Adult Programming
Or Shalom’s plentiful opportunities for connection are designed to enrich and fulfill the wide array of spiritual, educational, personal and social needs of our adult congregants.
For more information or to become part of the planning team, please email Bill at adultprogramming@orshalomlc.org.
Past programs have included:
Please click here for our programming book.
Adult Hebrew ~ First Year Hebrew
This class is for those with no Hebrew experience or for those who have forgotten the alef-bet. Students have the option to participate in an adult b’nai mitzvah service at the end of the second year.
Fee $150; $100 for members, for each eight-week session.
Please contact Rabbi Sarah Rosenbaum Jones for more information or to enroll.
Dinner Club
Do you enjoy great food and stimulating conversation? Join the Or Shalom Dinner Club. Our themed events give us the opportunity to share favorite dishes and experiment with new recipes while cultivating friendships within the Or Shalom community. Free of charge. Saturdays, 6:30 p.m.
Please contact Amy & Bret at dinnerclub@orshalomlc.org for more information.
Somewhere in Europe: The WWII Letters of Sam Lesner
A Book Talk by the Editors Roberta Lesner Bernstein and Judy Lesner Holstein
Sam Lesner was the award-winning movie critic of the Chicago Daily News from 1945 until the newspaper’s folding in 1978. He had worked at the Daily News, mainly as a reviewer of theater, music and night life, from 1928 until he was drafted into the Army in February 1944. For the next 20 months, he served in the Army Medical Corps of the 130th General Hospital in the ETO, returning to the Daily News in November 1945, when he was offered the dual positions of movie critic and night- life critic.
In 2004, his daughters accidentally found this box, long after his passing in 1990, and embarked upon the task of fulfilling his plan to put his letters into a book.
Minyanaires’ Minyanim
Lay-led Shabbat morning services, held in the library at 10 a.m.
Open to all members. Potluck Kiddush follows.
Shabbat Project*
An opportunity to disconnect in order to reconnect, all through celebrating Shabbat together. Jewish communities from all walks of life, across religious affiliations, young and old, from all corners of the world, will come together to experience one full Shabbat together.
Potluck Dinner, 6 p.m.
Worship, 7:30 p.m.
Lay-led service, 10 a.m.
Havdalah & Ice Cream Social, (featuring choral group, Selah**), 6:30 p.m.
**Selah is a choral group for Jewish young adults and those young at heart. It is open to anyone who identifies within the Special Needs Community and wants to participate. Selah promises to be a welcoming, inclusive and nurturing environment for all. By participating in Selah, each performer can affirm his or her value to the greater community by lifting spirits and bringing joy into the world through music. The benefits of joining Selah go well beyond singing and making music together; it is more importantly, a place to create a nucleus of friends. Or Shalom is honored to host the Selah Choir.
Thanksgiving Sides Instant Pot Class with Lawrence Levine
Repeatedly the hottest seller on Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Amazon Prime Day is the kitchen gadget that is still the hottest trend—the Instant Pot! This modern pressure cooker cuts cooking time in half and takes "set it and forget it!" to a whole new level. All too often, after ordering an Instant Pot, it sits snug in the box in the corner of the kitchen, then to a closet, and then out of sight. Come join us and overcome the fear of your Instant Pot and learn the basics from the water test to a few simple dishes that you can make at home (samples and recipes included). Q/A is invited as we cook.
$10 per person. Pre-registration requested.
Taste of Judaism with Rabbi Margolis
Individuals from all faith backgrounds are welcome. We ask you to register at reformjudaism.org, so we can save you a seat! Enjoy three weekly classes on the modern Jewish take on spirituality, values and community.
Free of charge.
Or Shalom Book Club We will continue our Or Shalom Book Club meetings, facilitated by Rachel Kamin, a professional book discussion facilitator. One of the books discussed was Memento Park by Mark Sarvas.
Thanks to the generosity of one of our congregants, the book club is free.
For the Ladies: Pilates with Rachel Miller & Yoga with Stephanie Bersh
Please join fellow congregants, Dr. Rachel Miller, physical therapist and certified Pilates instructor and Stephanie Bersh, RYT-200 yoga instructor, for a morning full of movement. Rachel will start with a short talk on the importance of the core, and then teach a 30-minute mat Pilates class, followed by Stephanie teaching a 30-minute yoga class. This program is open to all levels—modifications will be given in order to make exercises easier or harder. If you have a current injury or issue, please come a few minutes early and speak with the instructor or contact rachel@thepilatesptstudio.com. Please bring a yoga or exercise mat (or a beach towel if you don't have a mat) and water. Both classes will be done barefoot. Hope to see you there! Free of charge.
For the Ladies: Bunco Bash
Why Do Prayer Melodies Change? with Cantorial Soloist Laurie Akers
For the Ladies: Wine Tasting
Traveling Vineyard Wine Tasting is coming to Or Shalom. Enjoy a night with friends. Sample a variety of wines and nosh on some snacks. There will be an opportunity to purchase the wines you like.
For the Ladies: Charoset Tasting with Rachel Margolis
What do you put in your charoset for Passover? Did you know that regions all over the world have their own traditional recipes? Come for a night of making, tasting and learning about other types of charoset.
*this will NOT be a nut-free evening
*we will learn how to make a nut-free charoset
$10 per person
Jewish Life Cleaning: Tips to Organize & Downsize with Denise Kaplan
If you are overwhelmed by the prospect of cleaning out and organizing a lifetime of accumulated possessions and the thought of moving (suddenly or otherwise), this class is for you!
