Special Programs

Temple Emeth offers a number of special programs throughout the year, including lectures, arts and film. Check this space throughout the year as we add more programs to our calendar. 

Rabbi Joshua Trachtenberg Memorial Lecture
Friday, October 17, 2025 at 7:30 p.m.

Does the Torah Contain a Hidden Message
A Closer Examination of the Design and Structure of the Book of Genesis
Rabbi Steven Kushner

Most critical students of Torah are in agreement that the Torah is a composition of multiple documents, authored by different hands. But is it just that? Are the many texts simply placed into a seemingly coherent order, possibly chronological, without any underlying structure? Or might there be more to Torah than meets the eye? Rabbi Steven Kushner believes that there is in fact a design, particularly in the Book of Genesis. What is more, he feels there is also a message, lying in wait for anyone open to it. All it takes is a closer examination. 

A native of Detroit, Michigan, Steven Kushner is an ordained Reform rabbi and served as the spiritual leader of Temple Ner Tamid of Bloomfield, New Jersey, from its inception in 1980 until his retirement in 2018. In his 38 years of service to the congregation, Rabbi Kushner helped grow the synagogue not merely in size but in programming and influence. During that time, he also served as Adjunct Lecturer of Religion at Bloomfield College, which honored him with a Doctor of Laws honoris causa degree. He was the president of multiple community-based organizations, including notably the Coalition of Religious Leaders of New Jersey and served as the editor of the Central Conference of American Rabbis Newsletter. Upon retirement, Rabbi Kushner was honored with the title of Rabbi Emeritus of Temple Ner Tamid.

Currently Rabbi Kushner is an award-winning fine art photographer. He resides in Jersey City with his wife, Rabbi Leana Moritt.

A festive Shabbat dinner will preced the service at 6:00 p.m. The cost is $40 per person. Click here to register for the dinner.

Kristallnacht Anniversary Commemoration
Date to be announced

One Book, One Synagogue Shabbaton
Date to be announced.

Our One Book, One Synagogue book this year is Songs for the Brokenhearted, by Ayelet Tsabari. The book tells the story of Zohara, a young Yemeni Israeli woman who learns of her mother’s secret romance in a dramatic journey through lost family stories, revealing the unbreakable bond between a mother and a daughter. Her investigation forces her to question everything she thought she knew about her parents, her heritage, and her own future.