WEDNESDAY, MARCH 10

The Word Mavens
A riotous virtual adventure with The Word Mavens, two Jewish women who will have you on the floor reminiscing and craving rugelach and so much more on March 10 at 7 p.m. Suggested donation of $18 for non-Sisterhood members of Congregation Beth Israel. For moer information or to register, contact Rabbi Tami Elliott Goodman at ravgoodman@icloud.com.

FRIDAY, MARCH 12

Organ Sounds Concert Series: A Tribute to J.S. Bach
Congregation Beth Israel’s monthly concert series features “A Tribute to J.S. Bach” featuring renowned organist Christa Rakich playing Beth Israel’s historic 1934 Austin 1934 organ. To be held March 12, 6:30 pm. For more information or to register, visit cbict.org/calendar.

SATURDAY, MARCH 13

The Tribe/Super Tribe Havdalah
Havdalah followed by a meet and greet for both of Tribe groups, ranging in age from 20-50. Hosted online by Congregation Beth Israel on March 13, 6:30 p.m. For more information: email Tracy Taback at tracytaback@gmail.com.

SUNDAY, MARCH 14

The legal status of the Reform Movement in Israel
Anat Hoffman, executive director of the Israel Religious Action Center (IRAC) and founder of Women of the Wall will discuss “Does the Jewish State Treat All Jews Equally? The legal status of the Reform Movement in Israel on March 14 at 11 a.m. 

Hosted by Congregation Beth Israel in West Hartford, the webinar will address the challenges of having Reform conversions and weddings recognized; equal governmental funding; and the challenges facing Reform congregations win Israel. Anat was selected as “Person of the Year” by Haaretz in 2013 and chosen as one of the 50 most influential Jews by the Jerusalem Post in 2014. For more information or to register, visit cbict.org/calendar.

MONDAY, MARCH 16

Voices of Hope Winter Speaker Series
Voices of Hope Winter Speaker Series: Esther Safran Foer, author of I Want You to Know We’re Still Here, will speak on March 15 at 7 p.m. For more information or to register, visit ctvoicesofhope.org.

TUESDAY, MARCH 16

Jewish and Christian Women as Allies in Anti-Racism
15th Annual Lecture in Jewish Christian Engagement: “Lift Every Voice and Sing: Jewish and Christian Women as Allies in Anti-Racism,” with guest speaker Ann Millin, PhD, historian, Ida E. King Distinguished Visiting Professor of Holocaust Studies, Richard Stockton University. A FREE webinar presented March 16 at 7:30 p.m. Co-sponsored by the Bennett Center for Judaic Studies and the Center for Catholic Studies at Fairfield University.Registration required at fairfield.edu/bennettprograms. For information: bennettcenter@fairfield.edu or (203) 254-4000 x2066.

THURSDAY, MARCH 18

Short Story Coffee Break: The Wind
A Zoom discussion of The Wind by Lauren Gross. Hosted by Congregation Beth Israel, March 18 at 11 a.m. To register and receive a copy of the next short story and a link to the Zoom discussion, email kbeyard@cbict.org.

Blacks, Jews, and Black Jews
Susannah Heschel, The Eli Black Professor of Jewish Studies at Dartmouth College, will explore the intertwined dimensions of relations between African Americans and Jewish Americans, Jewish involvement in the Civil Rights Movement, Jewish memory of the Civil Rights Movement in recent decades in light of the rise of white nationalism, and scholarship on racism and what they might contribute to our understanding of antisemitism, in her lecture “Blacks, Jews and Black Jews,” to be held on March 18 at 7:30 p.m. The lecture is part of the 2021 series of virtual lectures surrounding the theme of “The Jewish Roots of Social Justice,” presented by the ALEPH Institute learning initiative and sponsored by the Mandell JCC and UConn Judaic Studies. For more information, visit judaicstudies.uconn.edu or mandelljcc.org.

Book Club: Such A Fun Age by Kiley Reid
Congregation Or Shalom will host a book club discussion of Such a Fun Age, a story about race and privilege, set around a young babysitter, her well-intentioned employer, and a surprising connection that threatens to undo them both, led by Toby Zabinski on March 18 at 7 p.m. For the link to register email coshalom@sbcglobal.net. 

SATURDAY, MARCH 20

Virtual Tot Seder
Little ones prepare for Passover with our Tot Seder program. We’ll celebrate Shabbat through story and song and experiment with different ways to observe Passover. For more information or to register, visit cbict.org/calendar.

SUNDAY, MARCH 21

The Kosher Capones: A History of Chicago’s Jewish Gangsters
Explore the lives and criminal careers of “Zuckie the Bookie” Zuckerman, last of the West Side Jewish bosses, and Lenny Patrick, head of the Syndicate’s “Jewish Wing,” on March 21 at 5 p.m. Joe Kraus, author of The Kosher Capones: A History of Chicago’s Jewish Gangsters, will take a fascinating in-depth look inside a hidden society and the men who ran Chicago’s Jewish criminal community for more than 60 years. Joe Kraus teaches creative writing and American literature at the University of Scranton. His grandfather and great-uncles, the notorious Miller Brothers of the Jewish West Side, were among Chicago’s early Jewish gangsters. For more information on this virtual event: cbict.org. 

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 23

Zoom & Learn: “Images of Elijah” 
Through the ages, the powerful stories of the Bible have been illuminated in legend and on canvas. In this class, to be held March 23 & 30, 11-12 noon, Rabbi Alvin Wainhaus will discuss dramatically different artistic and folkloristic takes on the prophet Elijah. To register or for more information:coshalom@sbcglobal.net or (203) 779-2341. 

THURSDAY, MARCH 25 

Voices of Hope Winter Speaker Series
Voices of Hope Winter Speaker Series: Ewa Callahan, author of Holocaust and Film, will speak March 25 at 7 p.m. For more information or to register, visit ctvoicesofhope.org.

MONDAY, MARCH 29

“Hitler’s American Friends: The Third Reich’s Supporters in the United States” 
Bradley Hart, PhD, author and associate professor, California State University, Fresno, will discuss “Hitler’s American Friends: The Third Reich’s Supporters in the United States” at a FREE webinar presented March 29 at 7:30 p.m. Co-sponsored by the Judaic Studies program and the Bennett Center for Judaic Studies at Fairfield University.Registration required at fairfield.edu/bennettprograms. For information: bennettcenter@fairfield.edu or (203) 254-4000 x2066.

TUESDAY, MARCH 30

Zoom & Learn: “Images of Elijah” 
See Tuesday, March 23. 

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 31

Normalizing Nazism on the Internet
The Open MINDS Institute of Fairfield University’s Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts presents “Normalizing Nazism on the Internet” with guest speaker Gavriel D. Rosenfeld, PhD, on March 31 1t 1 p.m. Rosenfeld will explore the ways in which the internet offers new possibilities for educating people about the Nazi legacy, while simultaneously promoting its trivialization and “normalizing” the history of the Third Reich in contemporary culture. No registration is required for this FREE virtual program. For more information, visit quickcenter.com or call (203) 254-4010.

THURSDAY, APRIL 1

Short Story Coffee Break: author Etgar Keret
A Zoom discussion of flash fiction and short stories by the renowned Israeli writer Etgar Keret. Hosted by Congregation Beth Israel, April 1 at 11 a.m. To register and receive a copy of the next short story and a link to the Zoom discussion, email kbeyard@cbict.org.

THURSDAY, APRIL 8

Short Story Coffee Break: A Scrap of Time
A Zoom discussion of short stories from A Scrap of Time by Polish-Israeli Holocaust survivor Ida Fink with Rabbi Andi Fliegel. Hosted by Congregation Beth Israel, April 1 at 11 a.m. To register and receive a copy of the next short story and a link to the Zoom discussion, email kbeyard@cbict.org.

FRIDAY, APRIL 9

Organ Sounds Concert Series
Organist Scott Lamlein, director of music for St. John’s Episcopal Church in West Hartford, will perform, April 9 at 6:30 p.m. Program will be announced. For more information or to register, visit cbict.org/calendar.

FRIDAY, APRIL 10

The Tribe/Super Tribe Havdalah
Havdalah followed by a meet and greet for both of Tribe groups, ranging in age from 20-50. Hosted online by Congregation Beth Israel on March 13, 6:30 p.m. For more information: email Tracy Taback at tracytaback@gmail.com.

SUNDAY, APRIL 11

Seeking Refuge: Shanghai & Beyond
The 4th Annual Henny Simon Remembrance: “Seeking Refuge: Shanghai & Beyond” featuring guest speakers Laurence Tribe, Carl M. Loeb Professor of Constitutional Law Emeritus at Harvard Law School, and teacher Helen Elperina. This program will explore the desperate search for refuge from persecution and impending death faced by Jews during the Holocaust through the experiences of Ludwig Rosenbaum z”l (father of Henny Simon), Prof.Tribe and Helen Elperina, whose stories converge in 1941. Hosted by Eastern CT chapter of Hadassah, the presentation will be held April 11 at 2 p.m. For more information and to receive the Zoom link to the program, contact Karen Bloustine at bloustinek@gmail.com.

TUESDAY, APRIL 13

The Rise & Destruction of the Jewish Fashion Industry, Berlin 1836-1939
The Joan and Henry Katz Lecture in Judaic Studies: “The Rise and Destruction of the Jewish Fashion Industry, Berlin 1836 – 1939,” with guest lecturer Uwe Westphal, journalist, and author of Fashion Metropolis Berlin (2019), to be held March 16 at 7:30 p.m. This FREE webinar is co-sponsored by the Bennett Center for Judaic Studies at Fairfield University. Registration required at fairfield.edu/bennettprograms. For information: bennettcenter@fairfield.edu or (203) 254-4000 x2066.

THURSDAY, APRIL 15

Short Story Coffee Break: The Quiet Americans
A Zoom discussion of short stories from The Quiet Americans, led by Erika Dreifus Learning Center (Virtual) Writer in Residence, to be held April 15, a.m. Hosted by Congregation Beth Israel. To register and receive a copy of the next short story and a link to the Zoom discussion, email kbeyard@cbict.org.

SUNDAY, APRIL 18

Israel Food Tour
A live virtual culinary tour of the foods and culture of Israel on April 18 at 1 p.m. Expert guides immerse you in the history, culture, and people of Israel through unparalleled knowledge and connection to the vendors who make Israeli food come alive. Includes interviews, videos, maps and a Q&A time with a local culinary expert. For more information or to register, visit cbict.org/calendar.

THURSDAY, APRIL 22

“Hava Nagila” – Film Screening and Discussion
A screening and discussion of the award-winning documentary “Hava Nagila” on April 22 at 7 p.m. Follow the story of this infectious party song from the shtetls of Eastern Europe and Ukraine to the Catskills to Greenwich Village to Hollywood in this hilarious and surprisingly deep film. Featuring interviews with Harry Belafonte, Connie Francis, Glen Campbell, Leonard Nimoy, Regina Spektor and more.For more information or to register, visit cbict.org/calendar.

MONDAY, APRIL 26

State of Play: The Political Future of the American Jewish Community
David Axelrod, American political consultant and strategist; CNN senior political commentator; former chief strategist and senior advisor to President Obama, will discuss the political future of the American Jewish community at a FREE seminar to be held on Zoom, April 26 at 7:30 p.m. Axelrod’s talk is co-sponsored by the Bennett Center for Judaic Studies at Fairfield University. Registration required at fairfield.edu/bennettprograms. For information: bennettcenter@fairfield.edu or (203) 254-4000 x2066.