Community Calendar

Upcoming Events

    Kol Haskalah Community Potluck Seder

    Sunday, April 13, 2025, 5:00-7:00 pm

    Commons Room, Eno River Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, Durham, NC

    CLICK HERE TO RSVP

    Please bring a Passover dish (no bread or flour) to share (should serve about 8 people). Once you RSVP, you can select the type of dish you’ll be bringing from the list. We will provide wine, matzah, grape juice, and Seder symbolic foods (parsley, salt water, horseradish, roasted egg, roasted beet/shank bone), as well as paper plates, cups, and cutlery.

    Attendance is free but donations are gratefully accepted. Please RSVP by April 8th if you plan on attending so we can plan tables and Seder supplies appropriately.

    Also, if you can help with the set-up between 4 and 5 pm, let us know in a comment in your reply (and thank you)!

    Kol Haskalah 2025 General Meeting

    Saturday, May 17, 2025

    10:00-11:30 am

    Israel Center, Jewish for Good

    Levin JCC, 1937 West Cornwallis Road, Durham

    At this meeting we will discuss the congregation’s wishes for programming for the coming year. The meeting is open to all; Kol Haskalah members will vote on officers and board members for the 2025-26 year.

    Future Kol Haskalah Events

    Discussion Group and Bagel Brunch Meeting Dates: 6/29/2025, 7/20/2025

    Future Events of Other Humanistic Jewish Congregations and Organizations*

    Exodus: did it really happen? Does it matter? March 29, 2025. 1:00 – 2:00 pm Eastern time. The goal of the session is to hopefully learn more about this focus of Passover and give some opinions on how we view the Exodus and its importance as Humanistic Jews. Hosted by the Socrates Cafe, Kol Shalom, Portland, OR. Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89975109357?pwd=naSdyUsw1QYsm14hMgbm7LNpvGhIoS.1

    Resources:

    Author Event with Katherine Stewart on the Intersection of Faith and Politics. April 11, 2025, 7-9 pm. Hosted by the Nontheist Group at ERUUF and the Triangle Freethought Society. More info: https://www.trianglefreethought.org/2025-events/katherine-stewart-money-lies-god

    *Updated 3/27/2025

    Past Kol Haskalah Events

    March 23, 2025 Discussion Group and Bagel Brunch

    Topic: Believe: Why Everyone Should be Religious

    Resources:  

    February 16, 2025 Discussion Group and Bagel Brunch

    Topic: Join or Die

    Readings:

    January 19, 2025, Discussion Group and Bagel Brunch

    Topic: Finding Strength in Times of Uncertainty

    Readings:

    Kol Haskalah Chanukah Party. December 22, 2024

    Kol Haskalah’s Humanistic Chanukah celebration, potluck dinner, menorah display, and a program for children. Please bring a dish to share (should serve about 8 people) and bring your menorah to include in the display of menorahs.

    November 17, 2024, Discussion Group and Bagel Brunch

    Topic: Judaism and Medical/Health Ethics

    Readings:  

    Kol Haskakah High Holiday Services:

    • Rosh Hashanah Eve Service. Wednesday, October 2, 2024, 7:00 pm.
    • Yom Kippur Eve Service, Friday, October 11, 2024, 7:00 pm.
    • Yom Kippur, Saturday, October 12, 2024
      • Yom Kippur Discussion, 4:00 – 5:00 pm
      • Niskor Service, 5:00-5:30 pm
      • Set up for Break Fast, 5:30-6:00 pm
      • Break Fast potluck, 6:00-8:00 pm

    September 29, 2024. KH Discussion Group and Bagel Brunch

    Topic: A Conversation with the Cary Divan Center: Similarities and Differences between Islam and Judaism (and Humanistic Judaism)

    Readings:

    August 18, 2024. KH Discussion Group and Bagel Brunch

    Topic: Given the recent Louisiana ruling, reflect on the universality/versions of the Ten Commandments among world religions

    Readings:

    July 21, 2024. KH Discussion Group and Bagel Brunch

    Topic: What are Jewish values? To what extent do we live up to them (or not) in our personal lives? Political lives?

    Reading: We Asked 21 Rabbis: Is There Such A Thing As Jewish Values? : https://forward.com/opinion/388394/we-asked-21-rabbis-is-there-such-a-thing-as-jewish-values/

    June 23, 2024. KH Discussion Group and Bagel Brunch

    Topic: Why is Judaism important to us and how do we express our Judaism? What brings Jews together?

    From the book The Jew in the Lotus:

    I can very well understand people who say I’d rather cash in my chips, drop my Jewishness, and assimilate with society at large. The danger is, if we don’t transmit to people the utter joy and transcendence the tradition offers, if we transmit to them only that you should be on guard all the time, then we are going to lose them. The danger is failing to transmit the beauty, the joy, the profundity. If we fail to do that, that’s what the Dalai Lama told us, then we’re not going to survive.

    Then that was the secret he gave back to us? I asked him.

    Yes. To me that was the moment. If you have nothing to offer them, there’s no sense holding on to them. And if you have something to offer them, there’s no reason for them to leave. Boy, does every Jew in the world need to hear that.

    A short reading: When Moment Magazine asked me: “Are there any beliefs or opinions that can disqualify someone from being Jewish?”

    June 15, 2024. Kol Haskalah Annual Meeting and Presentation on Jewish Cuba

    Presentation: Having recently returned from the Aleph Jewish Mission tour to Cuba, Tovah Wax and Lucjan Mordzak will offer a presentation of their encounters with the Jewish community in Cuba, given the current historical and cultural context–altogether a complexly interesting and sobering experience.

    The presentation will be followed by a short business meeting to discuss the congregation’s wishes for programming for the coming year. This is the annual meeting of members. Anyone who wants to participate is considered a member this current year.

    April 20, 2024. Kol Haskalah Community Potluck Seder

    Kol Haskalah’s Humanistic Jewish Congregation celebrates Passover with a Humanistic Seder. Everyone is welcome – bring family and friends!

    March 17, 2024. KH Discussion Group and Bagel Brunch

    Topic: Interfaith marriage, mixed families

    Resource: Intermarriage Optimism and the Future of Judaism Presented by Paul Golin, Society for Humanistic Judaism Executive Director

    Paul made a compelling case for the benefits of intermarriage supported by interesting data from the Pew Study and his own astute analysis of the data. “Intermarriage is good, period, no strings attached,” says Paul Golin of the Society for Humanistic Judaism, who has two decades of experience working on the issues around Jewish intermarriage and who is himself one of the few intermarried executive directors of a Jewish communal organization. A conversation about what the future of Judaism looks like as Jewish households become more diverse and intermarriage helps grow (yes, grow!) the Jewish population. How do intercultural/interfaith families find meaning in their heritages? How can we as a community better celebrate all forms of love and diversity? And what are the challenges we face in doing so?

    February 18, 2024. KH Discussion Group and Bagel Brunch

    Topic: Finding commonality, understanding our biases, and how do we approach spirituality?

    In this world which appears to be encouraging diversity but in doing so is at times contributing to emphasizing differences rather than commonalities, are we doing the same? Should we not re-examine some of our own dogmas and consider whether our intellectualism about a deity is almost arrogant, exclusive, or elitist? Is there a spirituality which could be a commonality and regardless of prior biases find a meeting place?

    Readings:

    January 21, 2024. KH Discussion Group and Bagel Brunch

    The topic for discussion this month is Exploring and Embracing your Jewish Identity in Contemporary Society.  A related question is How does or should more traditional Judaism inform Secular Humanistic Judaism?

    December 17, 2023. KH Discussion Group and Bagel Brunch

    Topic: Humanistic Judaism

    • What makes something a religion?
    • Belief in God – yes, no, don’t know, and why or why not?
    • Are there values that are unique to Judaism?

    Resources:

    December 9, 2023. 5-7 pm. Chanukah Potluck Party

    Join Kol Haskalah, the NC Triangle’s Secular Humanistic Jewish community, for a warm and joyous Chanukah celebration and potluck. Activities include a secular, humanistic menorah lighting, cookie decorating, and time to eat and schmooze with new friends and old.

    October 29, 2023 KH Discussion Group and Bagel Brunch

    Topic: Antisemitism in America: What can we do?

    Reading matter:
    Anti-Semitism: 90 Ways you can respond
    As antisemitism grows, so does its dangers to everyone. Here’s how you can fight against it
    The first national strategy for fighting antisemitism is finally here. What’s in it?

    October 1, 2023. Ethical Exploration: A Joint Venture

    Panel Discussion on the Questions

    • What do you consider to be the most salient (1 or 2) ethical issues in today’s world?
    • What would you consider to be the most helpful individual or collective actions to address these?

    Co-Sponsored by Kol Haskalah and the Ethical Humanist Society of the Triangle

    High Holidays

    Rosh Hashanah Eve Service: Friday, September 15, 2023, 7:00 pm. Fellowship Hall, Eno River Unitarian Universalist Fellowship.

    Tashlich: Sunday, September 17, 2023. 11:00 am. Location in Chapel Hill. RSVP required for location information.

    Yom Kippur Eve Service: Sunday, September 24, 2023, 7:00 pm. Fellowship Hall, Eno River Unitarian Universalist Fellowship.

    August 20, 2023. Discussion Group and Bagel Brunch

    Topic for Discussion: Antisemitism in America Today
    Reading: May 29, 2023 Letter from an American – Richardson on Fascism

    June 14, 2023. Religious Privilege and the Freedom to Oppress

    with Kate Cohen, Author and Washington Post Contributing Columnist, in conversation with Paul Golin, Executive Director, Society for Humanistic Judaism/ Jews for a Secular Democracy. Stream the program here.

    June 2, 2023. What is Humanistic Judaism?

    Presented by Cathy Moore, President, Kol Haskalah, A Humanistic Jewish Congregation.

    Curious about Humanistic Judaism? View the slides here for a nice overview of the history, philosophy and the need for Humanistic Judaism.