Why are these two men so important for the Jewish people today? Without one the Talmud would be a closed book for most modern Jews, and without the other, the deep meaning of Jewish tradition and the potential of the Jewish people would be diminished. In this session, their lives, ideas, and achievements will be summarised and peppered with personal stories. Laugh, learn, cry and hope…

This session is sponsored by the Sherry & Alan Leventhal Center for Interfaith Families.

New Orleans is building a community mikveh! But what is a mikveh for anyway? Join Rabbis Josh Pernick and Lexi Erdheim along with Jessica Rosenberg of the Rising Tide Open Waters Mikveh Network to learn about the history and development of the mikveh from the Torah through today. We will explore contemporary re-imaginings of the mikveh and consider how you might use our community mikveh. Rabbi Bob Loewy will share updates about the progress of the mikveh and answer questions. 

Create edible Torah with your own hands! In this session, the creator of Instagram's @lechlechallah will teach techniques for transforming challah dough into your own interpretation of text and tradition, while exploring themes from this week's parasha (Torah reading) and some of the history and significance of challah. No artistic skill or mastery of challah dough is required. If you would like to practice the shaping techniques along with Vanessa, have a batch of challah dough that has completed its first rise ready, or have some playdoh close at hand.

Access Session Materials here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1MCixJNEq3oXw8FLPlmffxyIuZhtXGBxU/view?usp=sharing

We say the Amidah every day - but did you know that once upon a time it was jazz? Back in the day, it was up to the leader to improvise the prayer around a set of themes. Join Rabbi Deborah Silver and jazz musician and teacher Meryl Zimmerman to produce a Shabbat Jazz Amidah of our own!

Many of Judaism’s sacred texts are written in the peculiar language of Hebrew poetry. This session will introduce the genre of biblical poetry, explaining its mechanics and showcasing its unique beauty. Prof. Gaines will also present research from his recent book, “The Poetic Priestly Source,” where he uncovers a previously unrecognized poetic layer in the Torah, a 2,500-year-old “hidden poem” that spans from Genesis through Deuteronomy.