Boston Workers Circle

Yiddish Reading Group
2024-03-29 10:30 - 12:00, 2024-04-05 10:30 - 12:00, 2024-04-12 10:30 - 12:00, 2024-04-19 10:30 - 12:00, 2024-04-26 10:30 - 12:00, 2024-05-03 10:30 - 12:00, 2024-05-10 10:30 - 12:00, 2024-05-17 10:30 - 12:00 (America/New_York) and 35 more dates | Zoom
Join our Yiddish Reading Group! We meet weekly (mostly) to read fiction in Yiddish. Group members select the readings which are usually short stories or novellas. Discussion is in English. Anyone who has taken an intermediate or advanced Yiddish class at the Workers’ Circle or has similar proficiency should be able to manage well in the group.
If you would like more information about the group, including the Zoom link, email yiddishreadinggroup@circleboston.org

Crafty Brunch at BWC!
2024-03-31 11:00 - 13:00 | Boston Workers Circle: Center for Jewish Culture & Social Justice, 6 Webster St, Brookline, MA 02446, USA
Join BWC’s Young Adult Community for a cozy brunch with crafting, music, and food! Come for a workshop or to freestyle, or just to hang out as we celebrate our Gragger team.
Register Here.

IPC Study Group
2024-04-03 18:00 - 19:30, 2024-05-01 18:00 - 19:30, 2024-07-03 18:00 - 19:30, 2024-08-07 18:00 - 19:30, 2024-09-04 18:00 - 19:30, 2024-10-09 18:00 - 19:30, 2024-11-06 18:00 - 19:30, 2024-12-04 18:00 - 19:30 and 1 more date | Zoom
The IPC Study Group is a subcommittee of the Israel/Palestine Committee (IPC) which meets on Zoom the first Wednesday of every month at 6pm to discuss books, films, articles, and/or webinars we’re reading and watching together, to deepen our understanding of the history and context of Israel/Palestine.
All are welcome to join us. You can find what we’re currently studying together here, as well as information on what we’ve previously read and watched. Learn more about us here. The IPC Study Group communicates between sessions via google email list. Contact ipc@circleboston.org to let us know you’re coming, for more information, or to join the email list and help us choose what we’re going to learn about together for future sessions!

Storytelling Across Generations
2024-04-05 18:00 - 19:30 | Boston Workers Circle: Center for Jewish Culture & Social Justice, 6 Webster St, Brookline, MA 02446, USA
The Shabes Committee, Teens Acting for Social Change (TASC) and Aging in Community, invite you to an intergenerational storytelling Shabes potluck on April 5th from 6:00 to 7:30 pm at the BWC building.
Our goal is to bring our groups together to create connections within the BWC community and to break down generational barriers. We ask that you bring a dish that has a story or personal significance that you can share with the group. Also, in advance of the event, think about one question you have for participants of the other group.
Register Here.

Circle Book Group
2024-04-07 10:15 - 12:15 | HYBRID — Boston Workers Circle: Center for Jewish Culture & Social Justice, 6 Webster St, Brookline, MA 02446, USA
Note on Start Times: The Book Group begins at 10:15am for in-person at the BWC Building and 10:30 for folks attending on Zoom.This is an open group that welcomes all readers interested in expanding their understanding of the wide variety of Jewish experiences throughout history and across the world. The Zoom information for this meeting will be shared closer to the event via email. To make sure you’re on the Book Group email list, contact the Circle Book Group committee co-chairs at bookgroup@circleboston.org Click here to learn more, see our current book of the month, and view books we’ve read in the past. To make a donation for the Book Group, visit this page.
This month we are reading: The Golem of Brooklyn by Adam Mansbach

Shule Session 19
2024-04-07 10:30 - 12:30

TASC Session #12
2024-04-07 10:30 - 12:30

Zayen Presentations
2024-04-07 10:45 - 12:15
Come hear the Zayen class present their projects on zoom in this hybrid event celebrating the learning of our Zayen class. Please RSVP to get the link. Open to BWC members and Shule families.
RSVP Here.

Kumzits: Adult Shule Book club
2024-04-07 10:45 - 12:15 | Shule Kumzits Room
“The Golem of Brooklyn” Adam Mansbach
Shule parents meet to talk about the Circle Book Group book of the month at a satellite in-person meet-up at Shule. See Shule e-mail for details.
Book Description:In Ashkenazi Jewish folklore, a golem is a humanoid being created out of mud or clay and animated through secret prayers. Its sole purpose is to defend the Jewish people against the immediate threat of violence. It is always a rabbi who makes a golem, and always in a time of crisis.
But Len Bronstein is no rabbi—he’s a Brooklyn art teacher who steals a large quantity of clay from his school, gets extremely stoned, and manages to bring his creation to life despite knowing little about Judaism and even less about golems. Unable to communicate with his nine-foot-six, four hundred-pound, Yiddish-speaking guest, Len enlists a bodega clerk and ex-Hasid named Miri Apfelbaum to translate.
Eventually, The Golem learns English by binge-watching Curb Your Enthusiasm after ingesting a massive amount of LSD and reveals that he is a creature with an ancestral memory; he recalls every previous iteration of himself, making The Golem a repository of Jewish history and trauma. He demands to know what crisis has prompted his re-creation and whom must he destroy. When Miri shows him a video of white nationalists marching and chanting “Jews will not replace us,” the answer becomes clear.
The Golem of Brooklyn is an epic romp through Jewish history and the American present that wrestles with the deepest questions of our humanity—the conflicts between faith and skepticism, tribalism and interdependence, and vengeance and healing.

BWC Board Meeting
2024-04-09 19:00 - 21:00, 2024-05-21 19:00 - 21:00, 2024-07-16 19:00 - 21:00 | Zoom
Members are welcome to attend BWC Board Meetings as non-voting attendees. Please email info@circleboston.org for the Zoom link.

Immigrant Justice Committee Meeting
2024-04-10 18:00 - 18:30, 2024-05-08 18:00 - 18:30, 2024-06-12 18:00 - 18:30, 2024-07-10 18:00 - 18:30, 2024-08-14 18:00 - 18:30, 2024-09-11 18:00 - 18:30, 2024-10-09 18:00 - 18:30 | Zoom
Get Involved To get involved or for more information, join the Immigrant Justice Committee on the second Wednesday of the month on Zoom at 6:00 PM

Join the Zoom here.

Yiddish Vinkl
2024-04-11 19:00 - 20:30, 2024-05-09 19:00 - 20:30, 2024-06-13 19:00 - 20:30, 2024-09-12 19:00 - 20:30, 2024-10-10 19:00 - 20:30 | Zoom
Somerville Vinkl will be held virtually until it’s safe to meet in person again. This is an opportunity for you to sharpen your Yiddish skills in a comfortable and informal setting, whatever your level of Yiddish. All are welcome.
Somerville Vinkl is the second Thursday of every month, from 7:00-8:30 PM. For questions contact yiddish@circleboston.org.
Register Here.

Harvard Natural History Museum Trip in Yiddish
2024-04-14 10:30 - 12:30 | The Harvard Museum of Natural History, 26 Oxford St, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
Join fellow Yiddish speakers and students for shmues un shpatsir (chat and stroll) in the Harvard Museum of Natural History. We’ll walk through the galleries and talk informally in Yiddish about what we see. We welcome all levels of Yiddish, from beginners to fluent speakers.
Admission to the Harvard Museum of Natural History is free on Sunday morning for Massachusetts residents–just bring an ID/proof of residency!
Register Here.

Anti-Racism Study Group
2024-04-15 19:15 - 20:30, 2024-05-20 19:15 - 20:30, 2024-06-17 19:15 - 20:30, 2024-07-15 19:15 - 20:30, 2024-08-19 19:15 - 20:30 | Zoom
The BWC Anti-racism Study Group meets for 90 minutes every month and currently has a schedule of the third Monday of each month at 7:15
The focus is on reading books, and learning through reading and discussion. The booklist is divided into three, somewhat overlapping sections: History, Black Experience and Working on White supremacy, White privilege, and ourselves; Reparations, activism.
We would love to have more people joining us! Members attest to the ever deeper and richer understanding of the struggle for racial equity and justice that has come out of being a part of this group. New insights and understandings come from every book we’ve read. To be added to the email list and for the meeting Zoom link, please email antiracismstudygroup@circleboston.org.
You can find the book list here and the schedule here.

Passover Flash Mob Chorus
2024-04-17 15:00 - 17:00 | Downtown Boston – Exact Locations Provided at Rehearsals
We’ve adapted lyrics to a familiar song to call for immediate humanitarian aid to Palestinians and to say: There is a growing American Jewish voice that believes the current rightwing Israeli government is an obstacle to peace, security, and human rights for both Palestinians and Jews. Through making beautiful music, we aim to reach both hearts and minds.
Register Here.

Yiddish Committee Meeting
2024-04-18 19:30 - 20:30, 2024-07-18 19:30 - 20:30, 2024-10-17 19:30 - 20:30 | Zoom
Registration link

BWC Community Seder
2024-04-20 16:30 - 18:30 | Hellenic Cultural Center, 25 Bigelow Ave, Watertown, MA 02472, USA
Boston Workers Circle is hosting our annual seder this year on April 20 at 4:30 pm ET. We’ll be gathering in person at the Hellenic Cultural Center and on Zoom for a wonderful program rooted in our love of Jewish Diaspora culture and social justice. Come for wonderful music, resonant ritual, and warm community as we celebrate Passover together. We have suggested ticket prices, but as with all BWC events, no one is turned away for lack of funds, and we welcome folks to purchase tickets at an amount that meets their needs.
Learn more and register here

Aging Outside the Box
2024-04-23 17:30 - 19:00, 2024-05-28 17:30 - 19:00, 2024-06-25 17:30 - 19:00, 2024-07-23 17:30 - 19:00 | Zoom
A monthly discussion/support group for folks 60 and over who don’t have children and/or grandchildren

Please email AIC@circleboston.org to be put in touch with the Aging Outside the Box coordinator.

Jewish Muslim Solidarity Committee Meeting
2024-04-24 19:15 - 20:45, 2024-05-22 19:00 - 20:30, 2024-06-26 19:00 - 20:30, 2024-08-28 19:00 - 20:30, 2024-09-25 19:00 - 20:30, 2024-10-30 19:00 - 20:30, 2024-11-27 19:00 - 20:30, 2024-12-25 19:00 - 20:30 and 1 more date | Zoom
The Jewish Muslim Solidarity Committee (JMS) works to build and strengthen constructive, mutually supportive relations between Jews and Muslims in Greater Boston. It is especially focused on Muslims’ and Jews’ mutual interest in continuing to learn about and engage with one another, including on difficult issues, all the while recognizing our common interest in opposing all manifestations of Islamophobia and antisemitism, by standing together in the face of any form of ethnic harassment. The JMSC engages in political action, community education, and cooperative efforts with Boston area Muslims and Jews to foster its goal of deepening Jewish-Muslim understanding and solidarity. Our work is based on our belief that human rights are universal and human communities and individuals share the same rights and responsibilities toward one another.
To find out more about the meeting and get the zoom link, please email jms@circleboston.org

BoFIPA Meeting
2024-04-25 18:45 - 20:30 | HYBRID – Boston Workers Circle: Center for Jewish Culture & Social Justice, 6 Webster St, Brookline, MA 02446, USA
Meeting of the BoFIPA (Boston Friends of Israeli Palestinian Alliances) sub-committtee. BoFIPA supports Israeli/Palestinian alliances working for equality and peace.

Yiddish Sing
2024-04-25 19:00 - 20:30, 2024-05-23 19:00 - 20:30, 2024-06-27 19:00 - 20:30, 2024-07-25 19:00 - 20:30 | Zoom
Drop in for this free informal monthly gathering to sing Yiddish songs! All are welcome, regardless of singing ability or knowledge of Yiddish.
Virtual Yiddish Sing – The song booklet will be provided to registrants day of the event. Participants can request songs from the booklet and listen and sing along with their mics muted.
REGISTRATION REQUIRED. Please register here before the event.

Shule Session 20
2024-04-28 10:30 - 12:30

TASC Session #13
2024-04-28 10:30 - 12:30

Circle Playtime
2024-04-28 10:45 - 12:15, 2024-05-05 10:45 - 12:15
Circle Playtime is a free playgroup for families with children ages 2-5 years old. Each session includes fun age-appropriate activities, filled with music-making and storytelling related to a Jewish or social justice holiday. It is followed by open play at the nearby playground.
RSVP HERE.

Zayen Class Parent Planning Meeting
2024-04-28 10:45 - 12:15, 2024-05-05 10:45 - 12:15
Zayen class parents meet monthly to plan the B’nai Mitzvah ceremony in June

Faces of Oppression; Faces of Liberation
2024-04-29 19:00 - 20:30, 2024-05-06 19:00 - 20:30, 2024-05-13 19:00 - 20:30, 2024-05-20 19:00 - 20:30
Faces of Oppression; Faces of Liberation: Untangling the Intersections of Antisemitism, White Supremacy, and Transphobia
In this four-part course, teachers Andy Izenson and Heron Greenesmith will expose the faces of oppression impacting our communities: particularly antisemitism, transphobia, and white supremacy. Participants will begin with using their existing understanding and analysis of systems of oppression to enter into an analysis of transphobia. The group will deepen its understanding of gender, power, and violence through lenses both somatic and deeply practical. Ranging from kabbalistic understandings of the gendered body to the landscape of anti-trans feminist activism, this class will bring together a variety of frameworks to paint a comprehensive picture of how our oppressions are interrelated and how our liberation must be as well.
Register Here.

The Jewish Left
2024-05-03 09:00 - 16:00 | Boston University, Commonwealth Ave, Boston, MA 02215, USA
Amid dark days, many have found courage in the rise of a brave new generation of activists reaffirming an old truth: none of us are free until all of us are free. Join Boston University’s CURA: Institute on Culture, Religion, and World Affairs on May 3rd for our inaugural symposium on the Jewish left, showcasing an intergenerational and intersectional movement raising their voices for a ceasefire in Gaza, equal rights for all humans, and rejecting any conflation of anti-semitism and anti-Zionism.
Register Here.

Wake up the Earth with BWC
2024-05-04

Mayday! May Day! Songs of Hope in Times of Struggle
2024-05-04 19:30 - 21:30 | Eliot Church of Newton UCC, 474 Centre St, Newton, MA 02458, USA
Mayday! May Day! Songs of Hope in Times of StruggleA Besere Velt Yiddish Chorus of Boston Workers CircleFeaturing: Judy Bressler and Hankus NetskyDerek David, Music Director
In-Person & Livestreamed
The world is in distress and sending urgent calls for help! On May 4th we invite you to lift your spirits with the power of music.
A Besere Velt, the vibrant intergenerational Yiddish Chorus of Boston Workers Circle, is excited to announce a spring concert featuring two of the most significant performers of Yiddish music, Judy Bressler and Hankus Netsky. They are founding members of the internationally renowned Klezmer Conservatory Band and leaders in the klezmer music revival.
Join the Host Committee!
Tickets Available Here
Judy Bressler, a third generation performer and vocalist, is one of the most renowned interpreters of Yiddish song in our time, featured on all 10 Klezmer Conservatory Band CDs and was seen in the PBS documentary A Jumpin’ Night In The Garden Of Eden. Being part of Itzhak Perlman’s In The Fiddler’s House tours since 1996, she has performed at Carnegie Hall, Radio City Music Hall, the Hollywood Bowl, San Francisco Symphony Hall and Boston Symphony Hall.
Hankus Netsky, a multi-instrumentalist, composer, and ethnomusicologist, is co-chair of New England Conservatory’s Contemporary Improvisation Department and director of the Klezmer Conservatory Band. He has composed extensively for film, theater, and television and collaborated on major creative projects with Itzhak Perlman, Robin Williams, Joel Grey, Theodore Bikel, and Robert Brustein.
Derek David has been Music Director of A Besere Velt since 2018. An accomplished composer, conductor, and music educator, Derek’s music has been performed in Europe and throughout the United States. With degrees from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and the New England Conservatory, he is currently Lecturer in Music at The Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Shule Session 21
2024-05-05 10:30 - 12:30

Circle Book Group
2024-05-05 10:30 - 12:30 | Zoom
This is an open group that welcomes all readers interested in expanding their understanding of the wide variety of Jewish experiences throughout history and across the world. The Zoom information for this meeting will be shared closer to the event via email. To make sure you’re on the Book Group email list, contact the Circle Book Group committee co-chairs at bookgroup@circleboston.org Click here to learn more, see our current book of the month, and view books we’ve read in the past. To make a donation for the Book Group, visit this page.

Lasting Peace: What will it take?
2024-05-08 19:30 - 21:00 | Zoom
Register Here.It is six months since October 7th, and our hearts are still breaking. How can the recognition of our joint humanity help move the world forward to a resolution of the tragedy taking place in Gaza and Israel?
Please join us for a webinar with leading thinkers and activists on the crisis in the Middle East. This event has been developed through a collaboration between the Islamic Council of New England and the Jewish Muslim Solidarity Committee of the Boston Workers Circle.
Participants:Opening Reflection Rabbi Aryeh Cohen, PhD, Professor of Rabbinic Literature, Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies.
Moderator: Eman Khadra Ansari, M.D., Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School; PICU committee, Palestinian Children’s Relief Fund
Panelists:Susan M. Akram, Clinical Professor & Director, International Human Rights Clinic, Boston University School of Law Leila Farsakh, Professor of Political Science, University of Massachusetts BostonGregory Khalil, Co-founder & President, Telos; Adjunct Professor, Columbia University Graduate School of JournalismJon A. Levisohn, Jack, Joseph, and Morton Mandel Assoc. Professor of Jewish Educational Thought, Brandeis UniversityNadav Weiman, Deputy Director, Breaking the SilenceSpeaker Bios
Rabbi Aryeh Cohen, PhD
Rabbi Aryeh Cohen, PhD is Professor of Rabbinic Literature and a former chair of the Rabbinics Department in the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies. Cohen’s research is on the border of scholarship and activism. His latest book, Justice in the City: An Argument from the Sources of Rabbinic Judaism, emerges from rabbinic literature and contemporary philosophy to engage concerns of the city: restorative justice, labor, houseleness.
Dr. Cohen is a co-convener of the Black Jewish JusticeAlliance (BJJA) and a member of Clergy for Black Lives. With Clergy for Black Lives, he co-organized one of the largest memorial demonstrations in Downtown Los Angeles after the murder of George Floyd. Dr. Cohen is a commissioner of the Los Angeles City Ethics Commission, and an advisor to the Los Angeles County District Attorney as a member of the DA’s Interfaith Advisory Board. Dr. Cohen is the president of the Society of Jewish Ethics, and past co-chair of the board of CLUE (Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice).
Eman Khadra Ansari, M.D. Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School
Eman Ansari is a Palestinian-American pediatric pulmonary and critical care physician, a practicing pediatric emergency physician at Boston Children’s Hospital (BCH), and an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School. She is the head of the PICU committee at PCRF and has been active in the space of health and humanitarian aid to Palestine. She’s a mother of four and lives with her husband and children in Newton, MA.
Susan M. Akram Clinical Professor and Director, International Human Rights Clinic, Boston University School of Law
Professor Susan Akram is a graduate of the University of Michigan (BA), Georgetown University School of Law (JD), Oxford University (MsT), and the Institut International des Droits del’Homme (Diplome). She directs BU Law’s International Human Rights Clinic, in which she supervises students engaged in international advocacy in domestic, international, regional, and UN fora. She teaches or has taught courses in International Human Rights, Refugee and Migration law, US Immigration law and Palestinian Refugees under International Law. She has taught at the American University in Cairo, Egypt, at Al-Quds and Birzeit Universities in Palestine, the Oxford University Refugee Studies Center and the University of Murcia in Spain. She is a double Fulbright Senior Scholar award recipient, to Palestine (1999-2000) and Spain (2021-22). Her research and publications focus on immigration, asylum, refugee, forced migration and human and civil rights issues, with an interest in the Middle East, the Arab, and Muslim world.
Leila Farsakh, Ph.D. Professor of Political Science, University of Massachusetts Boston
New Book: Rethinking Statehood in Palestine
Latest Article: “The Refugee Problem”
Webpage: SelectedWorks – Leila Farsakh
Leila Farsakh is Professor of political science at the University of Massachusetts Boston. She is the editor of Rethinking Statehood in Palestine: Self-Determination and Decolonization Beyond Partition (University of California Press, 2021), and author of Palestinian Labor Migration to Israel: Labour, Land and Occupation, (London: Routledge, second edition, 2012). She has also published widely on the political economy of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and alternative to partition in Israel/Palestine in a wide range of academic journals and non-academic venues. In 2001, she won the Peace and Justice Award from the Cambridge Peace Commission, in Cambridge-Massachusetts.
Gregory Khalil, Co-Founder & President, Telos and Adjunct Professor, Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism
Gregory Khalil is the co-founder and President of Telos, a Washington D.C.-based non-profit that equips American leaders and their communities to better engage seemingly intractable conflict. Much of Telos’ work has centered on the role of faith leaders and culture shapers in America’s relationship to Israel/Palestine and the broader Middle East. Before founding Telos, Greg was a legal and communications adviser to Palestinian leaders on peace negotiations with Israel. Since 2019, Greg has also co-taught a course called “Covering Religion” at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism.
Jon A. Levisohn, Ph.D. Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Associate Professor of Jewish Educational Thought, Brandeis University
Jon A. Levisohn is a philosopher of education, who focuses primarily on Jewish education. He is on the faculty at Brandeis University, where he chairs his department (which encompasses both Jewish and Islamic studies) and directs a research center that focuses on Jewish education. Among his books and articles, he is the editor of the forthcoming book, The Aims of Religious Education: Catholic, Islamic and Jewish Perspective. For about a decade, he has been active in Encounter, which is dedicated to bringing American and Israeli Jews to meet with Palestinians in the West Bank, and to understand more deeply the Israeli-Palestinian reality.
Nadav Weiman, Deputy Director, Breaking the Silence
Nadav Weiman was born and raised in Tel Aviv. During his army service, he served in a sniper’s team in the special forces of the Nahal brigade, where he attained the rank of staff sergeant. He studied Democratic Education. He worked as a high school history and literature teacher and was the legal guardian and counselor for a home for underprivileged teens in Tel Aviv. Nadav first joined Breaking the Silence as a Testifier-Activist in 2012. In 2019 Nadav became Breaking the Silence’s Deputy Director,
Breaking the Silence (BtS) is an organization of former Israeli soldiers, which collects and utilizes testimonies from soldiers who have served in the Occupied Palestinian Territories since 2000. Through testimonies, lectures, and direct-encounter tours, BtS strives to increase opposition to increase opposition to the occupation among audiences in Israel and around the world.

May Day Yiddish Shabes
2024-05-10 18:00 - 20:00 | HYBRID – Boston Workers Circle: Center for Jewish Culture & Social Justice, 6 Webster St, Brookline, MA 02446, USA
Celebrate the May Day workers’ holiday with a special Shabes program conducted in Yiddish. Non-Yiddish speakers are welcome! Written English translations and transliterations will be provided for the readings and the songs.
This event is pay-what-you-can (suggested donation of $5 to $10+). Registration is required.
All registrants (in person and online) will be invited to actively participate, with the option to read aloud from the program. The written program will be provided closer to the date to those who register. Shmoozing will begin at 6pm; the program will begin at 6:15.
The Shabes ceremony will be followed by an optional potluck dinner (and more singing) for those attending in person. If you attend the potluck, please bring food to share (your choice of a main, side, salad, or dessert dish).
If you are attending online, here is a list of ritual items that we invite you to have during the ceremony:

candles
wine or juice
challah

Questions? Contact yiddish@circleboston.org
Register Here.

Mothers' Day Walk for Peace
2024-05-12 08:00 - 10:00 | Town Field, 1565 Dorchester Ave, Boston, MA 02122, USA
We are gathering a BWC team to walk in the 28th annual Mothers’ Day Walk for Peace, sponsored by the Louis D. Brown Peace Institute in Dorchester. The Walk is on Sunday, May 12 (Mothers Day), 8:00 – 10:00 am and will be a 4.3 mile loop, beginning and ending at Town Field Park in Dorchester. This is a family event, and can be a meaningful way to help celebrate Mothers’ Day.
Last year, BWC was represented by about 25 walkers, joining several thousand people from faith organizations, healthcare organizations, and community groups in this spirited collective endeavor. We aim to match last year’s successful fundraising, in which we exceeded our initial $1500 goal to reach $2200 in donations.
The Peace Institute was founded by Dorchester resident Chaplain Clementina Chéry to honor her teenage son Louis D. Brown, who was murdered in the crossfire of street violence. The Walk is the major fundraiser for the Institute, whose mission is to serve as a center of healing, teaching, and learning for families and communities impacted by murder, trauma, grief, and loss.
Register Here.

CfP Joint Memorial Watch Gathering
2024-05-12 13:15 - 15:00 | Boston Workers Circle: Center for Jewish Culture & Social Justice, 6 Webster St, Brookline, MA 02446, USA
Commemorating the Nakba/Israeli War Dead
Join Boston Workers Circle to watch the 19th annual Israeli-Palestinian Memorial Day Ceremony, broadcast live from Israel/Palestine. As described by Combatants for Peace, “the joint memorial event is a unique opportunity for Israelis and Palestinians to grieve together and stand united in demanding an end to the bloodshed. In mourning together, we seek not to equate experiences, but rather transform despair into hope and build compassion around our shared humanity. We remind ourselves and the world that occupation, oppression, and conflict are not inevitable.”

We will watch this moving ceremony together on a large screen, followed by time to share our thoughts and feelings, especially in light of the ongoing tragedy in Gaza. The 1:15pm gathering time makes it perfect for a post Mother’s Day Brunch or pre-Mother’s Day Dinner family activity. This event is appropriate for family members of all ages. Light refreshments provided.

Please register here to watch the Memorial Day Ceremony together on May 12, 1:15-3pm at Boston Workers Circle, 6 Webster Street, Brookline. On Wednesday, May 15, 1pm there will also be a live streamed Nakba Remembrance.
Register Here.

Building a Culture of Repair
2024-05-14 18:30 - 19:30 | Zoom
The Reparations Interfaith Coalition, of which AFREJ/BWC is a core member, is collaborating with the Resource Organizing Project to support Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC)-led grassroots organizing in MA. The UN Report on Reparations calls on us to guarantee non-repetition of racial and economic injustice, and many of these needed changes are being fought for by the grassroots. Join the Reparations Interfaith Coalition (RIC) on May 14, 6:30-7:30pm and hear from organizers engaged in building a socially just and caring world outside the carceral and extractive relations of racial capitalism. We will hear from representatives from the Youth Justice & Power Union, Families for Justice as Healing, and Stories Inspiring Movements.
Learn how you can support their work and participate in the big event this summer, the Celebration of Grassroots Organizing, on June 29th!
Click Here to Register for the May 14th Webinar.
Click here to learn more about or register for the June 29th in-person celebration.

2nd Annual Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream Social
2024-05-14 19:00 - 20:30 | HYBRID – Boston Workers Circle: Center for Jewish Culture & Social Justice, 6 Webster St, Brookline, MA 02446, USA
This is the second annual Ben & Jerry’s Ice cream social, Tuesday May 14 7PM at 6 Webster St in Brookline. Sponsored by the Anti-anti-BDS subcommittee of the Israel-Palestine committee. Our speaker over zoom will be Brian Hauss, ACLU’s principal attorney fighting against anti-BDS laws in states like Texas and Alabama. You can read one of his writings on Common Dreams.
Register Here.

BWC Night at Fenway!
2024-05-15 19:00 - 22:00 | Fenway Park, 4 Jersey St, Boston, MA 02215, USA
Join the Boston Workers Circle for Jewish Heritage Night at Fenway and be sure to arrive early for a special performance of the National Anthem by our own A Besere Velt Yiddish Chorus!
Tickets will include the special Red Sox City Connect Jewish Heritage Jersey.
Seating is limited and available on a first come, first serve basis.
Get tickets here.

Taste of Yiddish: Klezmer Music Class
2024-05-15 19:30 - 21:00, 2024-05-29 19:30 - 21:00, 2024-06-05 19:30 - 21:00 | Boston Workers Circle: Center for Jewish Culture & Social Justice, 6 Webster St, Brookline, MA 02446, USA
Calling all instrumentalists! Want to learn how to play klezmer? Already know some tunes and want to expand your repertoire? Join fiddler Rebecca Mac of Mamaliga for a class in klezmer music. Each class, participants will learn a tune or two by ear, with lots of practice and repetition. In addition to teaching tunes, Rebecca will share information about style and ornamentation in klezmer music. All instrumentalists are welcome. No knowledge of klezmer is required, though basic familiarity and comfort on your instruments is recommended.
This class will meet on three Wednesdays– May 15, and 29 and June 5th–at 7:30 pm-9:00 pm at the Boston Workers Circle building. Participants are also encouraged to join us for an open klezmer jam the following Wednesday, June 12, at 7:30 pm. The jam will also meet at BWC and will be open to all–and it will include the tunes taught in class.
More Info & Registration Info Here

Aging in Community Meeting
2024-05-19 10:30 - 12:00 | Zoom Only
Aging in Community invites you to our May meeting to gather in small groups.Join with this link.

Final Shule Session of the Year
2024-05-19 10:30 - 12:30

TASC Session #14
2024-05-19 10:30 - 12:30

Kumzits Adult Shule: "Beyond Capitalism"
2024-05-19 10:45 - 12:15 | Shule School Cafeteria
Beyond Capitalism: BWC members in the solidarity economy
Mirroring the event that was held by the BWC’s AFREJ Committee in March, this event is a chance to hear from BWC members working on Solidarity Economy projects aimed at bringing about a world of racial and economic justice outside of the extractive relations of racial capitalism.
In this in-person session, we will learn from BWC members about their work in the solidarity economy movement. We will hear from a panel of current and former Shule parents which includes Eliza Parad, Center for Economic Democracy leader in participatory budgeting; Leah Madsen, Equal Exchange and Micha Josephy, Cooperative Fund of the Northeast.

Book Talk with Alice Rothchild
2024-05-19 12:30 - 14:00 | Shule School Cafeteria
Join Shule families after the Shule day for lunch and book talk with long time BWC member and author, Alice Rothchild. Alice will be leading a conversation and kid friendly activities with Shule families about her new book “Old Enough To Know” The story weaves together the history of Palestine, then and now, through the life of young Mohammad, a fourth grader attending a new school in America, and his relationship with his grandmother.
The book is best for kids ages 7-12
There is an option to order lunch in the RSVP form as well as order the book.
RSVP Here.

Gezang varshtat un zingeray mit Adah Hetko
2024-05-19 19:00 - 21:00 | Boston Workers Circle: Center for Jewish Culture & Social Justice, 6 Webster St, Brookline, MA 02446, USA
Lomir zingen tsuzamen af der ershter trefung fun farbreng:boston! Adah Hetko vet onfirn mit a gezang varshtat un lernen a lid-tsvey. Dernokh, veln mir hobn a zingeray un zingen alerley lider tsuzamen. Di program vet forkumen in gantsn af yidish. Ale yidish reders un studentn vos viln farbrengen in a yidish-redndiker svive zaynen hartsik farbetn!
Di program iz a tsuzamenarbet funem bostoner arbeter-ring un farbreng:boston, a yugntruf-proyekt vos shaft gelegnheytn tsu redn un farbrengen af yidish ponem-al-ponem a gants kaylekhdik yor.
Frages? Shrayb farbreng-boston@yugntruf.org
לאָמיר זינגען צוזאַמען אויף דער ערשטער טרעפֿונג פֿון פֿאַרברענג:באָסטאָן! עדה העטקאָ װעט אָנפֿירן מיט אַ געזאַנג װאַרשטאַט און לערנען אַ ליד־צװײ. דערנאָך, װעלן מיר האָבן אַ זינגערײַ און זינגען אַלערלײ לידער צוזאַמען. די פּראָגראַם װעט פֿאָרקומען אין גאַנצן אויף ייִדיש. אַלע ייִדיש רעדערס און סטודענטן װאָס װילן פֿאַרברענגען אין אַ ייִדיש־רעדנדיקער סבֿיבֿה זײַנען האַרציק פֿאַרבעטן!
די פּראָגראַם איז אַ צוזאַמענאַרבעט פֿונעם באָסטאָנער אַרבעטער־רינג און פֿאַרברענג:באָסטאָן, אַ יוגנטרוף־פּראָיעקט װאָס שאַפֿט געלעגנהײטן צו רעדן און פֿאַרברענגען אויף ייִדיש פּנים־אל־פּנים אַ גאַנץ קײַלעכדיק יאָר.
פֿראַגעס? שרײַב farbreng-boston@yugntruf.orgRegister Here

Zayen Class Rehearsal for the B’nai Mitzvah
2024-05-22 19:00 - 21:00
Zayen students practice a run-through of the B’nai Mitzvah, parents meet to review outstanding items on B’nai Mitzvah planning and also rehearse the parent led portions of the ceremony.

Alice Rothchild Talk on Gaza War
2024-05-23 18:00 - 21:00 | HYBRID – Boston Workers Circle: Center for Jewish Culture & Social Justice, 6 Webster St, Brookline, MA 02446, USA
Alice Rothchild will report on the consequences of the Gaza war on health and human rights conditions. She has visited Gaza four times, the last in August 2023. Her talk will include background on conditions in the Strip prior to the Hamas attack and Israeli bombing campaign and then a detailed description of the status of the health care system and personnel, patients, destruction of homes, universities, etc etc, hostages, status of the ICJ re: accusation of genocide by South Africa, the work of We Are Not Numbers, and whatever developments occur between now and then. She will end the presentation with thoughts on what we can do. Boxed Meals from Aceituna at 6; Hybrid program begins at 7.
Register here.

Brookline Peace Coalition Standout For Peace
2024-05-30 18:00 - 19:00 | Brookline High School
Support Brookline Town Meeting vote on a resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza at a community rally before the meeting.
More info: Brookline Peace Coalition

B'nai Mitzvah
2024-06-01

Circle Book Group
2024-06-02 10:15 - 12:15 | HYBRID — Boston Workers Circle: Center for Jewish Culture & Social Justice, 6 Webster St, Brookline, MA 02446, USA
Note on Start Times: The Book Group begins at 10:15am for in-person at the BWC Building and 10:30 for folks attending on Zoom.This is an open group that welcomes all readers interested in expanding their understanding of the wide variety of Jewish experiences throughout history and across the world. The Zoom information for this meeting will be shared closer to the event via email. To make sure you’re on the Book Group email list, contact the Circle Book Group committee co-chairs at bookgroup@circleboston.org Click here to learn more, see our current book of the month, and view books we’ve read in the past. To make a donation for the Book Group, visit this page.
This month we are reading The Japanese Lover by Isabel Allende.

All Shule Picnic & Park Play
2024-06-02 10:30 - 12:30

TASC Session #15
2024-06-02 10:30 - 12:30

Melissa welcome lunch! (Skylight)
2024-06-03 12:00 - 13:00

Anyuka: A Bisl Film Screening & Art Workshop
2024-06-06 19:00 - 20:30 | Boston Workers Circle: Center for Jewish Culture & Social Justice, 6 Webster St, Brookline, MA 02446, USA
In this member to member learning session, BWC member, award-winning filmmaker, animator and educator; Maya Erdelyi will explore how art can help us make sense of the family stories that were passed down to us. Maya will share her 20 minute film, Anyuka (Hungarian for mother). Anyuka interweaves super 8 family films, archival material and experimental animation to explore the indomitable life of her grandmother, a WWII refugee and Holocaust survivor. The film will be followed by a question and answer with Maya and then an opportunity to create a visual response to a family story of your own.
What is in your family history? And what are the stories that you heard again and again? What do you want to pass down to the next generation?
Attendees are invited to bring an artifact from their own ancestors as inspiration for the workshop component but this is not required.
Suggested donations of $10-$15 are invited at the door.
RSVP here.

Neighborhood Shabes
2024-06-07 18:30 - 20:30 | Various Locations (In Person)
The Shabes Committee invites you to join us for a relaxing evening of schmoozing and sharing a Shabes ritual and potluck dinner. We will be gathering in different areas of the city and you may choose which location is most convenient for you via the registration form. Options are: Medford, Jamaica Plain and Brookline. All are welcome including long term members and newcomers.Registration closes Thursday, 5pm.
Registration is now closed.

Israel-Palestine Committee Meeting
2024-06-11 19:00 - 20:30 | Zoom

Wrestling with Covenant: Shavuot Learning Dedicated to Ceasefire
2024-06-11 21:00 - 23:30 | Boston Workers Circle: Center for Jewish Culture & Social Justice, 6 Webster St, Brookline, MA 02446, USA
Shavuot commemorates the revelation on Mt. Sinai and the covenant that binds the Jewish people to one another, the divine, and our sacred and expansive relationship to Torah. Many communities celebrate Shavuot by spending the night learning. As we move into the eighth month since October 7th, we invite Boston Jews committed to ceasefire to come together and wrestle with Torah and other texts on the themes of covenant and liberation.
This program will be held at Boston Workers Circle (6 Webster St Brookline), in proximity to the Brookline Community tikkun hosted at KI (Kehillath Israel) on Harvard Street. We encourage people to participate in both!
If you have any questions, please reach out to Cynthia at Nehar Shalom (communications@neharshalom.org) who will pass these on to the organizing team.Register Here!

Klezmer Jam
2024-06-12 19:30 - 21:00
Join fiddler Rebecca Mac of Mamaliga who is leading a rousing drop-in klezmer jam session. All levels of instrumentalists are welcome! A range of Klezmer tunes will be covered including the ones taught at the BWC Klezmer class.
Suggested donation of $5-$15 which can be paid at the door or through the registration form.
Register Here.

New Member Happy Hour @ Aeronaut Brewing
2024-06-13 18:00 - 21:00 | Aeronaut, 14 Tyler Street, Somerville, MA 02143
A space for new (or potential!) members of BWC to meet other members of the community! Come grab a beer, a kombucha, and learn about what makes BWC so special.
First 25 to register will receive a free drink ticket!
Register Here!

New Member Happy Hour
2024-06-13 18:00 - 21:00 | Aeronaut Brewing Company, 14 Tyler St, Somerville, MA 02143, USA
Join with Google Meet: https://meet.google.com/jnb-pnfe-kyh
Learn more about Meet at: https://support.google.com/a/users/answer/9282720

BWC Annual Member Meeting
2024-06-18 18:30 - 20:00 | HYBRID – Boston Workers Circle, Brookline, MA, United States
Join us for BWC’s Annual Member Meeting!
Register here.
Not yet a member? Become a member today!

Membership Month Phonebank (hybrid)
2024-06-20 17:30 - 19:30 | skylight
Join Zoom Meetinghttps://us06web.zoom.us/j/8528708724
Meeting ID: 852 870 8724
—
One tap mobile+13017158592,,8528708724# US (Washington DC)+13052241968,,8528708724# US
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Dial by your location• +1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC)• +1 305 224 1968 US• +1 309 205 3325 US• +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)• +1 646 558 8656 US (New York)• +1 646 931 3860 US• +1 360 209 5623 US• +1 386 347 5053 US• +1 507 473 4847 US• +1 564 217 2000 US• +1 669 444 9171 US• +1 689 278 1000 US• +1 719 359 4580 US• +1 720 707 2699 US (Denver)• +1 253 205 0468 US• +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)• +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)
Meeting ID: 852 870 8724
Find your local number: https://us06web.zoom.us/u/kP6Zw7se

The Road to Peace: A Collaborative Jewish-Muslim Discussion
2024-06-20 19:00 - 20:30 | Fireplace South Gallery, Woburn Public Library, 45 Pleasant St, Woburn, MA 01801, USA & Zoom
The Road to Peace event is hosted by Know Your Neighbor Woburn in collaboration with the Islamic Council of New England and Boston Workers Circle. The panel will feature Jewish, Muslim, and Christian thought leaders in a moderated conversation. It takes place Thursday, June 20 at 7:00pm at the Woburn Public Library and on Zoom. Click here for registration or to find out more.

Molly Bajgot Revelry Album Concert
2024-06-23 16:00 - 17:30 | Nehar Shalom Community Synagogue, 6 Eliot St, Jamaica Plain, MA, United States
Join Nehar Shalom, Kavod Boston, and Boston Workers Circle for an evening of new Jewish music and powerful song with Molly Bajgot. Molly will share music from her new first full-length album, Revelry, a collection of original tunes for Jewish liturgy and songs of hope. Molly’s soulful voice and alluring melodies bridge the realms of Jewish, folk, and devotional music. Her orientation to community building and prayer shines through in her musical leadership. Together, we’ll create a sacred and songful space to revel in our aliveness, our grief, our healing, and our work for collective liberation.
Register Here.

Yiddish Reading Group
2024-06-28 10:30 - 12:00 | Zoom
Yiddish Reading Group will not meet in July. Weekly meetings will resume in August.
Join our Yiddish Reading Group! We meet weekly (mostly) to read fiction in Yiddish. Group members select the readings which are usually short stories or novellas. Discussion is in English. Anyone who has taken an intermediate or advanced Yiddish class at the Workers’ Circle or has similar proficiency should be able to manage well in the group.
If you would like more information about the group, including the Zoom link, email yiddishreadinggroup@circleboston.org

IPC Study Group
2024-07-03 18:00 - 19:30 | Zoom
The IPC Study Group is a subcommittee of the Israel/Palestine Committee (IPC) which meets on Zoom the first Wednesday of every month at 6pm to discuss books, films, articles, and/or webinars we’re reading and watching together, to deepen our understanding of the history and context of Israel/Palestine.
All are welcome to join us. You can find what we’re currently studying together here, as well as information on what we’ve previously read and watched. Join us here on Zoom at 6pm The IPC Study Group communicates between sessions via google email list. Contact ipc@circleboston.org to let us know you’re coming, for more information, or to join the email list and help us choose what we’re going to learn about together for future sessions!

Membership Month 2nd Phone Bank (If needed)
2024-07-07 15:00 - 17:00
Join with Google Meet: https://meet.google.com/dqq-zfcj-kbt
Learn more about Meet at: https://support.google.com/a/users/answer/9282720

World Fellowship Weekend
2024-07-12 - 2024-07-14 | World Fellowship Center, Conway, NH, United States
Join BWC members for an intergenerational member getaway at World Fellowship, a New Hampshire retreat center. Choose from a range of accommodations from tent sites to cabins to rooms upstairs in the main lodge. Families can enjoy childcare, prepared meals, a Friday night talent show, a Saturday night bonfire, and live music. Beautiful Whitten Pond is a 1/4 mile walk through the woods for boating and swimming in a quiet place with wild blueberries and great views. It’s a treasure! Spend a weekend taking local adventures all in the comfort of a center whose tagline is wake up where Social Justice meets Nature.
Make your reservation on the retreat center’s website and note you are part of the BWC group.
If you have any questions contact Shule parent, Leah Madsen at leahmadsen@gmail.com or 617-792-7529.

Membership Month Potluck Shabes
2024-07-19 18:00 - 20:30 | Boston Workers Circle, Brookline, MA, United States
Join BWC members, new and longtime, for a shabes potluck dinner at the BWC building. This is a chance to meet some new community members and learn what makes BWC so special.Register Here!

CANCELED: Jewish Muslim Solidarity Committee Meeting
2024-07-24 19:00 - 20:30 | Zoom

Membership Phone/Textbank Bank Pt 2! (Zoom)
2024-08-01 18:00 - 19:00
Join Zoom Meetinghttps://us06web.zoom.us/j/83953423018?pwd=[REDACTED]
Meeting ID: 839 5342 3018Passcode: [REDACTED]
—
One tap mobile+13092053325,,83953423018#,,,,*[REDACTED]# US+13126266799,,83953423018#,,,,*[REDACTED]# US (Chicago)
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Dial by your location• +1 309 205 3325 US• +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)• +1 646 558 8656 US (New York)• +1 646 931 3860 US• +1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC)• +1 305 224 1968 US• +1 689 278 1000 US• +1 719 359 4580 US• +1 720 707 2699 US (Denver)• +1 253 205 0468 US• +1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)• +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)• +1 360 209 5623 US• +1 386 347 5053 US• +1 507 473 4847 US• +1 564 217 2000 US• +1 669 444 9171 US
Meeting ID: 839 5342 3018Passcode: [REDACTED]
Find your local number: https://us06web.zoom.us/u/kbTE5H3Xs7
Join with Google Meet: https://meet.google.com/yyc-wqir-dsf
Learn more about Meet at: https://support.google.com/a/users/answer/9282720

CANCELED: Yiddish Vinkl
2024-08-08 19:00 - 20:30 | Zoom
Somerville Vinkl will be held virtually until it’s safe to meet in person again. This is an opportunity for you to sharpen your Yiddish skills in a comfortable and informal setting, whatever your level of Yiddish. All are welcome.
Somerville Vinkl is the second Thursday of every month, from 7:00-8:30 PM. For questions contact yiddish@circleboston.org.

פֿאַרברענג:באָסטאָן ″פּאָטלאָק″-בראָנטש (Farbreng:boston "potlok" brontsh)
2024-08-11 11:00 - 13:00 | Belmont, MA – address will be sent to registrants before the event
זונטיק, דעם 4טן אויגוסט 11:00 אין דער פֿרי. פֿאַרברענגט מיט אַנדערע ייִדיש־רעדערס אויף אַ ″פּאָטלאָק″־בראָנטש בײַ יונהן און עלקען אין בעלמאָנט. די פּראָגראַם װעט פֿאָרקומען אין גאַנצן אויף ייִדיש. אַלע ייִדיש־רעדערס און סטודענטן װאָס װילן פֿאַרברענגען אין אַ ייִדיש־רעדנדיקער סבֿיבֿה זײַנען האַרציק פֿאַרבעטן
זײַט אַזוי גוט, און ברענגט אַ מאכל אויפֿן ″פּאָטלאָק.″ אַלץ מוז זײַן װעגעטאַריש
יונה און עלקע װוינען אין בעלמאָנט. מיר װעלן שיקן דעם אַדרעס צו די אַלע אָנטײל נעמערס פֿאַרן בראָנטש. דער בראָנטש װעט פֿאָרקומען אין דרויסן טאָמער איז דער װעטער שײן. טאָמער נישט, װעלן מיר פֿאַרברענגען אינעװײניק. אַז מיר װעלן זײַן אינעװײניק, מוזן אַלע זײַן װאַקצינירט קעגן קאָװיד. אַז איר האָט סימפּטאָמען, בעטן מיר, איר זאָלט נישט קומען
די פּראָגראַם איז אַ צוזאַמענאַרבעט פֿונעם באָסטאָנער אַרבעטער־רינג און פֿאַרברענג:באָסטאָן, אַ יוגנטרוף־פּראָיעקט װאָס שאַפֿט געלעגנהײטן צו רעדן און פֿאַרברענגען אויף ייִדיש פּנים־אל־פּנים אַ גאַנץ קײַלעכדיק יאָר
Zuntik, dem 4tn oygust, 11:00 in der fri. Farbrengt mit andere yidish-reders af a “potlok”-brontsh by Yoynen un Elken in Belmont. Di program vet forkumen in gantsn af yidish. Ale yidish-reders un studentn vos viln farbrengen in a yidish-redndiker svive zaynen hartsik farbetn
Zayt azoy gut, un brengt a maykhl afn “potlok.” Alts muz zayn vegetarish
Yoyne un Elke voynen in Belmont. Mir veln shikn dem adres tsu ale onteyl nemers farn brontsh. Der brontsh vet forkumen in droysn tomer iz der veter sheyn. Tomer nisht, veln mir farbrengen ineveynik. Az mir veln farbrengen ineveynik, muzn ale zayn vaktsinirt kegn kovid. Az ir hot simptomen, betn mir, ir zolt nisht kumen
Di program iz a tsuzamenarbet funem bostoner arbeter-ring un farbreng:boston, a yugntruf-proyekt vos shaft gelegnheytn tsu redn un farbrengen af yidish ponem-al-ponem a gants kaylekhdik yorRegister Here

Boston Says: Not Another Bomb
2024-08-18 16:00 - 19:00 | TBD – Registrants will receive location details via email.
We know that in order to achieve a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, the U.S. must stop arming Israel’s war and occupation against Palestinians. That’s why we are calling for an immediate embargo on US arms to Israel. Join us in calling on Biden and Harris to do the right thing and end this Administration’s disastrous policy of arming Israel’s war and occupation against Palestinians.
RSVP to our action on Sun 8/18 at 4PM in Boston
The call for a ceasefire and arms embargo is a moral and human imperative, as well as a necessity as dictated by preexisting American and international law. We are witnessing a humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, with a reported >40,000 Palestinians killed, including, a truly staggering amount of children, and public health and infrastructure destruction that will lead to the indirect death of hundreds of thousands Palestinians.
The time is now to act! Register to join our action on Sun 8/18 at 4PM to support the movement for arms embargo. For Gaza, for the lives that are stake, and for freedom for all.

CANCELED: Aging Outside the Box
2024-08-27 17:30 - 19:00 | Zoom

2024 Yiddish / Klezmer Community Potluck & Campfire
2024-09-02 16:30 - 20:00
The BWC Yiddish Committee invites Yiddish speakers and students of all levels, klezmer musicians, and their families/friends to enjoy an outdoor potluck picnic and campfire in Medford. Optional short walk to the nearby Mystic Lakes. Drop by for a short time or stay for the whole event. There will be plenty of opportunities to chat in both Yiddish and English. Musicians are invited to bring instruments.
For the potluck, we welcome snacks, main courses, salads, desserts, drinks (non-alcoholic or beer/wine/mashke welcome). If you know what you’re bringing, let us know on your registration form.
The location address will be shared with you after you register.
Questions about the event? Email yiddish@circleboston.org
Register Here

Di Nest: Yiddish Arts Incubator
2024-09-05 19:30 - 21:00
Di Nest is an incubator for Yiddish-language creative projects! Join us to share and workshop community members’ artistic works in progress. All forms of creativity in Yiddish (or prominently featuring Yiddish) are welcome: poetry, prose, music, visual arts, performing arts, translations into Yiddish, and more.
Di Nest is open to Yiddish speakers and students of all levels. Whether you’re just starting to create in Yiddish or have been doing so for years, you’re welcome to attend! Sessions will be in a mix of Yiddish and English.
Each session will include time to workshop material from several participants; if you have material you would like to workshop, please email Lily at yiddish@circleboston.org. Whether or not you’re bringing material to workshop, you are welcome to attend and offer feedback to fellow participants.
Register here to get the Zoom link.

A Besere Velt Yiddish Chorus Open Rehearsals
2024-09-08 15:00 - 17:00 | Temple Beth Zion, 1566 Beacon St, Brookline, MA, United States
Email ABV@circleboston.org for more information.

Shmuesklas
2024-09-09 19:30 - 20:45, 2024-09-16 19:30 - 20:45, 2024-09-23 19:30 - 20:45 | BWC Building
Class Description: Have you learned the basics of Yiddish but want to improve your speaking skills? Join us for a Yiddish conversation class! We’ll spend each session talking, focusing on practical uses of the language and topics of interest to students. Along the way, we’ll explore grammar and learn new vocabulary. There will be plenty of time to talk in small groups, so everyone can practice speaking in a friendly, low-stress environment.
Level Description: This class is geared towards advanced beginner-intermediate Yiddish learners. Students should be familiar with the past, present, and future tenses. Students are not required to know the alef-beys.
Cost: $30 for all three classes ($10/class) with pre-registrations and $15 per class at the door. The payment can be submitted here ( you will also get the link in the confirmation email). No one will be turned away for lack of funds.
Register here.

Shabes Committee Potluck
2024-09-13 18:30 - 20:30
The Shabes Committee invites you to join us on Friday, September 13 at 6:30 PM at the BWC building. We will be holding an informal Shabes with a potluck dinner and brief ritual to welcome the new season and spend time together. Anyone is welcome to come who is considering joining the Shabes Committee, or helping out with any of the Shabes gatherings that we are planning for this year. Registration required. Register here.
Sign up to bring a potluck dish here.

Circle Book Group
2024-09-15 10:15 - 12:00
This is an open group that welcomes all readers interested in expanding their understanding of the wide variety of Jewish experiences throughout history and across the world.
September’s book is The Lost: A Search for Six of Six Million by Daniel Mendelsohn
The Book Group page lists titles discussed previously. Scroll down to see the list at this link.
To be added to the Book Group listserv or if you have questions or want to attend via Zoom, email BookGroup@circleboston.org.

Shule Session 1 / New Family Orientation
2024-09-15 10:30 - 12:30

TASC
2024-09-15 10:30 - 12:30 | BWC Building
Teens Acting for Social Change (TASC) is back! Through our year-long TASC program, teens ages 13-18 will build community with each other, grow as social justice organizers and activists, engage in the broader Boston social justice community, and deepen their understanding of the connections between being Jewish and acting for social change.
This year TASC will meet for 16 sessions between September-May on Sundays in conjunction with Shule. Final calendar to follow!
Teens Acting for Social Change (TASC) is a group of teens making a difference in our world. TASCers build community, learn about social justice issues, and take action.
Teens run the group with the assistance of an adult coordinator. TASC meets on Sunday mornings during the school year at various Boston locations.
TASC is open to Shule graduates and all interested teens in grades 8-12. Contact the coordinator with any questions: elias@circleboston.org.
REGISTER HERE

Anti-Racism Study Group
2024-09-16 19:15 - 20:30, 2024-10-21 19:15 - 20:30, 2024-11-18 19:15 - 20:30, 2025-02-17 19:15 - 20:30

Adult Ed Course: The Cop in the Head of the Jewish Left: Breaking Out of 19th Century Norms to Organize Our People
2024-09-17 19:00 - 20:30, 2024-09-24 19:00 - 20:30, 2024-10-01 19:00 - 20:30, 2024-10-08 19:00 - 20:30 | Virtual
REGISTER HERE
4 Sessions | September 17, 24, October 1, 8 |Tuesdays 7:00-8:30 pm ET | Virtual
Course Instructor: April Rosenblum, author of The Past Didn’t Go Anywhere and To The New Jewish Left
Course Description: The Jewish Left is contained by invisible walls that prevent us from fully claiming our power and steering our people in a new direction. We aren’t just up against obvious things, like the entanglement of many Jews in privilege and white supremacy, or well-funded Right-wing strategies. We are held in place by limitations dreamed up for us more than a century ago by the European Left.
To rise to all the challenges we face – including the immediate challenge of seeking Palestinian freedom and the imminent challenges to democracy and the earth’s climate – it is essential that we break out of these limits so that we can access our full power and help our people play our strongest, most liberatory role. Over four sessions, we’ll use April’s new MA research, the wisdom of the organizing tradition, analysis of Christian dominance, and participants’ own reflections to make visible what has been holding us back.
This course is for Jewish Leftists who want to strengthen their leadership and critical thinking skills and come out with a bolder sense of Jews’ place in movements and in the world.
All sessions will be recorded and made available to registrants.
Pre-Course Reading: Participants are asked to read or listen to “To the New Jewish Left” (2021)
Course Sessions:

Session #1 on 9/17: Setting the scene in the late 19th century, and grounding ourselves in organizing wisdom
Session #2 on 9/24: Dueling visions for Jews in the first half of the 20th century, and how the expectations of the European Left created the mold for today
Session #3 on 10/1: The creation of an Invisible Jewish Left in the 1960s, and why we don’t question existing theory
Session #4 on 10/8: Building a 21st-century Jewish Left and moving beyond cultures of domination

REGISTER HERE

Electoral Politics and Left Activism
2024-09-19 19:00 - 20:30
Many people feel that the stakes of the 2024 election are higher than perhaps they have ever been before. Much of that concern revolves around Project 2025 and recent Supreme Court decisions that have taken away reproductive rights, challenged climate policy, and have seemed to affirm Trump’s assertions that a “deep state” is undermining democracy and has to be dismantled. Others feel that electoral politics are not terribly relevant to the ongoing work of social justice grassroots organizing. Still others are withholding their votes or voting for third parties because of the ongoing war on Gaza. Join us for a free-ranging discussion on the relation between electoral politics, left activism, and grassroots organizing.
Register for this discussion here.

Aging in Community Beginning of the Season Gathering
2024-09-22 10:30 - 12:00 | Zoom and Offsite Location
Email Dianne at diannp27@comcast.net for additional details.

A Besere Velt Yiddish Chorus Open Rehearsals
2024-09-22 15:00 - 17:30 | Temple Beth Zion, 1566 Beacon St, Brookline, MA, United States
Check out our vibrant 80-member intergenerational community chorus that weaves the heartache and irrepressible idealism of Yiddish music into a vision of justice for the 21st century.
Come sing with us!
We welcome singers of all ages and abilities.
No auditions, you don’t need to know Yiddish, and you don’t have to be Jewish.
For more information about BWC and for samples of ABV performances check out our website here.
Email ABV@circleboston.org for more information.

Outing to Parents Circle Families Forum
2024-09-25 18:45 - 20:30
All BWC members are welcomed to join us to hear representatives of the Parents Circle Families Forum at Temple Beth Zion where Palestinians and Israelis will discuss their experiences of political violence and efforts to move beyond it to peace and justice.
Learn more about the event here, including how to register if you’d like to attend via Zoom.

Yiddish Sing
2024-09-26 19:00 - 20:30, 2024-10-24 19:00 - 20:30, 2024-11-21 19:00 - 20:30, 2024-12-19 19:00 - 20:30, 2025-01-23 19:00 - 20:30 | Hybrid: BWC Building & Zoom
Drop in for this free informal monthly gathering to sing Yiddish songs! All are welcome, regardless of singing ability or knowledge of Yiddish.
Attendees are welcome to attend in person or online. We will sing from the Yosl and Chana Mlotek collection of Yiddish songs. These songbooks will be available in person and are also available online at https://yiddishsongs.org. Online participants can request songs and listen and sing along with their mics muted.
REGISTRATION REQUIRED. Please register here before the event.

Zayen Field Trip Day
2024-09-29 09:00 - 18:30

Shule Session 2
2024-09-29 10:30 - 12:30

TASC Session 2
2024-09-29 10:30 - 12:30 | BWC Office – 6 Webster Street

Kumzits: Organizing Around The Election
2024-09-29 10:45 - 12:15 | Shule

Shule Open House
2024-09-29 11:30 - 12:45
Thinking about enrolling your child in BWC’s Shule program, but not sure if it’s the right fit? Learn more about Boston Workers Circle’s secular Jewish cultural school at our open house. RSVP here for the location.

Rosh Hashanah Services
2024-10-03 10:00 - 12:00
Learn more and register here.

farbreng:boston piknik in park פֿאַרברענג:באָסטאָן פּיקניק אין פּאַרק
2024-10-05 15:00 - 17:00 | Cambridge Public Library lawn – 449 Broadway Cambridge, Cambridge, MA, United States
לאָמיר פֿאַרברענגען צוזאַמען אויף אַ פּיקניק. מיר װעלן זיך טרעפֿן שבת, דעם 5טן אָקטאָבער, 3:00 א″ז אויף דער לאָנקע פֿון קײמברידזשער ביבליאָטעק. דער אַדרעס פֿון ביבליאָטעק איז 449 בראָדװײ, אין קײמברידזש. אַלע זײַנען פֿאַרבעטן צו ברענגען נאַשן און פֿאַרברענגען צוזאַמען אויף ייִדיש די פּראָגראַם איז אַ צוזאַמענאַרבעט פֿונעם באָסטאָנער אַרבעטער־רינג און פֿאַרברענג:באָסטאָן, אַ יוגנטרוף־פּראָיעקט װאָס שאַפֿט געלעגנהײטן צו רעדן און פֿאַרברענגען אויף ייִדיש פּנים־אל־פּנים אַ גאַנץ קײַלעכדיק יאָר
Lomir farbrengen tsuzamen af a piknik. Mir veln zikh trefn shabes, dem 5th oktober, 3:00 a”z af der lonke fun keymbridzher biblyotekb. Der adres fun biblyotek iz 449 Broadway in Cambridge. Ale zaynen farbetn tsu brengen nashn un farbrengen tsuzamen af yidish.
Di program iz a tsuzamenarbet funem bostoner arbeter-ring un farbreng:boston, a yugntruf-proyekt vos shaft gelegnheytn tsu redn un farbrengen af yidish ponem-al-ponem a gants kaylekhdik yorRegister here.

Tashlikh Ritual to Honor Anniversary of Oct. 7
2024-10-06
This has been a year of staggering loss and grief. We invite you to join together as members of the BWC community for a tashlikh ritual to mark the anniversary of October 7th. We will mourn the lives lost that day, and the lives lost in the year since. As we come up on a year of devastation, we may be feeling grief, heartbreak, rage, despair, uncertainty, confusion, and fear. No matter what is coming up for you, we welcome all BWC members to come together in a safe and supportive community.
We will gather together on Sunday, October 6 at 2:00pm at Brookline Reservoir Park across the street from 80 Dudley Street, Brookline MA. Registration is encouraged but not required. Register here.

Shule Session 3
2024-10-06 10:30 - 12:30

Circle Playtime
2024-10-06 10:45 - 12:15, 2024-10-20 10:45 - 12:15, 2024-11-17 10:45 - 12:15, 2025-01-12 10:45 - 12:15
Circle Playtime is a free playgroup for families with children ages 2-5 years old. Each session includes fun, age-appropriate activities filled with music-making and storytelling related to a Jewish or social justice holiday. It is followed by open play at the nearby playground in Brookline, MA.

Kumzits: Convo re: 10/7 + BoFIPA
2024-10-06 10:45 - 12:15 | Shule

Zayen Parent Kick-off Meeting (attendance rqd)
2024-10-06 10:45 - 12:15 | Shule

BWC Membership Committee Meeting
2024-10-09 18:00 - 19:00
Join Zoom Meetinghttps://us06web.zoom.us/j/89275125408?pwd=[REDACTED]
Meeting ID: 892 7512 5408Passcode: [REDACTED]
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Meeting ID: 892 7512 5408Passcode: [REDACTED]
Find your local number: https://us06web.zoom.us/u/ku1GyJvXF

AFREJ: Fight Voter Suppression in Ohio!
2024-10-10 19:00 - 21:00 | 6 Webster St, Brookline, MA, United States
Join AFREJ and Jewish Alliance for Law and Social Action (JALSA) organizer, Rachel Scarpino, to write postcards to fight voter suppression in Ohio. In 2023, Ohio passed several outrageous laws which will make voting more difficult this year: e.g., creating stricter voter ID policies, shortening early voting deadlines, and imposing criminal penalties on anyone who tries to drop off an absentee ballot that does not belong to them.
We’ll be writing to registered voters in key districts who have not voted in the last few elections, a list also used during a previous JALSA campaign regarding reproductive health legislation in Ohio. JALSA will supply the postcards, names/addresses of Ohioan voters, and a sample message, but please bring your own postage for 24 cards. Rachel will also tell us about JALSA’s other campaigns, including canvassing for One Fair Wage in MA.
This event will take place at BWC’s Office at 6 Webster Street in Brookline from 7:00 – 9:00pm. Registration is required.

Yom Kippur
2024-10-12 10:00 - 12:00

Yiddish Language Class: Advanced Beginner Yiddish Virtual
2024-10-15 19:00 - 20:30, 2024-10-22 19:00 - 20:30, 2024-10-29 19:00 - 20:30, 2024-11-05 19:00 - 20:30, 2024-11-12 19:00 - 20:30, 2024-11-19 19:00 - 20:30, 2024-11-26 19:00 - 20:30, 2024-12-03 19:00 - 20:30 | Zoom
Course Description: Do you know about der, di, dos, and dem, but shudder when you hear the words “dative” and “accusative”? Do you know how to exchange pleasantries in Yiddish but not how to talk about what happened yesterday? Do you know the alef-beys, but not have enough vocabulary to tell a story? Would you like to study Yiddish every week with an enthusiastic teacher who showers you with positive feedback no matter how many mistakes you make? This advanced beginner Yiddish class might just be right for you.
Level: For students who have taken a BWC Beginner course. Also open to those who already know the Yiddish alef-beys, some basic grammar & vocabulary, and who feel the class description fits their level, including those who have worked through Duolingo and feel ready to dive into more conversation and culture.
Instructor: Sasha Berenstein
Materials: In eynem: The New Yiddish Textbook, Vol I. Starting on Chapter 7. Students can purchase this textbook through The Yiddish Book Center (print or digital/PDF is fine), and have it accessible for use during class sessions.

Yiddish Language Class: Advanced Beginner Yiddish In-Person
2024-10-15 19:00 - 20:30, 2024-10-22 19:00 - 20:30, 2024-10-29 19:00 - 20:30, 2024-11-05 19:00 - 20:30, 2024-11-12 19:00 - 20:30, 2024-11-26 19:00 - 20:30, 2024-12-03 19:00 - 20:30, 2024-12-10 19:00 - 20:30 | BWC Building
Course Description: This joyful and inclusive class is a celebration of Yiddish grammar, vocabulary, history, and culture. Join us for a weekly session where we practice conjugating verbs, declining noun phrases, and putting together increasingly-complex sentences in the ancestral mother tongue of ashkenazic jewry. Ask questions, get answers, and find camaraderie with other learners on a guided tour of the grammar and structure and culture of this wondrous Jewish language.
Level: For students who have taken a BWC Beginner course. Also open to those who already know the Yiddish aleph beys, some basic grammar & vocabulary, and who feel the class description fits their level, including those who have worked through Duolingo and feel ready to dive into more conversation and culture.
Instructor: Jonah Sidman
Materials: Colloquial Yiddish by Lily Kahn. Students can purchase this textbook from The Yiddish Book Center, Routledge Textbooks, or at other on-line sites.

Yiddish Language Class: Intermediate Yiddish Virtual
2024-10-15 19:00 - 20:30, 2024-10-22 19:00 - 20:30, 2024-10-29 19:00 - 20:30, 2024-11-05 19:00 - 20:30, 2024-11-12 19:00 - 20:30, 2024-11-19 19:00 - 20:30, 2024-11-26 19:00 - 20:30, 2024-12-03 19:00 - 20:30 | Zoom
Course Description: Build confidence in your Yiddish – reading, speaking, listening, and writing, in a supportive and welcoming classroom of intermediate Yiddish students, as we delve into the treasure trove of short stories by Sholem Aleichem, one of the most celebrated authors in all of Yiddish literature. In this class, you will find abundant opportunities to stretch and grow your Yiddish, as we work together to make the leap from the textbook’s careful examples into the vast and exciting world of Yiddish literature. We’ll read slowly, translate continuously, and look up every unfamiliar word as we delight in the hilarious and heart-wrenching adventures of Menachem-Mendl, Sheyne-Sheyndl, Tevye der Milkhiker, and other beloved characters from the canon of Sholem Aleichem.
Level: This class is appropriate for students who can read and understand Yiddish sentences with the help of a dictionary. BWC students who have completed Advanced Beginner, those who want to continue in Intermediate, and newcomers at this level are all welcome to join.
Instructor: Abby Howell
Materials: The Complete Works of Sholem Aleichem. Students can find this text online for free here.

Yiddish Language Class: Beginner Semester I In-Person
2024-10-15 19:00 - 21:00, 2024-10-22 19:00 - 21:00, 2024-10-29 19:00 - 21:00, 2024-11-12 19:00 - 21:00, 2024-11-19 19:00 - 21:00, 2024-12-03 19:00 - 21:00, 2024-12-10 19:00 - 21:00, 2024-12-17 19:00 - 21:00 | BWC Office
Course Description: Let’s learn Yiddish — lomir zikh lernen yidish! This course introduces students to the fundamentals of Yiddish conversation, reading, and grammar through highly-interactive games, songs, activities, and short texts. Students who don’t yet know the Hebrew/Yiddish alphabet will be asked to join the class a half hour early for the first several sessions.
Level: Students new to Yiddish, or those who know a few basics but want a structured start to learning anew. Also recommended for Duolingo learners looking for a structured introduction to grammar, conversation, and culture.
Instructor: Sarah Biskowitz
Materials: In eynem: The New Yiddish Textbook, Vol I. Students can purchase this textbook through The Yiddish Book Center (print or digital/PDF is fine), and have it accessible for use during class sessions.
Note: 7:00-7:30pm is for aleph beys

Israel/Palestine Committee Meeting
2024-10-16 19:00 - 20:30 | Zoom
IPC meetings are for conducting IPC business, discussing BWC-wide (Exec-endorsed) campaigns, sharing news of the subcommittees, and holding community-wide conversations. Contact ipc@circleboston.org for more info. Register for the Zoom meeting here.

Yiddish Language Class: Advanced Dropkin Dertseytl Nokh Vayter Virtual
2024-10-16 20:00 - 21:30, 2024-10-23 20:00 - 21:30, 2024-10-30 20:00 - 21:30, 2024-11-06 20:00 - 21:30, 2024-11-13 20:00 - 21:30, 2024-11-20 20:00 - 21:30, 2024-11-27 20:00 - 21:30, 2024-12-04 20:00 - 21:30 and 1 more date
Course Description: Celia Dropkin (1887-1956) is a dynamic writer whose work is exciting, intense and confronting. Best known for her fierce and intimate poetry, Dropkin brings the same bold, unflinching voice to her short stories. Dropkin’s stories take the reader deep under the skins of sharply drawn characters, casting a critical gaze on the settings and social circumstances that they encounter. In this course, we will read a selection of Dropkin’s short stories in the original Yiddish, and will discuss the themes, characters, contexts and stylistics of these works. The course will consist entirely of new materials. No stories previously covered in 2023 or 2024 will be studied this semester.
די נאָוואַטאָרישע שרײַבערין ציליע דראָפּקין (1887-1956) האָט אַרײַנגעפֿירט פֿרישע טעמעס און סטיליסטיק אין דער ייִדישער ליטעראַטור. די דרײַסטע, אינטימע שטימע פֿאַר וועלכער איר פּאָעזיע איז אַזוי באַקאַנט, געפֿינט זיך אויך אין דראָפּקינס דינאַמישע דערציילונגען. דערצו באַגעגנט מען אין דראָפּקינס דערציילונגען איר שאַרפֿן בליק אויף דעם אַרום, ווי אויך איר פֿעיִקייט קריטיש און קרעפֿטיק צו באַהאַנדלען וויכטיקע סאָציאַלע ענינים.
מיר וועלן צוזאַמען לייענען אויף אַ קול אַן אָפּקלײַב פֿון דראָפּקינס דערציילונגען, און וועלן אַרומשמועסן די טעמעס, פּערסאָנאַזשן, סיטואַציעס, סטיליסטיק און קאָנטעקסטן פֿון די דערציילונגען.
Level: The class is suited to advanced readers and speakers of Yiddish, including students in previous BWC advanced classes. Students who want to listen rather than read are welcome to join the class. We will discuss Dropkin’s work in Yiddish, in a supportive environment that encourages each person to speak Yiddish freely and fearlessly to the best of their ability.
Instructor: Hinde Ena Burstin
Materials: This class will read and discuss stories that appear in Celia Dropkin’s 1959 edition of In Heysn Vint, which can be found online for free here.

Circle Book Group
2024-10-20 10:15 - 12:00
This is an open group that welcomes all readers interested in expanding their understanding of the wide variety of Jewish experiences throughout history and across the world. The October meeting will take place on ZOOM ONLY.
October’s book is When the Angels Left the Old Country by Sacha Lamb
The Book Group page lists titles discussed previously. Scroll down to see the list at this link.
To be added to the Book Group listserv or if you have questions or want to attend via Zoom, email BookGroup@circleboston.org.

Kumzits: BWC Committee Fair
2024-10-20 10:15 - 13:15 | Shule

Shule Session 4 / Sukkes/Sukkot / All Parent Assembly
2024-10-20 10:30 - 12:30

TASC Session 3
2024-10-20 10:30 - 12:30 | BWC Office – 6 Webster Street

Yiddish Language Class: Beginner Semester I Virtual
2024-10-20 16:00 - 18:00, 2024-10-27 16:00 - 18:00, 2024-11-03 16:00 - 18:00, 2024-11-17 16:00 - 18:00, 2024-11-24 16:00 - 18:00, 2024-12-01 16:00 - 18:00, 2024-12-08 16:00 - 18:00, 2024-12-15 16:00 - 18:00 | Zoom
Course Description: Let’s learn Yiddish — lomir zikh lernen yidish! This course introduces students to the fundamentals of Yiddish conversation, reading, and grammar through highly-interactive games, songs, activities, and short texts. Students who don’t yet know the Hebrew/Yiddish alphabet will be asked to join the class a half hour early for the first several sessions.
Level: Students new to Yiddish, or those who know a few basics but want a structured start to learning anew. Also recommended for Duolingo learners looking for a structured introduction to grammar, conversation, and culture.
Instructor: Sasha Berenstein
Materials: In eynem: The New Yiddish Textbook, Vol I. Students can purchase this textbook through The Yiddish Book Center (print or digital/PDF is fine), and have it accessible for use during class sessions.
Note: 4:00-4:30pm is for aleph beys.

Shule Session 5 / Family-Teacher Brunches
2024-10-27 10:30 - 12:30

Hold for Staff Retreat
2024-10-29

Shule Session 6
2024-11-03 10:30 - 12:30

TASC Session 4
2024-11-03 10:30 - 12:30 | BWC Office – 6 Webster Street

Kumzits: What does Shabbos offer us?
2024-11-03 10:45 - 12:15 | Shule
This session mixes education and conversation as we build community and find authentic ways to live Judaism. Come to learn about traditional shabbos, explore our own relationships with those traditions, and discuss how we might like to bring nuggets of shabbos into our own homes. Led by Shule parent, Rachel Chagnon.

Zayen Parent Meeting
2024-11-03 10:45 - 12:15, 2024-12-08 10:45 - 12:15, 2025-01-12 10:45 - 12:15, 2025-01-26 10:45 - 12:15, 2025-02-02 10:45 - 12:15
The Zayen Class families meet to plan the B’nai Mitzvah.

Post Election Shabes: Keep on Moving Forward
2024-11-08 18:30 - 20:30 | 6 Webster Street in Brookline and on Zoom
On Friday, November 8 the Shabes Committee and the Boston Workers Circle Board will host a Shabes so that we can gather after the election (even if the results are not known). We will be having an in-person event at the BWC building as well as a separate Zoom event for those who prefer to attend virtually.
Join us for a place to talk and be together after this difficult election season. We will be sharing a potluck dinner for the in-person gathering and a brief ritual and open discussion for both. Please indicate whether you plan to come in person or virtually.
In-Person Event: Ritual begins promptly at 6:30 and the potluck will end at 8:30pm. IN-PERSON REGISTRATION IS NOW CLOSED DUE TO CAPACITY.Virtual Event: 7:00-8:15pm. Registration required. A Zoom link will be sent to all registrants before the event.
REGISTER HERE for the virtual event by 4:00pm on Thursday!

Vov class overnight trip to NYC
2024-11-09 - 2024-11-11 | offsite
Please contact Educational Director, Meira Soloff (meira@circleboston.org) for more details.

Aging in Community
2024-11-10 10:00 - 12:00

Immigrant Justice Committee Meeting
2024-11-13 18:00 - 18:30, 2024-12-11 17:30 - 18:00, 2025-01-08 17:30 - 18:00, 2025-02-12 17:30 - 18:00 | Zoom
Get Involved To get involved or for more information, join the Immigrant Justice Committee on the second Wednesday of the month on Zoom at 6:00 PM.

Email ijc@circleboston.org to receive the Zoom link for the meeting.

Israelism Film Screening
2024-11-13 19:00 - 21:00
Israelism is a film about young Jews questioning the Israel-centered narrative they grew up with. We are screening this in-person for BWC members plus those streaming at home (Amazon or Apple) followed by a discussion over Zoom.
Register here.

Gragger Kickoff Meeting
2024-11-14 18:00 - 21:00 | 6 Webster St, Brookline, MA, United States
Boston Workers Circle’s Gragger planning team is seeking folks from all different backgrounds– creatives, party planners, theatre buffs, and past fans/attendees –to join in on bringing together Gragger 5785/2025! Whether you are artistic on stage or behind the scenes or want to lend a hand with logistics, we want you to join the team behind this radical and raucous Purim community event for LGBTQ+ Jews in Boston. Past themes have included: drag, Ren faire, Jewish folklore, and more! No previous theatre experience is required, and we have various levels of commitment depending on how much time you can give. 🎭🪩✨
To learn about the kinds of roles involved in Gragger, check out our sign-up form. Contact zohar@circleboston.org with any questions.

Yiddish Vinkl
2024-11-14 19:00 - 20:30, 2024-12-12 19:00 - 20:30, 2025-01-09 19:00 - 20:30, 2025-02-13 19:00 - 20:30 | Hybrid: Zoom & Somerville Address (receive after registration)
Somerville Vinkl will be hybrid, with a Zoom or an in-person option in Somerville. This is an opportunity for you to sharpen your Yiddish skills in a comfortable and informal setting, whatever your level of Yiddish. All are welcome.
Somerville Vinkl is the second Thursday of every month, from 7:00-8:30 PM. For questions contact yiddish@circleboston.org. Register below to receive the address for the in-person gathering and the Zoom link.
Register Here.

Family-Friendly Zingeray
2024-11-16 14:00 - 16:00
Lomir zingen tsuzamen! Let’s sing together! At this informal zingeray (song circle), we’ll sing songs in Yiddish with a focus on songs for children. All are welcome, though this zingeray is especially geared towards families with young children. We’ll sing in Yiddish, but the program will be primarily conducted in English. Some exposure to Yiddish is recommended, but not required, and you don’t have to be a fluent speaker to take part. Come share a song, or join us to sing along!
We’ll meet at Julia and Erina’s place in Somerville. Please register to attend this program–we will email the address to participants the day before the event.
Register here.

Circle Book Group
2024-11-17 10:30 - 12:00
This is an open group that welcomes all readers interested in expanding their understanding of the wide variety of Jewish experiences throughout history and across the world.
November’s book is Prequel: An American Fight Against Fascism by Rachel Maddow
The Book Group page lists titles discussed previously. Scroll down to see the list at this link.
To be added to the Book Group listserv or if you have questions or want to attend via Zoom, email BookGroup@circleboston.org.

Shule Session 7
2024-11-17 10:30 - 12:30

Kumzits: How To Talk To Your Kids In Times of Crisis? Practice Listening
2024-11-17 10:45 - 12:15
So many of us have lots of hard feelings that have come up now that the US election results are in and not what we wanted as a progressive Jewish community. We may find ourselves at a loss for words on how to process this moment for ourselves as adults, let alone how to talk to our children about it. Come learn from Shana Gozansky, Daled parent and hand in hand parent instructor, and Dan Gelbtuch, Shule parent and Co-Founder and Lead Organizer with Kirva. Given the wide range of ages we have in Shule, this is a moment to trust our children to tell us what they need, including for us to stay in the present moment and play with them. Together we will process what’s going on for us post election and practice listening with each other using hand in hand parenting techniques.

BWC Membership Committee--Brandeis Content Planning
2024-11-20 18:00 - 19:00
Join with Google Meet: https://meet.google.com/cdx-rtgq-pfo
Learn more about Meet at: https://support.google.com/a/users/answer/9282720

Community Care & Mutual Aid Kickoff
2024-11-22 19:00 - 20:30
Join us as we initiate a new phase in our community care and mutual aid work at BWC! We’ll gather to mark shabes and come together to discuss the history of this work at BWC and brainstorm where we want to take this work in the future! The location will be shared after you register.
Register to join us here.

TASC Annual Overnight
2024-11-23 18:00 - 2024-11-24 13:00 | BWC Office – 6 Webster Street

farbreng:boston shrinky-dinks simkhe
2024-11-23 19:30 - 21:30
לאָמיר פֿאַרברענגען צוזאַמען אויף ייִדיש און מאַכן קונסט מיט ″קלענערלינגען″ (שרינקי־דינקס). מיר װעלן זיך טרעפֿן בײַ שׂרהן אין סאָמערװיל שבת דעם 23סטן נאָװעמבער, 7:30 אין אָװנט. מיר װעלן שיקן דעם אַדרעס דעם טאָג פֿאַרן שׂימחהלע. מיר װעלן האָבן קונסט־מאַטעריאַלן, און אַלע זײַנען פֿאַרבעטן צו ברענגען אַ קלײנע נאָכשפּײַז אָדער נאַש
די פּראָגראַם איז אַ צוזאַמען־אַרבעט פֿונעם באָסטאָנער אַרבעטער־רינג און פֿאַרברענג:באָסטאָן, אַ יוגנטרוף־פּראָיעקט װאָס שאַפֿט געלעגנהײטן צו רעדן און פֿאַרברענגען אויף ייִדיש פּנים־אל־פּנים אַ גאַנץ קײַלעכדיק יאָר
Lomir farbrengen tsuzamen af yidish un makhn kunst mit “klenerlingen” (shrinky-dinks). Mir veln zikh trefn bay Soren in Somerville shabes dem 23stn november, 7:30 in ovnt. Mir veln shikn dem adres dem tog farn simkhele. Mir veln hobn kunst-materyaln, un ale zaynen farbetn tsu brengen a kleyne nokhshpayz oder nash
Di program iz a tsuzamen-arbet funem bostoner arbeter-ring un farbreng:boston, a yugntruf-proyekt vos shaft gelegnhaytn tsu redn un farbrengen af yidish ponem-al-ponem a gants kaylekhdik yorRegister here.

Shule Session 8
2024-11-24 10:30 - 12:30

Kumzits: Celebrating Thanksgiving with Acknowledgment
2024-11-24 10:45 - 12:15
This conversation will focus on how we can bring our radical values into celebrating Thankgiving. We will discuss what traditions we have, think about this holiday’s intersections with Jewish assimilation, historical trauma and feelings of belonging, and how we can acknowledge settler colonization as foundational to the holiday with our kids and families.

Membership Committee Meeting
2024-11-27 18:00 - 19:00, 2024-12-11 18:00 - 19:00, 2025-01-08 18:00 - 19:00, 2025-01-22 18:00 - 19:00, 2025-02-05 18:00 - 19:00, 2025-02-19 18:00 - 19:00 | Zoom
Contact Miles Meth at milesmeth@gmail.com for more information, including the Zoom link.

Spirit of Reparations Film Series
2024-12-01 17:00 - 20:00 | First Church In Jamaica Plain, 6 Eliot St, Jamaica Plain, MA, United States
BWC is a proud co-sponsor of the Grassroots Reparations Campaign’s Spirit of Reparations Film Series. On December 1 join us for a screening of Acts of Reparations, followed by a Q & A with the film directors and a panel discussion. Learn more and register at https://www.spiritofreparations.com/.

Boston Worker's Circle Brandeis Info Event
2024-12-03 10:00 - 11:00 | Brandeis Library, Vershbow Room
We are Boston Worker’s Circle–a secular, progressive Jewish organization founded in 1905 as a mutual aid society for Eastern European Jewish immigrants. Today, we have a diverse array of offerings: from Yiddish classes and a Yiddish chorus, to working groups focused on immigrant justice, racial and economic justice, Israel/Palestine, and much more.
In the last year, our membership has grown by over 20%, bringing us to close to 1,000 members, some of whom are Brandeis students and faculty. A group of Brandeis undergrads asked for the membership committee to put on this event to give the opportunity for more people in the Brandeis community to learn about BWC.
We will have some structured schmoozing over dinner and then some of our committee chairs will share about what work their committee is doing and how YOU can join!
Register here.

Di Nest: Yiddish Arts Incubator
2024-12-05 19:30 - 21:00 | Zoom
Do you want to start writing in Yiddish but have questions about creating in a language you are still learning? Have you been making art in Yiddish for a while and want feedback on your latest project? Do you want to be part of the first audience for new Yiddish art and support artists with your feedback? Then join us at Di Nest!
Di Nest is an arts incubator for Yiddish creativity. Join us to share your own projects and/or to help workshop community members’ works in progress. Projects in any medium that are in,or prominently feature, Yiddish are welcome–including original works and translations into Yiddish. Di Nest is open to Yiddish speakers and students of all levels. Whether you’re just starting to create in Yiddish or have been doing so for years, you’re welcome to attend!
Each session will include time to workshop material from several participants. If you have material you would like to workshop, please email Lilye at yiddish@circleboston.org before the meeting. Attendees are invited to bring a project to share—but we also welcome attendees who join us to listen, learn, and offer feedback.
This program is a collaboration between Boston Workers Circle, Rad Yiddish, and Queer Yiddish Camp.
Register here to get the Zoom link.

Shule Session 9
2024-12-08 10:30 - 12:30

Aging in Community: Cognitive Changes as we Age
2024-12-08 10:30 - 12:30
For more information about Aging in Community (AIC) contact co-chairs Dianne Perlmutter and Marsha Lazar via AIC@circleboston.org.

Kumzits: Sacha Lamb Book Talk
2024-12-08 10:45 - 12:15
Parents and guardians are encouraged to attend the Sacha Lamb Book Talk happening that day. Find out more and register here.

Sacha Lamb Book Talk
2024-12-08 11:00 - 13:00
Author and BWC member, Sacha Lamb will speak with Shule Students and other BWC members on Sunday, December 8th from 11am – 12:00pm in Brookline and online.
At noon, in person, there will be light refreshments. The Brookline location of the event will be sent to in-person registrants via email before the event.
Please consider making a donation using BWC’s Pass-The-Hat form to help continue making events like this possible. Choose Circle Book Group for the question related to the event you’re participating in. If you are not already a BWC member, please join! There is no financial bar for joining.
Register here.
At this event, Sacha will talk about the two novels they have written:WHEN THE ANGELS LEFT THE OLD COUNTRYThe BWC Book Group read this novel in October and members enjoyed it immensely. Kirk’s starred review: “Steeped in Ashkenazi lore, custom, and faith, this beautifully written story deftly tackles questions of identity, good and evil, obligation, and the many forms love can take. Queerness and gender fluidity thread through both the human and supernatural characters, clearly depicted without feeling anachronistic. Gorgeous, fascinating, and fun.”
THE FORBIDDEN BOOKReview on Amazon: “Lamb has a gift for writing books that feel at once like classics and also totally fresh and unique.” Minuteman Library Network description: “Dybbuks. Illegal printing. A genderqueer lesbian with a knife. Set against a backdrop of literary censorship and growing Jewish political consciousness, Sydney Taylor and Stonewall award-winning Sacha Lamb’s sophomore novel is a soaring exploration of identity, survival, and ultimately, hope. On the night before her wedding, 17-year-old Sorel leaps from a window and runs away from her life. To keep from being discovered, she takes on the male identity of Isser Jacobs — but it soon becomes clear that there is a real Isser Jacobs, and people want him dead.” Register here.

Understanding Anti-Palestinian Racism Workshop
2024-12-08 18:30 - 21:00
We invite BWC member leaders and community members to join Merrie Najimy and the Institute for the Understanding of Anti-Palestinian Racism (IUAPR) for a special opportunity to grow as a community and move towards taking meaningful next steps as anti-racist allies.Join AFREJ, the Jewish Muslim Solidarity Committee, and the Palestine Solidarity Subcommittee of the IPC in a safe, welcoming, BWC-only space to learn about who the Palestinians are as a people and collectively unpack the false narratives in which American society is steeped.
On Sunday, December 8th from 6:30 – 9:00pm, we will meet on Zoom to learn from Merrie and the IUAPR. After the presentation, we’ll engage in community conversation to reflect on and process what we’ve learned, both as individuals and as members of BWC.
The workshop will help us to:• Know who Palestinians are;• Describe anti-Palestinian racism;• Identify who can be targets of anti-Palestinian racism;• Understand the impact of anti-Palestinian racism on health wellbeing;• Learn ways to address anti-Palestinian racism.
Questions? Contact Carrie Pollack (cmpollack@comcast.net).
Register here.

Israel/Palestine Committee Meeting
2024-12-10 19:00 - 20:30, 2025-02-11 19:00 - 20:30
IPC meetings are for conducting IPC business, discussing BWC-wide (Exec-endorsed) campaigns, sharing news of the subcommittees, and holding community-wide conversations. Contact ipc@circleboston.org for more info, including the Zoom link for the meeting.

Gragger Team Meeting
2024-12-12 19:00 - 20:00 | Zoom
Contact Zohar at zohar@circleboston.org for more details, including the Zoom link.

NOT ONE MORE! Action to Defend Our Communities from Deportation + Criminalization
2024-12-13 15:30 - 17:30 | John F. Kennedy Federal Building, Boston, MA, United States
BWC is proud to join AARW and other allies for this important action to demand protection for refugees and immigrants.
🌟 REGISTER + ENDORSE: bit.ly/dec13rally 🌟 Please sign up you or your organization if you can attend! Volunteers needed for several roles.
When: Friday, December 13 at 3:30pm Where: Rally at JFK Federal Building, 15 Sudbury Street, Boston – next to Government Plaza and Bowdoin T stations
Why: We are coming together for an important action to unify our movement, mobilize our communities, and demand protection for refugees and immigrants at all levels of government. We need you there!In the wake of Trump’s election, we’re facing a critical moment where deportation and criminalization policies will ramp up, putting our community at risk. Though we need to prepare for Trump’s term, there is so much that current political leaders can be doing. This is our moment to push for policies that go beyond fear and punishment and offer real, tangible support for immigrants and refugees. This action is a direct call to MA Governor Healey and President Biden before January – we need their action NOW!

Circle Book Group
2024-12-15 10:30 - 12:00
This is an open group that welcomes all readers interested in expanding their understanding of the wide variety of Jewish experiences throughout history and across the world.
December’s book is Fervor by Toby Phips Lloyd.
The Book Group page lists titles discussed previously. Scroll down to see the list at this link.
To be added to the Book Group listserv or if you have questions or want to attend via Zoom, email BookGroup@circleboston.org.

All Shule Khanike/Chanukah Party
2024-12-15 10:30 - 12:30
Register here! All kids are welcome, even if they don’t attend Shule. This is a great opportunity to get a taste of Shule if your child isn’t already enrolled. To get a taste of Shule, join the community program at 11:00am, and don’t forget to register!

Circle Playtime - Full School Community Chanukah Party
2024-12-15 10:30 - 12:30
Register here! All kids are welcome, even if they don’t attend Circle Playtime.

CANCELED: Yiddish Theater Bilingual Reading & Discussion
2024-12-18 19:30 - 21:00
We will hold this program virtually later in the winter.
ORIGINAL EVENT DESCRIPTIONLet’s read and analyze the forgotten Yiddish play “Kraft” (“Power”) by Leah K. Hofman. We will explore it in both English and Yiddish, delving into its themes and symbolism. The play, published in 1930, examines civilization’s evolution through personifications like Electricity overpowering Steam and Madam Cinema outshining the Radio. Its sole human character, the Slave, reveals the enduring patterns of societal dynamics through his naïve questioning. Learn more about the play here.
All are welcome to join us for this interactive reading and discussion. No knowledge of Yiddish required.
About the presenter: Jana Mazurkiewicz Meisarosh is a PhD candidate in the Slavic Department at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. She is working on her dissertation on Yiddish Theater in Communist Warsaw. Originally from Poland, Jana holds a Master of Arts degree in Polish Philology and Jewish Studies from the University of Wrocław. She is an actor, director, playwright, and producer of Yiddish theater. In October 2017, she moved to San Diego and launched the Yiddish Arts and Academics Association of North America (YAAANA), and its initiative called Yiddishland California: www.yiddishlandcalifornia.org. Yiddishland California is planning to establish an immersive, shtetl-inspired, multigenerational community that will include guest rooms and a museum detailing the history of small Jewish towns in Eastern Europe and Yiddish-speaking Jews in California. This mixed-use space will host daily language classes, weekly gatherings, and monthly events such as Yiddish weddings and fashion shows, aiming to create a vibrant cultural hub for Yiddish and non-Yiddish speakers alike. Feel free to contact Jana at: jana@yiddishland.ca.
Register here.

Mutual Aid Team General Meeting
2024-12-19 19:00 - 20:30 | Zoom
BWC’s Mutual Aid team will be meeting on December 19 from 7-8:30 pm on Zoom to continue shaping the future work of our team! Come through for continued relational team building, creation of our team norms, and project brainstorming. Didn’t make our kickoff? No problem, now is still a great time to get involved with the team as we’re shaping our vision of our team’s work.
Register to join us here. Email mutualaid@circleboston.org with any questions.

Khanike Party & BWC Fundraiser
2024-12-21 18:00 - 22:00 | 6 Webster St, Brookline, MA, United States
Join BWC for a raucous Khanike (Hanukkah) party & BWC fundraiser! Come for the latke toppings judging and stay for the klezmer dance party and non-klezmer karaoke – all ages welcome. We know you want to be part of this multigenerational, justice-loving, joy-filled diasporic community… see you there! Masks encouraged, and we will revisit if COVID-19 rates rise significantly before the party.PS – don’t forget to bring a few items to contribute to our pop-up thrift store, which will be running all night, with all donations going to BWC! Please bring no more than 10 items.Entry is pay-what-you-can ($10 suggested donation)Latkes will be $3 for two latkes + toppingsDrinks will also be donate-what-you-can!Help sustain BWC through your latke, drink, and thrift purchases – and party hard enough to make your ancestors proud!Register here.
Sign up to bring latke toppings here.
Sign up to volunteer here.

Canceled: Membership Committee Meeting
2024-12-25 18:00 - 19:00 | Zoom

IPC Study Group (Canceled/Rescheduled)
2025-01-01 18:00 - 19:30 | Zoom
This regular meeting will be replaced this month by the Discussion of Ta-Nehisi Coates’ The Message events on January 8th and January 13 (7:00-8:30 pm). See those events for more information on how to RSVP.

Zayen Class Visit to Mayyim Hayyim
2025-01-05 10:00 - 12:00 | 1838 Washington Street Newton, Auburndale, MA, United States
The Zayen class and teacher will meet at the Mayyim Hayyim site in Newton for a tour of the site led by a BWC member.

Shule Session 11
2025-01-05 10:30 - 12:30

Discussion of Ta-Nehisi Coates' "The Message"
2025-01-08 19:00 - 20:30, 2025-01-13 19:00 - 20:30 | Zoom
Join us in reading and discussion of Ta-Nehisi Coates’ The Message.
“Embrace the liberating power of even the most difficult truths”. Join the BWC’s Anti-Racism Study Group, Israel/Palestine Study Group and AFREJ for a cross-BWC study group discussion on Zoom of Ta-Nehisi Coates’ latest book, The Message – experiencing through Coates’ eyes Dakar, Senegal; Columbia, South Carolina and Palestine. We will hold two sessions and you are welcome to come to either, or both.
Please RSVP to migolden57@gmail.com with one of the following in the subject line:
RSVP Message Jan8RSVP Message Jan13RSVP Message both
If you have questions or suggestions, contact Michelle Golden at migolden57@gmail.com, Madeleine Lourie at mlourie@mindspring.com or Naomi Scheman at naomi@umn.edu who will be facilitating the discussions.

Arts Shabes IV: Fiber Artists/Crafters
2025-01-10 19:00 - 20:15 | Zoom
If you think about bringing into what has always been a chaotic world some order and a sense of beauty then the line between what’s called art and what’s called craft disappears. Our traditional BWC Shabes will take place on Zoom and include small groups in which you can share about fiber arts and crafts — what you enjoy making and what you have enjoyed collecting. Please bring a piece of work that you have made or one that you especially like that someone else made. And, the featured presenter will be be long-time BWC member Liz Zoob, psychotherapist by day and quilter and political observer/semi-activist by night.
Art Shabes Program
Please register here.

Circle Book Group
2025-01-12 10:30 - 12:00
This is an open group that welcomes all readers interested in expanding their understanding of the wide variety of Jewish experiences throughout history and across the world.
January’s book is Paper Bullets by Jeffrey H. Jackson.
The Book Group page lists titles discussed previously. Scroll down to see the list at this link.
To be added to the Book Group listserv or if you have questions or want to attend via Zoom, email BookGroup@circleboston.org.

Shule Session 12
2025-01-12 10:30 - 12:30

TASC Session 6
2025-01-12 10:30 - 12:30 | BWC Office – 6 Webster Street

Yiddish Committee Social
2025-01-16 19:00 - 20:30 | Somerville, MA, USA
Join fellow Yiddish speakers, students, and enthusiasts to socialize and brainstorm Yiddish programming. We’ll meet at Mike and Linda’s in Somerville for snacks, chatting, and idea sharing. Yiddish speakers and students of all levels are invited, and new participants are always welcome. Sign up to receive the address.
Register here.

Together, We Light the Way
2025-01-19 19:00 - 19:30 | Zoom
Join BWC, the Workers Circle, and the Center for Common Ground on Sunday, January 19, at 7:00 PM ET for “Together, We Light the Way.” Grassroots leaders, special celebrity guests, and musicians will join us as we reflect and rise together to light the way to the America we must become. Wherever you are, bring a candle to light at this national virtual gathering. At the conclusion of the program, we’ll light our candles and place them in the windows of our homes as a sign of our collective commitment to democracy, freedom, pluralism, rights, and equality.
Register here.

Anti-Racism Study Group (Canceled/Rescheduled)
2025-01-20 19:15 - 20:30

Shule Session 13
2025-01-26 10:30 - 12:30

TASC Session 7
2025-01-26 10:30 - 12:30 | BWC Office – 6 Webster Street

Aging in Community: Telling our Stories
2025-01-26 10:30 - 12:30

Kumzits: Convo about Hey Protest Partner
2025-01-26 10:45 - 12:15
Families for Justice as Healing (FJAH) deep diveJoin Kumzits to learn about the Hey solidarity protest partner this year, Families for Justice as Healing (FJAH). Our Hey class and the BWC’s AFREJ (Acting for Racial and Economic Justice) committee are partnering with FJAH which is led by incarcerated women, formerly incarcerated women, and women with incarcerated loved ones working to end the incarceration of women and girls. Come hear about their campaign to pass a bill that would create a 5-year pause (or moratorium) on jail and prison construction and expansion, without preventing essential repairs, to allow for a focus on reducing the number of people in prison, implementing alternatives, and investing in communities- aka reimagining communities. There will be a panel of BWC members connected to FJAH sharing stories about why this solidarity work is important for our community.

Spring Shule Open House
2025-01-26 11:30 - 12:30 | Brookline – Address shared after registration.
Come learn more about the BWC Secular Jewish Cultural school where young people learn about the historical and cultural Jewish experience and our commitments to building a better world. Meet current parents, talk with the Education Director and peek in on a music class.
Register here.

Boston in The Shadow of Slavery
2025-01-28 19:00 - 20:15 | Zoom
Join The Reparations Interfaith Coalition of Massachusetts on Zoom for an evening with Professor Jacqueline Jones about her Pulitzer Prize winning new book, No Right to an Honest Living: The Struggle of Boston’s Black Workers in the Civil War Era. The book presents a searing portrait of Black labor and white hypocrisy in nineteenth-century Boston.
Jacqueline Jones is an award-winning scholar, MacArthur Fellow, and three-time Pulitzer finalist. She is a former professor of history at Brandeis University and currently Ellen C. Temple Chair in Women’s History Emerita at the University of Texas at Austin.
Register for the event here.

Save the Date: BWC Leadership Team Retreat
2025-02-01 09:45 - 18:00

Shule Session 14
2025-02-02 10:30 - 12:30

A Conversation with Authors Shane Burley and Ben Lorber
2025-02-04 19:00 - 21:00 | Nehar Shalom Community Synagogue, 6 Eliot St, Jamaica Plain, MA, United States
Join BWC, Nehar Shalom, Pushcart Judaica, and Kavod Boston for a book talk with Shane Burley and Ben Lorber.
Two activist journalists present a progressive, intersectional approach to the vital question: What can we do about antisemitism?

Antisemitism is a central issue of our time. Under the new Trump administration, white Christian nationalism is stronger than ever, and its culture of authoritarianism, conspiracism, division and fear puts Jews along with all other marginalized groups at risk.

And since October 7, debates around antisemitism have become more polarized and high-stakes than ever. How can we stand in solidarity with Palestinians seeking justice, while also avoiding antisemitism — and resisting those who seek to conflate the two? How do we forge the coalitions across communities that we need, in order to confront the shared threats we face and build towards a better future?

Using personal stories, historical deep-dives, front-line reporting, and interviews with leading change-makers, Burley and Lorber help us break the current impasse to understand how antisemitism works, what’s missing in contemporary debates, and how to build true safety through solidarity, for Jews and all people.

Shane Burley is the author of several books on the far-right and social movements, and has contributed to outlets such as NBC News, Jewish Currents, Al Jazeera, The Baffler, The Daily Beast, Haaretz, In These Times, Yes! Magazine, Tikkun, and The Oregon Historical Quarterly.

Ben Lorber is Senior Research Analyst at Political Research Associates, a social movement think tank, where he studies and publishes on antisemitism and white Christian nationalism.

Circle Book Group
2025-02-09 10:30 - 12:00 | Zoom Only
This is an open group that welcomes all readers interested in expanding their understanding of the wide variety of Jewish experiences throughout history and across the world.
February’s book is It Can’t Happen Here by Sinclair Lewis.
The Book Group page lists titles discussed previously. Scroll down to see the list at this link.
To be added to the Book Group listserv or if you have questions or want to attend via Zoom, email BookGroup@circleboston.org.

TASC Session 8
2025-02-09 10:30 - 12:30 | BWC Office – 6 Webster Street

Tu B'Shevat Seder
2025-02-09 15:30 - 17:30 | BWC Building & Zoom
Join BWC and Kavod Boston in-person or online via Zoom for a unique Tu B’Shevat seder, marking the “New Year for the Trees.” Readings, songs, and poems will reflect the origins of the seder adapted to progressive secular Jewish life in the 21st century.
All registrants (in-person and online) will be invited to actively participate, with the option to read a portion of the Haggadah aloud during the seder. Ritual foods will be provided at the in-person seder.
Attending in-person? Please make sure you are up-to-date on Covid vaccines and boosters, and take a Covid test before the event. If you’re not feeling well, please attend the event virtually. Masking is encouraged for in-person attendees except when eating.
This event is pay-what-you-can (suggested donation of $10+). Registration is required. Register here.

Anti-Muslim Bias in Massachusetts Schools
2025-02-13 19:00 - 20:30 | Zoom
Join us on February 13th from 7:00 to 8:30 PM on Zoom for CAIR-MA Bullying Report 2025, “Silenced Voices: Examining Bullying and Islamophobia in Massachusetts Public Schools.” Hosted by the Boston Workers Circle Jewish Muslim Solidarity Committee in partnership with the Council on American-Islamic Relations, this event will spotlight the newly-released report detailing bullying and bias faced by Muslim students in Massachusetts schools. Gain insights into the challenges these students navigate and explore actionable ways to foster inclusion and allyship in our communities. Don’t miss this vital conversation!
Zoom registration required here.

Roadmap to a Beloved Community - Walking Tour & Redlining Workshop
2025-02-15 11:00 - 13:00 | The Way of the Cross Holy Church, 65 Ashton St, Boston, MA, United States
Join BWC’s AFREJ, Boston Urban Archive, and Afrimerican Academy as we explore the intertwined histories of Boston’s Jewish and African American communities through a guided tour and meaningful discussion on what led to this part of Boston being redlined, how it impacted the communities, and how it continues to impact the neighborhood and its development to this day. We will be joined by community leaders Lew Finfer, Marlon Solomon, and Ebony Gill.
This event is part of the Afrimerican Academy’s Boston Redline 87 Black History Month Event Series, which is centered around the theme of “Development Without Displacement.”
Register here.

Aging in Community: Dependency & Caregiving
2025-02-16 10:30 - 12:30

Mutual Aid Team General Meeting
2025-02-21 18:30 - 20:00 | BWC Building
BWC’s Mutual Aid team will be meeting on February 21 from 6:30-8:00 pm at BWC to continue shaping the future work of our team! Come through for continued relational team building, shared education around mutual aid, and identifying action items for our community. Didn’t make it to our past meetings? No problem, now is still a great time to get involved with the team as we’re shaping our vision of our team’s work.
Register to join us here. This meeting will also be a potluck Shabes. Please fill out this potluck form at your convenience.
As always, please reach out with questions or comments to Julie at mutualaid@circleboston.org and to Zohar at zohar@circleboston.org.

Shule Session 15
2025-02-23 10:30 - 12:30
