American Jewish Committee Annual Thanksgiving Diversity Breakfast
2025-11-20 08:00 - 10:00 (America/New_York)
This year’s Diversity Breakfast—One Table, Many Voices: Standing Together—will once more bring our community together to recognize our rich differences—and encourage us to hear each other, grow in understanding, and act as one. Our focus this year is on building concrete action plans during our facilitated table discussions to address the divisions and challenges we face as a community.
Specific location will be provided upon registration.

JCC U Great Modern Speeches: JFK and Martin Luther King, Jr.
2025-11-20 13:00 - 14:30
4 Thursdays, 11/13, 11/20, 12/4, 12/11
Members: $25; non-members: $36 for the series
Why do some speeches make a difference and last forever while others backfire or are forgotten? This 4-session series explores the answers as we explore the content and context of powerful speeches by influential Americans including Abraham Lincoln, John F. Kennedy, Jr., Martin Luther King, Jr, Barry Goldwater, Ronald Reagan, Walter Mondale, Mario Cuomo, and more. At home readings provide background on the speakers and the particular challenges they faced when making their speeches, as well as what happened after the speeches to shape their legacy. Throughout, we’ll unlock the secrets of research, ghostwriting, and rhetorical technique that produced some of the most moving spoken words in our history.

"Music and Lyrics" Screening and Talkback with Danny Michael
2025-11-20 16:00 - 18:00
FREE for members & non-members
Watch the charming chemistry between Drew Barrymore and Hugh Grant as they sing their way through this delightful film. After the screening, hear from the film’s sound mixer, BAFTA winner Danny Michael, as he shares behind-the-scenes insights on the making of this film, as well as his cameo appearance! Dessert will be served. Watch the trailer here.

Foreign Affairs Discussion Group: Why is the U.S. Bailing Out Argentina?
2025-11-20 19:00 - 20:15
FREE for members; $10 for non-members
The U.S. has typically relied on the IMF to bail out financially troubled allies, but now it’s risking its own cash to bail out Argentina, despite the $20 billion the country is already getting from the IMF. What is behind this decision? Will this generous aid succeed in putting Argentina on a firm path to recovery and growth–or does the U.S. stand to lose billions?

Challah and Conversation: Can We Just Eat Turkey and Not Talk Politics, Religion, Israel, Gaza, DEI, Economics…?
2025-11-21 09:30 - 10:30
FREE for members & non-members
In our fractured world, it is often difficult to find things to talk about that are not contentious. In preparation for Thanksgiving, we will review the many techniques we can use to facilitate respectful dialogue across differences.

Reel and Meal—"School of Rock" (Inclusive* Event)
2025-11-21 11:30 - 13:30
$5 per person
Join us for this month’s Meal and Reel event featuring a lunchtime screening of School of Rock! Enjoy pizza, snacks, and drinks while rocking out to this hilarious, feel-good classic about music, friendship, and finding your inner rock star.
*Inclusive classes and events at the J are specifically designed and implemented to ensure individuals with or without disabilities can participate fully. The goal of these classes is to ensure all participants have the opportunity to foster community, learn new skills, and have fun!

Stories and Songs of Broadway: Lerner and Loewe
2025-11-23 15:00 - 17:00
Members: $55; non-members: $65
Premium seating (1st three rows) for members: $65; non-members: $75
The New York-based Golden Ticket Series returns with a live orchestra, acclaimed singers, and producer Jack Viertel for a live performance of the works of the exceptional duo of Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe, the pair behind My Fair Lady, Brigadoon, Camelot, Gigi, and more.

Thanksgiving Stuffing on the Hudson
2025-11-24 10:00 - 14:00
FREE for members & non-members
Chef Amy Pane and Rabbi Ron Symons will be glad to wish you a Happy Thanksgiving along with a sweet and savory taste of the season. First come first serve.

Thanksgiving Craft on the Hudson Pop-Up
2025-11-24 15:00 - 17:00
FREE for members & non-members
Children can stop by to create a unique decoration for your Thanksgiving Table. Jill Rosenblum and Rabbi Ron Symons are happy to guide them in this work as we schmooze about Thanksgiving.
Drop in, no registration required

The Community Stitch Project
2025-11-25 13:00 - 15:00, 2025-12-03 12:00 - 14:00
FREE, drop in any time, registration is request.

The Community Stitch Project is a collaborative art workshop with artist Natalya Khorover. We’ll transform discarded plastics into a vibrant mixed-media collage, with everyone sorting, cutting, pinning, and stitching pieces together. Please help by collecting soft, colorful, and clean plastic and bringing it to the J ahead of time or with you to the event. The final piece will be unveiled at the JCC as a bold celebration of creativity, teamwork, and sustainability.
This project is made possible with funds from Arts Alive, a regrant program of ArtsWestchester with support from the Office of the Governor, the New York State Legislature, and the New York State Council on the Arts.

Rivertowns Clergy Association Thanksgiving Interfaith Service
2025-11-25 19:30 - 21:00
FREE for members & non-members
Temple Beth Abraham, 25 Leroy Avenue, Tarrytown
The Rivertowns Clergy Association invites you to join us in giving thanks for the many blessings in our lives at our annual service. We’ll join together with prayers and leadership from across the diversity of the community, with Rabbi Ron Symons representing the Shames JCC.
Please consider donating to the Community Food Pantry of Sleepy Hollow and Tarrytown during this time of need for many. See details here.
No RSVP required

JCC Closes at 2pm—Happy Thanksgiving!
2025-11-27 14:00 - 21:00

JCC Closes at 2pm
2025-11-28 14:00 - 20:00

Tech Angels
2025-11-30 10:00 - 12:00
Every other Sunday beginning September 7
Drop in—no registration required.
Having trouble with your iPhone, Android, tablet, or laptop? Struggle with email, texting, apps, Zoom, or technology in general? Bring your device and your questions to the J and savvy volunteers from Irvington High School will help you at no cost!

Manet and the Birth of Modern Art
2025-12-01 10:00 - 11:30
FREE for members; $10 for non-members
When did Modern Art begin? Perhaps it was in 1865 when Edouard Manet exhibited his painting of a reclining female nude, Olympia, in the Paris Salon of that year. Although accepted by the selective exhibition jury, the work caused a scandal. The painting was a purposeful and deliberate critique of the art that came before it. In this lecture, art historian Morgan Ridler dives into Manet’s important contribution to the development of Modernism and the context of Paris during the Second Empire.
About the presenter: Morgan Ridler is an art historian based in Sleepy Hollow, New York. Her book project Collaborative Surfaces: Bauhaus Wall Painting, Wallpaper, and Colored Architecture is being prepared for publication. Dr. Ridler completed her PhD in Art History at The Graduate Center, CUNY in 2016 and has taught extensively including at The Cooper Union, Westchester Community College, Montclair State University and Hunter College. Recently she has taught courses at Kendal-on-Hudson and is a tour guide and trustee for The Historical Society, serving Sleepy Hollow and Tarrytown.

Third Act Circle: A Peer Support Group
2025-12-02 12:00 - 13:00
FREE for members and non-members
Those experiencing the stage of life referred to as “the third act” are invited to come together to talk, laugh, share stories, and support one another through life’s ups and downs. Whether you’re navigating retirement, dealing with health changes, coping with loss, or just looking to connect with others in a similar life stage, this group offers a place where you can feel heard and understood. Facilitated by Rena, the focus is on encouragement and community.

Hot Topics
2025-12-03 11:30 - 13:00
FREE for members & non-members
Discuss the month’s social and political issues with your fellow news enthusiasts. With timely and changing international, national, and local issues from the news arenas of government, arts, sports, science, and religion, we welcome all participants to voice their ideas. All points of view are welcome in this lively, thought-provoking, and civil discussion. Feel free to bring your lunch and/or a friend!

Pop-Up: Ceramics from Maggie Chow
2025-12-04 08:00 - 14:00
Explore handmade, functional ceramics with special designs, all created locally in Westchester and without any toxic materials.

JCC U Great Modern Speeches: Same Ideology, Different Results
2025-12-04 13:00 - 14:30

Clergy Talk: Where in the World is Avraham Avinu (Abraham our Father)?
2025-12-05 09:30 - 10:30
FREE for members & non-members
Our forefather Abraham got around. “Going” was, in fact, what he was firstly commanded to do by G*d. Why? Where is he running off to? And who is he with? Come discover the (proposed) secret lives and loves of Avraham Avinu!
With Cantor Robin Joseph of Temple Beth Shalom.

92NY Live—Bourbon Barons: Noah Rothbaum and Rabbi David Ingber in Conversation on Jews on the Bourbon Trail
2025-12-05 14:00 - 15:00
FREE for members & non-members
Grab a bourbon cocktail (included!) and join acclaimed spirits expert and author Noah Rothbaum alongside Rabbi David Ingber to uncover the Jewish legacy within America’s whiskey story.
In his latest book, The Whiskey Bible, Rothbaum traces the global history of whiskey while shining light on a little-known chapter: the pivotal role of Jewish immigrants in bringing whiskey to America. From bootleggers and distillers to visionaries who built enduring brands, Jewish entrepreneurs have woven resilience, ingenuity, and identity into the very fabric of this iconic spirit.
Together with the Shapira family—leaders of one of America’s most storied, family-run distilleries—this conversation will explore the intertwined narratives of tradition, adaptation, and entrepreneurship that continue to shape both whiskey and Jewish-American identity.

Shabbat@Shames—Adult Shabbat Dinner
2025-12-05 17:45 - 19:30
Members: $36; non-members: $50
Gather with friends to fill your spirit and your belly. We will begin with unstructured time for mingling, holiday-related snacks, and a get-to-know-you exercise. Our salmon meal along with a vegetarian option from DeCicco and Sons will begin with Shabbat rituals guided by Rabbi Ron Symons, including discussion starters, blessings, songs, and time for engaging conversation.
Need a ride to or from? Please contact Rena DeLevie at rdelevie@shamesjcc.org by 5:00 pm on December 2.
Please register by 5:00 pm on December 2.

Tunes & Tinis: Piano Bar with Nina Zeitlin
2025-12-06 19:00 - 22:00
Members: $20; non-members: $25
Dust off your vocal chords—time to sing, lounge, sip, and nibble!
Grab your friends and your request list and get ready to sing with Nina, a Brooklyn-based award-winning singer, voice actor, songwriter, producer, and piano entertainer! Whether you’re singing along to an old favorite or brave enough to grab the mic for a solo performance, this will be a night you don’t want to miss!
*Each ticket includes your first drink (wine, beer, martini, or soft drinks!) and a spread of delicious light bites!

Pop-up: Ariane's Jewel Box from Ariane Braverman
2025-12-08 09:00 - 12:00
For the trendsetter in your life, explore this carefully curated collection of jewelry.

What Does It Really Mean to Love Your Neighbor?
2025-12-08 10:00 - 11:30
FREE for members; $10 for non-members
Every religion teaches some form of “Love your neighbor as yourself.” The first question we must answer is: What is love? The second is: Do we love ourselves? Only after answering those questions can we think about how to love our neighbors and how to love strangers. Join in for an interactive session unpacking the Golden Rule.
About the presenter: Barbara Symons graduated from the University of Michigan and was ordained by Hebrew Union College in 1994. She currently serves as the rabbi of Temple Beth-El of City Island and the Reform Temple of Putnam Valley, is author of Prophetic Voices: Renewing and Reimagining Haftarah (CCAR Press), and is proud to be the Rabbi Emerita of Temple David Temple David in Monroeville, Pennsylvania following her 18 year tenure.

Pop-Up: Fused-Glass Housewares from Abe Rosenthal
2025-12-09 08:00 - 14:00
Explore beautiful handmade fused-glass gifts, such as plates, bowls, coasters, hearts, and hanging vases.

Community Service Hour—Make Two Holiday Cards: Take One, Donate One
2025-12-10 16:45 - 17:45
FREE for members & non-members
Artist and community leader Lucia Aguais will guide us in creating collage holiday cards. We’ll go over simple collage techniques like tearing and layering paper, creating shapes, and composing our own designs, with plenty of room for play and personal expression. Donated cards will be shared with children from Flag Nation, Lucia’s family’s nonprofit that supports at-risk youth with education and sports training.

Oh What A Night! Hanukkah Party
2025-12-10 18:00 - 20:00
Members: $18; non-members: $25
We’re turning back the clock to the golden age of doo-wop at this year’s Verve Hanukkah celebration! The cast of Broadway’s “Jersey Boys” is coming to the J to bring you the iconic sounds of Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons as well as other well-known hits from the era.
Before and after the performance, graze your way through our Latke Board by Kate Sonders Solomon, featuring crispy potato pancakes and a spread of decadent toppings—from classic sour cream and applesauce to smoked salmon, pickled vegetables, and more.
Adults of all ages are invited to get in the holiday mood! Don’t want to drive? Email Rena at rdelevie@shamesjcc.org to learn about our transportation options.
About the performers: Keith White, Nathan Scherich, Russell Fischer, and Rory Max Kaplan have collectively spent nearly 30 years on Broadway and national tours in such shows as “Jersey Boys,” “A Bronx Tale,” and “Beautiful, The Carole King Musical.”

Pop-Up: Specialty Foods and Accessories from Alexa Brandenberg
2025-12-11 09:00 - 12:00
For the foodie in your life, explore a variety of delicious goods, such as Koroneiki olive oil sourced from the seller’s family olive trees in Greece, homemade cocktail cherries, and espresso walnuts.
