Events

(Adult Education) Jerusalem: Holy - and Wholly Complex (A presentation by history professor Chris Bellito of Kean University) Dr. Bellitto is a historian, frequent public lecturer, and author of 10 books (e. g., "Ageless Wisdom: Lifetime Lessons from the Bible," 2016). He will explore why Jerusalem can be thought of as a city of both[...]

Closing Ceremony & Graduation Graduation is a significant milestone in the lives of IL Peretz school students. If you've never been to a graduation, you will be shocked at how much you learn from the graduates as they present their research projects. Please come to support our graduates. The ceremony starts at 11:00 AM at[...]

(Adult Education) The Moravian Synagogues Project (Benjamin T. Berman, Tenor, and Paul Conrad, Piano) Ben Berman and a piano accompanist gave a musical presentation on this project on one of our Peretz Friday evenings this year. They are giving a concert to solicit funding for the project this Friday. For more information please click here.

(Family Event) Dinosaur Fossil & Shark Tooth Hunt Join us for this one-of-a-kind adventure! Big Brook Preserve, where we will be searching for fossils and shark teeth, once was deep under water (hence the shark teeth)...and then it was above water, at which time it was home to DINOSAURS (hence the dinosaur fossils). This very[...]

(Family Event) Open House: Klezmer & Knishes!!! This year we're repeating our popular event which began last year, only in combination with our school's Open House. Come listen to live Klezmer music by the Kvellers trio, create some art, learn more about our school and community and just have a good time! Guests are welcome![...]

(Family Event) Join us for our beautifully situated High Holiday Ceremonies under the trees at Rutgers Preparatory School 1345 Easton Avenue Somerset, NJ Rosh Hashanah: Monday, September 10, 11:00 am - 1:30 pm Yom Kippur: Wednesday, September 19, 11:00 am - 1:30 pm Bring Lawn Chairs and/or Picnic Blankets for Seating (We will move indoors[...]

Opening Ceremony & Parent Orientation (Family Event, All Students & Parents, 9:30 am)

(Family Event) Join us for our beautifully situated High Holiday Ceremonies under the trees at Rutgers Preparatory School 1345 Easton Avenue Somerset, NJ Rosh Hashanah: Monday, September 10, 11:00 am - 1:30 pm Yom Kippur: Wednesday, September 19, 11:00 am - 1:30 pm Bring Lawn Chairs and/or Picnic Blankets for Seating (We will move indoors[...]

All parents and community members are invited to attend to learn more about our school and community.

(Family Event, 11:00 am)

(Teen Group Event) Sukkot and Harvest Brunch Each fall the Teen Group assists the younger kids with the construction of our sukkah. Afterwards, as a reward for getting up early on a Sunday, Teen Group volunteers will be treated to lunch afterwards at Fritz’s a wonderful homestyle bakery & restaurant in New Brunswick, where they'll[...]

(Adult Education) Wrestling with Zionism (A presentation by "Jewish Voice of Peace" from NYC It’s complicated! Or so we’ve been told. A storytelling project of the New York City chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace, Wrestling with Zionism, explores our individual relationships to Palestine, Israel, and to the idea of Zionism. Come one, come all[...]

(Family Education) IL Peretz School Curriculum (a presentation by our school principal, Jeremy Freedman) Jeremy will discuss the program for all 3 current levels of the IL Peretz school, its goals, objectives, books, homework, expectations from parents, etc. New parents are especially encouraged to attend. Please bring your questions, concerns, and suggestions.

(Teen Group Event) The War Refugee Board and America's Efforts to Save the Jews of Europe (A presentation by Historian Dr. Rebecca Erbelding from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum) America has long been criticized for refusing to give harbor to the Jews of Europe as Hitler and the Nazis closed in. Now a lauded[...]

(Family Education) IL Peretz Bar/Bat Mitzvah celebrations (a presentation by board members Rob Pestka, Alex Jodidio, former parent and community musician Danny Alderman) For the past 20+ years, Bar/Bat Mitzvah's at IL Peretz have been organized and led by parents. They can be big at a venue with 100+ people, or at a much smaller[...]

(Family Education) History of US Immigration Laws And How We Got To Where We Are Today (a presentation by immigration lawyer Ana Yngelmo) Ms. Yngelmo will give a brief overview of the history of our immigration laws, and how we got to where we are today. The major differences between the immigration policies of previous[...]

(Parents of Graduating Students, 9:30 - 10:30) There will be a mandatory meeting with the school principal, Jeremy, for all parents of graduating students. Please ensure that at least one parent of each graduating student will be able to attend.

All parents and community members are invited to attend to learn more about our school and community.

Daylight SavingsTime!  Don't forget to set your clocks back an hour!

(Family Education) 2018 Midterm Elections (a presentation by/discussion with Professor Stuart Shapiro, IL Peretz parent, Associate Dean at Rutgers' School of Public Policy) It is hard to remember a midterm election that has been anticipated this much. The presidency of Donald Trump has been deeply polarizing and the fate of both his policies and the[...]

(Teen Group Event) Snacks at Starbucks followed by Jewish Film Festival Movie: Three Identical Strangers There will be a screening of Three Identical Strangers at the Rutgers Jewish Film Festival. Tickets are on Peretz (and we have to secure them in advance), so PLEASE LET ME KNOW BY TUESDAY IF YOU OR YOUR CHILD WISH[...]

(NJEA Weekend)

(Family Education) Book Discussion - "Nomadland" by Jessica Bruder From the beet fields of North Dakota to the National Forest campgrounds of California to Amazon’s CamperForce program in Texas, employers have discovered a new, low-cost labor pool, made up largely of transient older Americans. Finding that social security comes up short, often underwater on mortgages,[...]

(Adult Education) Jewish Film Festival Movie: Who Will Write Our History followed by Dinner at the Bridge Meet at the AMC Loews Theater on Route 1 in New Brunswick for the 3:30pm showing of Who Will Write Our History. Soon after the Nazis sealed the Warsaw Ghetto, a brave group of resistance fighters compiled and[...]

All parents and community members are invited to attend to learn more about our school and community.

(Family Event, 10:00 am)

(Community Event) 19th Annual Adult Chanukah Party! for the adult members of the entire I. L. Peretz Secular Jewish Community (please renew your membership before the party if you haven't already done so) at the home of Tina Weishaus and Ira Mintz Please bring: a dessert, side, main dish, salad, or latkes; and one drink[...]

(Family Event, 11:00 am)

Urgent Community Meeting Discussing the Future of the Peretz Community and School We have existed as a school and as a thriving community for about 100 years -- yes, we rounded up to make a grander point. We have existed in various forms and in different buildings throughout the years. As of this moment, we[...]

(Family Education) Why Didn’t She Leave - Domestic Violence Overview (a presentation by/discussion with Peretz member Michele Lefkowitz, an attorney who specializes in domestic violence issues) Domestic violence can be found all around us and yet much is never reported. Michele will share her insights into the topic and lead a discussion.

(Family Event, 11:00 am families, regular start students) Tu B'Shevat Sustainable Seder Next Sunday, 1/27, we will celebrate the first holiday of 2019 with our annual Tu B’Shevat Seder. This is a family event and all are invited and encouraged to attend! Tu B’Shevat is known as The New Year for Trees. What a wonderful[...]

(Family Education) Family Yiddish Program  (run by the Workmen's Circle) Please join us for our annual Family Yiddish Program run by Eleonore Weill of the Workman’s Circle. The program will combine learning Yiddish with music. A lot of fun for everyone.

(Family Education) Growing Up Different  (program led by school principal, Jeremy Friedman) Most of us have stories of feeling alienated, of being bullied, of feeling different. Some of us have children who do not fit the definitions that society and history has taught us. Please join our principal, Jeremy Freedman, as he leads a discussion[...]

(Adult Education) A Specter Haunting Europe: The Myth of Judeo-Bolshevism (a presentation by Paul Hanebrink, Associate Professor of History and Jewish Studies at Rutgers University) For much of the twentieth century, Europe was haunted by a threat of its own imagining: Judeo-Bolshevism. This myth—that Communism was a Jewish plot to destroy the nations of Europe—was[...]

(Presidents' Day Weekend)

All parents and community members are invited to attend to learn more about our school and community.

(Family Education) Ancestry: Roads to America  (program led by Helene Bird, an IL Peretz parent) Have you taken a DNA Test? Have you worked out your Family Tree? Do you have family stories of coming to America? Helene Bird will lead a discussion on our “Ancestry: Roads To America”. Please come and share your stories.

(Family Education) Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire  (program led by our school principal, Jeremy Freedman) The fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in 1911 changed our Labor laws and how society treated workers. Join us in watching a short documentary on this tragic event followed by a discussion on the life of immigrants and Labor at[...]

(Family Event, 10:30 am)

(Adult Education) The Green New Deal -What is it and what does it mean for the US and NJ? (a public forum) The Green New Deal is an exciting concept addressing both the urgent need to address climate change and the need to create a new economy built around green jobs and infrastructure investment. But[...]

All parents and community members are invited to attend to learn more about our school and community.

(Teen Group Event) My Jewish Plans for College and Beyond Discussion over brunch at Lox, Stock & Deli.  Teens will discuss what (if any) elements of Jewishness they plan to continue/explore as they move on into college and beyond.  The discussion will be moderated (but not directed) by Teen Group chaperones Deb Lancaster and Rob Pestka.  Please[...]

(Adult Education) Women, Feminism, and Islam (a presentation by Dr. Sylvia Chan-Malik, an Associate Professor in the Depts. of American and Women’s and Gender Studies at Rutgers University) Our speaker's research focuses on the history of Islam in the United States, and more broadly, on the intersections of race, gender, and religion in American public[...]

(Family Education) Folk U - Jews & Music  (a presentation by IL Peretz member and supporter Danny Adlerman) Danny Adlerman is an award winning children’s book author and musician.  He's also a parent of three former Peretz graduates and has been an integral part of our students' Peretz experience and our holiday celebrations for two[...]

(Family Event) Dear parents, Per Peretz tradition, we ask all parents to help out in the morning during school ours with Seder preparation. Even if you're not planning to attend, please help because there will be a lot of community members attending who do not come in the morning. As you may know, our community[...]

(Family Event)

All parents and community members are invited to attend to learn more about our school and community.

(Teen Group Event) Shabbat Dinner The Lancaster-Hartwicks are hosting a Shabbat Dinner for teens at their home.  Each teen should bring a dish of food to share.  Friends are welcome!  Please RSVP to Rob Pestka by Friday, April 29.

(Family Event, 11:30 am)

(Adult Education) German Jewish Forced Emigration during the Nazi Era (a presentation by Dr. Judith Gerson) Our speaker is an Associate Professor in the Departments of Sociology and Women’s and Gender Studies at Rutgers University in New Brunswick. Her research interests include Immigration & Diaspora and Catastrophe & Collective Memory. Most recently, Dr. Gerson served[...]

(Mother's Day, Board Elections)

Closing Ceremony & Graduation Graduation is a significant milestone in the lives of IL Peretz school students. If you've never been to a graduation, you will be shocked at how much you learn from the graduates as they present their research projects. Please come to support our graduates. The ceremony starts at 11:00 AM at[...]

(Combined Teen Group & Adult Education Event) On Both Sides of the Wall: Memoirs from the Warsaw Ghetto Vladka Meed lived in Warsaw at the time of the Nazi occupation and was able to escape the ghetto and assist the Jewish resistance from outside because of her “Aryan” looks.  This is a great book about her[...]

(Family Event, 11:00 am) Come join us make slime at Duke Island Park. "Slime" has become a popular do-it-yourself creation and we decided to host our very own slime making event. So please come join us and bring a few friends along as well. We look forward to seeing you there! For more information see[...]

(Family Event) Ice Cream Social Open House Join us for our very first event of the new school year! This year's open house is also an ice cream social. Bring some friends and learn about our school, all while eating ice cream! For more information, please go to our facebook page. Please feel free to[...]

Opening Ceremony & Parent Orientation (Family Event, All Students & Parents, 9:30 am)

(Adult Education Event) The Lands In Between -  a presentation by Mitchell Orenstein (B.A., Harvard; Ph.D., Yale) Our speaker, who is Professor and Chair, Department of Russian and East European Studies, University of Pennsylvania, will discuss his latest and very timely book, “The Lands In Between: Russia vs. The West and the New Politics of Hybrid[...]

(Family Event) Join us for our beautifully situated High Holiday Ceremonies under the trees at Rutgers Preparatory School 1345 Easton Avenue Somerset, NJ Rosh Hashanah: Monday, September 30, 11:00 am - 1:30 pm Yom Kippur: Wednesday, October 9, 11:00 am - 1:30 pm Bring Lawn Chairs and/or Picnic Blankets for Seating (We will move indoors[...]

(Family Event) Join us for our beautifully situated High Holiday Ceremonies under the trees at Rutgers Preparatory School 1345 Easton Avenue Somerset, NJ Rosh Hashanah: Monday, September 30, 11:00 am - 1:30 pm Yom Kippur: Wednesday, October 9, 11:00 am - 1:30 pm Bring Lawn Chairs and/or Picnic Blankets for Seating (We will move indoors[...]

(Family Event, 11:00 am)

(Parents of Graduating Students, 9:30 - 10:30) There will be a mandatory meeting with the school principal, Jeremy, for all parents of graduating students. Please ensure that at least one parent of each graduating student will be able to attend.

Daylight SavingsTime!  Don't forget to set your clocks back an hour!

(NJEA Weekend)

(Community Event) Jewish Film Festival Movie: City of Joel followed by Dinner at (TBD) Sunday afternoon movie at 3:30PM  at the Loews Theater on Rt. 1 in New Brunswick "City of Joel" - Movie (83 min) followed by a talk by Dr. Samuel Freedman (Columbia University)Tickets are selling out fast (on sale since Oct. 3) and this is the[...]

(Teen Group Event) Dinner at Skylark Diner followed by Jewish Film Festival Movie: Tel Aviv on Fire Join us for a screening of  Tel Aviv on Fire at the Rutgers Jewish Film Festival. Tickets are on Peretz (and we have to secure them in advance), so PLEASE LET US KNOW ASAP IF YOU OR YOUR CHILD[...]

(Family Event, 10:00 am)

(Family Event, 11:00 am) Please join us for IL Peretz’s Community Hanukkah Celebration with school students. Learn how to make Latkes and sour pickles! Be a part of our Hanukkah Candle Lighting Ceremony, community sing-a-long, and other activities. (This event is not to be confused with the adults only Hanukkah party on Dec. 27th in[...]

(Community Event) 20th Annual Adult Chanukah Party! (20 years of Friday festive fun and friendship) for the adult members of the entire I. L. Peretz Secular Jewish Community (please renew your membership before the party if you haven't already done so) at the home of Tina Weishaus and Ira Mintz Please bring: a dessert, side,[...]