11/13/2025 10:37:33 AM
Can we talk? Welcome to the STKA Schmooze! Check out our recent happenings and upcoming goings-on.. We hope you’ll be inspired to jump in and be part of the action. We’ll update twice a week, so come back often and enjoy!
Read more...EAT! YOU NEED TO KEEP YOUR STRENGTH UP!
02/02/2026 07:24:58 PM
Do you spend lunch talking about what you’re having for dinner? Here is your chance to do just that, with STKA Foodies! We’ve got 3 super delicious outings planned, at Li Wah - Dim Sum at Asian Plaza; 56 Social in Shaker Heights; and Taste - Upscale American Bistro in Cleveland Heights. Dates and times...Read more...
OH YES IT’S LADIES NIGHT, OH WHAT A NIGHT
01/23/2026 05:48:56 PM
The Kol Nashim Women’s Service is coming up January 30. Featuring prayers, Torah readings and blessings by STKA women, this yearly event has become a congregational favorite. You really should attend in person or via Zoom, and here’s why.
“I think that even today, it’s important to...Read more...
REACHING NEW HEIGHTS AT SHAKER ROCKS
01/13/2026 03:10:45 PM
12 of STKA's tween and teen Rock Stars showed up at our recent Youth Group outing at Shaker Rocks. A few were experienced climbers; others were newbies. Everyone had a blast! Led by STKA Music Director Annika Balish and Our Tent instructor Noah “Nappel” Appel, the group put their problem-solving...Read more...
THE HAPPIEST ROOM IN TOWN!
12/16/2025 09:52:48 AM
A tall man with his tiny three year old daughter was walking out of the Orange Library on Saturday morning, holding her hand and an armful of picture books. He paused by the community room and peeked inside. “What’s going on in there?” “It’s Rise and Shine Shabbat and we’d love to have you join us,” he was told.
Inside, families with young children played with puzzles and...Read more...
FRIENDLY WAGER BETWEEN SYNAGOGUES SIZZLES IN OPERATION WARM UP
11/19/2025 04:26:56 PM
Baby, it’s cold outside. Once again, STKA participated in NCJW’s Operation Warm Up, an annual collection drive that gathers coats, gloves, hats and scarves to be distributed to Northeast Ohioans in need.
STKA Executive Director Brett Shankman challenged Congregation Mishkan Or’s Senior Rabbi Robert Rosanchuk to a friendly competition to see which congregation could most increase last year’s donation.
And...Read more...
BUTTERBALL WITH BESTIES: FRIENDSGIVING 2025
11/18/2025 12:45:27 PM
A chilly Saturday night felt warm and toasty inside the Mandel - Gries Social Hall this past weekend. Our second annual Friendsgiving attracted a big group of enthusiastic potluckers. Highlights included Noreen Bertman’s and Muriel Lederman’s yummy chicken; Carol Deutsch’s divine eggplant; Ellyn Ross’s corn casserole, and Sandy Buzney’s mac and cheese. Dorothea and Michael Polster’s Korean brisket added an exotic international...Read more...
NY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR, FILM CRITIC AND NEW YORKER STAFF WRITER DAVID DENBY CHARMS THE CROWD AT STKA
11/13/2025 11:19:29 AM
“Eminent Jews”, which profiles Leonard Bernstein, Mel Brooks, Betty Friedan and Norman Mailer, is an 800 page epic examining the cultural impact and complex legacies of these iconic Jewish figures. Kol Nashim, the women of Suburban Temple, sponsored the event, part of the Mandel JCC Cleveland Book Festival.
“David Denby was very personable, and spoke at length with a lot of inside knowledge about his subjects," reports...Read more...
LET’S GIVE ‘EM PUMPKIN TO TALK ABOUT!
11/13/2025 11:11:15 AM
Last year’s STKA Friendsgiving was such a success we’re in feast mode again! Saturday November 15, from 4-7, all are welcome for our 2nd Annual Friendsgiving, Havdalah & Potluck. In 2024, several board games broke out, everyone ate way too much, and, well, we got pie with a little help from our friends. Sign up through the link on the front page!
COME GATHER UNDER OUR TENT
11/13/2025 11:10:54 AM
The second trimester of Our Tent, STKA’s multigenerational religious education initiative, is well underway. How I wish Sunday school had been this engaging and relevant for generations of us who may recall our own experiences with something less than enthusiasm.
Did your Sunday school offer an improv class focused on finding hope, joy and Jewish connection? How about 300 years of Jewish architecture? Jump in and...Read more...
HERE, JOKER JOKER!
11/13/2025 11:02:07 AM
Mah Jongg is enjoying a resurgence in popular culture, and those of us who have been playing for years love welcoming the influx of newbies, including Sandy Buzney, Susan Hirsch and Sue Hoffman. We play every Tuesday from 1-3, and our regulars include Rabbi Ben Sternman, Amy Richards, Ellyn Ross, Gina Ashby and Susan Gordon Merdler. Feeling confident in your game? Join Laurel Musik Bloom, Muriel Lederman and Karen Shapiro at the fast table....Read more...