The I.L. Peretz Secular Jewish Community is affiliated with the I.L. Peretz Community Jewish School, which has provided secular Jewish education to children in central New Jersey for over 90 years. Parents of school graduates and parents of those too young to attend the school, as well as other members of the Jewish community whose primary identification with their Jewishness is not religious, make up our growing secular humanistic Jewish community.
Regular adult educational, cultural and social programs are held on Friday nights. A Yiddish Class for adults is held Sunday mornings at our school before our Sunday-morning Adult Education Programs. Secular humanistic Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur ceremonies are held at Rutgers Preparatory School in Somerset, attracting well over a hundred participants. The gatherings provide an opportunity to reflect each year on some of the important issues that we, as individuals, as Jews, and as members of our greater communities, must confront. Our Jewishness is reflected in our commitment to each other, to Tikkun Olam, Hebrew for "repair the world," and to make a shenere un bessere velt, Yiddish for "a more beautiful and better world."
Other holidays, such as Sukkot, Tu B'Shevat, Chanukah, Purim and Yom HaShoah are observed in conjunction with the Sunday school program. A large and vibrant community Seder is held on the Sunday afternoon before Passover. We hold an Annual Retreat in the spring and a summer picnic. We sponsor two Book Discussion Groups, a Teen Group, and activities for Young Adults, and our Caring Community connects us to our members and to those outside of the I.L. Peretz community.
Please refer to our Community Calendar for a description of upcoming events. Those interested in any of our programs are encouraged to simply show up at one of our many scheduled events or to Contact Us for more information.