On Sunday, Dec. 7, Or Emet will host a program on Listening House of St. Paul, a day shelter and resource center that provides hospitality and practical assistance to adults experiencing homelessness, poverty and loneliness.

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

Andrea Hinderaker

Andrea Hinderaker, the volunteer coordinator for Listening House, will share updates on the facility, including its recent transitions, and offer reflections on the current state of homelessness in the Twin Cities. She also will share perspectives on the culture of homelessness and the spirit in which Listening House offers its services.

Those who cannot attend in person may join via Zoom. Please register in advance for the Zoom option.

After the program, Or Emet will host a free Judaica swap meet. Attendees are encouraged to bring items such as ceremonial and ritual objects, textiles, books, art and jewelry to swap with others. Unclaimed items will be donated to Heritage Judaica, a local nonprofit that collects and offers Judaica at no cost. 

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, Nov. 21, from 7-9 p.m., Or Emet will host a Humanistic Shabbat service led by Rabbi Eva Cohen, followed by a special Yiddish Shabbos program.

The evening’s events will take place at the Minnesota JCC Sabes Center Minneapolis, 4330 S. Cedar Lake Road, Minneapolis.

Di Bayke Klezmer Band (Photo credit: Sammie Jean Cohen)

The family-friendly Yiddish Shabbos will feature Yiddish music and dance by the Minneapolis-based Di Bayke Klezmer Band. Di Bayke — pronounced “dee bye-keh,” which means “the tall tale” in Yiddish — will perform and teach the traditional dance music of Eastern European Jews. Refreshments will be provided.

Or Emet suggests a $10 donation per person/family and encourages people to RSVP via this link. Those who RSVP will receive access to digital sheet music and recordings; attendees are encouraged to bring an instrument to join in.

Those who cannot attend the Shabbat service in person may join over Zoom. Please register in advance for the Zoom option. 

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, Nov. 9, Or Emet will host a program titled “Thanksgiving: From Thankfulness to Taking Action” from 10 a.m.-noon at Twin Cities German Immersion School, 1031 Como Ave. in St. Paul. A social time will follow.

Led by Or Emet members Arty Dorman and Michal Moskow, the program will cover the following topics: 1) The Kristallnacht anniversary: Is thankfulness possible, especially for survivors, after events such as Kristallnacht and, in our day, the war in Gaza and other wars? and 2) How can thankfulness move us to take action on behalf of those, in general, who are less fortunate than we?

Those who cannot attend in person may join via Zoom. Please register in advance for the Zoom option.

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. 24, 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. 

Matt Lewellyn-Otten

Following the service, Matt Lewellyn-Otten (they/he), director of religious and community organizing for OutFront Minnesota, will present “The State of the State: 2SLGBTQIA+ Rights in Minnesota Today.” (2SLGBTQIA+ stands for Two Spirit, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer/Questioning, Intersex, Asexual+.)

Lewellyn-Otten will discuss their work with OutFront Minnesota, as well as the ways in which white Christian nationalism deeply affects 2SLGBTQIA+ rights in Minnesota. 

Lewellyn-Otten joined the OutFront Minnesota team in 2021. They work with faith communities and other communities across the state to build the power of the LGBTQIA+ community, listen to the needs of queer people and their allies, educate the public on issues affecting the queer community and mobilize communities to create systemic change.

Lewellyn-Otten holds a Master of Public Administration degree from the College of Charleston and a Master of Divinity degree from the Boston University School of Theology. In their studies and career, they have sought ways to build better understanding across communities and create spaces of connection and growth. 

Those who cannot attend the program in person may join over Zoom. Please register in advance for the Zoom option.

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. 12, Or Emet will host a program titled “The Secret Lives of Or Emeters” that will give members the opportunity to get to know one another.    

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

Co-facilitated by Or Emet members, this participatory program will be a chance for those in attendance to have fun while learning about one another’s unique qualities and experiences — all in a safe and supportive environment.    

Newcomers to Or Emet as well as longtime members are bound to be fascinated, enjoy good-natured laughs and leave with an even more positive feeling about the Or Emet community.

Those who cannot attend in person may join via Zoom. Please register in advance for the Zoom option.

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.