Jewish Reconstructionist Federation

RA'ASHAN - A RECONSTRUCTIONIST NOISEMAKER: Happy Hanukah!

Welcome to JRF NY/NJ online! Our electronic Ra'ashan provides up-to-date information about upcoming events, recent news, and exciting programming happening within our congregations, our region, and nationally in the Reconstructionist movement. We hope that this webpage faciliatates networking, provides engaging program ideas and encourages involvement within the 14 congregations of our regions and the wider Reconstructionist community. To add any events or announcements to this page, please email office18@aol.com.

"Judaism continues to evolve."
--Mordecai Kaplan, founder of Reconstructionist Judaism

Who is a Reconstructionist? This question certainly does not have a definitive answer. However, Kaplan's powerful words concisely describe the central philosophy of Reconstructionist Judaism: to maintain an ever-changing, pluralistic, and globally aware community. JRF strives to uphold Reconstructionist values by encouraging widespread participation from the movement's eclectic and diverse membership. From our unique prayerbooks and haggadot, to youth and camping activities, to professional development for Hebrew school teachers and synagogue leaders, to on-line resources and customized consultations, to conferences and Shabbatonim, JRF's primary mission is to promote a vibrant approach to Jewish life.

Questions, concerns, or input? Do not hesitate to contact our NY/NJ regional Director Melanie Schneider at (mschneider@jrf.org).For information regarding JRF offices and regional resources contact (212)870-2483 or visit www.jrf.org.

Mark your calenders! JRF joins the UJ Federation of NY in designating the Shabbat of Inclusion, a weekend designed to encourage the participation of our members with disabilities, for February 1-3. We encourage the various leaders of the affiliated Reconstructionist congregations in the NY/NJ region to begin planning for this event at their respective synagogues.

This particular Shabbat coincides with Parshat Mishpatim, which discusses the giving of the Ten Commandments at Mount Sinai. The language of the text certainly resounds in our mission to create an accessible Shabbat service: "For you were strangers in the land of Egypt." Often, people with physical and developmental disabilities are aliented like "strangers" from our congregations. Our Shabbat of Inclusion aims to eliminate this notion of exclusion for all of our disabled congregants and their families.

Most of all, Reconstructionists have been on the forefront of creating inclusive communities. Even so, we can benefit from reminders to keep our doors wide open and to find new ways to be welcoming.

For leaders, please share with us what you do for this important Shabbat....for members, please come to pray, to learn, and to show your support.

When: Sunday, May 18
Where: Bet Am Shalom Synagogue, 295 Soundview Avenue, White Plains, New York

Cantor Benjie SchillerCantor Benjie Ellen Schiller, cantor of Bet Am Shalom synagogue in White Plains, NY, will give a rare recital performance on Sunday, May 18.

The program, “Life Song Cycle - A musical reflection on the journey of our lives,” will include her own compositions and works of other Jewish composers. A dessert reception will follow the concert. Admission is $36 for adults and $18 for students and children under eighteen.

Register Online Now
The Salute To Israel Parade, the single largest gathering in the world in support of Israel, will celebrate the milestone 60th Anniversary of the State of Israel on June 1 on Fifth Avenue in New York City.

These are the hands of Mishkan Ha'am.

This 4' x 6' banner is made up of over 150 felt tracings from the many children and adults who have joined in Mishkan Ha'am's services and celebrations since the shul's founding.

Ten years ago, Yonkers, New York, residents Joey Parnes and Ellen Tattelman ran a notice in local newspapers inviting area residents who were “looking for a synagogue and haven’t found the right fit” to meet. “We were looking to create a Reconstructionist group that would be egalitarian, participatory, and open to varying viewpoints,” says Parnes. “Joyously, we found others who were looking for the same thing!”

Today, Mishkan Ha’am, with members from Riverdale through Westchester’s Rivertowns, has grown to include regular Shabbat services for all ages, holiday and life cycle celebrations, a Hebrew School, adult education program, social action activities, and innovative programming such as meditation and chanting-centered Shabbat observances and Shabbat morning yoga sessions. In all these contexts, participants engage in connecting Jewish tradition with their contemporary lives.

As part of its North American Leadership Series, JRF is proud to present PEARL: Providing Education and Resources for Leadership. Throughout the coming months, we will offer a series of conference calls on a wide variety of topics important to congregational leaders. Topics range from dues structures and running a successful fundraising event to growth and volunteer development to the rabbi-congregation relationship and using Reconstructionism in synagogue processes, and more. These real-time distance learning sessions will be facilitated by a senior member of the JRF staff and will include best practices from selected congregations.

We are pleased to provide this service free-of-charge to all JRF affiliates. It is our belief that by providing congregational leaders with the resources and experiences needed for growth, each of our communities – and the Reconstructionist movement as a whole – will benefit.

Click here for registration and a full list of offerings.

For more information, please contact Isaac Saposnik at isaposnik@jrf.org

This year, the New York-New Jersey Region of JRF is taking its annual Evening of Celebration to the stage.

We are planning a wonderful evening at Lincoln Center's Vivian Beaumont Theatre where we'll be among the first groups to see South Pacific! The Evening of Celebration will honor "Those Who Bring Joy and Creativity to Our Congregations" in the NY/NJ Region.

Mazel Tov to our Honorees:

JWW Backpack ProjectCongregation Bet Am Shalom in Whiteplains, NY, joins the Westchester Darfur Coalition and Jewish World Watch (JWW) in providing and education for children fleeing genocide in Darfur. JWW's Backpack Project will enable children in the Oure Cassoni refugee camp in Chad to attend schools run by the International Rescue Committee. Filled with shoes, books, school supplies, soap and toothpaste (all obtained as locally as possible), the backpack allows each child to make the most of school under the most difficult of circumstances.

Bridges to Community, Inc. is a non-profit cultural exchange organization that takes volunteers to developing countries to work, learn, and reflect. Through the process of living and working with local communities on construction, health and environmental projects, Bridges promotes cross-cultural learning, a deepening awareness of our global interdependence and a commitment to the common good.

We believe there is much to be gained by participating in a shared work experience with people from other cultures. As foundations are poured and blocks are laid we work together towards a common goal. Through that shared experience we learn about ourselves and learn from one another as well.
In 1992 Bridges to Community began its work with a series of trips to Nicaragua - the second poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. Historically, Nicaragua has been battered by natural disasters such as earthquakes and hurricanes, and exploited by internal and external political and economic influences.

Hebrew Congregation of Somers is offering a symbolic cinder block on behalf of your $25 donation. The total cost of the purchase of a cinder block is tax-deductible. All of the proceeds from the sale will go toward the program cost of the trip in Feb. 2008. These fees pay for the cost of building materials and wages for the Nicaraguan tradesman who work alongside the volunteers - working together to build small, one room homes that are safe and durable. All checks can be made out to Bridges to Community.

For further information please e-mail Tina Steinberg at tinastein525@aol.com or call at 845-621-9644.

Hey 8th -12th graders!!!

This is Alanna Sklover, your No’ar Hadash regional intern, and I am super-excited to say that it’s that time of year again… Ok, besides the World Series—It’s time to sign-up for the 2007 No’ar Hadash Eastern Teen Kallah! This year, we’ll be meeting up at Capital Camps in scenic Waynesboro, PA with Reconstructionist Teens from across Virginia, DC, Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York for a weekend full of laughing, praying, singing, learning, hanging out, and so much more! Here’s the info…

No’ar Hadash Eastern Teen Kallah
December 14-16, 2007 @ Capital Camps
$175 ~ Register by/before November 20th 2007
$195 ~ Register after November 20th 2007

If you or your family has any questions about the Eastern Kallah, I would love to talk about them. You can reach me either by e-mail at ASklover@jrf.org or by phone at (215) 885-5601 ex. 48. I look forward to getting your application for the Eastern Kallah soon, and can’t wait to see you in December!!!

L’Shalom v’So Much Kallah Excitement,
Alanna Sklover
No’ar Hadash