We have a variety of activities for every age and stage!

The members of the Adult Study havurah invite you to join us as we discuss topics of interest to the Jewish community at our Zoom meetings once per month. We share an article on a Jewish themed topic ahead of time and then discuss together when we meet. We work toward developing discussion topics for High Holiday presentations, but mostly we just enjoy talking in depth about a topic of interest. Anyone can choose a topic that they are interested in sharing with others.

The ARTF is an evolving group that has decided that our antiracist focus will continue to be working on equitable education funding. Specifically, we identified our plan for three areas–study, congregational engagement, and activism. Study: We agreed that we would like to continue to read and discuss together and made two decisions about what we would read. Our first text will be Baldwin’s Fire Next Time because we wanted to read a piece of literature that deals with race.

Congregational Engagement:  We want to continue to try to engage the congregation in learning about antiracism and getting involved in advocacy that seeks to undue racist systems of oppression (with a focus on equitable educational funding).

Activism: We feel that POWER and other statewide organizations are doing a great job of advocating for equitable education funding, so we will continue to be in contact with them about how OH can support their efforts on this topic. 

We will meet on the 3^rd Monday of the month at 7:30pm on Zoom.

The Or Hadash GVPSPTF is a committee whose goal it is to raise awareness regarding gun violence prevention and suicide prevention in our community and in our lives. GVPSPC works with numerous local, state and national organizations to bring events to Or Hadash and to the community at large. We work with legislators to help promote gun violence prevention legislation. Or Hadash has joined a Synagogue Coalition of seven synagogues (and growing) to Prevent Gun Violence. Our GVPSPTF is working with the synagogue coalition to coordinate a Youth Forum that will be held on Sunday, November 19, 2023.

Our committee works to address the ongoing issue of anti-semitism and provide awareness of resources in our community, including working with the Holocaust Awareness and Education Center (HAMEC). The Holocaust Education Committee works together with the SMILE School to coordinate events for our community including Kristallnacht (Pogromnacht) in November, International Holocaust Remembrance Day at the end of January (in collaboration with KI), and Holocaust Remembrance Day (Yom Hashoah), in April.  The committee is working on creating a Holocaust Education Library in Room 206 that we hope to open for our congregation in 5784.

Or Hadash’s choir, the Makaylah, rehearses twice a month, and sings at services once a month, under the leadership of professional musician/educator Josh McHugh. Prospective singers, note: You don’t have to read music or Hebrew to join!

Anyone who enjoys hiking/walking is welcome to join this Havurah. We usually meet every 4-6 weeks at local parks for walks that are 4-6 miles. Information is sent out in HaKesher. Hiking shoes and poles are suggested for some of the events. If you are interested in leading a hike, please reach out!

Shabbat Havurah meets 5-6 times a year on Friday night at 6:30pm.  We begin with a wine and cheese schmooze (happy 20 minutes) followed by dinner, a very short service, and a discussion or activity. It is designed to be a relaxing and communal way to welcome Shabbat with the Or Hadash Community.

Na Lashir – Come & Sing!  Do you love to sing?  Do you connect with community through making music or finding a harmony line that just soars?  This monthly group builds community through raising our voices in *mostly* wordless melodies (nigunim).  It’s like a jam session for your voice – nothing required but yourself! 

Meets at Or Hadash on the 2^nd Wednesday evening of the month, from 7-8pm.

We meet sporadically Or Hadash to create sleeping mats out of recycled plastic bags for people who are homeless. These lightweight mats provide insulation from the wet and cold ground. At the same time we are practicing the values of Bal Tashchit (do not waste) and Tikkun Olam(repair the world). This is done in partnership with the Integrate for Good Organization that promotes building relationships with individuals of all abilities.

We meet on the first Wednesday each month at 7:30pm on Zoom. We meet to discover Rabbi Rami Shapiro’s hope-filled approach to spiritual and personal growth. He uniquely interprets the 12 Steps to speak to everyone seeking a freer and more God-centered life. Drawing on the insight and practices of Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism and Islam, Rabbi Shapiro’s wisdom helps us move more deeply into our own spirituality.

Or Hadash has its own Klezmer band!  And… We’re In Search of Players!  The New Klezmaniax has a wonderful core of amateur and semi-professional musicians who love to play Klezmer music. We’re most in need of a drummer, but all instrumentalists are welcome. We rehearse on the first Saturday of the month from 3-5pm. We will be playing at Simchat Torah and other times in the year.

The TAF in TAFzop stands for Theater, Arts & Film, and we’re a havurah for anyone who loves all things improv and creating content together in community.  We were started by a group of tweens & teens at Or Hadash, but are open to kids, adults, and everyone in-between.