By Lenette Howard
On Friday, April 28, Or Ami welcomed a group of Muslim and Jewish sisters from the Sisterhood of Salaam Shalom (SOSS) to our Shabbat service. Before the service, Rabbi Ahuva Zaches gave an overview of Reform Judaism, pointing out some similarities in beliefs between Judaism and Islam. She also removed one of our Torahs and invited the Muslim women to look closely.
The Sisterhood fosters the development of friendships between Jewish and Muslim women to educate and build strong, inclusive communities, promote peace, combat bias and stereotypes, and encourage advocacy, service, and leadership. We were so happy to welcome this group and show them how we worship at Or Ami.
Welcoming Our Rabbinic Intern
Or Ami is excited to welcome our Rabbinic intern, Jules Ilian, this summer. Jules (she/they) is a rising second-year Rabbinical student at Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR). A native New Yorker, she recently finished her first year in Jerusalem and will be studying at the New York campus of HUC-JIR in the fall. While in Israel, Jules served as a Social Change Fellow with the New Israel Fund. Jules is passionate about social justice, education, and making Jewish rituals meaningful.
Growing up, Jules went to Jewish summer camps and later worked at Kutz, the Union of Reform Judaism’s teen leadership camp, as a counselor for campers on the Autism Spectrum. Eventually, she became the program coordinator.
Jules graduated from the University of Delaware with a Bachelor of Arts in Women and Gender Studies. At the college, Jules was very active with Hillel, serving as president and treasurer of the Reform Jewish club Kesher, president of the social justice club Project Change, and a Birthright Israel intern. She also met her husband, Alex Zissman, through Hillel at the University of Delaware.
Between college and Rabbinical School, Jules moved to Pittsburgh and worked as a Jewish educator for the Joint Jewish Education Program. She enjoys travel, meeting new people, and reading in her free time, and looks forward to getting to know the Or Ami community and working with Rabbi Ahuva this summer.
Sign Up Now for Our Intermediate Level Adult Hebrew Class
Intermediate Hebrew will begin in July and go through August. You can find information on the class, including the link to register, on this webpage:
https://or-ami.com/intermediate-hebrew/
This Hebrew class is open to anyone who already knows how to pronounce Hebrew words, whether they are a member of Or Ami or Jewish or not.
Or Ami Book Club meets on the first Monday of each month at 7 p.m. On June 5th, we will discuss and enjoy Michael Twitty’s, Koshersoul. For more information or to join, email bookclub@orami.com for your Zoom link.
Reel Theology Movie Night Sunday, June 18th, 6- 8 p.m. Bring yourself and something for the potluck supper, and stay for the conversation after the movie!
Regular Shabbat Services are held in-person and online Friday evenings from 7:30 to 8:30. Torah Study is held virtually most Saturdays, from 11 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. Contact our office for a link if you wish to attend.
For more information on any of our programs or to obtain links to Zoom events, please get in touch with our office at (804) 272-0017 or office@or-ami.com.
Would you like to know more? Contact us at Belong@Or-Ami.com or check us out at www.Or-Ami.com. You can follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/OrAmi-Richmond. All inquiries are always welcome.
