BZBI, where you worship

Shavuot 2021 – 5781

    Sunday evening, May 16
    7:52 PM, Light holiday candles

    Monday, May 17
    8:58 PM, Light Holiday candles (from an existing flame)

    Tuesday, May 18
    Holiday ends at 8:59 PM

    BZBI Shavuot Schedule

    BZBI Tikkun Lael Shavuot
    6:30 PM – 12:10 AM, Sunday, May 16 (on Zoom)
    Register here for access using the regular BZBI religious services link

    6:30 – 7:25 PM – Confirmation Presentation Sunday
    Neziner Confirmation Students
    Learn from the students about the Jewish perspective on caring for animals and the environment, caring for our bodies and minds, the origins of Purim, why Judaism requires us to help those in need, and innovative ideas about Jewish education.

    7:30 PM – 8:40 PM – Choosing Judaism
    Diana Phillips, Monica Djerassi, and Heidi Schneider, who will read her essay, “Immersion” from the book.
    On the holiday of Shavuot, we celebrate Jews by Choice as we read the Book of Ruth, who was the first Jew by Choice. This year, we look forward to hearing the stories and voices of some of our BZBI community members who have chosen Judaism. We are also celebrating the publication of Diana Phillips’ new book Choosing Judaism: 36 Stories, and we are excited to have her with us to share her story and her experience editing this anthology.

    8:45 – 9:10 PM – Evening Minyan

    9:15 – 10:10 PM – Under the Mountain at Sinai: The Ethics of Coercion
    Rabbi Ira F. Stone
    The Rabbis envisioned the Sinai moment of obligation as a mountain suspended over the heads of the Children of Israel. We will explore the philosophic implications of Coercion as the basis for responsible behavior.

    10:15 – 11:10 PM – Paper Bridges & Visions of the World that is Coming
    Rabbi Annie Lewis
    Through Yiddish poetry, literature and Hasidic thought, we will explore visions for a world redeemed.

    11:15 PM – 12:10 AM – My Father was a Wandering Aramean and All I Got Was This Lousy T-Shirt
    Rabbi Abe Friedman
    Once upon a time, Shavuot celebrated the offering of bikkurim, first fruits, in the Temple in Jerusalem. This year, we’ll return to the bikkurim and ask how those rituals might help us navigate our own turbulent and uncertain times.

    BZBI Festival Morning Service including Yizkor (In Person and on Zoom)
    9:30 – 11:30 AM, Monday May 17
    Morning service including Yizkor to remember those who touched our lives.
    Please complete a COVID Checklist form before joining us in the Goldberg Sanctuary.

    Where You Go, I Go; Where You Stay, I Stay – with Rabbi Abe Friedman
    2:00 PM, Monday May 17, in Fitler Square (Rain Date Tuesday)
    A Center City Kehillah learning event; see this and more events below

    Ice Cream and Popsicles in Celebration of Shavuot
    4:00 PM, Monday May 17, Outside of BZBI
    Come out and see your friends, enjoy a frozen dessert, and celebrate Shavuot with your BZBI community.

    Mekor Habracha and BZBI Family Picnic & Play Time
    12:00 Noon at Sister Cities Park (18th and Ben Franklin Parkway)

    On the second day of Shavuot, join your Mekor Habracha and BZBI friends for a family picnic and play time. Plan to bring your own lunch, picnic blanket, and kiddush supplies. Sister Cities has bathrooms and a water play area, so bathing suits are recommended. Email Rebecca Krasner at engagement@bzbi.org with questions.

    Center City Kehillah Shavuot Schedule

    Center City Kehillah Tikkun Lael Shavuot
    3:00 PM – 6:00 PM Sunday, May 16 (on Zoom)
    Register here for a Zoom link to access to all events.

    3:00 pm

    • Shavuot Trivia – A Kahoot game about Shavuot, for kids ages 7-11 by kids!
    • People of the Book: Portrayals of Jewish Characters in Popular Literature with Christy Cook-Schwartz, Germantown Jewish Centre

    4:00 pm

    • You don’t have to be a Rabbi or Professor to Teach a Jewish Class with Bobbi Cohen, Leyv Ha-Ir
    • Rachav, Tamar, Ruth: David’s Yichus and Zichus with Rabbi Gila Ruskin, Kol Tzedek

    5:00 pm

    • Introduction to Shavuot with Rabbi Jill Maderer, Congregation Rodeph Shalom
    • Shavuot and Lessons of What It Means to be Truly Human with Dr. Saundra Sterling Epstein, Mekor Habracha and Eshel

     

    Center City Kehillah Shavuot Monday Events
    Monday, May 17 (in person). All attendees must be masked, and social distancing will be enforced. Do not attend if you have been exposed to someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 or if you feel unwell. Please bring your own chair or mat/towel to sit on, as no chairs will be provided. Unless noted below, in case of inclement weather, these sessions will be canceled.

    11:30 am in South Philly, location TBA

    • The Problem with Love is…Rabbi Akiva, His Students, and What Went Wrong with Rabbanit Dasi Fruchter, South Philadelphia Shtiebel

    2:00 pm in Fitler Square, 23rd and Pine – Rain Date Tuesday

    • Where You Go, I Go; Where You Stay, I Stay – with Rabbi Abe Friedman, BZBI. At the heart of the Book of Ruth are questions of commitment, relationship, identity, and self. We will look at selected scenes from Ruth and ask how they can help us better understand how we relate to the people closest to us and the communities in which we live.

    4:00 pm in Julian Abele Park, 22nd between Montrose and Carpenter

    • Kohelet: Cultivating Holy & Meaningful Moments in our Lives with Beverly Socher-Lerner, Makom Community

    5:00 pm in Carpenter Green, 17th and Carpenter

    • Is There a “Judeo-Christian Heritage?” with Chesky Kopel, Mekor Habracha

    6:00 pm in Rittenhouse Square

    • Grad Student Chavura with Mallory Kovit, Hillel’s Grad Network

    Also of note: Sunday, May 16

    • Kol Tzedek’s Abolition Teach-in 9:00 pm-midnight. We will be studying Jewish texts, discussing adrienne maree brown’s new book We Will Not Cancel Us and learning about the Breathe Act with KT4BlackLives members. Zoom info available on Kol Tzedek’s website.
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