Events

From weddings and bar mitzvahs to exercise classes and family Thanksgiving, how we gather together in community has changed in the age of COVID-19. Never before have we been more reliant upon the wonders of the internet and video conferencing technology. Join the Shames’ JCCs own Rabbi Ben Newman as he helps us navigate this […]

Come hear American pop standards from the 1940s – 1970s, as well as some international hits. Shlomo is a versatile and accomplished singer, musician, and humorist and his delightful and exciting performance has been enjoyed by many throughout the US, Canada, and Israel.

Special MLK Day Renard lecture with Tamara Fish Tamara Fish (Harvard U., AB; Union Theo. Sem., MA; Columbia U., MPhil, ABD) is one of the leading voices on Jews of Color and the immediate past president of the Jewish Multiracial Network (JMN), the immediate past president of Congregation Tehillah, Riverdale, NY, and former Assistant Director […]

A super talented and exciting singer, Reginald brings you his gift in song and music. With a crisp and charming baritone voice, Reginald gets you moving and grooving to the Oldies, 40s-70s hits, Jazz standards, Soul, Motown, and Adult Contemporary. Influenced by the great Barry White, Smokey Robinson, and Luther Vandross, Reginald's intent is to […]

Memorials create emotional spaces to help us acknowledge and understand the abuses of slavery, lynching and genocide. They provide opportunities to inform the present and motivation to ensure peace and justice for all. The program focuses on The National Memorial for Peace and Justice, opened a year ago in Montgomery, Alabama and the Holocaust Memorial […]

Historic Treasures in Our Own Backyard discusses the sites on the National Register of Historic Places in Westchester County that are open to the public. Some are well-known, such as Lyndhurst and Sunnyside, but others are not so well-known, such as the Greeley House in New Castle and the Thomas Paine Cottage in New Rochelle.” […]

Singing, conga drums, and music! Manny explains the different types of Latin and Caribbean rhythms and the music’s origins. Growing up in NY, Manny comes from the original NYC Latin Music scene and is the band leader of a fabulous Latin 10-piece Band: Boogoloo Crew. Growing as a Latino from NYC a few blocks from […]

With Eugene Bosche—an archeologist’s view of archaeological sites and human evolution from Africa to the Near East.  How well do you know your neighbors? The appearance of modern humans.

Author of Hissing Cousins, Timothy Dwyer will discuss the loving but contentious relationship of Alice Roosevelt Longworth, Teddy Roosevelt’s witty and flamboyant daughter, and his niece Eleanor, who would emerge from a tragic childhood and troubled marriage to become our country’s most influential first lady. Their rivalry would persist through the Roosevelt family’s triumphs and […]

Emigration from Eastern Europe reached a peak at the same time the American motion picture industry was in its infancy. Newly-arrived Jews, with their Old World clothes and appearance were appealing subjects for movie-makers like Thomas Edison and D.W. Griffith. Their early movies helped establish and reinforce negative stereotypes. The movie image changed slowly as […]

Explore the early years of one of America's musical contributions to world culture.  Using lecture and recording music we will explore where the Blues began, how different styles developed, and what they sounded like.  It's a musical journey to the depths of the nation's soul.

“Music can diminish evil” Viktor Ullmann 1898 –1941 Among the many cultural victims of the Holocaust was an adventurous composer named Viktor Ullmann, who had an affinity for music that the Nazis labeled “ degenerate.” Born in a Habsburg Empire province on the eve of the new century, he lived and worked in Austria, Switzerland, […]

With Mort Segal. More information TBA.    

When the War Came: Three Households on the Palisades Face the Civil War with Eric Nelson While no battles were fought in Hudson Valley, the effects of the Civil War were felt throughout the region. In the tiny riverfront settlement of Closter Landing on the New Jersey Palisades, around a dozen men from several families […]

The 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia and the 2018 Tree of Life Synagogue Shooting were significant moments in recent United States history, as they revealed a persistence of hatred and overt discrimination that some Americans believed was a thing of the past. This presentation will focus on the recent increase in hate […]

Architecture of Jewish Culture as reflected in Memorials & Museums with Bruce Levy

Shem Guibbory – Violinist.

Come learn about Europe’s mummies from 4000 B.C. to medieval times and what they reveal about past lifeways with Eugene Boesch.

In his autobiographical trilogy, lively, evocative, and rich with humor, Hunter College Russian professor Emil Draitser describes his life as a Jew in the Soviet Union. Shush! Growing up Jewish under Stalin opens with the author’s startling discovery: many years after making his way to America from Odessa in Soviet Ukraine, every time he uttered […]

Please note there will be no in-person event for this tribute. In We are so sad to have to announce that Arthur R. Aldrich, frequent Renard Series lecturer and a longtime beloved member of our community has passed away on Monday, April 12. Arthur was known for his riveting talks on Jewish Image in American […]