The clocks have gone back, the nights are long, and BNJC has decided the answer is to fill every single one of them. November is a month with the volume turned up: a room full of local art, the first Yofi Supper Club, four nights On The Couch, a Shabbat dinner for JWA Shabbat, and a Sunday morning of bulbs and soup for Mitzvah Day. Some of it is BNJC’s own, and a great deal of it is with friends and partners across the community, from Jewish News and Jewish Care to Helping Hands. Then, as the month ends, the lights go up on a Chanukah celebration like none other, starting with a pre-Chanukah party on Sunday 29 November. Grab a diary. You will need it.
Something new is coming to the way you book. A brand-new event registration system is on its way. Until it goes live, send any questions about November’s events to info@bnjc.co.uk and we’ll get back to you. Keep an eye on your inbox, too: an email will land the moment registrations open.
In short
- Sunday 1 November: the Brighton Jewish Art Exhibition opens, and Single Mingle (50+) is at Yofi
- Monday 2 and Tuesday 3 November: Chanukiah ceramics workshop. Booking has now closed
- Tuesday 3 November: Chatty Chaps, a new men’s group from Helping Hands, starts at Yofi
- Thursday 5 November: the first Yofi Supper Club
- Wednesday 11 November: Don’t Get Scammed (morning), and On The Couch with Dave Rich (evening)
- Tuesday 17 November: The Righteous Road Trip, a film screening, then On The Couch
- Thursday 19 November: On The Couch with Joel Haber
- Friday 20 November: Shabbat dinner at Yofi for JWA Shabbat
- Saturday 21 November: On The Couch with Yehudis Fletcher
- Sunday 15 November: Sound Bath, details announced soon
- Sunday 22 November: Mitzvah Day
- Friday 27 November: Cove Brunch Club for mums and babies, details announced soon
- Every Friday: Yofi is open for Friday night dinner, no special occasion needed. Reservations preferred by 1pm on Monday
- December: Chanukah begins on the 4th, with a celebration like none other. Details very soon
Never miss a thing. What’s on at BNJC, straight to your inbox. Join the email list
The month opens with a room full of art
The Brighton Jewish Art Exhibition and Single Mingle
The first Sunday of November belongs to the Brighton Jewish Art Exhibition: local artists, one room, and a chance to see what this community makes when it isn’t busy organising things. Next door at Yofi, Single Mingle is back for its monthly gathering for singles aged 50 and over, hosted by Michelle. Entry is free; just come along.
Chanukiah Ceramics Workshop
If you’d rather make than look, the Chanukiah Ceramics Workshop runs over two evenings, Monday 2 and Tuesday 3 November. Design and build your own chanukiah on the first night, glaze it on the second, and it’s fired in time for the first candle. There are 15 places at £68 for both evenings, and booking has now closed.
Come hungry
Yofi is the kitchen at the heart of this building, and this month it is pulling out all the stops.
Thursday 5 November: Yofi Supper Club
One evening, one menu you won’t see again: new, seasonal, slightly experimental dishes made just for the night. Think laffa and seasonal dips, pomegranate-glazed wings, slow-roasted short rib, then sticky date pudding. A welcome drink is included, and seats are £49 for the first ten to book, then £55. Booking has now closed, but email yofi@bnjc.co.uk to ask about a seat.
Friday 20 November: Shabbat dinner for JWA Shabbat
Candles, challah and a full table, on the weekend Jewish Women’s Aid asks the community to talk honestly about domestic abuse and unhealthy relationships. Yehudis Fletcher is our special guest, the night before her On The Couch evening, and you can book both on one form. It’s £35 per person plus service, and places are strictly limited.
Every Friday: Yofi is open for Friday night dinner
No special event, no special menu. Come any Friday night you don’t feel like cooking, and bring whoever you like. Reservations are preferred by 1pm on Monday so the kitchen knows you’re coming: yofi@bnjc.co.uk.
More seats at the table
The Supper Club is only getting started, and Yofi has more curated nights on the way. You can’t book most of them yet, but keep the dates free:
- Thursday 17 December: Shulchan Israeli. The food you queue for in Tel Aviv and the dishes someone’s savta wouldn’t let you leave without, all at one long table, just after Chanukah. Booking open now
- Friday 25 December: Winter Lunch. A proper three-course lunch with canapés: parsnip and apple soup, roast turkey, and a mushroom and chestnut pithivier for the vegans
- Thursday 31 December: New Year’s Eve at Yofi. Details to follow
- In 2027: the Supper Club follows the Jewish year, with Tu BiShvat on 21 January, a Purim feast on 25 March, Lag BaOmer on 20 May and a summer garden supper on 15 July
Hungry for more? Follow Yofi on Instagram for new dishes, specials and first word on the next supper club. Follow @yofibrighton
Four nights on the couch
On The Couch is a new series of conversations with authors, filmmakers and storytellers. There are no lecterns and no rows of chairs facing a stage: just a couch, an honest conversation, and you, close enough to ask the question you’ve always wanted to ask. Then everyone can move to Yofi for dinner, and the conversation carries on round the table.
November brings four nights, all free with registration.
Wednesday 11 November: Dr Dave Rich MBE, From Be’eri to Bondi
His new book traces how anti-Jewish hatred has grown over the past three years: what it has felt like to watch the ground shift, and what can be done to turn it around. He’s in conversation with Fiona Sharpe.
Tuesday 17 November: The Righteous Road Trip
The one night that’s a film and On The Couch. Watch the film together, then the people behind it come onto the couch for a live Q&A, before dinner at Yofi. For adults and over-16s.
Thursday 19 November: Joel Haber, Cholent: The Most Jewish Food on Earth
A stew left on the heat overnight, every Shabbat, for centuries. Joel’s book follows cholent around the Jewish world, and it turns out a pot of beans can carry a surprising amount of history.
Saturday 21 November: Yehudis Fletcher, Chutzpah
After Shabbat, Yehudis Fletcher talks about her memoir. Registration is about to close, so join us on Friday night 20 November, when Yehudis will be with us for JWA Shabbat.
Who’s next on the couch? We announce new guests on LinkedIn first. Follow BNJC on LinkedIn
Sunday 22 November: roll up your sleeves for Mitzvah Day
Mitzvah Day at BNJC
Plant something, meet someone, do something good. From 10:00 there’s bulb planting outdoors, so bring wellies and gloves. From 11:00 there’s a charity fair with Shoresh, Helping Hands, MDA, Jewish Care, Grief Encounter and more, where you don’t just collect a leaflet, you do something for each charity there and then. Coffee and soup are free all morning. It’s free to come, but please register so there are enough bulbs, and soup, to go round. Read more about the day.
Wednesday 11 November: Don’t Get Scammed
Earlier in the month, on Wednesday 11 November, Don’t Get Scammed brings Fraud Prevention and Trading Standards officers in for a relaxed morning of soup, rolls and practical advice. It’s run with BHHC, Helping Hands, Jewish Care and J-Living. It’s free, but booking is essential.
New: Chatty Chaps
And something new: Chatty Chaps, an informal men’s group from Helping Hands, starts on Tuesday 3 November and then meets on the first Tuesday of every month, 12:30 to 14:00 at Yofi, straight after Chatty Café. Come for a chat, meet some new faces, and have a light lunch: Yofi is introducing soup of the day with garlic bread for £5. To find out more, email helpinghands4sussex@gmail.com.
See it for yourself. Photos from Mitzvah Day, and everything else that happens here, end up on our Facebook page. Follow BNJC on Facebook
Move, breathe, rest
- Pregnancy Yoga: Tuesdays, 19:00 to 20:00, until 1 December. Single sessions or bundles of 3 or 6. Book
- Mini Movers: Fridays, 10:00 to 10:45, for babies and their grown-ups, until 4 December. Book
- Sound Bath: Sunday 15 November. An afternoon to unwind, recharge and reconnect. Details announced soon
- Cove Brunch Club: Friday 27 November. A relaxed brunch for mums and babies. Details announced soon
- The gym: open 7am to 10pm on weekdays and 8am to 10pm at weekends, for residents and members. Book a tour
Every week at BNJC
Sundays
- Ulpan for Kids and the parents’ coffee morning, 09:30 to 11:00
- Youth Open House, 17:30 to 19:00
- No Ulpan or Youth Open House on 29 November
Mondays
- Singing for Memory with Jewish Care, 13:45 to 15:45
- BNJC x UJC JSOC Open House for students, from 19:30 in term time. Sign up by 15:00 on the day
Tuesdays
- Chatty Café with Helping Hands at Yofi, 11:00 to 13:00
- New: Chatty Chaps, Helping Hands’ men’s group at Yofi, first Tuesday of every month, 12:30 to 14:00
- Rochelle Oberman’s Art Class, 14:00 to 16:00
- Youth Club (Years 7 to 9), 18:00 to 19:30
Wednesdays
- Community Board Games Morning with Jewish Care, 10:30 to 11:30
- BHHC Lunch & Learn, 12:00 to 16:00
Thursdays
- Afternoon Craft: crochet and knitting with Helping Hands, 15:00 to 17:00
Fridays
- Welcome Shabbat with Kabbalat Shabbat at BHHC
Shabbat
- BNJC services
- the children’s service at 11:00
- Shabbat Kiddush with BHHC
Shabbat service times are on the screens around the building, or ask BHHC.
Then the lights go up
November ends in the dark, and that is exactly the point. Chanukah begins on the evening of Friday 4 December, and BNJC is building a celebration like none other, with a pre-Chanukah party on Sunday 29 November to light the fuse. The full programme is days away. Here is what we can tell you now:
- Sunday 29 November: The Magic of Lights. The pre-Chanukah party, 15:00 to 17:00: potions, lanterns and wands, with the idea that everyone is a little bit of light and together we can create magic. All ages, walk-ins welcome.
- Wednesday 2 December: Rose. A festival partner screening with UK Jewish Film: Aurélie Saada’s warm, funny Parisian family drama, full of Yiddish and Mizrahi songs. Free. Register
- Candle I, Friday 4 December: the first spark. Chanukah and Shabbat arrive together, which is a gift. Light the first candle, welcome Shabbat, and gather round a table at Yofi to begin the festival with the people you love. Reservations preferred by 1pm on Monday: yofi@bnjc.co.uk.
- Candle II, Saturday 5 December: the light stays. Shabbat goes out and the second candle goes in. Light it at home as the stars come out, put the kettle on, and let Chanukah settle in.
- Candle III, Sunday 6 December: Partners in Light. An indoor evening of Chanukah light, 18:00 to 20:00, in honour of the people who keep this city safe: CST, the police, fire crews and paramedics.
- Candle IV, Monday 7 December. The JSOC Open House for students, on its regular Monday night.
- Candle V, Tuesday 8 December: the youth takeover. A Chanukah party for Youth Club (Years 7 to 9), and a night to bring a friend who has never been.
- Candle VI, Wednesday 9 December. A Chanukah event for Shoresh families. Everyone else: book a table at Yofi and turn a midweek night into a Chanukah dinner out.
- Candle VII, Thursday 10 December: one sky of candles. The communal menorah lighting at BNJC, 18:00 to 19:30. The whole community in one place, with doughnuts, latkes, music and a photo stand.
- Candle VIII, Friday 11 December: the grand finale. Eight candles burning, a full chanukiah and Shabbat coming in behind it. Close the festival the best way there is, round a table with family and friends at Yofi. Reservations preferred by 1pm on Monday: yofi@bnjc.co.uk.
- Sunday 20 December: Jewish walking tours of Brighton in the morning and Hove in the afternoon
Watch this space. Full Chanukah plans will be announced on the BNJC website in the next week or so, so you can plan which nights you are lighting the menorah with us and which nights you are swapping latke recipes at home. Join the email list so you hear first.
And one more thing. Something big is coming to close out the year, and BNJC is proud to be part of it. We can’t say more yet, but Brighton will want to hear about it. Watch this space, and join the email list so you hear first.
Everyone’s Welcome.