Paperny Family JCC

Book Festival 2020 - Ariel Sabar
2020-11-16 18:00 - 19:30 (America/Edmonton) | AB
Calgary JCC has joined with the Marcus JCC in Atlanta to offer premium literary programming through this year’s virtual Book Festival.
Veritas: A Harvard Professor, A Con Man, and the Gospel of Jesus’s Wife
ZOOM Webinar Author Talk + Q & A
$11USD for one virtual ticket or $36USD for one virtual ticket and copy of book (shipping included)
From National Book Critics Circle Award-winning author Ariel Sabar, the gripping true story of a sensational religious forgery and the scandal that shook Harvard. In 2012, Dr. Karen King, a star professor at Harvard Divinity School, announced a blockbuster discovery at a scholarly conference just steps from the Vatican: She had found an ancient fragment of papyrus in which Jesus calls Mary Magdalene “my wife.” The tattered manuscript made international headlines. If early Christians believed Jesus was married, it would upend the 2,000-year history of the world’s predominant faith, threatening not just the celibate, all-male priesthood but sacred teachings on marriage, sex and women’s leadership. Biblical scholars were in an uproar, but King had impeccable credentials as a world-renowned authority on female figures in the lost Christian texts from Egypt known as the Gnostic gospels. “The Gospel of Jesus’s Wife”–as she provocatively titled her discovery–was both a crowning career achievement and powerful proof for her arguments that Christianity from its start embraced alternative, and far more inclusive, voices.
As debates over the manuscript’s authenticity raged, award-winning journalist Ariel Sabar set out to investigate a baffling mystery: where did this tiny scrap of papyrus come from? His search for answers is an international detective story–leading from the factory districts of Berlin to the former headquarters of the East German Stasi before winding up in rural Florida, where he discovered an internet pornographer with a prophetess wife, a fascination with the Pharaohs and a tortured relationship with the Catholic Church.
Ariel Sabar is an award-winning journalist whose work has appeared in The Atlantic, The New York Times, Harper’s Magazine, The Washington Post, and many other publications. He is the author of My Father’s Paradise: A Son’s Search for His Jewish Past in Kurdish Iraq, which won the National Book Critics Circle Award.

Book Festival 2020 - Michael Ian Black and Cleo Stiller
2020-11-18 18:00 - 19:30
Calgary JCC has joined with the Marcus JCC in Atlanta to offer premium literary programming through this year’s virtual Book Festival.
Michael Ian Black
A Better Man: A (Mostly Serious) Letter to My Son
Cleo Stiller
Modern Manhood
ZOOM Webinar Author Talk and Q&A
$11USD for one virtual ticket or $32USD for one virtual ticket and copy of either book (shipping included), or $50 for one virtual ticket and copy of both books
Michael Ian Black, A Better Man: A (Mostly Serious) Letter to My Son
A poignant look at boyhood, in the form of a heartfelt letter from comedian, actor, and author, and father Michael Ian Black to his teenage son before he leaves for college, and a radical plea for rethinking masculinity and teaching young men to give and receive love. In a world in which the word masculinity now often goes hand in hand with toxic, Black offers up a way forward for boys, men, and anyone who loves them. Part memoir, part advice book, A Better Man reveals Black’s own complicated relationship with his father, explores the damage and rising violence caused by the expectations placed on boys to “man up,” and searches for the best way to help young men be part of the solution, not the problem. “If we cannot allow ourselves vulnerability,” he writes, “how are we supposed to experience wonder, fear, tenderness?” Black skillfully navigates the complex gender issues of our time and delivers a poignant answer to an urgent question: How can we be, and raise, better men?
Michael Ian Black is an actor, comedian, and writer who started his career with the sketch comedy show The State, on MTV, and has created and starred in many other television shows. Movie appearances include Wet Hot American Summer, The Baxter, and Sextuplets. Black is the author of several books for children, including the award-winning I’m Bored, I’m Sad, and I’m Worried. As a stand-up comedian, Michael regularly tours the country and has released several comedy albums. His podcasts include Mike & Tom Eat Snacks, with Tom Cavanagh; Topics, with Michael Showalter; How to Be Amazing; and Obscure.
Cleo Stiller, Modern Manhood: Conversations About the Complicated World of Being a Good Man Today
Here are a few self-evident truths: Predatory men need to go, sexual assault is wrong, and women and men should be equal. If you’re a man and disagree with any of the aforementioned, then this book isn’t for you.
But if you agree, you’re probably one of the “good guys.” That said, you might also be feeling frustrated, exasperated, and perhaps even skeptical about the current national conversation surrounding #MeToo (among many other things). You’ve likely found yourself in countless experiences or conversations lately where the situation feels gray, at best. You have a lot to say, but you’re afraid to say it and worried that one wrong move will land you in the hot seat. From money and sex to dating and work and everything in between—it can all be so confusing! And when do we start talking about solutions instead of putting each other down?
In Modern Manhood, Emmy- and Peabody Award-nominated reporter Cleo Stiller sheds light on all the gray areas out there, using conversations that real men and women are having with their friends, their dates, their family, and themselves. Free of judgment, preaching, and sugarcoating, Modern Manhood is engaging, provocative, and, ultimately, a great resource for gaining a deeper understanding of what it means to genuinely be a good man today.

Cleo Stiller is a Peabody Award–nominated, Emmy Award–nominated, and Gracie Award–winning reporter and a self-identified “relationship nonexpert” obsessed with exploring stories about health, gender, and technology among millennials. Her acclaimed television show Sex.Right.Now. explored deeply personal and political stories about health and identity. She has been featured in The New York Times, Self, Variety, Bustle, Essence, and Lifehacker.

Book Festival 2020 - Rachel Bloom
2020-11-19 18:00 - 19:30
Calgary JCC has joined with the Marcus JCC in Atlanta to offer premium literary programming through this year’s virtual Book Festival.
I Want to Be Where the Normal People Are
Music and Multi-Media Presentation!
ZOOM Webinar Author Talk and Q&A
$36USD for one virtual ticket and copy of book (shipping included)
From the charming and wickedly funny co-creator and star of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, a collection of hilarious personal essays, poems and even amusement park maps on the subjects of insecurity, fame, anxiety, and much more. Rachel Bloom has felt abnormal and out of place her whole life. In this exploration of what she thinks makes her “different,” she’s come to realize that a lot of people also feel this way; even people who she otherwise thought were “normal.” In a collection of laugh-out-loud funny essays, all told in the unique voice (sometimes singing voice) that made her a star; Rachel writes about everything from her love of Disney, OCD and depression, weirdness, and Spanx to the story of how she didn’t poop in the toilet until she was four years old; Rachel’s pieces are hilarious, smart, and infinitely relatable (except for the pooping thing).
Rachel Bloom is best known as the star and co-creator of the CW musical dramedy, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, for which she earned a Golden Globe and Critics Choice Award for her performance as “Rebecca Bunch” as well as an Emmy Award for the show’s songwriting. As a live performer, she has sold out Radio City Music Hall and The London Palladium and recently had a residency at the Just for Laughs comedy festival. In April, she starred in the movie Trolls World Tour as “Barb.” She will be writing the music and lyrics for The Nanny on Broadway.

Book Festival 2020 - Mimi Lemay
2020-11-20 12:00 - 13:30
Calgary JCC has joined with the Marcus JCC in Atlanta to offer premium literary programming through this year’s virtual Book Festival.
What We Will Become: A Mother, Son, and a Journey of Transformation
ZOOM Webinar Author Talk and Q&A
FREE or $35USD for one virtual ticket and copy of book (shipping included)
Mimi Lemay recounts her memoir of her transgender child’s odyssey, and her journey outside the boundaries of the faith and culture that shaped her.
From the age of two-and-a-half, Jacob, born “Em,” adamantly told his family he was a boy. While his mother Mimi struggled to understand and come to terms with the fact that her child may be transgender, she experienced a sense of déjà vu—the journey to uncover the source of her child’s inner turmoil unearthed ghosts from Mimi’s past and her own struggle to live an authentic life.
Mimi was raised in an ultra-Orthodox Jewish family, every aspect of her life dictated by ancient rules and her role as a woman largely preordained from cradle to grave. As a young woman, Mimi wrestled with the demands of her faith and eventually made the painful decision to leave her religious community and the strict gender roles it upheld.
Having risen from the ashes of her former life, Mimi was prepared to help her son forge a new one — at a time when there was little consensus on how best to help young transgender children. What We Will Become is a powerful testament to how painful events from the past can be redeemed to give us hope for the future.
Mimi Lemay is an international advocate for transgender youth and the author of the viral essay A Letter to My Son Jacob on His 5th Birthday. Lemay and her family meet regularly with legislators, business leaders, educators, and clergy to share their vision of a more equitable world. She is a member of the Parents for Transgender Equality National Council at Human Rights Campaign and holds a master’s in law and diplomacy from the Fletcher School at Tufts University. She was recently named one of the Commonwealth Heroines of 2020 by the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women.

Book Festival 2020 - Melissa Clark
2020-11-22 11:00 - 12:30
Calgary JCC has joined with the Marcus JCC in Atlanta to offer premium literary programming through this year’s virtual Book Festival.
FOR KIDS! (Ages 8 to 14)
Kid in the Kitchen: 100 Recipes and Tips for Young Home Cooks
ZOOM Webinar Author Talk and Q&A
FREE for one virtual ticket or $30USD for one virtual ticket and copy of book (shipping included)
Melissa Clark, the New York Times food columnist and beloved home cooking authority, spins 100 all-new recipes for a robust new audience of home chefs: kids ages 8-14!
Clark, who has more range than any food writer today (and a young daughter to boot), marries the flavours beloved by adult fans of her bestselling cookbooks and her work in the New York Times with recipes that any kid, whether cooking-curious or already kitchen-puttering, can make and build on, including Brown Butter French Toast, Sweet or Savory Dutch Babies, Burgers with Kimchi Mayo, Gingerbread Snacking Cake, and No-Machine Ice Cream. These one hundred recipes (each with allergy and special diet info) are unmistakably Melissa, just simplified.
With 75 full-color photographs and helpful lessons on topics such as how to measure, the ingredients you really need (anchovies, guys!), stuff you can fudge (herbs), and how to clean up like nothing ever happened, this must-have resource is both friendly and authoritative.
Melissa Clark is the author of the New York Times bestseller Dinner in French, as well as Dinner, Dinner in an Instant, and Comfort in an Instant, and is a staff writer for the New York Times Food section, where she writes the wildly popular column A Good Appetite. The winner of multiple James Beard and IACP awards, Melissa is the host of the Weeknight Kitchen podcast from The Splendid Table. Her work has been selected for the Best American Food Writing.

Share Your WIP (Work In Progress)! Share Your Ideas, Skills and Prose—From First Draft to Publication
2020-11-24 19:00 - 20:30
Share Your WIP (Work In Progress)! Share Your Ideas, Skills and Prose—From First Draft to Publication
$66 ($22 per session)
Join us for these interactive workshops facilitated by David Leach, Professor of Creative Non-Fiction Writing at the University of Victoria, author, and past presenter at the 2019 Calgary Jewish Book Festival. Share your ideas, skills, and prose – from first draft to publication. Learn to hook your reader, set your scene, create your characters, and revise and publish.

Morning Breathing Workshop
2020-11-26 09:00 - 09:30, 2020-12-03 09:00 - 09:30, 2020-12-10 09:00 - 09:30
Start your morning paying attention to your breathing! In these three, 30-minute sessions you will practice different breathwork techniques to help you reduce stress, sleep better, and experience many other benefits. Free.

The Israel Philharmonic Pre-Chanukah Global Celebration
2020-12-06 12:00 - 13:00
Enjoy a multi-disciplinary program of instrumental performances, behind-the-scenes interviews, and powerful messages of hope, from Israel’s world-class Philharmonic. This free event will weave together word and song, featuring Academy Award-winning composer Hans Zimmer, Grammy and Tony Award-winning actress and singer Bette Midler, actress and star of Fauda Ronalee Shimon, actress and model Dar Zuzovsky, and other special guests. The Israel Philharmonic and its Music Director Lahav Shani will perform pieces from Mr. Zimmer’s acclaimed works.

Hanookkah Hoop & Zoom Family Dance
2020-12-12 18:00 - 19:00
Let’s light the third Hanukkah candle together and dance!
Grab your hoola hoops and join in on the fun. Kelly from Hoop Di Do will guide us in fun hula hoop moves.
Register to receive the ZOOM link and to join in the celebration.
In advance of the dance, send us (new & old) photos of your family menorah lightings to showcase during the party!
For info email Shula Banchik or call 403-537-8596.

The New Moon on Zoom! A Rosh Chodesh Celebration
2020-12-16 19:00 - 20:00
In the Jewish calendar the first day of each month it’s called Rosh Chodesh (the head of the month). On this day the new moon is a slender crescent barely visible in the night sky. It is a day historically associated with women’s renewal and celebration.
Rosh Chodesh Tevet: Celebrate the new moon with breathing and mindfulness exercises, while reflecting about the holiday of the lights! Make sure you have olive oil, general spices and herbs to create your tasty ‘Infused Olive Oils’, in honour of Chanukah.
Register below to receive the Zoom link.

Celebrating Jewish Music Month
2021-01-17 15:00 - 17:00
Discover the influences and legacy of Jews in crafting the beautiful melodies and lyrics of Tango.

Tango – A Story with Jews
Sunday, January 17 | 3:00 – 5:00pm
Documentary screening (62 minutes) and Q&A with director, Gabriel Pomeraniec.
Tango Virtual Lesson
Sunday, January 24 | 3:00 – 5:00pm
Learn about the dance and some basic steps from the comfort of your home, with Argentinean Tango instructor, Diego Smola.
$18 per person for both events. Zoom link will be sent after registration.
Click on Register link below or by calling our Customer Service Desk at 403-253-8600, ext,0. Course COURSE REGISTRATION CLOSES AT 5:30 PM MST, THE FRIDAY PRIOR TO THE EVENT.
For more information email Shula Banchik or call 403-437-8596.
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Positively Speaking - A Guide to Communicating with Confidence
2021-01-21 12:00 - 13:00
In this four-week program, participants will learn the fundamental guidelines to gaining confidence in public speaking and creating effective presentations. Topics include “The Rule of Three” as well as tips and tricks to capture an audience’s attention. Most importantly we will practice speaking skills in a safe and encouraging environment that will help dispel public speaking jitters. Open to beginners and more experienced presenters, the course will focus on becoming a creative and compelling speaker. We will grow speaking skills from “No Way” to “No Problem”!
Shelley Werner is an award-winning speaker and experienced presenter. A contract workplace specialist, she was the Division Manager for Contemporary Office Interiors in Manitoba, leading the team to their top volume sales. She served as chair of many boards, including the Manitoba Institute of Child Health and the Women’s Enterprise Centre of Manitoba. Having recently relocated to Calgary, she serves on the executive of Fluor Communicators Toastmasters.
$18 per person. Course code: 7337. Register below to receive the Zoom link.
For info contact Shula Banchik at 403-537-8596 or shula@cjcc.ca

Celebrating Jewish Music Month
2021-01-24 15:00 - 17:00
Discover the influences and legacy of Jews in crafting the beautiful melodies and lyrics of Tango.
Tango Virtual Lesson
Sunday, January 24 | 3:00 – 5:00pm
Learn about the dance and some basic steps from the comfort of your home, with Argentinean Tango instructor, Diego Smola.
$9 per person. Zoom link will be sent after registration.
Click on Register link below or by calling our Customer Service Desk at 403-253-8600, ext,0. Course COURSE REGISTRATION CLOSES AT 5:30 PM MST, THE FRIDAY PRIOR TO THE EVENT.
For more information email Shula Banchik or call 403-437-8596.
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Tu B'Shevat Lunch & Learn - Book Presentation with Author Mireille F. Ghoussoub
2021-01-27 12:00 - 13:00
The Story of CO2: Big Ideas for a Small Molecule explores all aspects of carbon dioxide, from the atomic to the universal perspective, and takes the reader on an epic journey into our physical world, starting from the moment of the Big Bang, all the way to the present world in which atmospheric CO2 concentrations continue to grow.
Register below to receive the Zoom link.
This event is moderated by Dan Balaban, CEO, Greengate Power and sponsored by Greengate Power.
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Tu B'Shevat DIY Glass Beaded Utensils
2021-01-28 19:00 - 20:00
Join us a we celebrate Tu B’Shevat, the “New Year of the Trees.” Make a beautiful fork and spoon serving set to use at your dining table for holiday celebrations.
$25 all materials included, to be picked-up at the JCC between January 25 and 27.
Register online below or by calling 403-253-8600, ext.0.
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Lessons Learned - Self Publishing
2021-02-16 10:00 - 11:00
Lessons Learned -A Virtual Space to Share Your Experience
Have you shelf-published a book or anything in the written media?
Are you an amateur “serial” photographer?
Do you make beautiful stuff worthy of being in any window shop?
Then we want to hear from you!
Join our virtual gatherings and share the five most relevant lessons of your journey.
February 16: Self Publishing
February 23: Photography
March 2: Wire, Textile & Paper Crafts
March 9: Open Theme
Register below to receive the Zoom link
For more information email Shula Banchik or call 403-537-8596.
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Lessons Learned - Photography
2021-02-23 10:00 - 11:00

The Printed Word Series - Book Folding Art Purim Edition
2021-02-23 11:00 - 12:30, 2021-02-25 11:00 - 12:30
Fold the pages of a hardcover book, let the Star of David pop-off the page three-dimensionally, while celebrating and learning about this Jewish holiday.
Cost: $6 | Code: 7471
Register online below or by calling 403-253-8600, ext.0. Zoom link will be sent upon registration.
Materials required: 1 hardcover book 250 pages and up, 1 ruler, 1 pencil. Calgary participants can pick up 1 of 15 available sets at the Customer Service Desk from February 15 to 22.
This class is part of three original activities for “wordy” people that also includes Crossword Construction (March 9) and Blackout Poem Creation (March 30).
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Celebrating Yom Haisha - International Women's Day (IWD)
2021-03-01 11:30 - 13:00, 2021-03-08 11:30 - 13:00, 2021-03-15 11:30 - 13:00
How Women Challenge and Change our Laws with Guest Speaker Dr. Sylvia Solomon
Over the years, women have successfully challenged and changed laws, both in the United States and Canada. Explore three landmark human rights trials:
– 1954: Brown v Board of Education – Concerning segregation in US Schools
– 1969: Roe v Wade – A woman’s right to choose
– 2015: Carter v Canada – Giving Canadians the right to die with dignity
Learn how “great triumphs can only come out of great trials.”
To celebrate this event, pick-up an IWD goody bag at the JCC.
Register below for this 3-part series hosted by Miles Nadal JCC
$15 or $8 drop-in/lecture
For more information, email Shula Banchik or call 403-537-8596.
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Lessons Learned - Wire, Textile & Paper Crafts
2021-03-02 10:00 - 11:00

Lessons Learned - Open Theme
2021-03-09 10:00 - 11:00

The Printed Word Series - Crossword Construction - Celebrating International Women's Day
2021-03-09 11:00 - 12:30
A crossword puzzle is much more than just a game – it is a place to explore and discover new ideas, associations, details and subtle language differences. International Women’s Day is an opportunity for us to think together about womanhood, what being a woman means today. We invite you to join a live session in which we will create a crossword puzzle and YOU will actively choose the clues and the answers.
Proceeds will be donated to the Women’s Centre of Calgary. A copy of the finalized puzzle will be published by the JCC and inviting downloaders to donate to the Women’s Centre of Calgary.
Cost: $6 | Code: 7473
Register online below or by calling 403-253-8600, ext.0. Zoom link will be sent upon registration.
Materials required: 1 pencil. Grid will be emailed upon registration.
This class is part of three original activities for “wordy” people that also includes Book Folding Art – Purim Edition (February 23 and 25) and Blackout Poem Creation (March 30).
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Art Together Apart © - Second Edition
2021-03-21 14:00 - 17:30
Our lives have been altered over the past year. We are all in the same ocean, though not necessarily in the same boat, since we have been affected in various ways by the pandemic.
This pleasant, whimsical, and gently- paced art workshop will present a series of progressive art exercises with a basis in art therapy practice. Participants are welcomed to a safe space for creativity and exchange, involving visual expression, journaling, and self-reflection. This workshop is geared to adults. Skills/background in visual art not required.
March 21 | 2:00-5:30pm MST
Cost: $36 per person | code 7549
Facilitator: Alan Briks, visual artist and certified art therapist.
A portion of the proceeds will be donated to Calgary food banks’ pandemic relief.
Register below or by calling 403-253-8600, ext.0 to receive the Zoom link.
COURSE REGISTRATION CLOSES AT 5:30 PM THE FRIDAY PRIOR TO THE EVENT.
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Image credit: Marc Chagall ‘Circle of Life’, Paris Opera.

A Pass Over Opera
2021-03-25 13:30 - 15:00
From slavery to freedom, from lockdowns to our active and colourful lives – OPERA has it all.
Starting from Nabucco’s Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves – who never lost their hope to be free people again, to Verdi’s Gilda – the young woman locked down her whole life in her father’s house, unable to have human contact and condemned to a tragic life.
Live Zoom Event + Q&A featuring Israeli soprano, Nofar Yacobi, who performed for more than 50 consecutive days on her balcony in Italy during the first dramatic Italian lockdown.
Israeli Opera soloist, Nofar will talk about opera and Pesach, challenges faced by performers, and the current art and music situation in the music world, specifically in Israel.
Register online below or by contacting the Customer Service Desk at 403-253-8600,ext.0.
For more info email Shula Banchik or call 403-537-8596.
$8 | CODE: 7507
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The Printed Word Series - Blackout Poem Creation
2021-03-30 11:00 - 12:30
Blackout poems are created on a page of a book, a newspaper, a magazine, etc. Using the pages of an existing text, blackout poets isolate words and then piece them together in single words or short phrases to create a lyrical masterpiece.
Cost: $6 | Code: 7472
Register online below or by calling 403-253-8600, ext.0. Zoom link will be sent upon registration.
Materials required: One thin point marker and one thick point marker. Passover text will be emailed upon registration.
This class is part of three original activities for “wordy” people that also includes Book Folding Art – Purim Edition (February 23 and 25) and Crossword Construction (March 9).
View event poster
