TSTI hosts programs in May

SOUTH ORANGE, NJ — Temple Sharey Tefilo-Israel, the Reform synagogue in South Orange, invites the public to the following events in May:

• On Thursdays, May 3 and 17, experience Hebrew chant and mindfulness meditation every other Thursday at 9:30 a.m. with the Mindfulness Meditation and Chant Group, facilitated by Beth Sandweiss. Sandweiss uses simple melodies, breath and awareness exercises to relax the mind, open the heart and bring attention to the present moment. The beginning of each session is guided, and no meditation or chanting experience is necessary.
• On Thursday, May 3, celebrate “Israel@70” with an Israeli dinner at 6:30 p.m., followed at 7 p.m. by a program facilitated by Michael Levi, the shaliach from the Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest. The discussion will cover one of the most significant questions of the Jewish community: Is Israel still the anchor of the Jewish people? Attendees will also explore the questions of Zionism, Jewish peoplehood and their relevance to leaders of the Jewish community. The program is free of charge; advance registration is required by April 30. Register online at http://bit.ly/Israeliculture.
• On Sunday, May 6, at 7 p.m., TSTI will host a film screening of “Letters from Baghdad” with a discussion facilitated by co-director and editor Sabine Krayenbühl and co-director and producer Zeva Oelbaum. The documentary tells the story of Gertrude Bell, the most powerful woman in the British Empire in her day, who shaped the modern Middle East after World War I in ways that still reverberate today. More influential than her friend and colleague, Lawrence of Arabia, Bell — a British spy, explorer and political powerhouse — helped draw the borders of Iraq and established the Iraq Museum, yet she been written out of history. The event is free for TSTI members and charged for guests; register and pay online at http://bit.ly/TSTIfilm.

TSTI is located at 432 Scotland Road in South Orange. For more information, please visit www.tsti.org.

  Temple Sharey Tefilo-Israel