The I.L. Peretz Secular Jewish Community organizes activities and events that educate our members in engaging ways about Jewish heritage and the world around us. While the children are in class, parents and other community members can attend Sunday-morning presentations and discussions over bagels and fruit, juice and coffee, on Jewish-themed topics, current events, and social justice. Friday-night programs include more broadly themed educational topics as well as Jewish cultural and social gatherings and holiday celebrations. Other activities are centered around the local Rutgers Jewish Film Festival, relevant events in the New York metropolitan area, and holiday gatherings.

Some of this year’s Friday-night and Sunday-morning programs include:

Bar and Bat Mitzvah in a Secular-Humanistic Community

Living in a Golden Age of Jewish-American Art

Traveling to Cuba with the Jewish Forward

Grief and Loss

The Secret Jewish Fleet: 1945-1948

Family Issues in Interfaith Marriage

Election 2016

Jewish Perspectives on Jesus through the Ages

The European Emigration Crisis

Operation Paperclip: Did You Know?

A Yiddish Class for adults is held on Sunday mornings at our school before our Sunday-morning adult programs, from 9:30 a.m. until 10:30 a.m. Participants must become members of the I.L. Peretz Secular Jewish Community. The class focuses on reading and conversational skills, building vocabulary, and improving listening skills. Materials in Yiddish are provided to the students and are derived from various sources including the Forverts (The Yiddish Daily Forward). Depending on the session, a textbook may be required. Fifty dollars is charged for each of the fall and spring sessions.

Please refer to our Community Calendar for a description of upcoming events. Those interested in any of our programs are encouraged to simply show up at one of our many scheduled events or to Contact Us for more information.