On Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, Or Emet will host a presentation by Dr. Patricia Ahearne-Kroll, Associate Professor in the Department of Classical and Near Eastern Religions and Cultures at the University of Minnesota. She will speak about Jewish communities in ancient Egypt.

Dr. Patricia Ahearne-Kroll

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.

Ahearne-Kroll will talk about the evidence for Jewish life in Hellenistic and early Roman Egypt and the various ways these populations interacted with the multicultural realities of Egypt. 

Ahearne-Kroll holds a Ph.D. in Biblical Studies (Hebrew Bible) from the University of Chicago Divinity School. Her research has focused on literature from Egypt during the Second Temple period in Israel, as well as the impact of religious practices in Hellenistic Egypt on discourses of power and identity. 

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 Saturday, Dec. 20, from 10-11:30 a.m., Or Emet will host a Humanistic Shabbat service led by Rabbi Eva Cohen, followed by a presentation by Lisa “MonaLisa” Berman, co-founder and co-artistic director of BRKFST Dance Company.

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

Lisa “MonaLisa” Berman
Photo credit: Adam Adolphus

Berman will present “An Inside Look at BRKFST’s Groundbreaking, Multicultural, BIPOC Group.” She will describe how BRKFST creates intellectually rigorous, physically demanding works of art through abstraction, breaking and contemporary dance vernacular — dance that evolves naturally from within a community.

Berman and Joseph “MN Joe” Tran  co-founded BRKFST in St. Paul in 2014. Guided by the hip-hop adage “each one teach one,” where everyone remains both teacher and student regardless of their background, identity or status, BRKFST honors its roots from breaking culture by embodying inclusivity, passing down their knowledge to the next generation and representing the form with foundation and innovation.

Berman is the recipient of the McKnight Dancer Fellowship, Jerome Travel and Study Grant, multiple Minnesota State Arts Board and Metropolitan Regional Arts Council grants, and most recently, the Bridge Fund for Dancers Grant through the City of Minneapolis Arts and Cultural Affairs.

Expanding her artistic practice to interdisciplinary exploration, Berman partnered with film director Maria Juranic, co-creating, producing and choreographing the short, experimental dance film “Dreamers.” The film was chosen as an official selection in 11 international film festivals, receiving the Grand Jury Award at the In/Motion Festival and Best Experimental Film at the Tirana International Film Festival in Albania.

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, 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.