JCRC

Sioux Falls: Get to Know Your Jewish Neighbor
2023-03-15 19:00 - 20:00 (America/New_York)
Join your neighbors at Mt. Zion Congregation in Sioux Falls for a 3-part educational series, “Get To Know Your Jewish Neighbor.” Mt. Zion Congregation, founded in 1919, has been at the heart of Sioux Falls Jewish life for over 100 years. This educational series is designed to build connections and community. Come learn about Sioux Falls Jewish life and meet your friendly neighbors. Each session will begin with a welcome and introduction from a Sioux Falls Jewish community member and be followed by a short reception and opportunity for community members of diverse backgrounds to share ideas and reactions.

Part I, Introduction to Judaism (March 15 at 7 pm). Bring your curiosity, as we learn more about the beliefs, values, and religious traditions upon which Jewish peoplehood and faith are based. This program covers the common roots of the 3 Abrahamic Faiths, introduction to Torah, holidays, ritual objects, ethical principles, connection to Israel, Jewish diversity, life cycle events, Kosher diet, and more. Facilitated by Holly Brod Farber, JCRC co-director of Judaism and Israel Education.
Part II, Amazing Israel (April 26 at 7 pm). Let’s explore a tiny land that has a big story to tell. As Israel celebrates its 75th anniversary, learn more about Israel, a country brimming with biblical history and cutting-edge innovation, the Jewish homeland that is also a dynamic, multi-ethnic democracy. Facilitated by Sally Abrams, JCRC co-director of Judaism and Israel Education.
Part III, Jewish Ethics (July 12 at 7 pm). Together let’s take a deeper dive into Jewish ethics by examining a traditional Jewish text that gives rise to universal ethical values. Individuals can consider for themselves how the topic connects with their own intentions, practices and personal stories. This session is intended to expose participants to the Jewish tradition of learning ethical principles from traditional Biblical and other sacred texts. Facilitated by Rabbi Cathy Nemiroff of Mt. Zion Congregation.

All sessions are free and open to the public but advance registration is required.

Sioux Falls: Get to Know Your Jewish Neighbor

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I plan to attend the following sessions in-person at Mt. Zion:

Part I, Introduction to Judaism (March 15)

Part II, Amazing Israel (April 26)

Part III, Jewish Ethics (July 12)
Select AllAll sessions will be 7-8 p.m.I am interested in participating via Zoom:

Part I, Introduction to Judaism (March 15)

Part II, Amazing Israel (April 26)

Part III, Jewish Ethics (July 12)
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One Day Trip to Washington D.C. (USHMM)
2023-03-28
Register by Feb. 7
2023 Trip Flyer
Since 1996, the JCRC’s annual trip to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington D.C. has educated participants about the atrocities of the Holocaust.
College and High School students, teachers, police and law enforcement personnel, National Guard members, as well as unaffiliated community members, join us each year to visit the museum, spending an immersive day learning about the Holocaust and the dangers of unchecked hatred.
Participants must be 12 years and older. Under 18 must be accompanied by an adult. Cost includes airline ticket, transportation in Washington, DC, and admission to the museum.
Please contact Susie Greenberg for more info.

JRLC Day On The Hill
2023-03-29 18:30 - 21:00
Joint Religious Legislative Coalition: Jewish, Protestant, Muslim, and Catholic partners advocating for public policies that promote the common good in Minnesota
Our schedule this year will include a virtual issue brief and advocacy training program from 6:30-8:45pm on March 29th over Zoom. We are recommending individuals and District Leaders schedule legislator appointments for the following day, March 30th.
Register for our Day on the Hill hereFind your district here
If your district currently has a District Leader, your contact information will be sent to them after you register so they can coordinate dates and times for legislator meetings. If your district does not have a District Leader this year, we will have individuals schedule their own appointments. Resources will be sent to you on best practices in scheduling and facilitating legislator meetings.
Our program this year will be focused on homelessness in our state and advocating for HF1872, the Sacred Settlements bill. The complete program agenda will be sent next week. The JCRC represents the Jewish community in the Joint Religious Legislative Coalition. Thank you so much and email info@jrlc.org if you have any questions!

Yom HaShoah 2023/5783: Holocaust Remembrance Day
2023-04-18 19:00 - 20:30 | Beth Jacob Congregation
JCRC and Beth Jacob Congregation invite you to Yom HaShoah, Minnesota and the Dakotas’ annual Holocaust Remembrance Day Commemoration.
Register
6:30 p.m. Pre-program Recitation of Names: Unto Every Person There is a Name
7:00 p.m. Community-wide Commemoration Service
Masks encouraged. Free and open to the public but registration is required.
Cant’s join in-person? Livestream via Beth Jacob Congregation
The Yom HaShoah Commemoration is co-sponsored by the Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and the Dakotas, Beth Jacob Congregation, Children of Holocaust Survivors Association of Minnesota (CHAIM), Minneapolis Jewish Federation, St. Paul Jewish Federation, Generations After MN, and the Micki and Mort Naiman Holocaust Education Fund.

“Departure Stories” Author Elisa Bernick with Rabbi Debra Rappaport
2023-05-18 19:00 - 21:00 | Capp Center St. Paul, 1375 St. Paul Ave, St. Paul, 55116
Join us for a very special evening featuring author Elisa Bernick and Rabbi Debra Rappaport in conversation about Bernick’s new book, Departure Stories: Betty Crocker Made Matzoh Balls (and Other Lies).
Elisa Bernick grew up “different” (i.e., Jewish) in the white, Christian suburb of New Hope, Minnesota during the 1960s and early 1970s. Deftly interweaving reporting, archival material, memoir, jokes, scrapbook fragments, personal commentary, and one very special Waikiki Meatballs recipe, Bernick explores how the invisible baggage of place and memory, Minnesota’s uniquely antisemitic history, and the cultural shifts of feminism and changing marital expectations contributed to her family’s eventual implosion.
Departure Stories will be available for purchase and Bernick will be available for a signing afterwards.
CLICK HERE to reserve your spot!
For questions or more information, contact Irit Vinitsky at iritv@minnesotajcc.org.
Presented by the Minnesota JCC in partnership with Rimon and JCRC.

2023 Annual Event
2023-06-04 17:30 - 21:00 | Renaissance Minneapolis Hotel, The Depot, 225 Third Ave S., Minneapolis, MN, 55401, United States
Event Details:
Sunday, June 4, 2023
Renaissance Minneapolis Hotel, The Depot
225 Third Ave. S.
Minneapolis, MN 55401
5:30 p.m. – Reception on the outdoor covered patio (Light dinner and beverages served)
7:00 p.m. – Program featuring Dara Horn (Program to be held indoors, public health conditions permitting)
8:15 p.m. – Outdoor reception resumes (dessert served)
9:00 p.m. – Evening concludes
Dressy Casual Attire – dress comfortably for the weather (outdoor reception on covered patio and indoor program)
Event is sold out. Please contact Nina Afremov to be added to the waitlist.
Annual Event Sponsorship Information
We encourage you to purchase your tickets early if you can join us since space is limited. If you are unable to join us this year, please consider making a contribution.
All tickets include a light dinner, beverage, a seat for the program, and complimentary parking.
Questions? Please e-mail Lisa Ferrier at lisaf@minndakjcrc.wpenginepowered.com or 612.677.2330.
Parking Information:
All guests will receive a complimentary parking pass for the Renaissance Depot parking ramp. The parking entrance is located on S. 5th Avenue, between Washington and 2nd St. There will be self-parking or valet parking available after you enter the lot from 5th Avenue. Valet will be available on the surface level on the left side as you enter the lot. You can self-park on the surface lot or go inside the ramp and self-park on either P1 or P2. Once you are parked inside the ramp, please enter the RED doors labeled “Great Northern” and proceed to floor 1. The red doors are located closest to the JCRC event.
Featuring Speaker Dara Horn, award-winning author
In her keynote address, Dreams for Living Jews, Dr. Dara Horn asserts that the astonishing power of the Jewish people’s resilience and capacity for reinvention is both the foundation for our culture’s endurance and the key to our future. Dr. Horn will challenge us to dream big to solve our toughest problems.

About the speaker: Dara Horn is the award-winning author of six books, including the novels In the Image (Norton 2002), The World to Come (Norton 2006), All Other Nights (Norton 2009), A Guide for the Perplexed (Norton 2013), and Eternal Life (Norton 2018), and the essay collection People Love Dead Jews: Reports from a Haunted Present (Norton 2021). One of Granta magazine’s Best Young American Novelists (2007), she is the recipient of two National Jewish Book Awards, the Edward Lewis Wallant Award, the Harold U. Ribalow Award, and the Reform Judaism Fiction Prize, and she was a finalist for the Wingate Prize, the Simpson Family Literary Prize, and the Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction. Her books have been selected as New York Times Notable Books, Booklist’s 25 Best Books of the Decade, and San Francisco Chronicle’s Best Books of the Year, and have been translated into eleven languages. Her nonfiction work has appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, Smithsonian Magazine, and The Jewish Review of Books, among many other publications, and she is a regular columnist for Tablet Magazine. Horn received her doctorate in comparative literature from Harvard University, studying Yiddish and Hebrew. She has taught courses in these subjects at Sarah Lawrence College and Yeshiva University, and held the Gerald Weinstock Visiting Professorship in Jewish Studies at Harvard. She has lectured for audiences in hundreds of venues throughout North America, Israel, and Australia. She lives in New Jersey with her husband and four children.

A Zoom conversation with bestselling author Yossi Klein Halevi
2023-06-20 12:00 - 13:00
Would you like a deeper understanding of the dual narratives that drive the Israeli-Palestinian conflict?
Have you read Letters to My Palestinian Neighbor: With an Extensive Epilogue of Palestinian Responses (HarperCollins, 2019)?
If yes, we are proud to invite you to a Zoom conversation with bestselling author Yossi Klein Halevi.
This unscripted conversation, facilitated by Sally Abrams and Holly Brod Farber (creators of the groundbreaking Letters Project), is an opportunity to ask your questions about “Letters,” as well as Mr. Klein Halevi’s current thinking and writing.
Our Intentions

Zoom conversation with bestselling author Yossi Klein Halevi

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Basic Threat Evaluation and Reporting Course (B-TERC)
2023-06-28 08:30 - 16:30 | Barry Family Campus, 4330 Cedar Lake Road, St. Louis Park, MN, 55416
Learn to assist in preventing acts of targeted violence.
JCRC of Minnesota and the Dakotas is pleased to offer a Basic Threat Evaluation and Reporting Course (B-TERC), a one-day course that teaches participants how to assist in preventing acts of targeted violence, such as terrorism, school shootings, attacks on houses of worship, or other mass attacks. Participants will learn how to recognize and report concerning behaviors and intervention strategies to move individuals off a path to violence.
The course is developed by the US Department of Homeland Security and taught by certified master trainers from DHS’s National Threat and Reporting program.
Who Should Attend:
This course is appropriate for anyone in a public-facing role in institutions. Specifically, these roles will particularly benefit:

Ushers / Greeters
Security Staff
School Administrators
Teachers
Social workers

Registration required. JCRC will offer a complimentary lunch.

Usher / Greeter High Holiday Training
2023-08-13 13:00 - 17:00 | Bet Shalom Congregation, 13613 Orchard Rd, Minnetonka, MN, 55305
Learn to recognize and address potentially threatening behavior while remaining warm and welcoming.
JCRC is offering “Usher/Greeter Training” in advance of the high holidays. This training will review how ushers, greeters, and other public-facing volunteers and staff should recognize and address potentially threatening behavior while keeping a warm and welcoming atmosphere. The training will be conducted by psychologists who specialize in de-escalating volatile behavior.
Who Should Attend:
This course is appropriate for anyone in a public-facing role in institutions. Specifically, these roles will particularly benefit:

Ushers / Greeters and other public-facing volunteers
Teachers
Social workers

Registration required.

Exhibit opening: Symbolic Significance
2023-09-11 17:00 - 19:30 | Elmer L. Andersen Library, 222 21st Ave. S, room 120, Minneapolis, MN, 55455, United States
Celebrating the opening of the exhibit
Join us on Sept. 11 at Elmer L. Andersen Library to celebrate the new exhibit Symbolic Significance: Tracing the History of Jewish High Holidays and the First Day of School. Curated by Kate Dietrick, Archivist for the Upper Midwest Jewish Archives, this will be an opportunity for an engaging conversation around the topics and documents brought to light. The program will include a panel conversation with Natan Paradise, Director of the Center for Jewish Studies; Riv-Ellen Prell Emeritus Professor, University of Minnesota; Benjie Kaplan, Director, Hillel; and Steve Hunegs, Director, Jewish Community Relations Council.
The event will be held in person at Elmer L. Andersen Library with heavy appetizers. Please RSVP by Sept. 1.
Register for Symbolic Significance
Program

5-6 p.m. — Exhibit viewing/Reception
6-7 p.m. — Program
7-7:30 p.m. — Exhibit viewing & curator Q&A in the gallery

About Symbolic Significance
The first day of school holds a certain kind of magic — the anticipation, the fresh beginning, the promise. It is a day filled with symbolic significance for students from kindergarten to college. In Minnesota, this first day of school occurs in September and has at times conflicted with the Jewish high holidays, forcing students, staff, and faculty to choose between their religious practice and the symbolic start of their education.
Over the past decade, more school districts have begun to recognize non-Christian faith holidays as they plan their academic calendars. These changes and the shifting respect for other religions and cultures didn’t happen overnight, but rather have played out over a decades-long struggle for minority visibility and understanding.
This exhibit examines the history of Jewish community members working with local school districts to make space for Jewish Minnesotans to practice their religion without conflict. The exhibit is open Sept. 5, 2023 through Jan. 30, 2024 at Elmer L. Andersen Library, third floor.
Sponsored by the Upper Midwest Jewish Archives and co-sponsored by the Center for Jewish Studies, Minnesota Hillel, and the Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and the Dakotas.

Community Gathering in Solidarity with Israel
2023-10-10 17:30 - 19:00 | Beth El Synagogue, 5225 Barry St W, St. Louis Park, MN, 55416, United States
The Jewish community invites all to gather in solidarity with the people and nation of Israel, which was viciously attacked by Hamas terrorists in a pre-meditated, multi-prong assault on Saturday, October 7th.
The solidarity gathering is an opportunity for Minnesotans to stand together in memory of the hundreds of Israelis murdered by Hamas and in solidarity with the people of Israel who continue to remain under siege from Hamas terrorists.
Tuesday, October 10 / 6:00 pm
Beth El Synagogue
5225 Barry St. W, St. Louis Park, MN 55416
Livestream via TC Jewfolk
Co-sponsored by JCRC, Minneapolis Jewish Federation, St. Paul Jewish Federation, Minnesota Rabbinical Association, Minnesota Cantors Association, and TC Jewfolk.
Attendees will be encouraged to support the Minneapolis Jewish Federation Israel Emergency Fund to support terror victims, help rebuild damaged infrastructure, and address the unprecedented trauma caused by this horrific attack.
See also:

Jewish community stands united in support of Israel against unprovoked Hamas invasion (Joint community statement on Oct. 7)
Statements of solidarity from Gov. Walz, Lt. Gov. Flanagan, and our Congressional delegations

The Letters Project: Deepening Jewish Peoplehood (Community Class)
2023-10-22 11:30 - 12:35
A 4-session intergenerational community conversation intended to deepen Jewish peoplehood.

Let’s come together for an internal Jewish conversation at this very difficult time. This will be a space for us to process what is happening and deepen our connection to Am Yisrael, drawing on the collected wisdom of our communal rabbis.
Presented in partnership with the Talmud Torah of Minneapolis and Talmud Torah of St. Paul
Class dates: October 22, 29, November 5 and 12 • 11:30 am-12:35 pm
Register via Zoom

Israel at War: A community summit for teens and their parents
2023-11-12 15:30 - 19:00 | Barry Family Campus, 4330 Cedar Lake Road, St. Louis Park, MN, 55416
Jewish teens (grades 8-12) and parents from across the community are invited to find hope, strength, learning, and support in navigating the complex and sensitive situation in Israel.
The summit will include shared learning with teens and parents together, as well as separate breakout spaces for each group. Our goals are to create space for the range of emotions teens may be feeling, provide education about Israel and context for the war, and offer suggestions on where to turn for help and support.
Register via Eventbrite
Teen breakout topics:

My Jewish Story: Exploring our connections to the Jewish people and Israel
The Big Picture: Understanding the 2023 Israel-Hamas War
“From the River to the Sea…”: Unpacking common terms and slogans
Be a smart media consumer: Where to find reliable information/how to detect misinformation

A dairy Kosher dinner will be provided. While registration is free, a $10 donation is suggested to cover our costs.
Questions? Email info@minndakjcrc.org

Cocoa and Candles: JCRC Hanukkah Celebration
2023-12-11 18:00 - 20:00 | Minnesota JCC Sabes Center (Minneapolis), 4330 Cedar Lake Rd S Minneapolis, MN 55416 United States, Minneapolis, MN, 55416, United States
Nosh and shmooze with community members and elected officials at the JCRC Hanukkah Party. Join community members and elected officials for warm drinks and Hannukah fare at our family-friendly Hanukkah celebration.
Please contact Nina Afremov with any questions. Thank you!
Register via Eventbrite

Jewish Community Town Hall with U.S. Attorney Andy Luger
2024-01-25 17:00 | Temple Israel, 2323 Fremont Ave S, Minneapolis, MN, 55405
January 25 marks 110 days since the deadly Hamas attacks. The JCRC and Temple Israel have invited U.S. Attorney Andy Luger to a town hall forum on anti-Semitism on Thursday, January 25, 2024, 5:00 p.m. at Temple Israel.

Please RSVP to attend virtually or in person – seats will be limited.

Antisemitism: Let’s Talk - Community Session
2024-02-07 19:00 | Temple Israel, 2323 Fremont Ave S, Minneapolis, MN, 55405
In Person and Online
Registration Required
Join us for a timely and interactive conversation with Rabbi Zimmerman and two Jewish community leaders and experts on antisemitism: Melanie Maron Pell, Deputy Director of the American Jewish Committee (AJC); and Steve Hunegs, leader of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota & the Dakotas.
Delve into antisemitism on a global, national, and local scale. Together, we will think through what it means to be Jewish in our generation, when the idea that antisemitism was a thing of the past has been so painfully proven to be untrue. We will talk about how we can respond to antisemitism in media and entertainment, politics and in our local community.

Children of Peace Encore Screening + Live Director Talkback with Maayan Schwartz
2024-02-11 13:00 - 16:00 | Temple Israel, 2323 Fremont Ave S, Minneapolis, MN, 55405
Sunday, February, 11, 1-4 p.m. at Temple Israel
Tickets for purchase at this link!
1 p.m.: Film screening
2 p.m.: Intermission
2:10 p.m.: Holding Multiple Narratives: Live Conversation with Director Maayan Schwartz
3 p.m.: Refreshments and Connection
Israeli film director Maayan Schwartz grew up and lives in Neve Shalom/Wahat al-Salam – the only village in Israel in which Israelis and Palestinians have chosen to live together. Join us in welcoming Maayan for an encore screening of his award-winning film “Children of Peace”, followed by a live moderated discussion about the film, how the community is coping with the current crisis, and what it can teach us about conflict and coexistence.
Presented in partnership with Temple Israel, Mount Zion Temple, the Israel Center of the Minneapolis Jewish Federation, Israel Programs of the St. Paul Jewish Federation, and Jewish Community Relations Council.

This program is made possible through JCC Association of North America in partnership with Israel’s Ministry for Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism.

Antisemitism and Schools
2024-04-17 19:00 - 20:30 | Jewish Family and Children’s Service of Minneapolis, 5905 Golden Valley Rd, Golden Valley, MN, 55422, United States
Antisemitism and Schools: A Community Conversation on Challenges and Opportunities
Wednesday, April 17
7-8:30 p.m.
JFCS – 5905 Golden Valley Rd, Golden Valley
(In-person and virtual option)
Register to attend
The 2023-24 school year has been unlike any other for Jewish students, teachers, and families. What are the challenges facing Jews in schools? What opportunities are there for building school communities that embrace their Jewish families? Join an expert panel of school stakeholders and advocates for a reflective discussion that will assess problems and offer ideas and solutions.
PANELISTS: Moderated by Jordana Green, WCCO Radio
> Holly Brod Farber, Director of Judaism and Israel Education, JCRC
> Leah Persky, PhD & CFLE, Manager of Professional and Community Education & Addiction and Recovery Services, JFCS
> Mindy Daitchman, City Director, Jewish Student Union
> Melissa Del Rosario, Education Issues Specialist/Jewish Affinity Space Founder at Education Minnesota
> Rebecca Badzin, Hopkins High School Jewish Student Union Vice President

Multi-faith Day of Prayer and Action
2024-04-18 08:00 - 11:15 | Christ on Capitol Hill Church, 105 University Ave W, St. Paul, MN, 55103, United States
The Joint Religious Legislative Coalition’s
Multi-faith Day of Prayer and Action
Thursday, April 18, 8:00 AM – 11:15 AM
Christ on Capitol Hill Church
For faith leaders, clergy community organizers, active congregants and faith organization leadership.
JRLC (The Joint Religious Legislative Coalition) would like to invite leaders in our faith communities to a day of prayer and coming together in action at the legislature. This will be a time for leaders from diverse faith traditions to come together around common values and causes in this divisive time.
Register to attend
View program agenda

Yom HaShoah 2024/5784: Holocaust Remembrance Day
2024-05-05 16:00 - 18:00 | Bet Shalom Congregation, 13613 Orchard Rd, Minnetonka, MN, 55305
Register for Yom HaShoah, Minnesota and the Dakotas’ annual Holocaust Remembrance Day Commemoration
Sunday, May 5, 2024
Bet Shalom Congregation
View recording
The Yom HaShoah Commemoration is co-sponsored by the Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and the Dakotas, Children of Holocaust Survivors Association in Minnesota (CHAIM), Bet Shalom Congregation, the Minneapolis Jewish Federation, the Jewish Federation of Greater St. Paul, Generations After MN, and the Micki and Mort Naiman Holocaust Education Fund.
A livestream option will be available here

2024 Annual Event
2024-06-02
Featuring Haviv Rettig Gur

About the speaker: Haviv Rettig Gur is a veteran Israeli journalist who serves as senior analyst for The Times of Israel and is also a frequent guest on the Call Me Back and The Times of Israel podcasts. He has covered Israel’s politics and foreign policy since 2005, reported from over 20 countries, served as director of communications for the Jewish Agency for Israel, Israel’s largest NGO, and taught at prestigious premilitary academies.
Haviv Rettig Gur will address the narratives Israelis and Palestinians hold about each other and why these often-false stories are the greatest obstacle to resolving the conflict. Rettig Gur will argue the necessity for Israelis and Palestinians to honestly understand the other’s identity and rooted connection to the same small patch of land between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea.

Your support is more important than ever.
Since the devastating atrocities committed on October 7th, the JCRC has assumed the responsibility of being our community’s primary first responder in confronting an unprecedented and unrelenting surge in antisemitism while also serving as the consensus public affairs voice in support of Israel. Our annual event is JCRC’s single largest fundraiser and your support enables us to continue our vitally important work.
Event Details:
Sunday, June 2, 2024
Downtown Minneapolis
Evening event
5:30 p.m. – Reception on the outdoor covered patio (Light kosher-style dinner and beverages served)
7:00 p.m. – Program featuring Haviv Rettig Gur (Program to be held indoors)
8:15 p.m. – Outdoor reception resumes (dessert served)
9:00 p.m. – Evening concludes
Dressy Casual Attire – dress comfortably for the weather (outdoor reception on covered patio and indoor program)
Purchase Tickets
Space is limited. If you can join us, we encourage you to purchase your tickets early. All tickets include a light dinner, beverage, a seat for the program, and complimentary parking. A kosher meal is available upon request. $500.00 tickets include premium seating and in-depth breakfast briefing with Haviv Rettig Gur on Monday, June 3, 2024, 8:30 am.

Become a Sponsor
See full details on becoming a Platinum ($10,000), Gold ($5,000) or Silver ($3,000) sponsor of The Annual Event. As a sponsor you will receive 10 preferred seating admissions, 2 admissions to an in-depth breakfast briefing with Haviv Rettig Gur, and extensive visibility in the advertising and marketing spaces of this event. To reserve your sponsorship or ask questions, please contact Nina Afremov at 612.677.2330 or nina@minndakjcrc.org.

If you are unable to join us this year, please consider making a contribution. Our annual event is JCRC’s single largest fundraiser and your support enables us to continue our vitally important work.
Donate

Thank you to our generous sponsors

Become a Sponsor
See full details or contact Nina Afremov at 612.677.2330 or nina@minndakjcrc.org

POSTPONED: What's your story? Listening session on Jewish experiences in education
2024-06-13 19:00 - 20:00
The listening session has been postponed to a later date to be announced.
JCRC invites students, parents, and educators for a listening session with U.S. Attorney Andrew Luger to share how the October 7 terror attacks and the Israel-Hamas war have impacted K-12 and higher educational spaces.
Complete our survey
Whether or not you plan to attend the listening session, we invite you to complete this optional anonymous survey to help guide JCRC’s ongoing education, advocacy, and relationship-building work to combat antisemitism and create communities where Jews experience safety and belonging over isolation and fear.

The Power of Place: 2024 JCRC Educator European Summer Institute
2024-06-17 - 2024-06-29
The Power of Place
2024 JCRC Educator European Summer Institute
June 17 – 29, 2024
Visit Warsaw, Berlin and Prague
Applications due Feb. 25, 2024
“Space stands as a witness to what happened.”
– Yitskhok Rudashevski, diary excerpt, Salvaged Pages

$2,425.00 + international airfare per person
(based on double room occupancy for hotel stays)
+ mandatory travel insurance

$3,425.00 + international airfare per person
(based on single room occupancy for hotel stays)
+ mandatory travel insurance

Professional/Continuing Education credits for K-12 educators available through Minnesota State University, Mankato.
Each participant will be contacted by a trip leader to arrange airfare and must purchase their own travel insurance.

Join us as we travel to authentic, historical sites to better understand the events of the Holocaust, WWII, antisemitism, as well as Jewish life today. Research has shown that traveling to authentic sites is an effective tool in moving people from empathy to action. In addition to gaining personal insight and knowledge, your students and community will benefit as you bring the lessons and experience home.
JUNE 2024 ITINERARY:
June 17 (overnight flight from U.S. to Warsaw)
June 18 – 28 (on the ground in Europe)
June 29 (flight home from Prague to U.S.)
Warsaw, Poland: 4 nights (Sofitel Warsaw Victoria)
Berlin, Germany: 4 nights (Westin Grand Berlin)
Prague, Czech Republic: 3 nights (Hotel Rott Prague)
Breakfast included daily at each hotel.
We will have walking tours in each city with professional, local guides. Charter busses will transfer us to additional sites and will also be our transportation between countries.
WARSAW:
Warsaw Ghetto remnants, Treblinka Museum (former killing center in Nazi-occupied Poland), Jewish Historical Institute – Emanuel Ringelblum Archive, Żabiński villa (original villa from “The Zoo Keeper’s Wife”), POLIN Museum of Jewish History, Lodz
YAHAD-IN UNUM (“Holocaust by Bullets” – Father Patrick Desbois) – Spend one full day in the field with Yahad-In Unum staff members as we trace the footsteps of Jews who lived in Polish communities that were destroyed by the Nazis. Through archival research and in-field investigations, which include interviews with non-Jewish eyewitnesses to the Nazi crimes, they seek to identify each execution site and mass grave – remembering that each person has a name and a story and deserves to be remembered and memorialized. To this day, the organization has interviewed 7,925 non-Jewish eyewitnesses across Eastern Europe, and it has identified 3,293 mass graves. The one day in the field will give us an opportunity to investigate the fate of two specific Jewish communities: to visit the sites of their life and death, to analyze the archival sources and to listen to eyewitness testimonies.
YIU – Father Patrick Desbois – His story
BERLIN:
Site of Nazi Book Burning, Checkpoint Charlie, Reichstag, Topography of Terror, Wannsee House (where Nazi leaders met to discuss “The Final Solution”), Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp Memorial Site, Kindertransport Memorial, Berlin Jewish Museum
PRAGUE:
Jewish Quarter, Terezin Memorial and Ghetto Museum – spend a full day here with Education staff and guides, Lidice, and end our European Summer Institute with a 2-hour private river cruise along the Vltava River.
Prerequisite includes attending three intro sessions via zoom beginning in 2024. Post requisite asks participants to design a project and/or program that furthers Holocaust awareness in their own community and communicate with the JCRC through photos, summaries, and reflections.
Meet your trip leaders:
Laura Zelle
Director of Holocaust Education, Jewish Community Relations Council of MN and the Dakotas (JCRC)
Laura is director of Tolerance MN and Holocaust Education at JCRC where she has been on staff since 2005. Laura oversees programming including writing grants and delivering curriculum, educator workshops, speakers, and film showings. She has been responsible for the vision and creation of numerous educational resources. Tolerance Minnesota was awarded the 2018 “Presidents’ Community Partner Award” from Normandale Community College.

Kristin Thompson
Founding Director, Humanus Network, Holocaust and Human Rights Education Consulting
Kristin is currently the founding director of Humanus Network. Previously, she was a classroom history teacher (19-yrs) in MN and Education Program Coordinator at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. (5 1/2 yrs) where her primary task was training teachers in Holocaust education.

Kyle Ward
Director of Social Studies Education at Minnesota State University, Mankato

Kyle Ward is the Director of Social Studies Education at Minnesota State University, Mankato. Along with working with future Social Studies teachers, he also teaches classes on US History and World War II and the Holocaust. He began his career as a middle/high school Social Studies teacher before working at the university level. He earned his PhD from Indiana State University and has written on, and researched topics related to World War II and historiography/historical thinking.

Susie Greenberg
Associate Director of Holocaust Education

Susie Greenberg, Associate Director of Holocaust Education, has spent the last 15 years working at the JCRC, devoting much of her time planning, facilitating, and implementing programming around Holocaust education and remembrance. Susie focuses on the Twin Cities community and beyond via an active speakers’ bureau, community trainings, charter trips to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, the annual Yom HaShoah Commemoration (Holocaust Remembrance Day), and more. Additionally, she co-curated Transfer of Memory, a traveling photography exhibit about Minnesota Holocaust survivors, and coordinated and supervised the exhibition, Kindertransport – Rescuing Children on the Brink of War in Minneapolis and curated the accompanying local component, The Story is Here.

For more info contact: Laura@minndakjcrc.org

Community Safety Day
2024-08-11 11:00 - 13:00 | Capp Center St. Paul, 1375 St. Paul Ave, St. Paul, 55116
Be Empowered. Be Confident. Be Prepared.
The Minnesota JCC is hosting a Community Safety Day, in collaboration with agencies around the Twin Cities committed to protecting and serving the Jewish Community. This family friendly event is dedicated to enhancing the well-being and safety for members of the Twin Cities Jewish community. The Minnesota JCC Community Safety Day will feature speakers, interactive workshops, expert-led sessions, and practical demonstrations aimed at equipping individuals with the knowledge and skills necessary to feel empowered, confident, and prepared. Children will have the opportunity to check out emergency response vehicles, and meet police officers, firefighters, and other first-responders! Photo ID required for entry.
Along with a list of amazing workshops and speakers, the Capp Center St. Paul will have BOOTHS setup from community agencies such as: St. Paul Police Department, FBI, Jewish Community Relations Council, Jewish Family Services, the St. Paul Fire Department, Hennepin County Sheriff, Mendota Heights Police Department, the Minnesota JCC Departments and more!
Also, VEHICLES ON DISPLAY from the St. Paul Police Department, St. Paul PD Bike Cops, St. Paul Fire Department, Jewish Community Relations Council and BCA Investigators!
Fore more information on the schedule including SPEAKERS, INTERACTIVE WORKSHOPS, EXPERT-LED SESSIONS, and PRACTICAL DEMONSTRATIONS, visit the main event page.

Chai-U-Mah Tailgate
2024-08-29 17:00 - 19:00
Thursday, August 29, 2024
5:00 pm | Ski-U-Mah Lot | Look for the Chai-U-Mah flag!

Inviting all students, alumni, parents and friends of Chabad at UofM and Jewish Community Relations Council: Minnesota and the Dakotas to a kosher tailgate!

We are excited for the Jewish community to come together through their love of Gopher football!

Register to attend

Conversations Across the Line: Is Political Divisiveness Our Destiny?
2024-09-16 19:00 - 20:30 | Beit HaMidrash at TTSP, 1335 Ford Pkwy, St. Paul, MN, 55116, United States
In 2021-2022 Democrat Bob Rubinyi and Republican Liz Gronert realized that they shared a common concern: The increasing political polarization was having a negative impact on personal relationships and within their congregation, Bet Shalom. Their response was to lead a series of conversations across the partisan line, to support and model constructive dialogue across differences.
Rabbi Debra Rappaport will facilitate a panel to learn about their motivations, the process, what they discovered, and how it relates to Jewish values. Participants will have an opportunity to ask questions and think together about how we might build on this initial project.
Register

2024 JCRC Annual Meeting
2024-09-18 19:00 - 20:30 | Adath Jeshurun Congregation, 10500 Hillside Lane West, Minnetonka, MN, 55305, United States
2024 JCRC Annual Meeting
Wednesday, September 18, 7:00-8:30 pm | Adath Jeshurun Congregation | Dessert reception to follow
We heard from Ambassador Dennis Ross, veteran diplomat, peace negotiator, and critically acclaimed author, as we installed our new JCRC board led by incoming president Jacy Grais. We honored our outgoing Board President Jon Parritz, Director of Holocaust Education Laura Zelle for her 19 years of service at JCRC, and JCRC advocacy volunteer Lior Sztainer.
Watch recording

October 7 Commemoration
2024-10-07 19:30 - 20:30 | Adath Jeshurun Congregation, 10500 Hillside Lane West, Minnetonka, MN, 55305, United States
View Recording
The Jewish community, and all who wish to join, are gathering to mark one year since October 7, 2023.
The victims, including non-Jewish Israelis, came from many faiths and backgrounds, as well as held citizenship from twenty countries. We will remember those taken from us, the hostages recovered and still being held, the sacrifices of brave soldiers and civilians, and the innocent lives lost and uprooted.

Registration required to attend.
Printed or QR tickets must be shown at the door to enter.
Space is limited, please register early.
St. Paul residents: The St. Paul Jewish Federation is providing transportation and a box meal for the St. Paul Jewish community to the October 7th Commemoration. You will see a ticket option for this when you register.
A teen program will precede the commemoration: you will see a ticket option for this when you register. Doors will open for teens at 5:45 PM.

Questions? Contact JCRC at info@minndakjcrc.org or 612-338-7816.

Africa Night to Honor and Stand With Israel
2024-10-27 17:00 - 21:00 | Ebenezer Community Church, 9200 West Broadway, Brooklyn Park, 55445, United States
RSVP to attend
View full event details

Minnetonka Community Center - Coffee & Conversations Judaism Series: Antisemitism
2024-11-15 10:30 - 11:45 | Minnetonka Community Center, 14600 Minnetonka Blvd., Minnetonka, MN, 55345, United States
Coffee & Conversation Judaism Series: Antisemitism

The Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and the Dakotas (JCRC) presents this thought-provoking series at a time in our history when it is of utmost importance to truly live out what it means to be a community. Coffee will be served.
How do Jews understand their individual and collective identities? What is antisemitism, and how is it different from other forms of prejudice? What are the harms that Jewish people are experiencing today? Explore these and other questions in a session that provides space for questions, discussion, and suggestions for how to be an ally. Presented by Sami Rahamim.
Register by searching Activity Number 1180409 at https://minnetonkamn.gov/register
