New students will learn chess fundamentals in all phases of the game, solve for checkmate; and learn to play complete games with their classmates. Advanced beginners and returning students will work on strategies, tactics, and technique; and practice with their classmates. All students will practice good sportsmanship and play honorably.
Instructor Sharon Ellen Burtman is the 1995 United States Women's Chess Champion and has over 30 years of chess teaching experience.
If your child needs specific accommodations or if there is information you would like to share, please let us know so that we can support your family. Contact us at family@jccgb.org.
Class Dates: January 10 - March 21, no class on February 14.
Cost: $365 Member Cost: $335
Photos may be taken at this program and used for promotional purposes, including social media. If you prefer not to have your photo or your child's photo taken, please inform event staff when you arrive.
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Early Bird Summer 2027 Registration
Early bird registration for the 2027 Outdoor Pool season is now open to EVERYONE for a limited time only! Save up to $193 on a full membership or $107 on a summer membership compared to last summer’s full rates.
Don’t miss your chance to secure your spot for next summer now while crossing a major to-do off your list before it’s too late. Early bird pricing ends October 31!
Thirteen-year-old Ethan is supposed to be preparing for his bar mitzvah – but despite his Jewish family, Ethan is convinced his spiritual calling is with the Catholic church. Through the wisdom of an unconventional rabbi, the love of his complicated father, and his first romance with a cowboy-boot-wearing girl who can put him in a headlock, Ethan must confront his lies and grief to discover that faith isn’t about choosing sides, it’s about honoring all the messy, beautiful pieces of who we are.
Followed by a conversation with Director Herschel Faber and Lead Actor Hank Greenspan, moderated by BJF Committee Member Ken Shulman.
Screening With:
Beshert
Director(s): Lewis Rose
Narrative, 2025, UK, 19 min
When a grumpy old man in a care home meets a reluctant Bar Mitzvah boy, it sparks an unlikely friendship that will change their lives forever.
The Wedding Entertainer (The Tale of Moishe Badhan)
Saturday, November 14 | 7pm | JCC Riemer-Goldstein Theater
Director: Gidi Dar
Narrative, 2025, Israel/US, 102 min
Hebrew with English subtitles
Film Synopsis:
Moishe, a disgraced Hasidic wedding-comedian, must secure one last gig to raise the $20,000 required to marry off his daughter and reclaim his former glory. When his childhood best friend, Yisroel Bomchik, returns home for his son’s wedding, Moishe convinces Yisroel to let him co-host the ceremony alongside a younger and flashier entertainer. The proceedings quickly spiral out of control when the seasoned performers clash.
Followed by a conversation with Actor Malky Goldman, moderated by Dr. Shayna Weiss, Senior Associate Director of the Schusterman Center for Israel Studies at Brandeis University.
Screening With:
The Holiness
Director(s): Daniel Moreshet
Narrative, 2025, Israel, 17 min
Hebrew with English subtitles
A religious Jewish couple secretly indulge in a secular lifestyle behind closed doors. Their carefully constructed world shatters when their daughter unexpectedly walks in on them watching TV on Shabbat.
Thursday, November 12 | 7pm | JCC Riemer-Goldstein Theater
Director: Gaylen Ross
Documentary, 2025, US, 65 min
Film Synopsis:
In this remarkable 1920s David vs. Goliath story, Jewish lawyer Aaron Sapiro single handedly takes on automobile magnate Henry Ford, challenging Ford’s virulent antisemitic attacks with an unprecedented libel suit that brings Ford to his knees.
Followed by a conversation with Director Gaylen Ross, moderated by BJF Committee member Ken Shulman.
Wednesday, November 11 | 7pm | Coolidge Corner Theatre
Director: Oliver Haffner
Narrative, 2026, Germany, 92 min
German with English subtitles
Film Synopsis:
In November 1978, as Germany prepared to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Kristallnacht, Hans Rosenthal – the beloved face of 1970s German television – is confronted with a choice that would test the foundations of his carefully built life. Invited by Chancellor Helmut Schmidt to attend the country’s first official remembrance ceremony, he is at the same time ordered by his television network to host a live broadcast of his hit show “Dalli, Dalli” that very night. Caught between public duty and private conscience, Rosenthal faces a moment of truth that can no longer be deferred.
Followed by a conversation with Karin Oehlenschläger, Goethe Institut Program Curator, moderated by BJF Committee member Kaj Wilson.
Director(s): Oliver Kolker & Hernan Javier Findling
Narrative, 2024, Argentina, 107 min
Spanish with English subtitles
Film Synopsis:
This uplifting, music-themed Argentinean film centers on Moti Cohen, a once-famous rock producer. When his car breaks down in the outskirts of the city, he leaves it with Bartolo, a stuttering mechanic. Moti discovers that Bartolo is not just a mechanic—he’s a talented tango singer. Along with his stepfather, Bartolo forms a dynamic tango duo. Sensing a second chance at success and with renewed hope, Moti dives headfirst into the vibrant world of tango, determined to reclaim his former glory and help Bartolo shine.
Preceded by a musical performance from the Boston Tango Orchestra.
Pre-recorded introduction from Director Oliver Kolker.
Monday, November 9 | 7pm | JCC Riemer-Goldstein Theater
Director: Silvio Soldini
Narrative, 2025, Belgium/Italy/Switzerland, 123 min
German with English subtitles
Film Synopsis:
Set in autumn in 1943, Rosa Sauer flees bombed-out Berlin to seek refuge with her in-laws in a remote East Prussian village, awaiting her husband’s return from the front. But the village harbors a terrifying secret: hidden in the nearby forest lies Hitler’s notorious Wolf’s Lair. One morning, Rosa and a group of young women are conscripted to taste the Führer’s meals, each bite a perilous gamble between survival and death. Torn between fear and necessity, Rosa navigates a world of fragile alliances, clandestine friendships, and forbidden desires.
Sunday, November 8 | 1pm | Museum of Fine Arts (Remis Auditorium)
Director(s): Udi Nir & Sagi Bornstein
Documentary, 2026, Israel, 83 min
Hebrew with English subtitles
Film Synopsis:
Efrat Tilma, a trailblazing transgender woman, was forced to flee Israel as a teenager in the 1960s, after a police officer threatened to kill her if he ever saw her again walking the streets of Tel Aviv in women’s clothing. Today, at 75, she is a prominent LGBTQ+ activist and the first transgender volunteer in the Israeli police force. As the country descends into an unprecedented social and political crisis, Efrat confronts the traumas that shaped her life and once again fights for her place in the world.
Followed by a conversation with Idit Klein, VP for Public Engagement at the New Israel Fund and former President of Keshet, and Kaden Mohamed, Talent and Culture Specialist at Protect Democracy and community activist for transgender rights.
Community Partner: Keshet
Screening With:
Photos of Her
Director(s): Bar Cohen
Narrative, 2025, Israel, 24 min
Hebrew with English subtitles
Shiri, a bourgeois and conservative woman, planned her perfect maternity photo shoot, but the one who comes to photograph her is Lidor, a liberal trans woman.
In 1972, a landmark trial shakes France as 16-year-old Marie-Claire is prosecuted for having an illegal abortion with the help of her mother and two other defendants. In a courtroom governed by men, the verdict seems inevitable: prison for the women, while the rapist goes unpunished. Their last hope lies with Gisèle Halimi (Charlotte Gainsbourg), a fearless Jewish lawyer known for openly challenging patriarchy and confronting the system that condemns victims and lets perpetrators walk free. Alongside the accused, Gisèle will not only change their fate, but, against all odds, transform the condition of women forever.
Followed by a conversation with Professor Kelly Colvin, Associate Professor of History at UMass Boston, and Professor Julian Bourg, Associate Professor of History at Boston College.
Thursday, November 5 | 7pm | JCC Riemer-Goldstein Theater
Director: Hilan Warshaw
Documentary, 2026, Israel, 64 min
Hebrew with English subtitles
Film Synopsis:
Seventy years after her grandmother wept beside the empty bed of her missing daughter, Israela Shaer-Meoded sets out to uncover what happened to her missing Aunt Yadida, whose name means “friend.” Yadida was one of more than a thousand Mizrahi babies who vanished from Israeli hospitals in the 1950s. Through rare testimonies from nurses, caregivers, and doctors, Looking for Yadida reveals the emotional scars of those who never stopped looking for their missing children.
Followed by a conversation with Shoshana Madmoni‑Gerber, Chair of the Communication, Journalism & Media Department at Suffolk University, Moderated by Lily Rabinoff-Goldman, President/CEO, JCC Greater Boston.
Three childhood friends reunite for a sleepover in Brooklyn after one of them is diagnosed with breast cancer and faces an impending surgery. Over the course of the night, tensions arise as old wounds are reopened and secrets are brought to light, but as the past and present collide and embodied girlhood memories come into focus, the strong bonds of friendship remain.
Followed by a conversation with Director Jenny Lester and Writer/Actor Malka Wallick, moderated by Betsy More, Director of Programs, Jewish Women’s Archive.
Screening With:
Parkway Hop
Director(s): Ben Pakman & Joshua Bogatin
Narrative, 2025, US, 15 min
Two ex-lovers, Matt and Aviva, meet for the first time since Matt has become an Orthodox Jew. They take a walk together, searching for an understanding of how they’ve changed.
Wednesday, November 4 | 7pm | Coolidge Corner Theatre
Director: Frank Van Passel
Narrative, 2026, Belgium, 118 min
Dutch with English subtitles
Film Synopsis:
On the eve of the German invasion in 1940 Belgium, a tender attachment forms between a gifted young radio apprentice and a rising actress, their hopes colliding with a world edging toward war. Inside Brussels’s famed Flagey Building, 18-year-old Berre—an introverted talent with a magical ear—rises from intern to sound engineer, crafting transportive live radio drama soundscapes that captivate Elza, a luminous on-air performer seeking joy in uncertain times. As their fragile bond deepens amid air-raid sirens and rising antisemitism, the radio studio becomes a haven where imagination and escape push back the gathering darkness. Through lyrical visuals, sumptuous period detail, and breathtaking use of sound, this singular prewar tale delivers an immersive WWII-era drama unlike any other.
Followed by a conversation with Director Frank Van Passel, moderated by Matt Sienkiewicz, Professor of Communication and International Studies at Boston College.
*Members who stay at the JCC for 12 consecutive paid months will have their joining fee (equal to a month of membership) returned to them as an automatic payment for their 13th month of membership.
Membership rates are subject to change. Members receive written notice at least 30 days prior to rate change at the most recent address provided to Jewish Community Center of Greater Boston, Inc. Members must notify us of any changes in residential/email address/phone number. Membership is continuous and remains in effect until written notice is provided. Written notice of termination must be received by the 25th day of the month prior to termination. Bank/credit card statements serve as receipt for membership payments. A prorated amount will be charged on the first day of membership for the remaining portion of the current month. Dues are non-refundable, non-transferable, and not tax-deductible.
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