Joliet Jewish Congregation at a Glance. . .

 
                                                   

 

Shalom,

Walk into the synagogue and you can immediately feel the excitement as we enjoy our late-summer activities and prepare for a vibrant year ahead!

Please take a look at the attached calendar and mark your calendars for all the wonderful activities coming up through August and into September. Behind the scenes, the Rabbi, Cantor, and Allen have also been hard at work preparing for the High Holidays, which fall fairly early this year. Stay tuned—those key holiday dates will be shared in our next newsletter.

Our committees have also been incredibly busy preparing for the year ahead:

Religious Education: Meeting regularly to design a truly extra-special curriculum for our of inquiries about our services and programs. Several families have already shor students as we prepare for the school year.
Membership: Welcoming a wonderful influx of interest in joining our community!
Technology & Marketing: Collaborating closely to refresh and update our website, Facebook page, and Google Ads accounts.
Program & Grant: Setting new records! Thanks to their hard work, we have received six generous grants from the JUF to help fund an amazing, diverse lineup of upcoming programs.

Here is a sneak peek at what’s heading your way:

Upcoming Program Highlights

“Broadway and Me” (Monthly for 10 months): A lively, interactive monthly Pre-K event! Led by professional teaching artists, each class brings Broadway musicals to life, using new songs, characters, and stories to support our little ones’ physical, cognitive, social-emotional, and language development.

Chicago Authors Series:
Roberta Kwall will join us to discuss her exciting new book coming out this October, POLARIZED: Why American Jews Are Divided and What to Do About It.

Joel Greenberg will present his fascinating work, TO LIFE: Jews Exploring Nature.

Creative Hands-On Workshops:
Judaica At Home: Discover your inner artist! Join us at the studio of Stained Glass Gifts, where each participant will design and create their very own fused glass square featuring a Hamsa, Jewish Star, or other meaningful Jewish imagery.

Add a Little Spice to Your Life: Craft and customize your very own aromatic Havdalah spice box to take home.

Passover Cooking Class: You won't want to pass on this! Emily Paster—an Ivy League lawyer turned celebrated food critic and writer—will lead us in a special class teaching delicious new holiday recipes.

Lag Ba'Omer Archery: We are bringing Strictly Archery to the synagogue! They will be hosting hands-on archery lessons and fun for all ages.

Important Reminders & Recurring Events

Raffle Tickets: Don't forget to purchase or sell your raffle tickets! Your support directly helps fund our wonderful community programming and operations.

Shabbat Services: Join us for Friday night and Saturday morning Shabbat services! It is always wonderful to pray, sing, and catch up as a community.

Meet & Greet for Rabbi Serle: A lot of hard work has gone into preparing a wonderful welcome reception for our new Rabbi! Please come out to support our congregational family with your presence and enjoy a truly special afternoon together.

Lunch and Learn with Rabbi Serle: Come in or Zoom in! Join Rabbi Serle for our interactive Lunch and Learn sessions. Whether you prefer to join us in person or connect virtually from home or the office, we look forward to engaging in meaningful study and lively discussion together.
Learn to Play Mahjong: Ready to master the tiles? Join in and learn to play Mahjong! Whether you are a complete beginner wanting to learn the basics or looking to brush up on your skills, come enjoy a fun, social afternoon of strategy and community.

There is truly something for everyone as we kick off this new season together. We can't wait to see you there!

Warmly,

 Dianne Parker, President