TVCJ’s annual community seder will be held at the Bothwell Arts Center, 2466 8th Street in Livermore on Saturday, April 20 at 5 p.m. Reservations are required. To reserve a space and receive a potluck assignment, please call (510) 888-1404 or e-mail Reservations@EastBayCulturalJews.org by April 15. Food need not be kosher for Passover. There is a requested donation of $25/adult non-member of TVCJ. Children are welcome. Our secular seder, replete with songs of resistance and hope, uses an English-language progressive Secular haggadah highlighting the power of community and the value of freedom. The hour-long ceremony, followed by a potluck dinner, is family-friendly (but not child-centered).
This weekend, secular humanist jews from all over joined us for our west coast conference, “A World of Jewish Music”. Talented speakers, excellent food, interesting company, and fabulous entertainment were all part of the fun. Here are several photos from the first day of the conference.
Cantor Dr. Jonathan Friedmann delivers his keynote On Beyond Klezmer.
The J-West audience enjoying Dr. Friedmann’s talk.
Schmoozing between sessions
Dr. Ezra Donner delivering his session on Jewish Composers
Audience during the Q&A portion of Dr. Donner’s presentation
Dr. Friedmann chipping in during Dr. Donner’s Q&A session. It was fun to see the two have a bit of a back and forth on a topic they were both quite knowledgeable about.
Our own Judy Seid presenting “Songs for Holidays and Shabbes” There was also a whole-group singalong at the end of the day. Click these links to see some video from the singalong: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Mx0Aa5KjqmYZAY2sFC_aBy8BDMRjrDsu/view?usp=sharing https://drive.google.com/file/d/1XJsr73hiMcfRCYwyzHz9VPK5sPtZygZR/view?usp=sharing
Lunch!
Dr. Andrea Fishman delivered a very interesting and informative talk on Sephardic music of Spain and the Balkans. Click this link to see some video from this session: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1pn4Bg7dY06CssfCnhYfDv8AaGV-8Lfch/view?usp=sharing
Our youngest presenter (and our own member) Rebecca Ireland presented on The Newest Jewish Song. Click this link to see some video from this session: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1yHEn2x1rQCajmqePeco8b3oC6xxE93Og/view?usp=sharing
Jerry Zwick gave a very interesting presentation about Jews in the rock and roll genre.
As a last minute replacement (because one of our presenters had bronchitis and couldn’t attend), Lee Jacobi led an impromptu session on jewish folk dancing. Click this link to see some video from this session: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1fYo6PKu7FVdt5POvLc1RWXozceeCWOC5/view?usp=sharing
Our evening entertainment was provided by Daniel Cainer… it was a delightful evening of music, stories, humor, and technical difficulties. =)
LARPD Ranger Amy will lead the group on a hike along the Arroyo del Valle. We will look for the plants and animals that call this area home. We are sure to find lots of cool bugs and other creatures along the way! We plan to walk rain or shine so please dress appropriately and wear comfortable shoes. Please bring a potluck dish to share. We have members that are dairy-free and gluten-free so please indicate on an index card your ingredients. Potluck at Noon.
When: Sunday, January 27th, 2019, 10:30am – 12:30pmWhere: Sycamore Grove Park Parking Lot, 1051 Wetmore Rd, Livermore, CA 94550
Cost: FREE for members and children, $10.00 per non-member adult
Join the Tri-Valley Cultural Jews to celebrate Hanukkah on Saturday, December 8, 2018 from 6:00 – 8:00pm, with an evening of latkes, lights, music and yummy food. Bring your menorah and food to share as we gather to light our candles together, sing traditional holiday songs, and eat the freshly fried latkes pouring from the kitchen. We blend traditional celebrations with new.
Our celebration this year will be at a member’s house in Castro Valley. To RSVP and get directions call (510) 282-4261.
Cost – $10 per adult non-member.
Please join Tri-Valley Cultural Jews on Sunday, September 23rd from 10:30 – 12:30 for our annual Sukkot celebration and our first day of Jewish Culture School. We will build a sukkah and enjoy a potluck brunch to celebrate our harvest holiday. There will be activities for children and adults. Please bring a dish to share (we have members with allergies, so please label ingredients), a branch for the roof of the sukkah, and a piece of fruit or gourd to hang. If you have one, also bring your hammer and/or power drill so you can pitch in and help build our sukkah! This event will take place at the Pepper Home… 6448 Owl Way in Livermore. To RSVP, please call 650-296-5295.
Join Tri-Valley Cultural Jews for a secular, humanistic observance of Yom Kippur. We will be holding a Kol Nidre service on Tues Sept 18, 2018 at 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. at the Bothwell Arts Center, 2466 8th Street, Livermore CA. This will be a program of readings in English, with discussion and music. Suggested donation $10 for non-member adults. For more information: (925) 485-1049.
Join Tri-Valley Cultural Jews in celebrating Rosh Hashanah, the start of the Jewish New Year, on September 9 from 4:30 – 8:30pm at the Bothwell Arts Center in Livermore. We will start with Tashlich (4:30), which is a walk to the nearby creek to symbolically wash away our misdeeds of the past year. Then we will have a potluck back at the Bothwell Center (5:30) followed by a secular humanistic Rosh Hashanah observance (7:00-8:00). This is a child friendly but not child-centered event. Free to members; $10 per non-member adult.
Tri-Valley Cultural Jews is hosting a three part speaker series highlighting Jews in various countries around the world. The presentations will take place in different restaurants which represent the topic of the presentation. Come join us for a fascinating journey around the world where Rabbi Judith Seid will tell us about the history and contribution of the Jews in each region while we all enjoy food from that location.
First in the series: Jews of India
Saturday, May 26 at 6:00 pm
Sansar Indian Restaurant
2220 First Street, Livermore
No Host – Visit sansarindiancuisine.com for menu and pricing.
Please RSVP at (925) 485-1049 by May 20. Also include your email or phone number so we can contact you if there are any last minute changes.
(Save future dates: June 30, 2018 – Jews of China; and July 28, 2018 – Jews of Central Asia)
