Wyomissing, PA — The Jewish Federation of Reading announce three events on Martin Luther King Jr. weekend. Roy Waterman will speak on Friday, January 18 at 8 p.m. at 555 Warwick Drive Wyomissing, PA 19610, home of Reform Congregation Oheb Sholom and Kesher Zion Synagogue. Waterman is the Criminal Justice Project Manager for the Jewish Council for Public Affairs. His works focuses on educating the community on criminal justice reform. Waterman assists in mobilizing communities against the modern day Civil Rights violation, mass incarceration. Joining Waterman will be Johnny Perez. Perez is the Director of U.S. Prison Program for the National Religious Campaign Against Torture, a membership organization committed to ending U.S.-sponsored torture, and cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment. The talk is free and open to the public and sponsored by the Jewish Federation of Reading and Reform Congregation Oheb Sholom.
On Saturday, January 19 at 7 p.m. at 555 Warwick Drive Wyomissing, PA 19610, home of Reform Congregation Oheb Sholom and Kesher Zion Synagogue, will be a concert by The Afro-Semitic Experience. The Afro-Semitic Experience is an American roots jazz band with a difference. They are a group of Jewish-American and African-American musicians who have been performing, recording, and teaching together for 20 years. Together, as a band, they merge their musical roots, Jewish and Afro-diasporic melodies and grooves, combining the core concepts of ase and shalom – power, action, unity, and peace. Their music embodies the radical notion that people of different faiths, races, and beliefs can come together, and celebrate and build community. Their repertoire is a mix of original compositions and arrangements of pieces curated from Jewish and African-diasporic cultures.
Admission is a suggested donation of $5 per person at the door. The concert is sponsored by Jewish Federation of Reading/Berks, Kesher Zion Synagogue, the Reading Branch of NAACP and Reform Congregation of Oheb Sholom. The public is welcome.
Families with young children and youth are invited to a National Day of Service on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Volunteers will join hundreds of thousands of American across the country in volunteer service. The annual events honors Dr. King’s legacy and is an opportunity for Americans to renew their own personal vows of citizenship through service to others and engage in conversations to advance community goals.
Beginning at 9 a.m. on Monday, January 21, 2019 at the Jewish Cultural Center, 1100 Berkshire Boulevard, Suite 125 Wyomissing, PA 19610, families with young children under age 12 will work on two service projects benefiting Tower Health’s Reading Hospital. Children will complete age appropriate activities with help from their adult caregivers and also learn about taking care of the ill.
Youth over age 12 will travel by bus to the Greater Berks Food Bank for a morning of food packing and learning about hunger and local food insecurity. All participants are invited to stay for a free lunch at the JCC following the service projects. This event is sponsored by Jewish Federation of Reading, PJ Library of Reading, PJ Our Way of Reading and the United Way. RSVP is required for this event to [email protected] or 610-921-0624 by 4 p.m. on January 17th.
