Tisha B’Av Gathering (Hosted by JCAN-MA)
2026-07-23 18:00 - 21:00 (America/New_York) | Please register for address, Marblehead, United States
As the sun sets on Tisha B’Av, the most sorrowful day on the Jewish calendar, we will gather to read Eicha (Lamentations)—an ancient text mourning the catastrophic destruction of Jerusalem 2,500 years ago: its women, children, animals, buildings, gates, and walls.
Together, we will take turns reading from the text (bring your phone to follow along), and reflect on its relevance today.
In this era of climate chaos—of floods, fires, and mass displacement—we feel the destruction anew. Tisha B’Av offers us a moment to grieve not only the ruins of the past, but also the devastation happening now across the globe:
Gaza, Lebanon, Haiti, Venezuela, Congo, Sudan, Yemen, Nigeria, Syria—and here, in the United States.
As we mourn, we renew our resolve to take action. The anguished poetry of Lamentations can inspire us to support policies and practices that prevent further harm to our communities and our planet.
We are each part of the long, sacred labor of healing and repair. We refuse to look away.
Let us grieve together. Let us strengthen one another. Let us repair the world.
Schedule
🌊 6:00 PM – Potluck Dinner (Come early (at 4 pm for a swim!))
📖 8:00 PM – 9 PM Reading of Lamentations and Individual Reflection
RSVP Required
Please email Janet at jcan.intern@gmail.com by Monday evening, July 20, 2026 to register.
Those who register will receive the address.

Plastic Pollution: Health, Climate, and Solutions
2026-10-20 19:00 - 20:00
The problem with plastic goes way past those ubiquitous and annoying plastic straws and bags. When microplastics are being found in fetal tissue, the scale of the problem isn’t about personal habits but systems–and that’s the scale of the solutions we need.
Did we mention that plastics *are* fossil fuels? And that they’re the industry’s hedge to stay relevant as the world moves away from oil and gas for energy? It’s time for plastics to go!
We are excited to have Eileen Ryan, leader of Beyond Plastics Greater Boston, join us for a webinar about plastic pollution. She is on the steering committee of Plastic Free Mass. In addition to her work educating people about the perils of plastics she uses her creative talents to make costumes and art as a climate and social justice activist. Eileen lives in Watertown and is the mother of three grown children and a grandmother of two.
