The "Tish" Archive

The Tish is a discussion over coffee, tea and biscotti, led by a community member or a guest on a different theme each week. Topics cover a very wide range, including Jewish texts, rituals, history, theology, philosophy, ethics, Jewish life, social justice, Israel and the Middle East, arts and culture, and more!

Saturdays, 9:15 - 10:00 AM, just before Shabbat Services.

Current Year

Please visit the main tish calendar page.

2006-2007 (5767)

June 30 - Howard Stevens - "The Six-Day War: Israel Looks Back."

June 23 - Barbara Colton - "Tikkun Olam: What is the Jewish Response to Israel’s Policies of Home Demolitions?"

June 16 - Rabbi Joy Levitt and Ruth Messinger - "The Jews of London, the Jews of Ukraine."

June 9 - Phil Barnett - "The Thread of Blue and Other Ancient Traditions; Looking Forward By Looking Back."

June 2 - Peter Nicholas - "Is Hatred of Lawyers Really Hatred of Jews?"

May 26 - Peter Nicholas - "Church and State: Separated?"

May 19 - Michael Davidson - "Religious Engagement: A Modernist Anthropological Rationale
[for a Bat Mitzvah]

May 12 - Craig, Susan and Sam Orchant -"B'har B'hukkotai, a Family Torah Discussion"
[for a Bat Mitzvah]

May 5 - Informal Schmooze - SAJ Retreat

April 28 - Betsy Goldberg - "Contemplating Hinduism."

April 21 - Phyllis Palm - "Stolpersteine - A German Artist's Holocaust Remembrance Project."

April 14 - Hugh Baron - The Karaites of Lithuania and the Nazis

April 7 - Lucille Roussin - "The Zodiac in Ancient Synagogue Decoration."

Mar 31 - Nancy Ludmerer - "Hannah Senesh - A Neglected Hero."

Mar 24 - Howard Stevens - "The Future Vision of the Palestinian Arabs in Israel."

Mar 17 - Diane Cole - "Understanding Bias and Teaching Tolerance." [Synaplex: Diversity/Inclusivity program]

Mar 10 - Rabbi Joy Levitt - "You, Me and the JCC."

Mar 3 - Rivka Rudner - "My Visit to the SAJ’s Projects in Israel."

Feb 24 - Elaine Kramer - "Celebrating 30 Years Cancer Free."

Feb 17 - Rabbi Mark Popovsky - "Tzeddakah: Principles and Problems."

Feb 10 - Hugh Baron - "Seven Proselyte Priests."

Feb 3 - Roz Darzy - "My Experiences as Occupational Therapist, Patient and Family Member."

Jan 27 - Ira Schachner - "Learning from the Past: Why We Build Monuments."

Jan 20 - Ron Kushner – "The Jewish Kingdom of Khazaria."

Jan 13 - Alan Ampolsk - "Judaism and Buddhism: Compatible?"

Jan 6 - Peter Nicholas - "Judaism and Buddhism: Incompatible?"

Dec 30 - No Tish scheduled - Informal Schmooze: "Jews and Christmas."

Dec 23 - Sheila Bassman - "Susanna - Making the Object the Subject."

Dec 16 - Elisha Ignatoff - "Di Farschwundene Velt: The Vanished World of Secular Yidddishkeit."

Dec 9 - Ginger Ignatoff - "A Brief Look at Jewish Family Names. "

Dec 2 - Dr. Jerry Lowenstein - "Spirituality in Medical Care."

Nov 25 - Informal Schmooze - "Jewish Thanksgivings." Bring your own family stories.

Nov 18 - Edna Goldwater - "My Grandmother Faigel and the Drunken Cossack."

Nov 11 - Peter Nicholas - "Religion and the Psychology of Rage."

Nov 4 - Hugh Baron - "Chief Rabbi, Apostate Orientalist and Imperial Confidant: Three Generations of the Lipmann / Weiner / Sonnenfels family."

Oct 28 - Shel Schiffman - "Recent Reassessments of Reconstructionism."

Oct 21 - Chrystie Sherman - "Views of Central Asia."

2005-2006 (5766)

June 24 - Peter Nicholas – "Islam and Judaism - Some Comparisons."

June 17 - Francine Perlman - "My Sculpture - Rooms and Houses."

June 10 - Leonard Kurz - "My Film in Progress - Reunion, with Ossie Davis."

June 3 - Marilyn Talal - "Judaism as a Religion of Love."

May 27 - Ruth Messinger - "What Next on Darfur, What More for Africa: A Rationale for Jewish Social Justice Work."

May 20 - Peter Nicholas - "So You Say It’s Not Jewish? Original Sin and Other Concepts."

May 13 - Lucille Roussin - "Ezekiel’s Valley of the Dry Bones and the Dura Europos Mural."

May 6 – Rabbi Joy Levitt – “How Reconstructionism Changed My Life” (At The Annual Retreat)

April 29 - Rivka Rudner - "Ashkennazi Genetics - New Discoveries."

April 22 - Howard Stevens - "A Jewish Boston Boyhood - Theodore White's Memoir."

April 15 - Myron Schwartzman - "The Beilis Blood Libel Trial and Malamud's The Fixer"

April 8 - Betsy Goldberg - "All About Print-Making: Spirit and Process."

April 1 - Donna Altschuler and Francine Perlman - "Nicaragua from the Ground Up -- a Journey in the Wilderness."

Mar. 25 - Edna Goldwater - “Jews in the Amazon.”

Mar. 18 - Sheila Bassman - “Judith: The Forgotten Hero.”

Mar. 11 - Roz Darzy - “Israel and the United Nations.”

Mar. 4 - Martin Horwitz - “ ‘Russian Fondrazing’ in a post-Communist state: How Jewish School Principals Learned About Bake Sales.”

Feb. 25 - Hugh Baron - “The Man of God out of Judah.”

Feb. 18 - Schmoozing.

Feb. 11 - Shel Schiffman - “Wisdom Literature of the Early Rabbis.”

Feb. 4 - Howard Stevens - “Spielberg’s ‘Munich’ - Art, Morality and Truth.”

Jan. 28 - Hugh Baron - “Galileo, Newton and the Bible.”

Jan. 21 - Lucille Roussin - “Jewish Costume in Roman Palestine.”

Jan. 14 - Sheila Bassman - “Jewish Women Outside the Canon: Part II ‘Salome Alexandra, Maccabean Queen.’”

Jan. 7 - Rabbi Mark Popovsky - “Health: Spiritual and Physical - Reflections of a Jewish Chaplain.”

Dec. 31 - No Tish scheduled - Pre-Shacharit schmoozing for non-meditators.

Dec. 24 - Scott Epstein – “Albert Einstein.”

Dec. 17 - Ruth Messinger – “Report on Chad: What is our Responsibility?”

Dec. 10 - Shalom Gorewitz – “Transgressive Love in Israeli Cinema.”

Dec. 3 - Peter Nicholas – “Ethics in Judaism: A Discussion.”

Nov. 26 - Howard Stevens – “Thanksgiving: the American Sukkot.”

Nov. 19 - Hugh Baron - “Did Jephtha sacrifice his daughter?”

Nov. 12 - Sandra Barty - “Why people at the SAJ don’t ask for help when they are ill - and what’s the big deal, anyway?”

Nov. 5 - Sheila Bassman – “Jewish Women Outside the Canon, Part I - Aseneth.”

Oct. 29 – Jane Elizabeth - “Nathaniel Hawthorne and B’reishit.”

Oct. 22 – Hugh Baron – “Prayers for the Government.”

Oct. 15 – Roz Darzy - “After Disengagement - What's Next?”

Oct. 8 – Rafael Eli “'Jubans' - the History of the Jews of Cuba.”

Oct. 1 – the Bar/Bat Mitzvah - “Common Themes in my Parsha and Harry Potter.”

Sept. 24 – Sandy Ceslowitz - “The Book of Ezra and Modern Judaism.”

Sept. 17 – Scott Epstein - “Science and Scripture: What's the Matter With Kansas?”

Sept. 10 – Andrea Fooner - “Not Ready? Not to Worry! Preparation and Meditation for the High Holidays.”