On Sunday, Dec. 15, Or Emet will host a presentation by Robin J. Doroshow, executive director of the Jewish Historical Society of the Upper Midwest. Doroshow will present “Aberdeen, South Dakota: A Jewish History” from 10 a.m.-noon at Twin Cities German Immersion School, 1031 Como Ave. in St. Paul. A social time will follow.

Robin J. Doroshow

From her first visit to Aberdeen, South Dakota, in 2018, Doroshow knew it was a special community. In 2020, the JHSUM and Congregation B’nai Isaac of Aberdeen joined forces to research and document the history of Aberdeen’s Jewish community.

In June 2022, after months of research and oral history recording, the JHSUM published the journal “Aberdeen: A Jewish History” ​and released the video “A Stop Along the Way.” Both were premiered in Aberdeen as part of a Shabbat weekend celebration at B’nai Isaac and other locations around the city. Doroshow will show “A Stop Along the Way” during her Or Emet presentation.

Doroshow is a Minnesota native whose grandparents and great-grandparents were third-wave Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe who settled in St. Paul. 

She holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology and Jewish studies from the University of Minnesota and a law degree from William Mitchell College of Law. 

Those who cannot attend in person may join over Zoom. Please register in advance here. 

The Sunday adult programs are free and open to the public and meet concurrently with the Jewish Cultural Sunday School.

Or Emet is a secular congregation celebrating and honoring Jewish culture, history and values from a humanistic, inclusive perspective.

For information about Or Emet’s Jewish Cultural Sunday School, contact JCSS director Molly Phipps at school@oremet.org. For information about Or Emet, email info@oremet.org or visit oremet.org.

On Saturday, Dec. 7, from 10-11:30 a.m., Or Emet will host a Shabbat service led by Rabbi Eva Cohen, followed by a program and social time. The morning’s events will take place at the Minnesota JCC Sabes Center Minneapolis, 4330 S. Cedar Lake Road, Minneapolis. 

Following the service, Or Emet member Arty Dorman will present “When Jews Began to Play Themselves on Broadway.” It is commonly known that many, if not most, of the composers, lyricists and book writers who created Broadway musicals as far back as the 1920s were Jewish. However, the shows they sent to producers and that the public embraced, did not, for many years, include stories of Jewish life or significant Jewish characters.  

Dorman will present examples of the turning point in that trend, highlighting shows from the early 1960s, including “I Can Get It for You Wholesale,” “Milk and Honey,” “Funny Girl,” “The Zulu and the Zayda” and, the biggest game-changer of all, “Fiddler on the Roof.”  

Dorman is a theater aficionado and the Twin Cities critic for “Talkin’ Broadway.” He is a former director of Or Emet’s Jewish Cultural Sunday School. 

Those who cannot attend in person may join over Zoom. Please register in advance here. 

Or Emet is a secular congregation celebrating and honoring Jewish culture, history and values from a humanistic, inclusive perspective. For more information about Or Emet, email info@oremet.org or visit oremet.org.

On Sunday, Oct. 27, Or Emet will host a presentation by Minnesota state Rep. Mike Freiberg, chair of the Minnesota State Legislature’s Secular Government Caucus.

The program will take place from 10 a.m.-noon at Twin Cities German Immersion School, 1031 Como Ave. in St. Paul. A social time will follow.

Rep. Mike Freiberg

Freiberg will discuss the caucus’ work to maintain separation of church and state, what moved him to become part of the caucus and any church/state issues that may need to be addressed in the next session.

Freiberg was first elected state representative in 2012, after serving on the Golden Valley City Council for nine years. As a legislator, he has focused on issues related to health care, local government, the environment and election policy. He has authored many pieces of legislation that have become law.

An attorney for a nonprofit organization committed to improving public health, Freiberg also has served as an adjunct law professor at Mitchell Hamline School of Law and the University of St. Thomas School of Law.

Those who cannot attend in person may join over Zoom. Please register in advance here. 

The Sunday adult programs are free and open to the public and meet concurrently with the Jewish Cultural Sunday School.

Or Emet is a secular congregation celebrating and honoring Jewish culture, history and values from a humanistic, inclusive perspective.

For information about Or Emet’s Jewish Cultural Sunday School, contact JCSS director Molly Phipps at school@oremet.org. For information about Or Emet, email info@oremet.org or visit oremet.org.

On Friday, Oct. 18, from 7:30-9 p.m., Or Emet will host a Shabbat service led by Rabbi Eva Cohen, followed by a program and social time. The evening’s events will take place at the Minnesota JCC Sabes Center Minneapolis, 4330 S. Cedar Lake Road, Minneapolis. 

Beth Gendler

Following the service, Beth Gendler, executive director of Jewish Community Action, an organization that provides a powerful Jewish voice in Minnesota’s movement for economic, racial and social justice, will present “Shelter of Justice: Sukkot and the Fight for Democracy and Housing Justice.”

Gendler will discuss how Sukkot, housing justice and the fight for a multifaith, multiracial democracy are all related. She also will talk about the work JCA is doing with its partners to support renters and to ensure that their voices are centered in the existential fight for democracy. 

Prior to joining JCA in 2022, Gendler served as executive director of The National Council of Jewish Women Minnesota, where she developed the Muslim & Jewish Women of Minnesota policy collaborative, the Courts Matter Minnesota Coalition, the Periods Happen menstrual equity initiative and the Rapid Response Emergency Fund. 

Those who cannot attend in person may join over Zoom. Please register in advance here. 

Or Emet is a secular congregation celebrating and honoring Jewish culture, history and values from a humanistic, inclusive perspective. For more information about Or Emet, email info@oremet.org or visit oremet.org.