On Saturday, Feb. 15, from 10-11:30 a.m., Or Emet will host a Shabbat service led by Rabbi Eva Cohen, followed by a program in solidarity with the HIAS Refugee Shabbat initiative. The events will take place at the Minnesota JCC Sabes Center Minneapolis, 4330 S. Cedar Lake Road, Minneapolis. 

Steven Thal

After the service, immigration attorney Steven Thal will present “Trump 2.0: Are We Still a Nation of Immigrants?” Thal will address recent changes in immigration policy under the Trump administration and their effect on immigrants and the community.

Thal practices immigration law in Minnetonka. He is a past chair of the Immigration Section of the Minnesota State Bar Association and the Minnesota/Dakotas Chapter of the American Immigration Lawyers Association. He also is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association, Minnesota State Bar Association, American Association for Justice, Minnesota Advocates for Human Rights and several other professional and civic groups. 

Thal earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Minnesota College of Liberal Arts and a law degree from the University of Minnesota Law School. Prior to law school, he spent two years in the Peace Corps in Ecuador, South America. 

Those who cannot attend the program 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, email info@oremet.org or visit oremet.org.

On Sunday, Jan. 26, Or Emet members Allan Malkis and Molly Phipps will facilitate a discussion of the question, How should humanists teach their children about the Bible? 

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

Malkis, a former president of Or Emet, and Phipps, director of Or Emet’s Jewish Cultural Sunday School, will introduce the topic and share ideas. Those in attendance then will gather in small groups to discuss the issues and report back. 

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 Phipps at school@oremet.org. For information about Or Emet, email info@oremet.org or visit oremet.org.

On Saturday, Jan. 18, 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. 

Judith Tiferes

After the service, Or Emet member Judith Tiferes will present “The Fight for Social Justice: Growing Up As a Secular Jew in Argentina.” Tiferes will detail her family’s history, her memories of living in a post-dictatorship society and the impact of the Argentine Israelite Mutual Association bombing during her teens. Through personal stories and reflections, she will explore the complexities of cultural identity, resilience and community activism.

Tiferes is a human factors engineer working in the medical device industry. After receiving a Foreign Fulbright scholarship, she moved to the U.S. and earned a Ph.D. in human factors engineering from the State University of New York at Buffalo. She now lives in the Twin Cities area with her family.

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.