On Friday, May 19, from 7:30-9 p.m., Or Emet will host a Humanistic Shabbat service followed by a presentation by Dr. David Parker, a physician, author and photographer. The events will take place at the Minnesota JCC Sabes Center Minneapolis, 4330 S. Cedar Lake Road, Minneapolis. A social time will follow the program.

Sarah Berman-Young, the music and Hebrew specialist for Or Emet, will serve as the guest leader for the service. Following the service, Parker will present a selection of his photographs taken over the last 30 years, which depict global work and child labor. 

Brick worker, Nepal (Photo by Dr. David Parker)

Parker’s photographs have been exhibited widely in the U.S., Canada and Latin America, and his work is included in collections in the Library of Congress, Minneapolis Institute of Art, Haggerty Museum of Art and Weisman Museum of Art. He received a Christopher Award for work affirming the highest values of the human spirit, a Twin Cities International Citizen Award for his work on human rights and the Lewis Hine Award, among others. 

Parker is a physician specializing in worker health and safety. He is the recipient of numerous major grants from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. He has published more than 75 peer-reviewed scientific manuscripts on a wide range of topics. 

Those who cannot attend the program in person may join over Zoom. Please register in advance here. Attendees can choose to wear a mask and are expected to be up to date on vaccinations or have a same-day negative COVID test.

Or Emet’s events and programs may change per CDC and state guidelines during the pandemic. All updates and changes will be posted in Or Emet’s events calendar. 

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.

Or Emet records many of its Shabbat and Sunday programs. They are stored on YouTube, but are only available upon request. If you missed a program and would like to watch the video, please email Scott Chazdon at schazdon@gmail.com.

Some of the recent recordings are:

• Or Emet 101: Interviews with founding and long-term members: June 18, 2022
• Faith Oremland: The Lamed Vavneks, September 9, 2022
• Rachel Wexelbaum: Origins of the Ashkenaz, October 16, 2022
• David Schultz: Midterm Elections, October 28, 2022
• Scott Chazdon and Michal Moskow: Dark Tourism, November 13, 2022
• Youth in Government, Model U.N., November 18, 2022
• Diane Wanner: Rod Serling: The Art and Philosophy of a Humanist, December 3, 2022
• Jaylani Hussein: Civil Rights for Muslim Communities, January 21, 2023
• Allan Malkis: Purim Origins and History, March 5, 2023
• Molly Wilbur-Cohen and Barry Cohen: Israel and Humanistic Judaism at a Crossroad, March 17, 2023
• Rich Sonenblum and Don Larsson: The Mossad in Popular Culture, April 2, 2023

On Sunday, May 7, author Caren Stelson will talk about her book “Stars of the Night: The Courageous Children of the Czech Kindertransport,” which tells the story of the 669 Jewish children rescued by Nicholas Winton in 1938-39 during the Holocaust, in the voices of the children. 

The program will run from 10 a.m.-noon at the Talmud Torah of St. Paul, 768 Hamline Ave. South in St. Paul. A social time will follow. 

Stelson will share how she learned of this story, the research involved, what her book can teach us and how to prepare for our own moments of compassionate action. The author will be joined by violinist Judith Eisner, who will perform as part of the presentation. 

Stelson is an awarding-winning Minneapolis author of children’s and young-adult books. Her book “Sachiko: A Nagasaki Bomb Survivor’s Story” was long-listed for a National Book Award.

Eisner is a professional violinist, composer of Klezmer music, teacher at the MacPhail Center for Music, leader of Eisner’s Klezmorim and an avid student of Yiddish language and culture. 

After the presentation, Stelson will sign and sell “Stars of the Night” for the list price of $20. The book is recommended for children in third grade and older, as well as adults. Cash or checks (payable to Save the Children) will be accepted. All proceeds will be donated to Save the Children — Ukraine. 

Donations for Save the Children will be accepted as well, but are not required.

The Sunday adult programs are free and open to the public and meet concurrently with the Jewish Cultural Sunday School. Attendees can choose to wear a mask and are expected to be up to date on vaccinations or have a same-day negative COVID test. 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 information about Or Emet’s Jewish Cultural Sunday School, contact JCSS director Molly Phipps at school-1@oremet.org. For information about Or Emet, email info@oremet.org or visit oremet.org.

On Friday, April 21, from 7:30-9 p.m., Or Emet will host a Humanistic Shabbat service followed by a presentation by Tedi Grey Owl, a Native American community activist and the academic internship specialist for Migizi, an organization that prepares Native American youth for education, careers and community leadership. 

The events will take place at the Minnesota JCC Sabes Center Minneapolis, 4330 S. Cedar Lake Road, Minneapolis. A social time will follow the program.

Tedi Grey Owl

The service will be led by Eva Cohen, Or Emet’s ritual leader and a Humanistic rabbi in training. Following the service, Tedi Grey Owl will present “Empowering Our Youth: A Strong Circle of Support.”

A citizen of the Haudensaunee Seneca Nation, Heron Clan, Tedi Grey Owl has worked to provide academic and cultural support for Indigenous students in urban and suburban school districts in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area for three decades. She comes from a family of Native activists. Her mother, Laura Waterman Wittstock, was one of the original members of the American Indian Movement, and co-founded Migizi in 1977. 

Those who cannot attend the program in person may join over Zoom. Please register in advance here. Attendees can choose to wear a mask and are expected to be up to date on vaccinations or have a same-day negative COVID test.

Or Emet’s events and programs may change per CDC and state guidelines during the pandemic. All updates and changes will be posted in Or Emet’s events calendar. 

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 Saturday, April 8, from 4-7 p.m., Or Emet, the Minnesota Congregation for Humanistic Judaism, will host a Passover Seder at the First Unitarian Society of Minneapolis, 900 Mount Curve Ave., Minneapolis. Or Emet members and visitors are welcome to attend.

Or Emet’s Seder celebrates Passover with a Humanistic Jewish service led by rabbinic candidate and ritual leader Eva Cohen. The service emphasizes themes of human freedom and dignity, the capacity to change our destiny and the power of hope. Students from Or Emet’s Jewish Cultural Sunday School will add special contributions to the program.

The Seder will be a mostly masked event to protect the most vulnerable in our community. During the Seder service, attendees will only unmask to eat the ritual foods. The meal portion of the event, at the end of the Seder, will be unmasked. The event will be in a hybrid format and will have a Zoom option. Please register for the Zoom option here.

The dinner will be a Mediterranean-style, catered meal from Ansari’s, with chicken kabobs, rice, falafel, Greek salad, vegetarian stir-fry and hummus. The meal will include vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options.

For those who plan to attend the service portion of the Seder only, there is no charge. For the catered meal, the cost is:

• Adults (age 14 and over): $15 for adult members; $25 for non-members.
• Kids (age 0-13): $5 for members; $10 for non-members.

To register, please complete this form, which will link to online payment options. Cash or check will be accepted at the door and a laptop will be available for those who wish to pay with credit. Please register by Friday, March 31. We look forward to celebrating Passover with you!

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.