STAR Suburban Thursday Afternoon Retirees

Suburban Thursday Afternoon Retirees, better known as STAR, meets every Thursday from 1-3 pm, except on Jewish and national holidays.  This vibrant group includes attendees from West Suburban Temple and Oak Park Temple, as well as the broader community.

This joint endeavor of both Temples offers a place for candid discussions on a variety of topics as well as an opportunity to socialize and to support each other.  Recent STAR programs have included a presentation by The Onion Roll about its history and its new in-house bagel making; a presentation by Stephen Jackson, the Director of Equity and Anti-Racism at the Oak Park Public Library, a presentation by Esther Craven, from the Council for Jewish Elderly on their 50 years of continuing service, and a presentation by Charles Shapera, Executive Director of Temple Har Zion.   STAR has longterm partnerships with Rush Oak Park Hospital, Dominican and Concordia Universities, Brookdale, Oak Park and River Forest Townships, Arbor West Neighbors, Jewish Child and Family Services and more. 

In August we’ll meet on the 4th, 11th, 18th and 25th. The first two meetings will include a chance to schmooze and perhaps a surprise guest speaker. Our confirmed speakers are:

August 18th - Danielle Sandler, who will share her experiences as Administrator at Oak Park Temple

August 25th - Marc Stopeck, who will speak on "Jews, Monsters and American Pop Culture"

And looking ahead to early September, on September 1st - Dave Cohn, Executive Director of the USC Hillel, will speak to us on "Understanding and Addressing Antisemitism on College Campuses"

We are planning future programming and hope to include a presentation by women in the rabbinate.  Other programs are in the works!

We are currently meeting via Zoom. If you'd like more information about STAR, contact your Temple office.  We at STAR feel like a small community learning and growing together.  Please join us!