Click the links below to jump to programming and event details for your congregation.
TEMPLE CONGREGATION SHOMER EMUNIM
The Temple, a Reform congregation, is located in Sylvania and has been a center for spiritual fulfillment and cultural fellowship for over 135 years. We provide a vibrant, warm home for Jewish people of all ages and backgrounds, and recognize the diversity in Jewish families today. We invite you to share with our Temple family in our Sabbath worship. For more information, please call 419-885-3341.
Temple Shomer Emunim
www.templese.com
Mitzvah Meals
Temple Shomer Emunim is offering its Mitzvah Meal program as a resource for the entire Jewish community. Community members interested in purchasing Mitzvah Meals should visit the Temple website at www.templese.com/mitzvah-meals where weekly menus are listed. You can either email your weekly menu choices to lnusbaum@templese.com or call The Temple office at 419-885-3341 to place your order over the phone. Mitzvah meals are prepared by The Temple. Mitzvah Meal menus will be available each Monday. Orders must be placed no later than Wednesday at Noon. Meals will be available for curbside pickup at the Temple or delivery (if necessary) every Friday afternoon. Please go to www.templese.com/mitzvah-meals to see our weekly menu.
CONGREGATION B'NAI ISRAEL
Congregation B’nai Israel is the center for Conservative Judaism in the greater Toledo area. We are an egalitarian congregation, and embrace both Jews and those in the community at large who wish to explore and enhance their connection with our God and with Jewish spirituality, learning and culture. We are dedicated to lifelong learning for people of all ages.
Congregation B'nai Israel
www.cbitoledo.org
January 2026 Bulletin is available online! Click the link to access the CBI web page.
https://www.cbitoledo.org/monthly-bulletins/
RSVP NOW!
Havdalah & Planetarium Visit at Loures Appold Planetarium, 6832 Convent Blvd.
Saturday evening, January 24, 2026 at 7:00 PM
Join us at 7:00 PM for a meaningful Havdalah service, snacks, and schmoozing, and at 7:30 PM, the Planetarium show “Back to the Moon for Good”.
Cost: $10 for Adults, Children 12 and under $5
OPEN TO THE MEMBERS OF ALL LOCAL CONGREGATIONS & GUESTS WITH RSVP
OUR LUCAS COUNTY SHERIFFS PARTNERS WILL PROVIDE SECURITY AT THE EVENT
RSVP’s required. RSVP to kbrody@cbitoledo.org by January 20th.
Shabbat Services at CBI with Rabbi Aaron Marsh
Saturday, January 17, 2026 at CBI
9:30 AM - Morning Services In-person/Live Stream
12:30 PM after Kiddush - Mincha Services In-person
SERVICES ARE OPEN TO THE MEMBERS OF ALL LOCAL CONGREGATIONS & GUESTS WITH RSVP
If you are not a member of Congregation B'nai Israel and would like to attend, please call 419.517.8400 to be added to the guest list.
Parashat Hashavuah – Torah Portion of the Week
Fridays at 11:00 AM at CBI
A knowledge of Torah is not required.
OPEN TO THE MEMBERS OF ALL LOCAL CONGREGATIONS & GUESTS WITH RSVP
If you are not a member of Congregation B'nai Israel and would like to attend, please call 419.517.8400 to be added to the guest list.
Ongoing Adult Education Classes: In-Person & on Zoom
Zoom Link & Passcode: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89661000047?pwd=b4vWk5DS3DXTa4I0IlDSpWBVvvf2f1.1
Meeting ID: 896 6100 0047 Passcode: 6525 By phone: 1-305-224-1968 then enter meeting ID and passcode when prompted
*If you missed a class, recordings are available. Contact Rabbi Marsh at rabbi@cbitoledo.org.
· Megillah Reading Class - we need extra help reading the Megillah this Purim - even if you only read 3 verses; help us by learning how with this class
o Monday Evenings at 7:30 PM, until Purim
· Intro to Judaism - the Basics of Judaism on a variety of topics. Suitable for conversion students, non-Jewish family members, and those who missed out on the basics in one area or another (you can attend specific sessions). Click for syllabus.
o Wednesday Evenings at 8:00-9:00 PM
· Judaism & Modernity: New Scientific/Technological Developments - what does Judaism have to say about new developments such as AI, genetic engineering, etc. How do they help us? Create challenges for us? Different topics each week
o Sundays at 10:30-11:30 AM
o This class will run on Sunday mornings when there is not a monthly Adult Education Series program
· Tefillah Talk: Musaf - Where did the prayers come from? What is their purpose? How do we related to them? What is the "choreography"? Learn to sing them.
o Monday Evenings at 8:00-9:00 PM
· Basic Hebrew Reading - We will be learning a few letters/vowels each week and doing reading exercises; when we've learned all the letters, we will re-announce this as "Intermediate Hebrew Reading" for those who know their letters and want to improve their ability.
o Wednesday Evenings at 7:40 PM (initial classes) - classes will start a little earlier (7:00 PM) when we learn more letters
CLASSES ARE OPEN TO THE MEMBERS OF ALL LOCAL CONGREGATIONS & GUESTS WITH RSVP
RSVP to the office if you’d like to join. Contact Rabbi Marsh with any questions at rabbi@cbitoledo.org
"Archive of Absence" Deborah Orloff Solo Exhibition - Extended through January 18th
River House Arts 2nd Floor Gallery: 425 Jefferson Ave, Toledo, OH 43604
GALLERY HOURS ARE FRIDAY & SATURDAY 1-6, AND BY APPOINTMENT
Artist, Deborah Orloff will be giving an informal gallery talk on Sunday, January 18th at 2:00 PM
Free and open to the public.
CBI member, Deborah Orloff's new exhibit combines family photos and locations in European relevant to her ancestry and Jewish history including the Holocaust.
The exhibition will include work from several series that fall under the overarching title Elusive Memory, a large body of work she started in 2013 and continues to build. Her newest work is inspired by personal experience with genealogy research and utilizes photographs she made in Central and Eastern Europe. According to the artist: “Researching my family’s roots has led to myriad dead ends; I’ve found random facts related to a handful of ancestors, but nothing close to a complete narrative. Details of individuals have been lost as people die, and their memories disappear. This is complicated by the fact that I come from a diasporic culture where official records from Russia and Eastern Europe largely cease to exist, and histories depend on oral traditions.” Orloff explains: “The first iteration of Elusive Memory consists of high-resolution photographs of damaged family photos that emphasize the unique details of their deterioration. These large-scale prints serve as metaphors for the unreliability of memory and the experience of trying to access it.” She continues: “Conversely, the photographs in Elusive Memory: Lost Histories are small still-life images that deny the viewer most of the visual information photographs are expected to reveal. With only selected areas in focus, they allude to lost stories and identities - especially in situations of forced migration (the case for my ancestors who fled Russia during the pogroms of the late 19th century).” Her new series, Elusive Memory: Constructed Histories, is a physical collage project. Of this work she says: “In these intimate assemblages, I juxtapose physically altered family photos with images I made in European locations relevant to my ancestry and Jewish history including the Holocaust. Conflating time, people, and places, these pieces start to suggest stories and relationships that could have transpired but, like my family history, can never be fully known."
For more info contact Deborah Orloff at Deborah.Orloff@Utoledo.edu.
SAVE THE DATE:
CBI Adult Ed: “Shomrei HaAretz: Guardians of the Land” with speaker Rabbi Nina Cardin, Director of Jewish Life, JCC of Greater Baltimore
Sunday, January 25, 2026 at 10:30 AM in-person at CBI
"Shomrei HaAretz" is more than discussing and managing climate change. It is a diverse approach to the Jewish obligation of Tikkun Olam and our role as guardians of the earth. One of the key tenants she discusses is the concept of Yishuv Ha’olam, preserving a habitable world. She also discusses the ethic of enoughness; it is no surprise that biblical laws of shmittah are the example she expounds upon. For over two decades Rabbi Nina Beth Cardin has been a major leader in the Jewish Environmental movement. Her new book, To Forever Inhabit This Earth, is a capstone on her visionary focus on seeing the issues of climate change and sustainability through a uniquely Jewish lens.
The Rabbi will attend by Zoom with in-person attendees on Zoom at CBI. Links so people can view it from home will be provided on request and given out a few days prior to the event.
OPEN TO THE MEMBERS OF ALL LOCAL CONGREGATIONS & GUESTS WITH RSVP
RSVP Kim Brody at kbrody@cbitoledo.org by January 22nd.
Federation of Jewish Men’s Clubs Webinar:
“Current Challenges & Trauma to the Jewish People
In Commemoration of International Holocaust Day with Spertus President and CBI, Dr. Dean Bell
Monday, January 26, 2026 at 8:00 PM
Register at https://fjmc.org/events-2/international-holocaust-day/
Federation of Jewish Men’s Clubs Webinars:
For the full list of FJMC Webinars go to https://fjmc.org/initiatives/affinity-groups-webinars/ or contact Dale Levy at 614-205-9994. You can register for the events on the fjmc.org website.
SAVE THE DATE:
Shabbat Shira at CBI: Parashat Beshalach
“Miriam, the prophetess, led the women in song and dance…”
Saturday, January 31, 2026 at 9:30 AM
Join us on Shabbat, January 31st as we read Parshat Beshalach. We invite all of our female congregants to honor and remember biblical Miriam. Just as she danced and sang by the shores of the sea as described in this parasha, we will dance and sing as we join the Torah procession throughout the synagogue.
THIS SERVICE IS OPEN TO THE MEMBERS OF ALL LOCAL CONGREGATIONS & GUESTS WITH RSVP
If you are not a member of CBI and would like to attend, please contact the office before 2 pm, Friday, Jan. 30th.
9:30 AM - Morning Services In-person/Live Stream
12:30 PM after Kiddush - Mincha Services In-person
SAVE THE DATE:
Tu biShvat Seder & Celebration at CBI
In partnership with Congregation Etz Chayim
Sunday, February 1, 2026 at 10:30 AM
Join us as we honor the Jewish New Year for the trees! Enjoy an exciting intergenerational Tu biShvat seder filled with interactive activities, holiday snacks, and a sweet celebration of nature and renewal.
Cost is FREE, but voluntary donations are greatly appreciated
THIS SERVICE IS OPEN TO THE MEMBERS OF ALL LOCAL CONGREGATIONS & GUESTS WITH RSVP
RSVPs required. Contact the CBI office at 419-517-8400 or email Kim Brody at kbrody@cbitoledo.org by Monday, Jan. 26th.
Jewish American Series on Zoom
3-Part Series: Wednesdays, at 7:30 AM on Zoom February 11, March 11, 18, 2026
This Zoom series will examine American Jewish life in the US from 1924-1945. The speaker and presenter of the series is Dr. Joellyn Kollman, Professor of Jewish Studies at San Diego State University.
Cost is $18 for all 3 sessions.
OPEN TO THE MEMBERS OF ALL LOCAL CONGREGATIONS & GUESTS WITH RSVP
Contact Dale Levy to RSVP to the series and for direct payment at 614-205-9994 or email dlevy82@gmail.com. Zoom links will provided near the time of the sessions.
ZOOM SERVICES SCHEDULE FOR MONDAY/THURSDAY MORNING MINYANS & EVENING MINYANS:
Monday & Thursday Morning Minyans at 8:00 AM – Zoom & In-Person
Sunday Morning Minyan at 9:30 AM – Zoom & In-Person
*Monday – Friday Evening Minyans at 5:45 PM on Zoom
Kabbalat Shabbat Service at 5:45 PM on Zoom – CBI Live Stream
*except when replaced by Holiday Services
Sunday Morning Minyans at 9:30 AM – Zoom and in-person
*in-person when Religious School is in session
CONGREGATION ETZ CHAYIM
Congregation Etz Chayim is an Orthodox synagogue affiliated with the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America. We conduct Sabbath and holiday services. Please refer to the bulletin on our website, www.etzchayimtoledo.org, for schedules. A weekly minyan is held on Wednesday evenings at 6 p.m. The office is open 9 a.m.-noon Mondays and Wednesdays and by appointment. Our gift shop continues to carry a wide variety of unique artist-made Judaica. Free gift wrapping is included in your purchase. If you cannot stop by during office hours, please leave a message at 419-473-2401. All messages are returned in a timely manner. Our services and programs are open to the entire Jewish community and we encourage your participation.
Congregation Etz Chayim
www.etzchayimtoledo.org
UPCOMING EVENTS
CONGREGATION ETZ CHAYIM
MAJ/POKER GAMES
The regular monthly maj and poker game will be held on Sunday, January 18th from 10:00 a.m. to noon.
FAMILY SHABBAT DINNER
The Etz Chayim Family Shabbat Dinner will be held on Friday, January 23rd. Services with Rabbi Jason Mark at 5:20 p.m. with a delicious dinner to follow. There will be services on Saturday, January 24th with a kiddush lunch following. The cost is $18 for dinner. Please R.S.V.P. to Elsa Leveton by January 16th.
JOINT TU B’SHEVAT PROGRAM PLANNED
February begins with an extra special Tu B’Shevat program in partnership with B’nai Israel. Come enjoy an intergenerational seder with interactive, festive activities, holiday snacks, and a sweet celebration of nature and renewal. Join at B’nai Israel on February 1st at 10:30 a.m. The cost is free. Voluntary donations are appreciated.
CHABAD HOUSE OF TOLEDO
The Chabad House is the center of educational, communal, and outreach activities for the entire Jewish community from youngsters to the elderly. We offer Shabbat and Holiday services, Holiday celebrations, adult education, women's events, preschool & summer camp and family programs in a comfortable non-judgmental environment. All are welcome regardless of background, observance or affiliation.
Special Thanks
Here at Chabad House of Toledo we recognize that we couldn’t offer such wonderful resources and support to the community without the generous gifts of our donors, sponsors and volunteers. We want to give special thanks to all those that give so much of their time, talent, and resources to ignite the Jewish spirit in the greater Toledo area. If you would like to volunteer your time and talent, please contact us at info@chabadtoledo.com or take a look at our website for more information. If you would like to make a donation, please visit our website here.