Jewish Celebrations

Jewish Celebrations at UCV

Our congregation had a very successful Hanukkah party on December 9th with 60 people including about a dozen kids of all ages. There were dreidls and menorahs and yes, latkes! (Thanks, Patti, Tara and Elliott).

One of the biggest successes is that there’s an enthusiastic group of Unitarians with Jewish roots who then organized a Passover dinner.

Come along whether your background is Jewish or you just want to learn more–and enjoy a celebratory dinner with other Unitarians and their friends and families.

Link to Passover Seder/Dinner Event with details.

Rosh Hashanah 2018 will begin in the evening of Sunday, September 9 and ends in the evening of Tuesday, September 11.

Unitarian-Jewish connections

You might be interested in these links to learn more about how Unitarianism and Judaism have

connections. Our congregation hasn’t regularly offered gatherings to celebrate Jewish holidays in recent years, but now there does seem to be some enthusiasm for doing so.

Jewish Unitarian Universalists

From: https://www.uua.org/beliefs/what-we-believe/beliefs/judaism

Many Unitarian Universalists (UUs) have a connection to Judaism. Whether we are ethnically, culturally, or spiritually Jewish, whether we’re married to a Jewish person, or simply inspired by Jewish wisdom, we have a place in Unitarian Universalism. One of the six sources we draw upon in our worship and religious education is “Jewish and Christian teachings which call us to respond to God’s love by loving our neighbors as ourselves.”

We honour Jewish holidays with a progressive and inclusive twist. UUs with Jewish heritage hold Passover seders, celebrate Hanukkah, and mark the High Holy Days. When we worship together, Judaism comes into play in a variety of ways depending on the congregation. In the fall our Sunday services often draw on themes from Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Our winter holiday-themed services often tell the story of Hanukkah. In the spring, we tell the stories of Moses and the Exodus, and some congregations gather around an all-ages all-faiths table to join in a celebratory Passover Seder led by Jewish UUs. Any time of year in our congregations, we may hear wisdom from the Bible, some midrash, a Hasidic tale, or a funny story from Jewish culture.

From UUA

Passover Seder in Unitarian Universalist congregations

 

From:  Unitarian Universalists for Jewish Awareness

http://uuja.org/

Passover

 Dayenu ( a Passover homily) Rev. Marti Keller
• Daiyenu: What is Sufficient? A Jewish UU’s Struggle with Passover Lori Rottenberg and Rev. Lynn Thomas Strauss

Rosh Hashanah

 Homily for Rosh Hashanah 2012 Rev. Marti Keller
 We Begin Again, in Love Rev. Barabara Wells
 A New Year… and a New Chapter by Rabbi Howard A. Berman

Yom Kippur

• Atonement – Making Things Right Rev. Paul Oakley

Hannukah

Sermons

Here’s a personal essay on “being both” Unitarian and Jewish.

 


Categories:

Holidays and Traditions