Rodeph Shalom

The Goldsmith: Theatre Ariel at RS
2025-05-04 15:00 - 17:00 UTC | Congregation Rodeph Shalom, 615 North Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19123, United States
Broadway actress Sharone Sayegh shares her family’s journey from Iraq to Israel to America — as well as the adventure of her own “great love” — in this treasury of stories woven through the jewelry passed down across counties, borders, and generations.
Register here. RS members use code RS2025 for 18% off.

Mah Jongg
2025-05-04 10:00 - 12:00, 2025-04-27 10:00 - 12:00 (America/New_York) | Congregation Rodeph Shalom, 615 North Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19123, United States
Join on Sundays at 10:00 a.m., beginning Sept. 15. Contact Andi Shuster at andishuster@yahoo.com.

Berkman Mercaz Limud
2025-05-04 09:30 - 12:30, 2025-04-27 09:30 - 12:30 (America/New_York) | PA

Shabbat Morning Services
2025-05-03 10:45 - 12:15 (America/New_York) | Congregation Rodeph Shalom, 615 North Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19123, United States

Tot Shabbat
2025-05-03 09:30 - 10:30 (America/New_York) | PA
Gather for singing, storytelling, a craft, and oneg at Tot Shabbat. RSVP to Andi Miller.

Torah Study
2025-05-03 09:15 - 10:30 (America/New_York) | Congregation Rodeph Shalom, 615 North Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19123, United States
The cornerstone of our learning is our Saturday morning Torah Study. We discuss the weekly Torah portion and have a lively and spirited conversation as we relate this ancient text to our daily lives.
No special training or prerequisite courses are necessary for you to attend. Neither is there an entrance requirement for the understanding of Torah. When we come to it in study, there are no barriers to keep us distant from our heritage.
To access the weekly portion digitally visit: https://www.hebcal.com/sedrot or to purchase a hard copy of the plaut Torah commentary or women’s commentary visit https://www.ccarpress.org/shopping_product_list.asp
Join Zoom Meeting

Beit Cafe
2025-05-02 19:30 - 21:00 UTC | Congregation Rodeph Shalom, 615 North Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19123, United States
**Calling all performers:
We are hoping to gather all children acts, groups, or adults who might want to sing, perform a monologue, poetry, or play an instrument to participate in the next Beit Café (“coffee house”) Open Mic night after services on Friday, May 2, 2025.
Click here to sign up to be a performer or to register to attend. Sign up to bring a dessert here.

Shabbat Evening Service
2025-05-02 18:00 - 19:30 (America/New_York) | Congregation Rodeph Shalom, 615 North Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19123, United States
Join together for an uplifting and transformative worship service that attracts the diverse population within Rodeph Shalom, a service which is participatory, warm, inclusive, welcoming, spiritual and meaningful, which helps everyone connect with each other, with the soul of Jewish prayer, and with God.
If you would like to access services virtually, click here to watch the Livestream.

Days of Learning: YIVO comes to RS with Susannah Trubman
2025-05-02 13:00 - 14:30 UTC | Congregation Rodeph Shalom, 615 North Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19123, United States
Susannah Trubman, the Learning and Media Center Educator of the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, will use archival materials to tell the story of the Jewish inhabitants of the Vilna Ghetto and the cultural resistance efforts of a group known as “The Paper Brigade.” Learn about the everyday life of Jews under the Nazi occupation of Vilna; how they built schools, mounted theatrical productions, and struggled to keep themselves and their culture alive. This presentation will feature an exploration of reproduced and translated archival materials from the ghetto.
To see our class schedule, click here
To learn more about our presenters, click here
To register for classes, click here

Days of Learning: Just Like Queen Esther: Children, Gender, and Purim with Rabbi Ari Moffic
2025-05-02 10:30 - 11:30 UTC | Congregation Rodeph Shalom, 615 North Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19123, United States
Join Rabbi Ari Moffic (Ellen Poster’s daughter) the co-author of the newly released book, Just Like Queen Esther, for a conversation about children, gender and Purim! This is one of the first children’s books featuring a Jewish transgender child. Ari will talk about the impetus for this book. Learn what allyship can mean in this political environment and come away with an understanding of how to have wonderful conversations with our children and grandchildren about who they are and the people they will meet in life.
To see our class schedule, click here
To learn more about our presenters, click here
To register for classes, click here

[SPOTS FILLED] Days of Learning: Visit to Mikveh Israel and Christ Church Cemeteries and Woodford Mansion with docents, including Susan Roth (off-site)
2025-05-01 10:00 - 15:30 UTC | PA
Visit three Philadelphia landmarks. Our first stop will be the Mikveh Israel Cemetery to learn about prominent Jews of the Revolutionary War period, including Haym Salomon, a principal financier of the American Revolution. Next, visit the Christ Church burial ground and learn about David S. Franks, an aide-de-camp of Benedict Arnold. Finally, tour Woodford Mansion in East Fairmount Park, which was the home of the Franks family.
To see our class schedule, click here
To learn more about our presenters, click here
To register for classes, click here

Community Morning Minyan
2025-05-01 08:10 - 08:30 (America/New_York) | Congregation Rodeph Shalom, 615 North Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19123, United States
Every Thursday from 8:10-8:30 a.m. on Zoom
Are you looking to perform a meaningful mitzvah for our community? Are you observing a yahrzeit? Have you lost a loved one in the past 11 months? Join us for a brief service where we come together to remember and support each other. Join Zoom here. Open to all. Contact Tomas Isakowitz.

Days of Learning: Around the World with Jeffrey Saunders
2025-04-30 17:30 - 18:45 UTC | Congregation Rodeph Shalom, 615 North Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19123, United States
Circumnavigate the globe for 4 ½ months with a rabbi, a priest, and a minister, accompanied by Jeffrey, his wife, and 1,000 other passengers on a Holland America Line ship, MS Zuiderdam, which visited 27 countries, 42 ports, and rerouted around a shooting war with the Houthis.
To see our class schedule, click here
To learn more about our presenters, click here
To register for classes, click here

Midweek Hebrew
2025-04-30 16:30 - 18:00 (America/New_York) | PA

Days of Learning: Unscrambling an Omelet - Making Sense of Israeli Politics with Fred Strober
2025-04-30 14:30 - 16:00 UTC | Congregation Rodeph Shalom, 615 North Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19123, United States
Confused by the number of Israeli political parties, what each stands for, and how it fits into the government? Join Fred Strober as he sorts out this hodgepodge and offers insights about each party, how it evolved, and who leads it. The landscape seems to change weekly, and Fred will take us to the plenum of the Knesset to make sense of what is happening in the Israel of today – and what the future may hold.
To see our class schedule, click here
To learn more about our presenters, click here
To register for classes, click here

[SPOTS FILLED] Days of Learning: Tour the Philadelphia Museum of Jewish Art (PMJA) Galleries
2025-04-30 11:30 - 13:00 UTC | Congregation Rodeph Shalom, 615 North Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19123, United States
Have you been mesmerized by the beautiful and intriguing works of contemporary art currently displayed on our walls? Each image was submitted to and juried by our very own PMJA Committee, responding to the theme of tikkun olam, repair of the world. Two members of the Committee, Ruth Fine, a curator who had a distinguished career with the National Gallery of Art who oversaw the installation of the show, and Patricia Moss-Vreeland, a well-known artist with a piece in the current show, will take us on a tour of the galleries.
To see our class schedule, click here
To learn more about our presenters, click here
To register for classes, click here

Breaking Bread on Broad Distribution
2025-04-30 07:00 - 10:30 (America/New_York) | Congregation Rodeph Shalom, 615 North Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19123, United States
Breaking Bread on Broad (BBoB) now provides food, diapers, and feminine hygiene supplies to up to one hundred families in need each Wednesday morning outside our Green Street entrance. BBoB partners with a variety of Philadelphia non-profits and our own RS members to obtain and distribute these necessary items. We fulfill our RS mission to create profound connections within our RS community as we join together in this sacred work of tikkun olam and within our neighborhood through our partnerships with other organizations and our relationships with the families we serve. Our volunteers find working with BBoB a deeply moving and enriching experience. For more information on Breaking Bread on Broad, or to volunteer, contact bbob@rodephshalom.org.

Days of Learning: Getting to Know You with Cara Schneider Bongiorno
2025-04-29 18:30 - 19:30 UTC | Congregation Rodeph Shalom, 615 North Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19123, United States
In two different group exercises, you’ll be invited to share part of your own story, and be inspired to think about relationships in a different way. This session is meant for both new and returning members.
To see our class schedule, click here
To learn more about our presenters, click here
To register for classes, click here

Online Midweek Hebrew
2025-04-29 16:30 - 18:00 (America/New_York) | PA

Days of Learning: "You Shall Be a Kingdom of Priests": The Idea of Chosenness in Our Tradition and Our Lives with Howard Green
2025-04-29 16:00 - 17:30 UTC | Congregation Rodeph Shalom, 615 North Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19123, United States
The notion that God gave the Jewish people special status is a basic idea of Judaism. It is also one of the most perplexing issues we face. Why would God do such a thing? Is it a privilege or a burden? What did terms such as “chosen people,” “treasured possession,” and “light of nations” mean to the authors of our ancient texts? What has Jewish tradition done with them over the centuries? Can chosenness withstand the Holocaust? How might we make it meaningful today?
To see our class schedule, click here
To learn more about our presenters, click here
To register for classes, click here

Days of Learning: "Where Words Fail, Music Speaks," with Louis Bernstein, Jon Broder, Melissa Broder, and Cantor Brad Hyman (RS)
2025-04-29 13:00 - 14:30 UTC | Congregation Rodeph Shalom, 615 North Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19123, United States
Join for 90 minutes of Jewish-inspired songs performed by Cantor Hyman, Jon Broder, his sister Melissa, and Louis Bernstein.
To see our class schedule, click here
To learn more about our presenters, click here
To register for classes, click here

[SPOTS FILLED] Days of Learning: A Visit to the Mikveh with Amy Eisen, Open Waters Mikveh Director (off-site)
2025-04-29 09:30 - 11:30 UTC | PA
Learn about and tour the Open Waters Mikveh, used by RS members for conversion and other sacred events. Since biblical times, the mikveh has provided spiritual elevation and comfort. Today, it continues to offer inspiration, strength, and renewal at meaningful moments in life.
To see our class schedule, click here
To learn more about our presenters, click here
To register for classes, click here

Days of Learning: When Bible Meets History with Steve and Elaine Crane and Talia Jaskol
2025-04-28 18:00 - 20:00 UTC | Congregation Rodeph Shalom, 615 North Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19123, United States
Join Steve and Elaine for an evening of dinner theater based on Steve’s book, When Bible Meets History, describing how the Torah narrative and actual history can be reconciled. Eve, Rebecca, Jacob, Joseph, Joshua, Miriam, and even Moses, will take the stage to explain their roles in creating both history and Torah. A few mystery guests will also make an appearance. All will unabashedly speak their minds. History, scripture, comedy, and surprise combine for a most entertaining event. By the end of the performance, you should be able to decide if history is compatible with the Torah story.
To see our class schedule, click here
To learn more about our presenters, click here
To register for classes, click here

Days of Learning: Souls Shot Portrait Project Exhibition
2025-04-28 14:00 - 15:00 UTC | Congregation Rodeph Shalom, 615 North Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19123, United States
Join us for a tour of the Souls Shot Portrait Project exhibition soon to be on display in the Community Room. This project links fine artists with families or friends of victims of gun violence. We will hear from one of the artists about the portrait they painted and their reasons for participating in the Project. We also will learn about volunteer opportunities to assist survivors of gun violence from a team member of the Penn Trauma Violence Recovery Program. RSVP to Ellen Poster for this program.
To see our class schedule, click here
To learn more about our presenters, click here

Days of Learning: Visit the Sixth Man Center of Philadelphia Youth Basketball with Kenny Holdsman
2025-04-28 10:00 - 12:30 UTC | PA
Please join us for a tour of the Sixth Man Center and a talk by Philadelphia Youth Basketball (PYB) co-founder Kenny Holdsman. PYB is a holistic youth development and community empowerment organization established in 2015 with a mission of creating access and opportunities for thousands of young people to self-determine in positive ways. Built by, for and with the community, PYB has an authentic commitment to racial and gender equity which manifests itself in a multitude of ways. In June 2024, PYB opened the Alan Horwitz “Sixth Man Center,” a 100,000 square foot space in Nicetown, North Philadelphia to enable the organization to enhance its reach and impact dramatically.
To see our class schedule, click here
To learn more about our presenters, click here
To register for classes, click here

Family Hike at FDR Park
2025-04-27 14:00 - 16:00 UTC | FDR Park, 1500 Pattison Avenue, Philadelphia, PA, 19145, United States
Join Fairmount Park Conservancy for a walk through South Philadelphia’s FDR Park. Event will take place on April 27 (rain or shine) from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. Learn about Philly’s only Olmsted park now home to the largest swing set in North America. Hear how the FDR Park Plan – a bold vision to reimagine the park for 21st Century Philadelphians – drives economic and community development, tourism, recreation, and climate resiliency. The terrain is easy, but you will definitely get your steps in. You will see newly installed wetlands, historic buildings, playgrounds, future sport fields and a very unique and beloved skate park. The tour will conclude at the Southeast Asian Market and with dozens of vendors selling food, clothing, drinks and toys, there is something for everyone.
Register here.
We suggest you enter the park at the corner of Pattison and S. 20th Street and take a left into the parking lot (which may be crowded, so be sure to leave some extra time). Meet on Boathouse steps. 1900 Pattison Ave, Philadelphia 19145
Contact Marc Pomper at marcspomper@gmail.com

Souls Shot Portrait Project Exhibition and Panel Discussion
2025-04-27 09:45 - 12:15 UTC | Congregation Rodeph Shalom, 615 North Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19123, United States
The fifteen portraits of victims lost to gun violence showcase Souls Shot Portrait Project’s desire to bring attention to and memorialize the lives lost through the transformative power of art. Their purpose is to inspire and invite the public to take action to end gun violence. The exhibition opens on April 27 and runs through Wednesday, May 28. It will be open to RS members and the public.
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9:45-10:00 a.m.: RS members are invited to join the Berkman Mercaz Limud parents for coffee and bagels in the Community Room. Guests are welcome.
10:00-10:30 a.m.: Rabbi Freedman will lead Torah study with a focus on Jewish values and the theme of Gun Violence.
10:30 a.m.-12:15 p.m.: Philadelphia City Council President Kenyatta Johnson and a panel of speakers will discuss how taking action and working together delivers results. RS members and the public are invited to view the exhibition and take part in the panel discussion. The program concludes with volunteer opportunities for community engagement.
Registration required at bit.ly/soulsshotportraitprojectatrs. Contact Susan Frankel.
Presented by the RS Gun Violence Prevention Task Force

Buddy Up on Broad Drive
2025-04-27 09:30 - 12:30 UTC | Congregation Rodeph Shalom, 615 North Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19123, United States
The Talmud teaches us that the breath of children sustains the world (Shabbat 119b). Help the food-insecure children of our neighborhood breathe in the joy of spring by donating to Buddy Up On Broad, a toy and book drive co-sponsored by Breaking Bread on Broad (BBoB, the RS food pantry) and RS BML Parents!
There are a few ways to give:
1. Visit our toys wishlist on Amazon and shop for sidewalk chalk, bouncy balls, card games, and more! Amazon will ship them straight to Rodeph Shalom.
2. Visit our books wishlist through local bookstore Head House Books! Head House is generously offering our donors a 20% discount on three adorable picture books (including bilingual options in Simplified Chinese/English and Spanish/English). We’ll pick up the books—no need to ship!
3. Drop off new toys in the RS lobby! (Consult our wishlist for guidance in choosing your donation.)

Sunday April 6, 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Sunday April 13, 5:30 – 8:30 p.m.
Sunday April 27, 9:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

4. Collect donations at your seder or share our drive with your family and friends! Traditionally, Passover is a time for tzedakah. Remembering that we were strangers in Egypt teaches us empathy for those who are struggling today.
Questions? Contact: Susan Roth (knitzvot@gmail.com) or Ellen Poster (ellenajme@aol.com). Please donate between now and April 30, 2025.
Thank you for spreading joy and sustaining our world this spring!
