On Friday, Sept. 5, 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. 

David Schultz

Following the service, David Schultz will present “American Democracy in the Age of Trump.” Many fear that American democracy is at an inflection point. This talk will examine the state of American democracy today, assessing the impact that Donald Trump as well as other factors have had on its viability.

Schultz is a distinguished university professor in the departments of political science, environmental studies and legal studies at Hamline University. He also is an adjunct professor of law at the University of Minnesota and at the University of St. Thomas and an affiliate faculty member at the Lithuanian Military Academy in Vilnius, Lithuania. 

A four-time Fulbright Scholar who has taught extensively in Europe and Asia, Schultz is the author of more than 45 books and 200-plus articles on various aspects of American politics, election law and the media and politics. He is regularly interviewed and quoted in the local, national and international media.

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, April 27, Or Emet will host a presentation by Philipp Muessig and Victor Urbanowicz on the history of Unitarianism.

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.

Muessig, from First Universalist Church in Minneapolis, and Urbanowicz, from White Bear Unitarian Universalist Church in Mahtomedi, will talk about the long history and theological roots of Unitarianism. They will begin with some jokes about Unitarians and end with discussion of commonalities between Unitarian and Humanistic Judaism congregations.

Those who cannot attend in person may join via 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, April 4, 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. 

Following the service, Or Emet member Allan Malkis will speak about the Dead Sea Scrolls, a famous set of writings from Qumran, an area in the valley of the Dead Sea south of Jerusalem. It is the largest known collection from the era of the Second Temple of Jerusalem. The works include the books of the Hebrew Bible, commentaries on those books, and explanations of the rituals and practices of a religious sect active during that time.

What do the Dead Sea Scrolls tell us about Jewish thought and practices just before the first Jewish revolt against Rome and the destruction of the Second Temple? What relationship, if any, do they have to the sect that grew up around Jesus of Nazareth? 

Malkis, a former president of Or Emet, is a retired social researcher who holds a master’s degree in sociology from the University of Minnesota. He enjoys exploring the early history of the Israelite people. 

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, March 23, Or Emet will host a presentation titled “What Is a Jewish Book?” by Rabbi Adam Chalom, dean for North America of the International Institute for Secular Humanistic Judaism (IISHJ) and rabbi at Kol Hadash Humanistic Congregation in Deerfield, Illinois. This learning session is in honor of the March 22 installation of Rabbi Eva Cohen as the new rabbi of Or Emet.

Rabbi Adam Chalom

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

If Humanistic Jews root their Jewishness in Jewish heritage and culture rather than theology and commandments, then a clear understanding of what counts as Jewish culture is essential. Is everything written by Jewish authors “Jewish literature?” If not, then where should the boundaries of Jewish culture be drawn — or does Jewish culture need boundaries at all?

Chalom is co-editor of the book “Contemporary Humanistic Judaism: Beliefs, Values and Practices,” which was published by the Jewish Publication Society/University of Nebraska Press in January 2025. Signed copies will be available for purchase after the program.

Chalom, who has served as the rabbi at Kol Hadash since 2004, earned rabbinic ordination from the IISHJ.

Those who cannot attend in person may join via 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.