Category Archives: MONTANA JEWISH PROJECT
THIS SUNDAY AT THE SUKKOT
Join the Montana Jewish Project, Rabbi Sonja Pilz, and Congregation Beth Shalom for a Sukkot Celebration on October 12 from 1–3 PM in Helena on the Temple Emanu-El lawn. We’ll gather around a sukkah (a temporary outdoor shelter built for the holiday) to share Sukkot reflections, prayers, and songs.
If you can, please bring a chair and a snack to share. If you can, please consider volunteering!
Registration is required, so we know how many people to prepare for. We would also greatly appreciate volunteers, which folks can register for at the same link.
REGISTRATION
Rebecca and I are so excited to host the Sukkot celebration this Sunday from 1-3 PM at Temple Emanu-El in Helena.
Best,
Kaelie
WANT TO JOIN MJP FOR A HELENA HIKE? 09/21/25; 28 ELUL, 5785
If anyone from the Aitz Chaim community in Great Falls is interested in joining a hike with members of the Montana Jewish Project in Helena, please see below for more information.
- WHEN? Sunday, September 21st, 2025, 28 Elul, 5785.
- WHERE? Meet at the Old Shooting Range parking lot at 9:30 am.
- DIRECTIONS? If you type “old shooting range trailhead” into your map app, it will come up. Otherwise, contact Wendy at wendy.j.weissman@gmail.com
We are planning to hike on Mt Ascension. The distance will be between 4-5.5 miles depending on the route we take. We could take an easy, intermediate, or challenging route, and we are thinking the group can decide the day of the hike which route they’d like best. There will be some climbing even on the easy route, but not more than about 3/4 mile of it if we take the easy route. Regardless of route, the pace will be casual and social. We will stop periodically throughout the route to regroup so we are never too spread out.
Adapted from an email from Claudia
MJP STATEWIDE SUMMER SHABBATON June 27-29, 2025
Attached are two versions of the better graphic for the statewide Shabbaton. (One is vertically aligned; the other, horizontally).
This is the link to our website with more information and FAQs. It also links to the registration page.
Shabbaton Information and Registration
Register now! Early-bird registration is extended to May 18.
Thank you!
Shabbat shalom,
Rebecca
—
Rebecca Stanfel
Executive Director, Montana Jewish Project
https://www.montanajewishproject.com/
(916) 216-1580 (mobile)
(406) 282-4706 (MJP)
MONTANA SUMMER SHABBATON 2025 — PLANNING
MONTANA JEWISH PROJECT INVITES YOU TO JOIN OUR STATEWIDE JEWISH COMMUNITY IN:
Shabbaton :
An Intergenerational Family Weekend Retreat
WHEN? JUNE 27- 29, 2025
We are very excited for this! We are hiring a Shabbaton Coordinator to oversee all the logistics, but we are hoping for volunteers from all of Montana’s Jewish communities to help us with program ideas, expertise, and energy. Our vision is to collaboratively create this opportunity for Jewish folks from around Montana to get to know one another and to engage with Judaism in new ways.
INFO@MONTANAJEWISHPROJECT.COM
MONTANA JEWISH PROJECT: MODERN HEBREW CLASSES
Dear friends from the Helena, Great Falls, and surrounding Jewish communities,
I hope this email finds you well. I wanted to let you know about a wonderful new learning opportunity in March at MJP.
We’ve had several requests over the past few months for an in-person adult Hebrew class. We are excited that, with the help of Helena Jewish community member Yotam Ben-Haim, we can make this possible.
Yotam recently moved to Helena from Israel. Our book group participants have the good fortune of getting to know both Yotam and his lovely wife, Christine. Yotam has past experience in tutoring adults in modern Hebrew, and in teaching small groups.
Before we reach out to the broader community, we wanted to offer this first to families in our Jewish community.
Yotam has offered to teach a pilot program of 10 sessions on modern Hebrew for adults here at MJP in historic Temple Emanu-El. The group will be limited to ten people.
This group will start the week of March 17. We have a preference for Wednesday evenings and can be flexible with times (whether starting at 6:00 PM, 6:30 PM, or 7:00 PM).We can also explore Tuesday and Thursday evenings. Each class will run for approximately 90 minutes. The week of March 31 will be off.
Since Yotam is putting a lot of time into planning this, and it takes staff resources for anything we offer, MJP is breaking with our policy of not charging for programs. It’s important for folks to show up, if they are taking a spot. For these reasons, we are asking for payment in advance of $100 for the series. Of course, if financial concerns are an obstacle to you attending, please just be in touch.
If this group is successful, Yotam is willing to think about continuing this.
I’ve spoken with Rabbi Sonja at Congregation Beth Shalom in Bozeman because they offer on-line Hebrew classes (and one of our core principles as an organization is never to duplicate the work another congregation or community is doing). Rabbi Sonja is happy for MJP to do this–as we can offer in-person learning opportunities in the evenings. If you want to explore what Beth Shalom is offering, their website is here.
Please fill out this Google Form.
We will wait until February 24 before opening this up to others in Helena.
Please feel free to forward this to others you think might be interested. And for those interested in coming from outside Helena, we can explore overnight accommodations for you in a volunteer’s home.
Thanks very much!
Rebecca
Rebecca Stanfel
Executive Director, Montana Jewish Project
https://www.montanajewishproject.com/
(916) 216-1580 (mobile)
(406) 282-4706 (MJP)
UPCOMING EVENTS YOU WON’T WANT TO MISS
- Sunday, 12/29/2024, 3:30 PM: Join us for a fun Chanukah celebration! Rabbi Mendel and Devorah Leah Spiero, Great Falls, MT. RSVP
- Sunday, 12/29/2024, 6 PM: Hanukkah Across Montana service on zoom. Please register here to receive the zoom link.
- Monday, 12/30/2024, at noon: menorah lighting at the State Capitol building in Helena, hosted by MAJCO. It will be held in the reception area on the second floor between the Governor’s office and the Secretary of State’s office.
- Every night of Hanukkah from 12/25 through 1/1 we will be meeting at the Civic Center at 5:30 PM to light the menorah. After the lighting on 1/1/2025 there will be a Hanukkah party. Contact Eldon to sign up to bring a milchig (dairy) dish to share.
I wish everyone a joyous holiday season and Happy Hanukkah!
Wendy
REMINDER: MONTHLY MISHPACHA MEETING ON THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2024, ON ZOOM
Dear friends,
This is just a friendly reminder that our monthly Mishpacha meeting is on Thursday, November 14 at 6 PM.
The agenda is below.
This Monthly Mishpacha meetings– or online gathering of our “family” of Montana’s Jewish congregations and communities–are to learn about each other, identify areas where we can collaborate, and update you all on MJP’s current plans in process for statewide Jewish community gatherings in 2025.
As I mentioned in my last email, we would love to have a rabbi, board chair or board member, or active community member attend. Please forward this to relevant people in your community! If this time and date doesn’t work, that’s OK. We’ll keep these going regularly
Please let me know if you have any other questions.
I am looking forward to seeing you!
Rebecca
—
Rebecca Stanfel
Executive Director, Montana Jewish Project
https://www.montanajewishproject.com/
(916) 216-1580 (mobile)
(406) 282-4706 (MJP)
Monthly Mishpacha
Working Together to Bring More Jewish Community, Learning, and Support to Montana’s Jewish Congregations and Communities
Thursday, November 14, 6:00 PM
AGENDA
I. Brief Introductions:
II. Starting Vision for this Group
III. Family Shabbaton 2025
A. Confirming date: July 25-27
B. Confirming location: Cane Ridge West in Lincoln
C. Details of support MJP can provide
D. How MAOR congregations and communities can help make this a success.
E. Moving Shabbaton planners to a separate group that is interested in helping create the program for adults and children and collaborating with the Shabbaton Coordinator.
IV. Upcoming MAOR/MJP Events Online and why this is important for Montana.
A. Hanukkah Across Montana (Sunday, December 29 at 6 PM)
B. Purim (Rabbi Francine, Friday March 14 at 5 or 6 PM)
C. Let’s choose and set dates for additional collaborations. Possibilities include:
a. Tu B’Shvat
b. Passover
c. Yom HaShoah
d. Shavuot
V. MJP has volunteered to lead the Montana Security Task for the past two years. We have coordinated somewhat regular meetings to discuss different resources for keeping our communities and congregations safe and secure, such as coordinating SCN’s visits to Montana, connecting communities to federal, state, and local law enforcement, facilitating help with FEMA grants, and more.
A. Should the Security Task Force remain separate from this group? Or should we fold it into these meetings?
VI. What is next?
A. Meeting times
B. What would your congregation or community like to prioritize working on with the support of MJP and in collaboration with other congregations and communities?
HANUKKAH ACROSS MONTANA — PLEASE MARK YOUR CALENDARS — 12/29/2024, 6:00PM MST ON ZOOM — 29 KISLEV, 5785
Hi friends,
Now that it’s November and the new Jewish month of Cheshvan, it’s time to start thinking about Hanukkah…right?!
MAOR and MJP are planning a Hanukkah Across Montana on Sunday, December 29th at 6:00pm MST. (29 Kislev, 5785.) We want to make sure that this doesn’t interfere with events that any of your communities are planning. Please let me know if there’s a conflict. In the meantime, please mark the date on your calendars!
I will be coordinating the outline this time. Please let me know if you would like to lead something and if you have a preference for what that might be. Options could include the Hanukkah candle blessing, a Hanukkah story or song, a poem, a particular prayer in Hebrew or English, or anything along those lines.
Shabbat shalom and chodesh tov!
Adina (Amber)
—
Adina (Amber) Ikeman (she/her)
Communications and Program Coordinator, Montana Jewish Project
https://www.montanajewishproject.com/
(406) 282-4706 (MJP)
The Aitz Chaim Ram's Horn 