Lunch & Learn

// a talk by Johanna Miller & Evelyn Seidner of the Vermont Natural Resources Council As the Vermont Legislature prepares to convene in early January 2027, join us to hear Johanna Miller and Evelyn Seidner, both on the staff of the Vermont Natural Resources Council, a statewide environmental advocacy group. They will discuss state climate change-related legislative initiatives likely to come up this session related to: clean energy; climate action; transportation (including public transit); and resilience. Miller and Seidner will…

// A talk by Mary Danko, Director of the Fletcher Free Library What does intellectual freedom really mean and what happens when it is challenged? This timely and engaging program explores the essential role public libraries play in protecting the freedom to read, access information, and support diverse ideas. We’ll consider book challenges and other real-world situations libraries face involving displays, programs, meeting rooms, privacy, and First Amendment rights. Fletcher Free Library Director Mary Danko will also explore how strong…

// a talk by Shalom Goldman, Professor Emeritus of Religion, Middlebury College Philip K Dick in early 1960s. Arthur Knight (photographer), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons The discovery of Dead Sea Scrolls in the Judean Desert between 1947 and 1952, was one of the great archaeological discoveries of the twentieth century. Found in the cache were fragments of 23 of the 24 books of the Hebrew Bible. Also found was a vast Jewish sectarian literature dated to the final centuries…

// A talk by VIA Executive Director Melissa Battah Melissa Battah, Executive Director of Vermont Interfaith Action (VIA), will share how VIA brings together people of faith and conscience across Vermont to build relationships, develop community leaders, and take action for justice. She will offer an overview of how VIA’s grassroots organizing model works, along with the issues and concerns currently shaping its work -- from housing and homelessness to immigrant justice, community resilience, and protecting democracy. Battah will also…

// An illustrated talk by Richard Finkelstein Montreal's Bagg Street Shul. By Jason Schwartz, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons Richard Finkelstein is a member of Ohavi Zedek who spent his first 30 years living in Montreal (1949 to 1979). After over 40 years largely away from the city, Richard and his wife Linda now spend about a third of their time in Montreal, a city with a Jewish population of about 90,000. What was it like to grow up Jewish…

Self-compassion, the emotional attitude of bringing kindness to yourself when things go wrong, can be learned, cultivated, and applied to your life with wonderful results. Strongly linked to well-being, self-compassion reduces negative states, including depression, anxiety, and stress, and boosts positive states, including happiness, life satisfaction, and optimism. Psychologist and Health & Wellness Coach Ellen Albertson will share practices that can increase your self-compassion. About Our Speaker: Dr. Ellen Albertson is a psychologist, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, National Board-Certified Health &…