JDC Events
Upcoming Events
EARLY BIRD REGISTRATIONS NOW!
October 7-9, 2022
We are honored and delighted to offer you an opportunity to register now for the exciting and transformative Jewish Deaf Congress summit at the Pearlstone Retreat Center near Baltimore, October 7-9, 2022.
Interested and committed to a vital, viable, and vibrant future for the Jewish Deaf Community?
Have ideas and visions for Stronger Leadership and Deaf-Centric Jewish Learning for all ages?
Please join us at this exciting JDC Revival Summit!
Early Bird Registration by August 15th: $375 P/P Double Occupancy - Includes 2-night lodging, (6) organic kosher meals, Shabbat services, (8) Sessions & Roundtable Discussions, Dancing, Campfire With S'mores, Storytelling, Wine & Sheese Social Night, and Board Elections.
Space is limited! Prices go up by $50 after August 15th!
Please complete the registration form at your earliest convenience inasmuch as space is limited. The registration fee of $375 per person includes all the JDC summit program activities, 6 delicious kosher meals, 2 nights of lodging, and double occupancy. You can include the name of your preferred roommate on the form or ask us to assign you a roommate. Again, the sooner you register, the better since space is limited. Click here to download the event flyer.
We hope to see you at this groundbreaking summit! United, we grow like the olive trees in Israel.
Location: 5425 Mt. Gilead Rd, Reisterstown, MD 21136
Summit Schedule: https://schedule.tiiny.site/
Contact: Chair@JewishDeafCongress.org
Limited Spaces Available!
Early birds $375 P/P by August 15th! $50 more afterwards!
Past Events
Lecturer: Vicki Hurwitz
Title: "Herstory of Jewish Deaf Women"
Lecture Description: Vicki will share the stories of 15 Jewish Deaf Women.
Bio: Vicki T. Hurwitz is an active member of the Sun City Grand community, in Arizona. She developed and taught Deaf Women's Studies course, the first in the country, at NTID in the 1990s. After retirement, she continues to do presentations on Deaf women's herstories.
Date: Thursday, June 16, 2022
Time: 7 - 8:30 PM ET
Fee: Member - Free/ Non Member - $20
Where: Zoom Online
Registration links:
Non-Members https://bit.ly/3DSajPc
Members: same zoom info, check your JDC member email.
$20 Non-Member Fee
Join this forum and become part of a Vital, Viable, and Vibrant future for our Jewish Deaf Community!
May 25, 2022
Time: 7 -9 pm EST | 6 - 8 pm CST | 5 - 7 pm PST
Where: Zoom & Live on JDC Facebook
Please register zoom link: https://bit.ly/3kXN3GJ to obtain a Zoom meeting link.
Each person will receive a confirmation email with a unique link.
Join Us for L’Chaim Learning on a virtual panel discussion with Mark Zaurov from Germany!
Topic: What is it like to be Jewish?
Panel Description: Being Jewish is complicated. There are many overlapping layers including spirituality, religion, race, antisemitism, and intersectionalities.
Moderator/Lecturer: Mark Zaurov
Panelists: Kelby Brick, Rav Ellen Roth, Roxanne Baker
Date: Tuesday, April 26, 2022
Time: 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm EST | 4:00 pm - 5:30 pm PST
Fee: Members - Free / Non-Member $20
Where: Online- Zoom
Registration links:
Members: https://bit.ly/3Kwnhow
Non-Member: https://bit.ly/3M8nzSX
Bios:
Mark Zaurov: Deaf Historian, CDI Interpreter, and Scholar. His studies in Ph.D. research are about Deaf Jews as a transnational and hybrid community from the 19th to 20th century at the University of Hamburg/Germany. For his work, he got fellowships from the US Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM) and the European Holocaust Research Infrastructure (EHRI) for Yad Vashem. Currently, he is president of the non-profit Association of Deaf people with Jewish heritage in Germany (IGJAD). A nationally certified Deaf interpreter, he is the former president of the first worldwide professional association of Deaf sign language interpreters (tgsd). His milestone publications are 1. “Deaf Jews – a double cultural minority” (2003) and 2. “‘Deaf Holocaust. In: Mark Zaurov & K-B. Günther (Eds.), Overcoming the past, Determining its Consequences and Finding Solutions for the Present. A contribution to Deaf Studies and Sign Language Education. Proceedings of the 6th Deaf History International Conference July 31 - August 04, 2006, at the Humboldt University, Berlin.
Kelby Brick: Kelby Brick is the former Director of Jewish Life & Learning at the Washington Society of Jewish Deaf. Kelby has led numerous high holiday and life cycle services. He has spent extensive time focusing on translating prayers into ASL and making Judaism accessible to Deaf people. He is currently Director of the Maryland Governor’s Office of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing.
Rav Ellen Roth: Rav Ellen Roth, ordained in 2010, is a marriage officiant known nationwide, a certified deaf interpreter and translator [private practice writing services], avid alpine skiing, and is crazy about french toy poodles and small cats. Her diet incorporates veganism and yoga in daily practices.
Roxanne Baker: Actress, Advocate, and Educator. A Maine native & graduate of Governor Baxter School of the Deaf then Gallaudet University. Employed as ASL /Deaf studies Instructor for 25+ years. As an actress/storyteller, her latest projects are “ My Hands Remember” which was based and inspired on the first-hand account of a Deaf Jewish woman’s escape from the horrors of Nazi Germany, and “ The Promised Hands: Coming home to Jewish roots” is based on her experiences growing up as the only Jewish student at her alma mater. She enjoys being the mother of her precious sons and a bubba too.
$20 Non-Member Fee
Join Us for L’Chaim Learning on a virtual 6-week class!
Topic: Exploring Exodus: The Story of How We Became a Nation
What really happened in Egypt? How did the Jews transition from being slaves to free humans with the power to choose? What did the Giving of the Torah accomplish? How do we build a home for G-d? with Rabbi Yehoshua Soudakoff, Executive Director of Chushim Ben Dan, and the Jewish Deaf Foundation in Israel hosted by JDC L’Chaim Learning.
Date: Sundays, April 24 to May 29, 2022 (6-week class)
Note: If May 29 is an issue due to Memorial weekend, the makeup date June 12
Time: 4:00 pm - 5:30 pm EST | 1:00 pm - 2:30 pm PST
Fee: Members - Free / Non-Member $125
Registration link:
Members: https://bit.ly/3Kwnhow
Non-Members: https://bit.ly/3LPMLx7
Where: Online- Zoom
This is the second book of Moses from the Torah: 
In this course you will learn:
- Egyptian Slavery
- Leaving Egypt
- Receiving the Torah on Mt Sinai
- Jewish Justice - Civil Law in Judaism
- The Sin of the Golden Calf
- Building a Home for G-d
- and more!
Bio: Rabbi Yehoshua, who grew up in sunny Los Angeles, and currently lives in the just-as-sunny Holy Land with his wife Cheftziba and their newest addition, Baila. After graduating from the world’s only yeshiva high school for deaf and hard of hearing boys in Toronto, Canada, he received his rabbinical ordination in Brooklyn. He and his wife are also the official Chabad emissaries for the Deaf and hard of hearing community, and their many projects - from summer camp to Shabbat retreats and Chanukah celebrations to online classes - touch the lives of many Deaf and hard of hearing Jews around the globe.
$125 Non-Member Fee
Save the Date on Wednesday, March 16, 2022. More info coming soon! Free Admission
Kabbalah is the study of the soul: The human soul, the soul of Torah, and the soul of everything in the material world.
“There are many layers to reality. The material world experience as we know it is just the surface level, within which exist many dimensions of spiritual energy waiting to be released. By appreciating these inner layers, we can learn to make order out of disorder, to gain insight into the unknown forces that determine all movement and behavior.” — From Toward a Meaningful Life by Rabbi Simon Jacobson
Week 1: Cosmic Order
The inner workings of existence and the human psyche are controlled by a system known as the cosmic order, consisting of four worlds and ten Sefirot. Discover the component of the cosmic order, an elegant four-tiered structure, reflected in the four steps necessary in any creative process: Vision (Atzilut), framework (Beriah), shape (Yetzirah), and implementation (Asiyah).
Week 2: Tree of Knowledge
A brief overview of a blueprint of the divine and the spiritual framework of the universe and beyond – Soul Map
The symbolism of the Garden of Eden deciphered. The mystics explain that when Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, entire human consciousness was altered, and collective innocence was lost. What exactly changed? How does it affect us today? How do we regain the original unity consciousness of Paradise?
Week 3: Divine Sparks
God’s existence. Each of us is allocated a certain amount of spiritual sparks of energy contained in every aspect of our lives. These sparks are waiting to be tapped and actualized, and when they are, your life comes alive, bursting with enthusiasm and passion.
Week 4: Sacred Practices
The greatest challenge is to integrate spiritual life into our hectic daily schedules. Identify practices and rituals that will sanctify your everyday life at home, work, travel, and recreation.
Week 5: Purpose of Halacha
Halacha explained and brought up your intuitiveness to deep philosophical concepts.
Week 6: Meditations
Mindful Meditations. Meditation is and always has been an integral part of the Jewish tradition. There are over 350 healing light meditations: Kabbalah daily wisdom enables you to align your conscious self’s beliefs and values with your true self’s perception of divine reality. Then, you shall begin to perceive and connect with the Divine, drawing down its healing light.
JDC L'Chaim Learning Members: Free
JDC Havurot Circle is excited to host its very first book talk series with Janet S. Weinstock.
Join us for a chat and learn her views about this book: "Signs of Survival: A Memoir of the Holocaust" by Renee Hartman with Joshua M. Greene.
Description: Janet will cover background information, key points and thought-provoking questions based on the book. Signs of Survival: A Memoir of the Holocaust is special to her as one of the two sisters in the book is her paternal Aunt Herta.
Biography: Janet S. Weinstock thrives on the challenges of a retired life by keeping busy with yoga, reading, writing, crafts, tending to plants, solving crossword and jigsaw puzzles, volunteering, traveling, walking, cooking, and baking since 2015. She has been working on her maternal family's journey before, during, and after the Holocaust.
Members Free/ Non-Members $20
This presentation will give you an insight into how a Deaf Jewish person goes through the journey of the formation of identity and a sense of belonging.
Amy Cohen Efron will share her journey as an artist and artivist. She will introduce the De'VIA movement, and how this movement made an impact, however as Deaf Jewish Person, it is much more!
Date: Thursday, February 17, 2022
Time: 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm EST | 4:30 pm - 6:00 pm PST
Fee: Members-Free / Non-Member $20
JDC L'Chaim Learning Members - Free
A virtual lecture through Zoom about Jewish Beginnings with Rabbi Yehoshua Soudakoff, Executive Director of Chushim Ben Dan, and the Jewish Deaf Foundation in Israel hosted by JDC L’Chaim Learning.
Date: Sundays, January 23 to February 27, 2022 (6-week class)
Time: 4:00 pm - 5:00 pm EST | 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm PST
Fee: Members-Free / Non-Member $125
Where: Online- Zoom
If you always felt unclear about how the Jewish faith came into being, or want to brush up on your Sunday School knowledge, this is the course for you. 
In this course you will learn:
How did the Jewish people first come into being?Who are our forefathers and the foremothers?What are their characteristics, and what famous stories are told about them?Who are all these biblical characters that makeup Abraham’s family?What challenges did our forefathers and foremothers face in their days, and why did the Torah choose to preserve these stories for us?What are the common misconceptions and unknown facts about the origins of the Jewish people? and more!
The workshop will be presented by Rabbi Yehoshua, who grew up in sunny Los Angeles, currently lives in the just-as-sunny Holy Land with his wife Cheftziba and their newest addition, Baila. After graduating from the world’s only yeshiva high school for deaf and hard of hearing boys in Toronto, Canada, he received his rabbinical ordination in Brooklyn. He and his wife are also the official Chabad emissaries for the Deaf and hard of hearing community, and their many projects - from summer camp to Shabbat retreats and Chanukah celebrations to online classes - touch the lives of many deaf and hard of hearing Jews around the globe.
Members Free/Non-Members $125
JDC L’Chaim Learning will be hosting a virtual lecture through Zoom titled “An Overview of Kabbalah- What is it?” with Rav Ellen Roth 
Date: Thursday, January 20th, 2022
Time: 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm EST | 4:30 pm - 6:00 pm PST
Fee: Members-Free / Non-Member $20
Where: Online- Zoom
Rav Ellen Roth studied Kabbalah and will share an overview of Kabbalah of the past and present.
Lecture highlights include:
What is kabbalah all about? It is a spiritual practice inextricably integrated into Jewish law, ritual, prayer, and study.
An opportunity to take a closer look at Jewish mystical brief history, including key concepts of Tikkun, receiving, and everything of the best.
The ten fundamental forces that sustain the world, the four worlds the Kabbalists live in simultaneously, the three daily tasks of the Kabbalist, and 39 different ways not to work on the Sabbath, and how to imagine an unimaginable God while praying.
Plus recognizing the power of magic and language. How to do [and undo] things with words.
The Kabbalah Life — activities, celebrations, and rituals.
The Essential Skills of the Kabbalist — a study of the holy books of Kabbalah, recitation of daily prayers, and a view of God known to believers as the Infinite One.
You will learn more about current practitioners participating in Tikkun Olam and the journey of the human soul. It will also include a brief historical sound bite on — interesting lists of people, places, and myths related to Kabbalah.
Why do we all celebrate our birthdays annually?
About our presenter: About our presenter: Rav Ellen Roth, ordained in 2010, is a marriage officiant known nationwide, a certified deaf interpreter and translator [private practice writing services], avid alpine skiing, and is crazy about french toy poodles and small cats. Her diet incorporates veganism and yoga in daily practices.
Member Free & Non-Member $20
Rules: NOT. allowed to use paper BUT can use cardboard, has to be 4 sided shape, allowed props including. Can use things like clay, edible food, pebbles, wood, glass,seaglass, cardboard, heavy duty foil etc. Be artistic and creative.3 prizes $50 gift amazon card, 1st prize: mostCreative and original, 2nd prize: most innovative and best design 3rd prize: most unique and artisticThe deadline to submit for the contest, November 15, 2021.
Contest for 3 different age groups for 6 winners:Age 0-6Age 7-12Age 13-17Will have 3 JudgesSubmit entry form, photo of artwork and description (up to 50 words) of dreidel online by November 10, 2021Theme must include some element about the Hanukkah holidayDecision of judges will be final; the photos may be shown on JDC website and social media.Winners will be announced on December 1, 2021 in the JDC Virtual Hanukkah CelebrationAll information here will be kept confidential.The judges’ decision will be final.Winners will be invited to appear during the Virtual Hanukkah Celebration on December 2This program will be recorded.Photo Upload up to 1 MB or less, low resolution.
6 Week Class with ISL Instructor: Elinor Goldberg Date: Sundays, October 17 - November 21, 2021 Time: 4 pm - 5 pm EST | 1 pm - 2pm PST Title: Learn Israeli Sign Language (ISL) with Elinor Goldberg Bio: Elinor, a Deaf native of Israel and a single mother to three hearing girls, currently lives in New Jersey. She built a business focusing on advocacy and breaking down barriers in the Deaf community, titled “Access Communication Empowerment, LLC”. In addition, she currently teaches Israeli Sign Language/ASL classes, enjoys volunteering and advocating for accessibility. She has served in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), done training to law enforcement agencies, earned certifications and recognition for her work within the Deaf community.
Want to learn our ancestral language and history? Then get ready - this class will consist of Israeli Sign Language lessons taught by a native Deaf Israeli. Topics include fingerspelling, holidays, Israeli culture, tradition and history, food, and more. Props needed: Video recording will be provided. Ages: Adult Limited Space: 10 (first come, first served) Fee: Member Free/ Non-Member $125
Members Free/Non-Members $125
Description: Numbers are very much a part of the Jewish tradition. In this workshop, we will explore the Jewish perspective on the power of numbers and the significance behind the digits. What stories can numbers tell us about our traditions? You’d be surprised!
What you will learn:
- What is the purpose of numbers in Judaism?
- What wisdom can we learn from them? What do they symbolize, and why does it matter?
- What do the Talmud and Kabbalah teach us about numbers?
Bio: Rabbi Yehoshua, who grew up in sunny Los Angeles, currently lives in the just-as-sunny Holy Land with his wife Cheftziba and their newest addition, Baila. After graduating from the world’s only yeshiva high school for deaf and hard of hearing boys in Toronto, Canada, he received his rabbinical ordination in Brooklyn. He and his wife are also the official Chabad emissaries for the Deaf and hard of hearing community, and their many projects - from summer camp to Shabbat retreats and Chanukah celebrations to online classes - touch the lives of many deaf and hard of hearing Jews around the globe.
Member Free/Non Member $20
6 Week Class with ISL Instructor: Elinor Goldberg Date: Sundays, October 17 - November 21, 2021 Time: 4 pm - 5 pm EST | 1 pm - 2pm PST Title: Learn Israeli Sign Language (ISL) with Elinor Goldberg Bio: Elinor, a Deaf native of Israel and a single mother to three hearing girls, currently lives in New Jersey. She built a business focusing on advocacy and breaking down barriers in the Deaf community, titled “Access Communication Empowerment, LLC”. In addition, she currently teaches Israeli Sign Language/ASL classes, enjoys volunteering and advocating for accessibility. She has served in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), done training to law enforcement agencies, earned certifications and recognition for her work within the Deaf community.
Want to learn our ancestral language and history? Then get ready - this class will consist of Israeli Sign Language lessons taught by a native Deaf Israeli. Topics include fingerspelling, holidays, Israeli culture, tradition and history, food, and more. Props needed: Video recording will be provided. Ages: Adult Limited Space: 10 (first come, first served) Fee: Member Free/ Non-Member $125
Members Free/Non-Members $125
6 Week Class with ISL Instructor: Elinor Goldberg Date: Sundays, October 17 - November 21, 2021 Time: 4 pm - 5 pm EST | 1 pm - 2pm PST Title: Learn Israeli Sign Language (ISL) with Elinor Goldberg Bio: Elinor, a Deaf native of Israel and a single mother to three hearing girls, currently lives in New Jersey. She built a business focusing on advocacy and breaking down barriers in the Deaf community, titled “Access Communication Empowerment, LLC”. In addition, she currently teaches Israeli Sign Language/ASL classes, enjoys volunteering and advocating for accessibility. She has served in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), done training to law enforcement agencies, earned certifications and recognition for her work within the Deaf community.
Want to learn our ancestral language and history? Then get ready - this class will consist of Israeli Sign Language lessons taught by a native Deaf Israeli. Topics include fingerspelling, holidays, Israeli culture, tradition and history, food, and more. Props needed: Video recording will be provided. Ages: Adult Limited Space: 10 (first come, first served) Fee: Member Free/ Non-Member $125
Members Free | Non-Members $125
6 Week Class with ISL Instructor: Elinor Goldberg Date: Sundays, October 17 - November 21, 2021 Time: 4 pm - 5 pm EST | 1 pm - 2pm PST Title: Learn Israeli Sign Language (ISL) with Elinor Goldberg Bio: Elinor, a Deaf native of Israel and a single mother to three hearing girls, currently lives in New Jersey. She built a business focusing on advocacy and breaking down barriers in the Deaf community, titled “Access Communication Empowerment, LLC”. In addition, she currently teaches Israeli Sign Language/ASL classes, enjoys volunteering and advocating for accessibility. She has served in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), done training to law enforcement agencies, earned certifications and recognition for her work within the Deaf community.
Want to learn our ancestral language and history? Then get ready - this class will consist of Israeli Sign Language lessons taught by a native Deaf Israeli. Topics include fingerspelling, holidays, Israeli culture, tradition and history, food, and more. Props needed: Video recording will be provided. Ages: Adult Limited Space: 10 (first come, first served) Fee: Member Free/ Non-Member $125
Members Free | Non-Members $125
Havurot Circle: Monthly, on the 3rd Wednesday of the MonthHosts: Marla Berkowitz and Sofia Seitchik Title: Virtual Live Jewish Deaf Trivia and Chat with JDC!Title Description: (45 minutes trivia and 45 minutes of ice-breaking activities)How much do you really know about the Jewish Deaf community, Jewish history, Israel, Food, and more? Need a break? Come and socialize to learn fun facts, laugh, and expand your social network. Date: Wednesday, October 20, 2021Time: 7 pm - 8:30 pm EST | 4 pm - 5:30 pm PSTFee: Member Free/ Non-Member $20
Lecture/Comedy: E. Lynn Jacobowitz:
Date: Tuesday, October 12, 2021
Time: 7 pm - 8:30 pm EST | 4 pm - 5:30 pm PST (one hour lecture & 30 min discussion)
Title: Jewish Humor Facts: Major Holidays
Fee: Member Free/ Non-Member $20
Description: This lecture will touch upon the influence of Jewish humor and the various layers of Jewish life it impacts, as it has for 5,782 years through history. Specific attention will be given to the major holidays and the ways it affects each of us, through humor.Bio: E. Lynn Jacobowitz, Ph.D., ASLTA, a retired professor in the Dept of ASL and Deaf Studies at Gallaudet University, is well known for her comedy, poetry, storytelling, consultations, articles, and cartoons about Deaf Culture. She is a co-author of “Have You Ever Seen…? An ASL Handshape DVD/Book” and she has published numerous articles.
Members $0.00 | Non-Members $20.00
October 7-9, 2022 @ Pearlstone Center & Conference, Reisterstown, Maryland More info & registration, coming soon! https://www.pearlstonecenter.org/
For more info, contact JDC chair at chair@jewishdeafcongess.org
L’Chaim Grand Opening Facebook/YouTube Live Saturday, September 18, 2021 @ 8 pm EST (Free) www.facebook.com/jewishdeafcongress( 8pm EST | 7pm CST | 6 pm MST | 5pm PST)
