Shabbat shalom! This weekend is the JFest Party on Saturday night! Purim is sneaking up on us — be sure to check out the opportunity on Sunday to bake Hamantaschen with the Boulder County Center for Judaism and the Purim Celebration next weekend at the Boulder JCC.

Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with our brothers and sisters under attack in Israel, Ukraine (one year today), and the women of this country.

Stay warm, stay safe and stay healthy!

Here are stories from the last week:

News/Columns/Letters

• Column: L.A. Synagogue Shootings: The Personal and the Perilous (2/23/2023) - Decades ago, I most likely walked past the site of a Los Angeles synagogue near where Guy Taieb, 73, was wounded in a drive-by shooting last Thursday, an incident likely motivated by antisemitism. Continue Reading
• Save a Life! Donate Blood March 1 at the Boulder JCC (2/21/2023) - The Boulder JCC is proud to be partnering with Vitalant to once again offer you the opportunity to save a life and donate blood.  The blood drive is open to the public and appointments are suggested. Continue Reading
• Why That Ohio Town Is Named “East Palestine” (2/20/2023) - The tragic spotlight now shining on Ohio’s “East Palestine” naturally leaves some people curious as to why it has such as unusual name. The answer is that it’s not a very unusual name at all. Continue Reading
• Letter: The Horror of BDS and Intersectionality (2/20/2023) - Since 2005 Omar Barghouti, a founder of BDS, has declared the sole purpose of BDS to be the euthanasia of Israel. Continue Reading

Jewish Life

• Purim Celebration with Special Guests Cara Mentzel and Idina Menzel (2/23/2023) - The Purim Celebration for families at the Boulder JCC will be on Sunday, March 5. This program is designed for children 10 and under with their caregivers. Continue Reading
• Hamentash Bake In Boulder: You’re Invited (2/22/2023) - Boulder Center for Judaism proudly invites you to a Hamentash Bake this Sunday, February 26.  Continue Reading
• Purim Celebration at the Boulder JCC! (2/22/2023) - The Purim Celebration for families at the Boulder JCC will be on Sunday, March 5. This program is designed for children 10 and under with their caregivers. Continue Reading
• Video of “Jewish View of Death and Burial” Presentation Now Available (2/21/2023) - Last Thursday, February 16, noted author and speaker Doron Kornbluth gave an incredible presentation about the Jewish View of Death and Burial at the Boulder JCC. Video now available. Continue Reading

Arts and Culture

• Denver Jewish Film Festival Brings Israeli and Jewish Cinema to Denver March 11-29 (2/23/2023) - The 27th annual Denver Jewish Film Festival powered by The Chotin Foundation at the JCC Mizel Arts and Culture Center will include 39 films including nine shorts and one TV mini-series showcasing cinema from 14 countries. Continue Reading
• A Bridge to Nowhere (2/23/2023) - A new poem from Lisa Tremback. Continue Reading
• 9th Annual Hebrew Schmooze-A-Palooza Concert (2/21/2023) - Each year, the Program in Jewish Studies at the University of Colorado Boulder presents a music festival featuring Hebrew-language students, alumni, faculty, and members of the broader public. At this year's in-person concert, the most iconic collection of songs in the Hebrew/Israeli repertoire will be performed. Continue Reading
• Canine Scientist, Zionist Hero, and Her Dog-Training Techniques Were Used by the Nazis (2/20/2023) - Toward the end of her life, the Austrian-born Jewish scientist Rudolphina Menzel acknowledged a horrifying reality: the dog-training techniques she pioneered had been used by the Nazis to commit atrocities. Continue Reading

Events

• First Friday: Why Holocaust Education Matters for US Foreign Policy (2/23/2023) - Come join us at Bonai Shalom on March 3rd when Special Envoy Ellen Germain talks about diplomatic efforts in these areas past and present and how knowledge and understanding of the Holocaust informs current U.S. foreign policy. Continue Reading
• A Child Survivor Gives Testimony: Judith Winkel at CU Boulder (2/20/2023) - Co-organized by CU Boulder's Program in Jewish Studies and the Louis P. Singer Endowed Chair in Jewish History, the program is co-sponsored by CU Boulder's History Department.  Continue Reading