BEYOND SHIR TIKVAH Local Jewish events, other events of local interest, and links to Jewish organizations.

Local Jewish Events

• The Boston Jewish Film Festival: REELAbilitiesBOSTON Film Festival with 6 films about disabilities from February 2-8 in the greater Boston area.

• CJP/JVS Entrepreneurship Program Classes meet Wednesdays for 14 sessions 6:00 - 9:00 PM. February 8 - May 23 Combined Jewish Philanthropies, 126 High Street, Boston. Learn more.

• Adult Learning Programs provided by Hebrew College and CJP. Learn more.

• Winchester In Transition (WIT): A Conference about Community Saturday, February 11, 9 AM to 3 PM, Winchester Town Hall. The Winchester Multicultural Network invites you to WIT2012, a dynamic community conference for all those who live, work, study, worship and conduct business in our town. Join community leaders, friends and neighbors as we explore a variety of ways in which to make sure that Winchester remains socially welcoming, economically resilient, and environmentally healthy for decades to come. Building upon the town’s 2009 human rights statement, WIT2012 is designed to help our community better understand how to embrace and capitalize on a local population that is increasingly diverse in terms of race, ethnicity, religion, ideology, socio-economic status, age, sexual orientation, and disability. WIT provides an opportunity to build a greater sense of community, to collaborate around resources and people, to find synergy in our projects, to capitalize on our increasingly global community. Through panel presentations, roundtable discussions, group activity, and keynote address, WIT2012 will challenge you to think in new ways about our evolving community life. You will be inspired by keynote speaker Teja Arboleda, an Emmy Award-winning television producer, director, writer, professor, and entertainer, whose mission is to challenge people to grow in their understanding of racial and cultural diversity. If you cannot attend, share your point of view on our website under Register Now. No fee needed to share your perspective. Suggested donation: $20.00 per participant before Feb. 8, or $30.00 at the door. For more information, or to propose topics for the roundtable discussions, please visit our website: www.gettowit.org or Temple Board Member, Robin Smith.

• Rabbi Hanna Tiferet Siegel (former spiritual leader of B'nai Or of Boston) will be performing in concert at the Wilson Chapel on the Andover Newton Theological School campus. Sunday afternoon, Feb. 12 at 3:00 PM,This concert is a CD Release celebration benefiting the Memory Room: Nurturing families through the loss of a child, a non-profit co-founded by Francie Minder. It is also in tribute to B'nai Or member, artist and friend, Laura Riegelhaupt, who died in 2009 at the height of her artistic career.  Pieces of Laura's artwork will be on sale during the reception following the concert.  Learn more.
  
  Joining Rabbi Hanna will be the Tiferet Band comprised of some of the area's renown musicians:  Eric Kilburn, Hankus Netsky, Peter Tillotson and Deb Lempke. 

  Tickets can be purchased via the B'nai Or website:  www.bnaior.org.  For more information, please contact Deb Barsel at dbarsel@gmail.com.

• Natan Sharansky and SAFAM Highlight Birnbaum Lecture. The Synagogue Council of Massachusetts (SCM) is proud to announce that Natan Sharansky, the iconic symbol of the Soviet Jewry movement and current Chairman of the Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI), will deliver the 9th annual Connie Spear Birnbaum Memorial Lecture. Sharansky’s talk, "Risks to Our Future: Together We Can Win!," will take place on Sunday, March 11 at 7:30 PM at Congregation Mishkan Tefila, Chestnut Hill.

  The Boston-based SAFAM, with their unique Jewish-American sound, will perform several numbers that evening, including "Leaving Mother Russia," written 25 years ago about Sharansky’s struggle for freedom from Soviet oppression. The Birnbaum Lecture is named in memory of Connie Spear Birnbaum, who worked at SCM for many years towards an ideal of uniting the entire Jewish people. The program, which includes a musical prelude and light refreshments, is free and open to the public. For further details, visit www.synagoguecouncil.org or call (617) 244-6506.

• Israel Programs Fair, Sunday, February 12, 1–3 PM. Hebrew College, 160 Herrick Road, Newton Centre. Teens and their families are invited to learn about exciting Israel travel opportunities for young people. Representatives from more than a dozen organizations will be available to help you decide which trip is right for your teen. To RSVP, or for more information or special accommodations, please contact Will at (617) 457-8556 or willc@cjp.org. This is a free event.

• Israeli Folk Dancing. Temple Emunah, 9 Piper Road, Lexington. Upstairs in the Social Hall. Mondays 8–9:45 PM. Beginners: 8–9 PM, Intermediate: 9–9:45 PM. For more information contact: Angela.

• Salem State University’s SUMMER 2012 HISTORY AND GEOGRAPHY STUDY AND TRAVEL INSTITUTE. The History and Geography of World War II The Eastern Front: Germany, Poland and Hungary (Berlin, Poznan, Gierloz, Warsaw, Krakow, Auschwitz, Budapest). July 2–17. Brochure.

• JewishBoston.com: "Introducing your one-stop resource for everything Jewish.” www.JewishBoston.com — The wandering is over.

• Israel Connection! Check out the CJP website for these Israel Connect events around Boston.

Links to Jewish Resources

• Transitions to Work for Young Adults, 18–30, with disabilities. An exciting new initiative in the Jewish community to help launch careers through assessment, skills training, internships, and employment opportunities. Click here for general information (attached). Click here for eligibility information. Click here for application.

• Applications for the Machon Kaplan Summer College Internship Program are now available online at www.rac.org/mk. Participants in this program have the unique opportunity to spend 6 weeks interning, learning, and exploring Washington, DC. This year, for the first time, there is NO tuition fee for Machon Kaplan participants.

• College seniors may want to consider applying for the Eisendrath Legislative Assistant Fellowship, a year-long, post-college employment opportunity in Washington, DC. Applications are available at www.rac.org/la. Fellows advocate for Jewish values and social justice on behalf of the Reform Jewish Movement. L.A.s take part in a wide range of social justice.

• Welcome Baby! Program Arrives in Metro North. Let us welcome your family to the Metro North Jewish Community with a home visit, gift tote, and resource guides to programs and events. If you or your partner are Jewish, and you have had or adopted a baby in the last six months, you can receive or refer a Welcome Baby! visit. Contact Laura Gerson, LICSW, Welcome Baby Coordinator (781-693-5635). Connect with the Metro North Jewish community including: playgroups, family holiday programming, enrichment classes, and more! For more information visit jccgb.org/metronorth or contact (617) 558-6440 or metronorth@jccgb.org.

• Receive FREE Jewish books and music for children ages 6 months to 6 years! PJ (as in pajamas) Library offers families the opportunity to receive a FREE treasury of Jewish books and music for children! You can receive monthly a Jewish book or CD and a reading guide. Learn More. PJ Library is offered through the Jewish Community Centers of Greater Boston.

• Weekly URJ (Union of Reform Judaism) Briefing: The URJ distributes a weekly e-newsletter. To subscribe to this free service, click here.

• CJP (Combined Jewish Philanthropies) Briefings & Weekly Information: Subscribe to the CJP electronic newsletter.

• Reform Jewish Outreach:  For information about classes for interfaith couples and individuals exploring Judaism in the Greater Boston area, visit www.reformjudaismboston.org