In his critically acclaimed book, Goyhood, Reuven Fenton tells the story of Mayer (Marty) Belkin, a devout Orthodox man who shockingly discovers in middle age that he is not Jewish and sets out on a road trip to come to grips with his fate. On Wednesday, Feb. 18, at 7 p.m. Fenton will speak at the Jewish Community Center of Middlesex County in Edison.
Belkin had fled a small town in Georgia for Brooklyn almost 30 years ago and now is a Talmud scholar married into one of the greatest rabbinical families in the world–a dirt-poor country boy reinvented in the image of God. However, his mother’s unexpected death uncovers a shocking revelation, he and his estranged twin brother aren’t Jewish. With the closest opportunity to convert a week away, the brothers set out on a trip through the Deep South with their mother’s ashes, a one-eyed dog named Popeye and an Instagram influencer as Mayer grapples with a God who has betrayed him.
A question and answer period will follow. Books will be available for purchase and signing. Light refreshments will be served. Cost is $25 for VIP registration, including signed book; non-members, $5; and $3 members. Registration is required at jccmc.org/goyhood. For more information contact Hannah Cohn at hcohn@jccmc.org
Hear an Israeli soldier, who served on the front lines in Gaza and Lebanon, recount his stories of heroism and courage at 11 a.m., Thursday, Feb. 19 at Rumson Jewish Center-Congregation B’nai Israel. The program featuring Adi Karni will follow morning minyan and breakfast, beginning at 9:30 a.m.
Until he joined the IDF, Karni studied in yeshiva, mostly in Yeshiva Amit Nachshon in Beit Shemesh. He lost three of his closest friends from his unit during the recent fighting in Gaza. Karni is expected to speak about the moral and tactical dilemmas IDF soldiers have faced, including being forced to distinguish between civilians and combatants. He will share his pain of loss and resilience of the human spirit and how his faith and positivity helped him endure. Registration is required to attend at rumsonjc.org.
The Mary and Samel Hamelsky Music Program featuring guest Cantor Leon Sher will take place during Shabbat services Friday, Feb. 20, at 7:30 p.m. at Anshe Emeth Memorial Temple in New Brunswick.
Sher is the founding conductor of HaZamir South Jersey, the local chapter of HaZamir, the International Jewish Teen Choir and has been a member of Beged Kefet, a unique Jewish singing group of seven people that donates all proceeds from performances and CD sales to tzedakah (charity).
He holds a Master of Sacred Music and cantorial ordination from the Debbie Friedman School of Sacred Music at the Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion in New York City. His compositions have appeared in many publications and on numerous recordings.
For more information, contact the temple at aemt.net or (732) 545-6484.
For the 19th straight year, you can get the perfect costume at the Congregation Ohav Emeth Purim Gemach, which has more than 1,000 costumes and accessories for men, women and children from infants to teens. Suggested donation to borrow each costume is $5, which is donated to the benefit youth activities at the synagogue.
Many borrowers are gemach regulars who are among the hundreds who come from as far away as Lakewood and Passaic to find the perfect holiday costume. The costumes are also available throughout the year for use in school plays or projects or parties.
If you can’t make coming to the Highland Park synagogue to browse and select the perfect costume today, Feb.15, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., two other times are available, Wednesday, Feb. 18, 6-8 p.m. and Sunday, February 22, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. For information or to donate a costume, e-mail oecostumegemach@gmail.com.
