon this Thursday with your pets for a fun and unusual Lunch and Learn filled with arfs, woofs, meows, tweets, maybe a hiss, applause, and a ton of laughs.
Lunch and Learn: An Up-Close View of Ukraine, June 6 @ Noon
Be sure to join Lunch and Learn this Monday, June 6, when we will connect live with Gulo Swan in Tbilisi in the Republic of Georgia for an up-close view of Ukraine and the people there displaced by war. This rare opportunity will provide insights about the people and culture of Ukraine, well beyond the daily newscasts.
Gulo told Lunch and Learn that she is happy to express her thoughts and feelings about what she has observed and experienced. Those attending are encouraged to bring their questions and impressions. Rabbi Gadi will moderate.
Gulo Swan is a long-time friend of our shul and many of our members. Before moving to her homeland in the Caucasus region of Eurasia, she participated actively in Rabbi Gadi’s weekly Torah study class.
Zoom at noon on Monday, June 6, for a first-hand account of those living the war in Ukraine.
Photo of Rabbi Gadi with Gulo Swan, in front of The Great Synagogue of Tbilisi, the Capitol of Georgia
Lunch and Learn, Ellen Buchbinder, MD, “Spring Allergies, Achoo!”
Are you sneezing, coughing, and weeping with itchy, watery eyes? Spring allergies got you down? Lunch and Learn to the rescue.
Zoom at noon this Monday, May 2, when shul member Ellen Buchbinder, MD, will talk about spring allergies — treatments, medications, remedies and, for fun, some old wives tales with, well, questionable results. It just doesn’t seem fair that some people can bury their faces in tree pollens and mold spores, and others can barely step outside.
Ellen is a graduate of Wellesley College and Tulane University School of Medicine. She completed a residency at New England Deaconess Hospital in Boston, and a fellowship in allergy and immunology at Massachusetts General Hospital. Prior to retirement, she was an associate professor in the Department of Medicine, Division of Allergy and Clinical immunology at Mt. Sinai Medical Center in New York, and in private practice for 38 years.
Zoom at noon for answers to your questions about…
(ah, ah, achoo)…spring allergies.
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