Congregation for Humanistic Judaism

Discussion with Guest Speaker Rabbi Adam Chalom of SHJ
2026-04-26 15:00 (America/New_York) | Zoom
Secular and Jewish?
Rabbi Adam Chalom (847-383-5184, rabbi@KolHadash.com) is a dynamic and illuminating speaker, a clear and inspiring teacher, a warm and welcoming presence at Kol Hadash, and a leading voice in the movement of Humanistic Judaism.
Watch the listserv for the Zoom link.

Shabbat Candle Lighting
2026-05-01 18:30, 2026-05-08 18:30, 2026-05-15 18:30, 2026-05-22 18:30, 2026-05-29 18:30 | Zoom
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.

Special Program - Hosted by Elsa Cantor and Don Lamberty
2026-05-02 10:30 | TBA
Who was Herod the Great?
Was he Herod the Great, Herod the Crazy, or Herod the Tyrant?
We will delve into his life, including some of his major accomplishments along with his flawed character.

Book Club - The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy
2026-05-09 10:30 | TBA
The God of Small Things is Arundhati Roy’s 1997 Booker Prize-winning debut novel, a lyrical and complex family saga set in Kerala, India, that explores forbidden love, casteism, and the impact of colonialism through the story of fraternal twins Estha and Rahel. The non-linear narrative, praised for its unique prose, follows the twins as they reunite after 23 years and confront a tragic event from their childhood—the drowning of their cousin Sophie—which was shaped by the “Love Laws” that dictate who can love whom. The novel is known for its poetic language and its examination of how small events have profound, lasting consequences.

Board Meeting
2026-05-12 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.

Men's Rap
2026-05-24 09:30 | Member’s residence
9:30 kibbutzing
10 Meeting
RSVP danapreis@gmail.com
Watch the listserv for the venue.

Women's Rap
2026-05-31 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.
Venue to be advised. Please watch the listserv .
RSVP:womensrap@humanisticjews.org

Annual Meeting
2026-06-07 14:00 | TBA

Book Club - The Correspondent by Virginia Evans
2026-06-13 10:30 | TBA
The Correspondent by Virginia Evans is a 2025 debut epistolary novel that tells the life story of Sybil Van Antwerp, a retired lawyer in her seventies, through her letters and emails. The book explores themes of aging, forgiveness, and memory as Sybil writes to friends, family, and even strangers, while confronting a painful event from her past. It has been praised as a moving and witty story with a memorable, cantankerous protagonist, and is recommended for fans of literary fiction and epistolary novels.

Book Club - My Father's Paradise by Ariel Sabar
2026-07-11 10:30 | TBA
In a remote corner of the world, forgotten for nearly three thousand years, lived an enclave of Kurdish Jews so isolated that they still spoke Aramaic, the language of Jesus. Mostly illiterate, they were self-made mystics and gifted storytellers and humble peddlers who dwelt in harmony with their Muslim and Christian neighbors in the mountains of northern Iraq. To these descendants of the Lost Tribes of Israel, Yona Sabar was born.

Yona’s son Ariel grew up in Los Angeles, where Yona had become an esteemed professor, dedicating his career to preserving his people’s traditions. Ariel wanted nothing to do with his father’s strange immigrant heritage–until he had a son of his own.

Ariel Sabar brings to life the ancient town of Zakho, discovering his family’s place in the sweeping saga of Middle-Eastern history. This powerful book is an improbable story of tolerance and hope set in what today is the very center of the world’s attention.

Havdalah at the Beach
2026-07-18 18:00 | Sherwood Island Park Westport
Bid Shabbat farewell at the beach with fellow members, friends and guests on Saturday, July 18, 6:00 p m at the Sherwood Island Park in Westport.
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.
Ask for CHJ parking at the gate. See you there.

Havdalah at the Beach *****RAIN DATE FOR JULY 18*****
2026-07-25 18:00 | Sherwood Island Park Westport
Bid Shabbat farewell at the beach with fellow members, friends and guests on Saturday, July 25, 6:00 p m at the Sherwood Island Park in Westport.
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.
Ask for CHJ parking at the gate. See you there.

Book Club - The History of Love - by Nicole Krauss
2026-08-08 10:30 | TBA
Leo Gursky taps his radiator each evening to let his upstairs neighbor know he’s still alive. But it wasn’t always like this: in the Polish village of his youth, he fell in love and wrote a book…Sixty years later and half a world away, fourteen-year-old Alma, who was named after a character in that book, undertakes an adventure to find her namesake and save her family. With virtuosic skill and soaring imaginative power, Nicole Krauss gradually draws these stories together toward a climax of “extraordinary depth and beauty” (Newsday).

Havdalah at the Beach
2026-08-15 18:00 | Sherwood Island Park Westport
Bid Shabbat farewell at the beach with fellow members, friends and guests on Saturday, August 15, 6:00 p m at the Sherwood Island Park in Westport.
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.
Ask for CHJ parking at the gate. See you there.

Havdalah at the Beach-**RAIN DATE FOR AUG.15***
2026-08-22 18:00 | Sherwood Island Park Westport
Bid Shabbat farewell at the beach with fellow members, friends and guests on Saturday, August 22, 6:00 p m at the Sherwood Island Park in Westport.
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.
Ask for CHJ parking at the gate. See you there.

Sukot Celebration SAVE THE DATE
2026-10-04 08:00 - 17:00
SAVE THE DATE !!

Shabbat Service and Program - Jewish Hall of Fame and Shame SAVE THE DATE
2026-11-13 19:30 | TBA
SAVE THE DATE!
