AIPAC Minnesota Annual Event ($50)
May 3 @ 6-8 p.m.
Every year, AIPAC has an event where they bring in a renowned speaker to address the local community. This year’s speaker is none other than Mosab Hassan Yousef, author of the acclaimed book Son of Hamas. If you haven’t heard his unique story (or even if you have) this is not an opportunity to be missed.
May 6 @ 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
Come join Mayim Rabim for a vegetarian/dairy potluck in the park. Lag B’Omer is the halfway point in the counting of the Omer (the 50 days between Pesach and Shavuot) and is traditionally a time to celebrate, enjoy each others’ company, and of course… EAT! Bring a dish and join in the fun.
Good Deeds Day Celebration with PJ Library, JFCS NextGen, & Moishe House (Free)
May 6 @ 2-4 p.m.
Join PJ Cares, PJ Library Minneapolis, PJ Library St. Paul, Moishe House Twin Cities, and JFCS NextGen for a celebration of Good Deeds Day, a global day of volunteering. Check out the new JFCS building (5905 Golden Valley Rd in Golden Valley), grab your free Good Deeds Day tee shirt, and jump into the action for an afternoon of family-friendly mini-service projects. Young adult volunteers will lead project stations and help guide PJ families through completing a “passport” of activities focused on the environment, animals, feeding the hungry, and giving back to the local and global communities.
Interfaith Luncheon: A Continuing Conversation on Mental Health ($8)
May 7 @ 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m.
Earlier this year, the first of this ongoing series of interfaith discussions about Mental Health was begun. On May 7th, the conversation continues at Plymouth Congregational Church – 1900 Nicollet Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55403. The discussion will include some role playing presentations conducted by Minnesota’s nationally recognized Crisis Intervention Training team. Additionally, the exhibit To Really See, a traveling exhibit challenging stigma around mental illness and the medication-taking experience, will be on display during the Luncheon. The exhibit was curated by Jes Reyes, Coordinator of Avivo’s ArtWorks program, and co-organized by Dr. Paul Ranelli, Professor of Social Pharmacy at the U of M.
May 8 @ 4-6 p.m.
It has been a long time coming, but it finally time to celebrate JFCS’s new digs (5905 Golden Valley Rd)! Come join for some drinks, some snacks, and some appreciation for all the great work JFCS does.
Stories from Poriya Hospital (Free)
May 10 @ 5-9 p.m.
Presented by the Jewish Federation of Greater St. Paul and Sovev Kinneret Partnership 2Gether, this is an opportunity to learn about how wounded Syrians are treated at Poriya Hospital with Israeli government funds, and transported back to the border by the IDF when they have recovered. This story is about the emotional, ethical and human toll taken next door to an unfolding humanitarian disaster.
Trying to Do the Right Thing in the Peace Corps in Fiji (Free)
May 11 @ 7:30-9 p.m.
Come join Or Emet at the Sabes JCC as they host Rob Rossi for a discussion about his experience as a 22-year-old chemistry teacher with the Peace Corps in the Fiji Islands in 1993, at a time when the country was in political turmoil. It was a formative experience in his life, though not only in the ways he’d anticipated. Sometimes it is really hard to do good!
Honeymoon Israel Informational Session – MPLS (Free)
May 14 @ 6-7:30 p.m.
Last month’s freak winter storms got the first informational session canceled, so we have back to back info sessions instead this month. The first session will be at LynLake Brewery and the first rounds are on us. Come see what all the fuss is about and get your HMI questions answered. Be sure to register in advance!
Honeymoon Israel Informational Session – STP (Free)
May 15 @ 6-7:30 p.m.
As was noted above, this will be the second informational session, this time at Bad Weather Brewing in Saint Paul. Just like the Monday night event, first couple of rounds are on us. Come see what all the fuss is about and get your HMI questions answered. Be sure to register in advance!
Temple Israel Annual Benefit: Voices: Ideas for Our Time (Varies)
May 15 @ 7-9 p.m.
Please join the Temple Israel gang for their 16th Annual Voices Benefit, this year featuring Ari Fleischer and David Axelrod. This is an amazing event every year, and this one is likely to be better than ever!
St. Paul Shavuot Young Adult Get-Together (Free)
May 17 @ 6:30 -8:30 p.m.
Tal Dror’s favorite holiday (besides all the other ones) is Shavuot, and she is hoping that you’ll join her for a Pre-Shavuot hangout session, complete with wine, cheese, and flower crowns. We’ll be having the event in the fields by the St. Paul Talmud Torah. Of course, this event is open to all, even those folks from Saint Paul’s favorite suburb (MPLS).
JFCS NextGen Dementia Friends Session (Free)
May 17 @ 7-8:30 p.m.
What is a Dementia Friends Info Session? Dementia Friends is a global movement that is changing the way people think, act, and talk about dementia. By helping everyone in a community understand what dementia is and how it affects people, each of us can make a difference for people touched by dementia. Join JFCS NextGen for a Dementia Friends Information Session, led by and for young adults ages 21-36.
May 18 @ 6:30-9 p.m.
Come as you are. Come when you can. Join Makom in Jordan Pollack’s community room and get to know Hazzan Joanna Dulkin who will join in our musical davening and dinner. Jewish, not Jewish, just exploring? Be part of sharing Shabbat with us and pop over when you can. Bring a dairy or vegetarian dish according to your last name: A-H: there’s alawys room for dessert; I-Q: appetizer; R-Z: main course.
Shavuot with Moishe House (Free)
May 20 @ 2 p.m.
Shavuot is the holiday of learning! Many people spend the whole day and night studying Torah. Moishe House will be asking our community members to teach small TEDtalk-style classes on a special skill or talent that they have! If you have a skill or talent that you would like to teach others how to do, please reach out to us! For everyone else – come ready to learn!
Lakeside Beach Day with Moishe House (Free)
May 31 @ TBD
Spring is finally here! Join us for a fun evening by the lake! We will have blankets to sit on, and lawn games to play! If you have any outdoor games, please bring them to share. We will find a place on Thomas Beach, which is on the southern part of the lake, with the sand volleyball courts.
