Seniors Enjoy Purim Celebration
Congregation Or Atid held its annual Senior Purim Celebration, a joyful event that brought together members of both the synagogue and the Friendship Circle of Virginia.
Guests attending the afternoon event enjoyed a variety of creative activity stations where they made masks, groggers and hamantaschen.
Laughter, conversation, and creativity resulted in everyone having a great time celebrating together.
Or Atid Hosts Scholar, Poet and Rabbi
Congregation Or Atid was recently honored to host and learn from the “Velveteen Rabbi” herself (www.velveteenrabbi.com), Rabbi Rachel Barenblat of Congregation Beth Israel of the Berkshires during Or Atid’s third annual Scholar-in-Residence weekend titled “Spiritual Tools for our Times.”
Originally from southern Texas, in her first presentation of the weekend, Rabbi Barenblat addressed a packed sanctuary of guests from around the Richmond community during the Friday night Shabbat service on the topic of “Holiness in the Now.”
“We live in this world, not the world to come,” she said. “The last six years have not been super easy on anyone. What do we do with this broken world?”
She is the author of six book-length collections of poetry, and a founding builder of Bayit: Building Jewish, a pluralist spiritual innovation incubator, in 2008 her blog was named by TIME as one of the top 25 sites on the internet. In 2016, Rabbi Barenblat was named by Forward as one of “America’s Most Inspiring Rabbis.”
Throughout her presentation she used a number of examples from Jewish poets to illustrate how art can emphasize Judaism’s view of the world from the sky to the weekly observance of Shabbat.
“Art can’t save us from anything, but we need it to remind us,” she noted. “I thank God for the beautiful skies. It turns out paying attention to the sky is very Jewish. On Shabbat we receive an extra soul – a chance to practice living in hope. Hope is not optimism. Hope is a discipline.”
On the contrary she finds doomscrolling to be the opposite of hope and even though it comes in many more flavors nowadays, she would argue it is un-Jewish.
It is an individual choice as to how to find joy and uplift our spiritual practice. Whether it is yoga, working out in the gym or whatever, she suggests “pick a quality you want to uplift in yourself.”
During Saturday morning’s D’var Torah, titled “Psalms as a Recipe for Wholeness” Rabbi Barenblat directed her comments on the gifts to God in her dissertation of the week’s parasha, utilizing a number of Psalms in explanation.
To her way of thinking goods are a placeholder that can’t be condensed into one word.
“If the ‘G’ word doesn’t work for you, then look for a word that does work for you. Our collective call has been to build. Building the Jewish foundation is our collective responsibility,” she explained. “Judaism is not a top-down tradition. Our future is always under construction. In building a house for God we are also building community.”
That said, we don’t have to agree all the time. Just look at the Talmud. At the very least she said we have to give each other the benefit of the doubt.
“Everyone is entitled to their own facts. The Jewish world is not exempt from bad behavior,” she noted.
Still, Rabbi Barenblat said that we are called to work together and to build what stands firmly.
“May building bring peace,” she concluded.
March Brings Students a Month of Creativity and Learning
March was a month of creativity and hands-on learning at Religious School as students participated in special electives – Chugim. Selecting two electives, each student has been exploring Judaism through engaging, experiential activities. We are grateful to our talented congregants who are sharing their passions with our students, including Sharown Isra-Ul (art), Effie Offenbach, Rabbi Sherry Grinsteiner, and Ira Korshin (Jewish and Israeli cooking), Ellen Bernstein (Israeli dance), and Inna Marcus (an interactive game exploring the laws of kashrut). These sessions have brought creativity, culture, and joy into our classrooms.
Throughout the month, students enjoyed a variety of meaningful activities. They baked hamantaschen, designed colorful Purim masks, and began creating a game that teaches kosher rules through fun food combinations. The cooking group prepared delicious shakshuka with Rabbi Sherry Grinsteiner – enough to share with the entire school – while the art group designed their own challah covers. Another highlight was learning lively Israeli dances. Chugim truly made March a month filled with learning, collaboration and hands-on Jewish experiences.
Prepping Underway for Next Season’s Garden
Volunteers tending to Or Atid’s Gan Chesed Kindness Garden have been busy over the winter prepping the soil in the raised beds to get the garden ready for planting. Long time congregant and avid gardener, Charlotte Johnson has grown many vegetable plants from seeds, some of which have already been planted in the garden.
The early plantings included carrots, spinach and onions. Many more will be planted and cared for in the coming weeks and the organic vegetables and herbs that will grow will be donated to the Jewish Community Center’s Elmer Toth Food Pantry. Or Atid is honored to continue to partner with other suppliers to help those in need in the greater Richmond community.
Or Atid Assists Middle School Community Agenda
On January 26, fourteen Jewish middle schoolers from across the community came together for a fun-filled afternoon at Surge Adventure Park. This event was co-sponsored by the Jewish Middle School Community (JMC) and the Weinstein JCC Ruach and Recreation program, with admission covered by a generous grant from the Jewish Community Federation of Richmond.
The action-packed indoor entertainment center provided the perfect setting for the group to connect, laugh and burn off some energy. The afternoon was filled with excitement and friendship, giving participants a chance to build connections with other Jewish teens in the Richmond community while enjoying a high-energy adventure together.
Congregation Or Atid assists in coordinating the Jewish Middle School Program. Future events include Mini-Golf on April 19th. Event details and registration can be found at https://oratid.org/jmc
Israel-Themed Musical Shabbat with Dinner Planned
On Friday, April 24, Or Atid will hold an Israel-themed musical shabbat service and dinner from 6-8:30 p.m. As a special part of the evening’s celebration, Or Atid will be hosting members of NextGen, the Jewish Community Federation of Richmond’s initiative for young adults to connect, lead and make an impact.
Join us for a heartfelt worship experience, beautifully accompanied by musical instruments to warmly welcome Shabbat. After the service stay and enjoy a tasty meal surrounded by familiar faces and new friends.
For more information and registration, call (804) 740-4747 or check out our website at www.oratid.org/
Shir Delight: a Shabbat of Music with Hazzan Dr. Evlyn Gould
Immerse yourself in a truly one-of-a-kind Shabbat experience – where the beauty of our liturgy and prayers comes alive through the power of music. Let your soul be moved, your voice be heard, and your spirit be renewed.
✦ Friday, May 15 | 6 p.m. – Musical Kabbalat Shabbat and Dinner
Usher in Shabbat with uplifting melodies and a warm communal dinner followed by gathering for an intimate evening of soulful Shabbat Z’mirot (Shabbat songs)
To register go to https://www.oratid.org/event/May-2026-Kabbalat-Shabbat
✦ Saturday, May 16 | 10 a.m. – Shabbat morning service and Kiddush lunch followed by “Raise Your Voice: Songs of Hallel” from 1-2 p.m.
To register, go to https://www.oratid.org/event/May-2026-Shir-Shabbat
✦ Sunday, May 17 | 6-8 p.m. – The Gift of Mincha and the Joy of Rosh Chodesh. Welcome the new month of Sivan with the Rising Song Circle featuring an evening of songs, learning, and reflection – culminating in the mitzvah of counting of the Omer, a beautiful close to a weekend full of music and meaning.
To register, go to https://www.oratid.org/event/2026-May-Rising-Song-Sivan.html
