Congregation for Humanistic Judaism

Men's Rap
2025-08-24 09:30 (America/New_York) | Member’s residence
Come and join us for kibbitzing and noshing.
Noshing starts at 9:30am.
Meeting at 10am.
RSVP – george.unser@gmail.com
Watch the liserserv for venue.

Men's Rap
2025-08-24 09:30 | Member’s residence
Come and join us for kibbitzing and noshing.
Noshing starts at 9:30am.
Meeting at 10am.
RSVP –manny67258@gmail.com
Watch the liserserv for venue.

Shabbat Candle Lighting
2025-08-29 18:30 - 19:20, 2025-09-05 18:30 - 19:20, 2025-09-12 18:30 - 19:20, 2025-09-19 18:30 - 19:20, 2025-10-17 18:30 - 19:20, 2025-11-07 18:30 - 19:20
Zoom opens at 6:30pm just to kibbutz.
At 7pm we light candles with a short service. We listen to music and short lectures. Watch for the Zoom link on the listserv Friday afternoon.

Women's Rap***New Date*** Sept. 6
2025-09-06 10:30 - 12:30 | Member’s residence
Come join other CHJ women to talk about a topic to be chosen at the meeting. It’s a great way to get to know one another.
RSVP: rcfnpl2@gmail.com

Forum on Israel and Anti-Semitism
2025-09-07 13:30 - 15:00, 2025-11-09 13:30 - 15:00 | Member’s residence
These groups are organized by Loretta Jay, Michelle Tomarkin and Jessica Wolf for CHJ members to have a safe place to talk about Israel, anti-Semitism and other related topics and how we are affected. George Rockmore
has volunteered to serve as a back-up facilitator.

See listserv for venue.

RSVP forum@humanistcjews.org.

Board Meeting
2025-09-09 19:00, 2025-11-11 19:00 | Zoom
We will begin work on the year’s programs and any activities of specific interest.
Please send me subjects of interest you wish the Board to consider in order to prepare the agenda.
Open to all CHJ members. Request the Zoom link from Previn Patel.

Book Club - Jewish Pirates of the Caribbean by Edward Kritzler
2025-09-13 10:30 | Member’s residence
Member’s residence in Trumbull

At the end of the fifteenth century, the Spanish Inquisition forced many Jews to flee the country. The most adventurous among them took to the high seas as freewheeling outlaws. In ships bearing names such as the Prophet Samuel, Queen Esther, and Shield of Abraham, they attacked and plundered the Spanish fleet while forming alliances with other European powers to ensure the safety of Jews living in hiding.
JEWISH PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN is the entertaining saga of a hidden chapter in Jewish history and of the cruelty, terror, and greed that flourished during the Age of Discovery. Readers will meet such daring figures as “the Great Jewish Pirate” Sinan, Barbarossa’s second-in-command; the pirate rabbi Samuel Palache, who founded Holland’s Jewish community; Abraham Cohen Henriques, an arms dealer who used his cunning and economic muscle to find safe havens for other Jews; and his pirate brother Moses, who is credited with the capture of the Spanish silver fleet in 1628–the largest heist in pirate history. Filled with high-sea adventures—including encounters with Captain Morgan and other legendary pirates—and detailed portraits of cities stacked high with plunder, such as Port Royal, Jamaica, JEWISH PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN captures a gritty and glorious era of history from an unusual and eye-opening perspective.

Havdalah at the Beach ****NEW VENUE****
2025-09-13 18:00 | Sherwood Island State Park,Westport
Bid Shabbat farewell at the beach with fellow members, friends and guests on Saturday Sept.13, 5:00 p m. at the Sherwood Island State Park. Parking is free for CT residents as long as you car has CT license plate
We will meet at the Pavillion.
We ask those coming from out of state to contact local residents to arrange car pooling to avoid the parking fee.
Desserts, drinks and parking compliments of CHJ; bring your chairs and dinner.
Please RSVP programming@humanisticjews.org in order to plan for desserts and drinks.

Rosh Hashanah Eve - Rosh Hashanah Service
2025-09-22 19:30
We are pleased to present our 2025 Rosh Hashanah services in person to our
members, their families and guests. We will also be live-streaming the services to members and
non-members who wish to join us virtually. As always, our services are free of charge.
CHJ celebrates Rosh Hashanah with contemplative services incorporating
music, readings, and rituals that strike a balance between our connections to the broad stream
of Judaism and our secular humanistic view of Jewish culture and customs. Our services invite
us to reflect on our values and commitments, both as individuals and as a community.
Members will receive links to the live-stream service through the Listserv. Non-members who wish to view our services virtually are asked to please register in advance by clicking here and going to the bottom of the webpage.To follow along with the services, download our printed booklet here.
Doors open 30 minutes before services begin. The live-stream services will commence at the times listed above.
Guests interested in learning about CHJ membership or wishing to join CHJ, please click here. Address inquiries to membership@humanisticjews.org

Rosh Hashanah Day - Taschlich Ceremony
2025-09-23 13:30
We invite our members to join us on the first day of Rosh Hashanah
for a Taschlich ceremony, in which we symbolically cast off our bad actions and thoughts.

Shabbat Candle Lighting
2025-09-26 18:30 - 19:20, 2025-11-14 18:30 - 19:20, 2025-11-21 18:30 - 19:20, 2025-11-28 18:30 - 19:20, 2025-12-05 18:30 - 19:20 | Zoom

Yom Kippur Service - Kol Nidre
2025-10-01 19:30
We are pleased to present our 2025 Yom Kippur service in person to our
members, their families and guests. We will also be live-streaming the service to members and
non-members who wish to join us virtually. As always, our services are free of charge.
CHJ celebrate Yom Kippur with contemplative services incorporating
music, readings, and rituals that strike a balance between our connections to the broad stream
of Judaism and our secular humanistic view of Jewish culture and customs. Our services invite
us to reflect on our values and commitments, both as individuals and as a community
Members will receive links to the live-stream service through the Listserv. Non-members who wish to view our services virtually are asked to please register in advance by clicking here and going to the bottom of the webpage.To follow along with the services, download our printed booklet here.
Doors open 30 minutes before services begin. The live-stream services will commence at the times listed above.
Guests interested in learning about CHJ membership or wishing to join CHJ, please click here. Address inquiries to membership@humanisticjews.org

Yom Kippur Day
2025-10-02 13:00
Members’ Workshop via Zoom. Topic TBD @ 1:00pm
Meditation via Zoom @ 2:30pm
Memorial/ Closing Service @ 5:00p
Members will receive links to the live-stream service through the Listserv. Non-members who wish to view our services virtually are asked to please register in advance by clicking here and going to the bottom of the webpage.To follow along with the services, download our printed booklet here.
Doors open 30 minutes before services begin. The live-stream services will commence at the times listed above.
Guests interested in learning about CHJ membership or wishing to join CHJ, please click here. Address inquiries to membership@humanisticjews.org

Shabbat Program - Jewish Pirates of the Caribbean
2025-10-24 19:30 | Zoom
We will be presenting the little known, yet fascinating topic of Jewish Pirates of the Caribbean.
Manny Ratafia will introduce the presentation, and then we will show two short videos, followed by time for questions after each video. This program was inspired by a book about Jewish pirates (recommended by Manny) that our CHJ book group read recently, titled Jewish Pirates of the Caribbean by Edward Kritzler.
A Zoom link will be sent out to the listserv at a later date.
Hope to see you then.
Rhona Robbin & Sheila Felsen
Programming Committee Members

Book Club - The Woman They Could Not Silence - by Kate Moore
2025-11-08 10:30 | Member’s residence
1860: As the clash between the states rolls slowly to a boil, Elizabeth Packard, housewife and mother of six, is facing her own battle. The enemy sits across the table and sleeps in the next room. Her husband of twenty-one years is plotting against her because he feels increasingly threatened – by Elizabeth’s intellect, independence, and unwillingness to stifle her own thoughts. So Theophilus makes a plan to put his wife back in her place. One summer morning, he has her committed to an insane asylum. The horrific conditions inside the Illinois State Hospital in Jacksonville, Illinois, are overseen by Dr. Andrew McFarland, a man who will prove to be even more dangerous to Elizabeth than her traitorous husband. But most disturbing is that Elizabeth is not the only sane woman confined to the institution. There are many rational women on her ward who tell the same story: they’ve been committed not because they need medical treatment, but to keep them in line – conveniently labeled “crazy” so their voices are ignored. No one is willing to fight for their freedom and, disenfranchised both by gender and the stigma of their supposed madness, they cannot possibly fight for themselves. But Elizabeth is about to discover that the merit of losing everything is that you then have nothing to lose…
Let rhonarobbin@yahoo.com know if you are planning to attend, or if you want to be put onto the CHJ Book Club mailing list.

Forum on Anti-Semitism
2025-11-09 13:30 - 15:00 | Member’s residence
These groups are organized by Loretta Jay, Michelle Tomarkin and Jessica Wolf for CHJ members to have a safe place to talk about anti-Semitism and other related topics and how we are affected. George Rockmore
has volunteered to serve as a back-up facilitator.

See listserv for venue.

RSVP forum@humanistcjews.org.

Men's Rap
2025-11-16 09:30 | Member’s residence
9:30 kibbutzing
10 Meeting
RSVP lbwtz35@gmail.com
Watch the listserv for the venue.

Shabbat Program - SAVE THE DATE
2025-11-21 19:30 | Zoom
PROGRAM TBA
Watch the listserv for the Zoom link.

New Members' Brunch
2025-11-23 12:00 - 14:00 | Member’s residence
CHJ Pot Luck Brunch to welcome New Members

Attendance is limited to 35, so please respond to debbietechct@gmail.com to secure your spot
