Ma Nishma - JRF News

JRF News - Ma Nishma for September 2008

Lisa Tuttle — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 13:41:07 -0400

Dear Ma Nishma Subscriber,

I'm happy to deliver to your e-mail doorstep the latest issue of Ma Nishma ("What's Happening?"), featuring news and events from JRF.

Now everyone can subscribe to Ma Nishma. Register at the JRF website at http://jrf.org/user/register then click "Manage your JRF e-newsletter subscriptions" at the top left of the home page to subscribe.

Newsletter editors and webmasters: Please reprint stories and announcements from this issue for a JRF News page in your congregational newsletter and on your website.

Those who send Weekly Update e-mails: Please disseminate Ma Nishma along with your regular posting.

Please forward this to anyone you think would enjoy reading Ma Nishma.

Download this issue of Ma Nishma as an MS Word document, for easier cut/paste into synagogue newsletters.

L'shalom,

Lisa Kelvin Tuttle
JRF Communications Director

September 2008 / Elul 5768

Ma Nishma
News from the Jewish Reconstructionist Federation

In This Issue

Registration Now Open for the 42nd JRF Convention - Boston, Nov. 13-16
Meet our Newest Affiliate: Or Shalom in San Francisco!
JRF Congregations Welcome New Reconstructionist Rabbis
JRF and RENA at CAJE33
JRF Launches Web-Based Reconstructionist Curriculum Resource Finder
Special Offers from JRF’s Reconstructionist Press
Camp JRF is Available for Your Special Events
JRF’s Sustainable Synagogue Initiative
Get Out the Vote: Why American Jews Must Vote
Fighting Poverty With Faith: A Week of Action
Join JRF in Brooklyn for Havdalah and Slichot
Effective Leadership: Essential Practices for Board Members, A Leadership Orientation
Marketing Your Congregational Message
Congregational news

NATIONAL and REGIONAL JRF NEWS

Register for the 42nd JRF Convention
Nov. 13-16, 2008 at the Boston Park Plaza Hotel

“Transformative Judaism for the 21st Century”

Join the largest gathering of Reconstructionists in North America for four enriching days of learning, building connections, and sharing best practices to strengthen and grow our Reconstructionist communities and ourselves.

CONVENTION HIGHLIGHTS

A Plenary Session on Identity, Community and Leadership is a dialogue between the generations — those involved today in creating "emerging communities" and those who were shapers of the Havurah movement in the '60s and '70s, now serving as leaders of the Reconstructionist Movement. [If you're reading this electronically, click on presenters' names throughout to read their bios.] Participants will include Rabbi David Teutsch, Zachary Teutsch, Rabbi Michael Strassfeld and Sarah Liebman.

Four special Forums will immediately follow the opening plenary, giving us an opportunity to explore the themes raised as we engage in conversations with leaders in their fields:

Building the Jewish Identity of the Next Generation with Cindy Shulak-Rome, Jerry Silverman, and Jonathan Woocher
Strengthening and Transforming Congregational Life with Rabbi Hayim Herring, Amy L. Sales, and Rabbi Elliott Tepperman
Rethinking the Role of Movements in the 21st Century with Rabbi Joy Levitt, Rabbi Sid Schwarz, and Dr. Carl Sheingold
What is the Forefront of Tikkun Olam? with Rabbi Brant Rosen, Rabbi Fred Scherlinder Dobb, and Rabbi Toba Spitzer

Jonathan Sarna, the foremost expert on American Jewish history, will join us on Thursday evening with a talk entitled American Judaism at a Crossroads: A Perspective on Reconstructionism from a Jewish Historian.

Noah Feldman, recently named by New York Magazine as one of "the influentials" in ideas, will be our special guest speaker during Shabbat lunch. Feldman's expertise is on the relationship between law and religion in the West and Middle East.

Shabbat services as you've never experienced them before, filled with ruach (spirit) and kavannah (intention), will bring us together as an extended Reconstructionist family.

Beit Midrash sessions on Shabbat afternoon include informal text study, creative exploration of Reconstructionist liturgy, and a celebration of the arts.

A special screening of Praying with Lior, an award-winning film by Ilana Trachtman. The film celebrates the Reconstructionist Bar Mitzvah of Lior Liebling, who has Down Syndrome, and explores themes of disability and spirituality.

Networking opportunities throughout Convention will facilitate connections between our communities, such as break-out sessions, affinity group meetings, and receptions. Come and contribute your questions and your congregation’s best practices to the conversations!
Harmoniyah--the Reconstructionist Music Network and RENA (Reconstructionist Educators of North America) will be participating in our Convention again this year.

Visit sights of Jewish interest in Boston or participate in a tikkun olam service opportunity on Sunday.

And much more!

Get all the details and register now at www.jrf.org/convention.

Meet our Newest Affiliate: Or Shalom in San Francisco!

The Jewish Reconstructionist Federation is delighted to welcome Or Shalom Jewish Community of San Francisco, California, as its newest member community and the fourth in the greater San Francisco area. Or Shalom represents the first affiliate in the city of San Francisco itself for our movement, adding to Keddem Congregation in Palo Alto; Or Zaruah Havurah in Berkeley; and Ner Tamid in Cotati.

The congregation, founded in 1989, describes itself as "an active community of progressive Jews and non-Jews, diverse yet united in the effort to improve ourselves and mend our world through: limud (Jewish learning), gemilut chasadim (acts of loving kindness), avodah (Jewish spiritual practice), and tikkun olam (social action). We share a commitment to deep mutual acceptance, the spirit of questioning, and a dynamic balance between tradition and innovation that makes our Judaism alive and relevant."

Rabbi Katie Mizrahi (RRC '05), Or Shalom's rabbi since early 2007, said "Joining the Reconstructionist movement will connnect San Francisco's Jews with Reconstructionism's progressive social action platform and warm inclusive community—a perfect fit for San Francisco. Or Shalom is proud and excited to be embarking on our partnership with the JRF and we embrace this step forward with joy."

Learn more about Or Shalom at www.orshalom.org.

JRF Congregations Welcome New Reconstructionist Rabbis

Seven JRF conregations--five on the East coast, two on the West--have new full-time rabbis and all of them are graduates of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College, including four from RRC's class of 2008. Rabbi Donna Kirshbaum and Rabbi Benjamin Weiner will also serve their congregations as Education Directors.

Temple Beth Sholom in Salem, Oregon, welcomes Rabbi James Greene (RRC '08).
String of Pearls in Princeton, New Jersey welcomes Rabbi Donna Kirshbaum (RRC '08).
Bnai Keshet in Montclair, New Jersey, welcomes Rabbi Darby Jared Leigh (RRC '08) as Assistant Rabbi, working alongside Rabbi Elliott Tepperman.
Mishkan Ha’Am - The Westchester-Riverdale Reconstructionist Group in Yonkers, New York, welcomes Rabbi Benjamin Weiner (RRC '08).
Temple Sinai in Amherst, New York, welcomes Rabbi Alex Lazarus-Klein (RRC '04).
Tzedek v’Shalom in Newtown, Pennsylvania, welcomes Rabbi Anna Rosenfield (RRC '06).
Keddem Synagogue in Palo Alto, California, welcomes Rabbi Elisheva Salamo (RRC '97).

Read about these exceptional Reconstructionist rabbis and the congregations they serve at www.jrf.org/congs-welcome-rabbis.

JRF and RENA at CAJE33

On August 10th, more than 50 Reconstructionist educators and rabbis gathered on the campus of the University of Vermont in Burlington to participate at CAJE33 -- the 33rd annual Conference on Alternatives in Jewish Education, sponsored by the Coalition for the Advancement of Jewish Education. They were part of a group of approximately 1,500 of their colleagues, from all denominations of Judaism, who came from all over North America as well as from Israel and other countries to learn about the best practices and latest trends and innovations in Jewish education.

Reconstructionists led study tracks and individual workshops and were part of the evening entertainment. Reconstructionist Educators of North America (RENA) sponsored a reception for all the Reconstructionists at the convention. This was an opportunity to connect with old friends and meet new ones within our movement. RENA also collaborated with NATE (Reform educators) and the JEA (Conservative educators) on a poster session where 16 congregational schools (including 4 Reconstructionist schools) were selected to feature a Best Practices program within their schools.

The Jewish Reconstructionist Federation and the Reconstructionist Press had a table where Reconstructionist resources could be purchased and connections made with JRF staff. The Reconstructionist presence at CAJE33 became a venue for many conference participants to ask questions and learn about the Reconstructionist movement. Attendees from all denominations stopped by to say they love using our publications, such as the Kol Hano’ar children’s siddur and A Night of Questions Haggadah. Read the story below to learn about the Reconstructionist Curriculum Resource Finder—a new online resource for educators launched at the conference!

JRF Launches Reconstructionist Curriculum Resource Finder

A Jewish educational survey conducted among the Reconstructionist congregations with congregational schools revealed a strong need by educators for easy access to Jewish Reconstructionist educational materials. Many of the schools reported that their curriculum changes on a regular basis and they need an evolving resource that also reflects the continuing changes in Jewish education.

To meet this need, JRF has developed an innovative educational project for Reconstructionist congregational schools: The web-based Reconstructionist Curriculum Resource Finder (www.curriculum.jrf.org) is an interactive online tool intended to serve teachers, parents, and education directors. It provides a menu of suggested textbooks, story books, and eventually lesson plans, linking directly to the publishers, on each of the major topics taught in our schools. Each topic is subdivided according to Reconstructionist educational goals. The Camp JRF curriculum will be integrated as well.

The first stage of the project, sponsored by a lead grant from Congregation Kehillat Israel in Pacific Palisades, CA, is intended to show how the resource will meet the needs of the more than 100 Reconstructionist congregations that need help identifying appropriate curriculum resources.

In developing this project, coordinators Rabbi Erin Hirsh, JRF Director of Education, and Lori Rubin, Co-chair of the Reconstructionist Educators of North America (RENA), have gone “out of the box” to develop a program which will have immediate impact as the new academic year begins. Visitors to the Reconstructionist Curriculum Resource Finder are encouraged to blog about each and every resource, sharing “best practices” in utilizing the resources for similar-size congregations, and providing data that can be used for project evaluation and improvement as the project expands. Visitors are also able to upload their own or favorite resources to help the project evolve.

The impact this project can have on Reconstructionist Jewish education is profound.

This exciting tool for Reconstructionist educators made its debut this August at the CAJE 33 Conference on Alternatives in Jewish Education at the University of Vermont.

In order to help us maximize the value of this resource, we invite Reconstructionist rabbis and educators to log on and comment on as many as possible of the entries with which they are familiar or have strong opinions. We also invite the posting of resources that have not yet been included.

Visit www.curriculum.jrf.org now! For further information, please contact Rabbi Erin Hirsh, Director of Education at 215-885-5601 x 16 or via email at ehirsh@jrf.org.

Special Offers from JRF’s Reconstructionist Press

Do you have your own Mahzor for the High Holidays and does the congregation own enough? Our beautiful Mahzor Leyamim Nora’im (prayer book for the Days of Awe), part of the Kol Haneshamah Prayer Book Series, is now available for purchase in time for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.

Have you experienced Siddur Kol Hano’ar, the wonderful, colorful Shabbat siddur for children? Whether for your synagogue, for friends and family, or for your own home, it makes a great gift!

The new Moadim Le’Limud – Seasons for Learning: Mishnah on the Holidays of the Year is an exciting new way to learn about the Mishnah while deepening knowledge of the laws and customs of Jewish holidays.

And now you can have all the Jewish holidays and important contact information at your fingertips with the pocket sizeJRF Diary for 5769 / 2008-2009.

Here are the details on all these fantastic offerings:

MAHZOR LEYAMIM NORA’IM
1250 pages, hardcover $42.00 ($33.60)

The Reconstructionist Kol Haneshamah Mahzor Leyamim Nora’im (prayer book for the Days of Awe) is an inclusive, comprehensive volume for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur services; one that is rooted in the traditional Hebrew liturgy, yet fully contemporary. Some of the most prominent features of this volume are:

All readings appear within the text, simplifying the selection of material for services.
Constructed with a special strong, reinforced library quality binding.
Printed on very thin, lightweight opaque paper.
A new section, Kabbalat Hashanah, has been created to begin the erev Rosh Hashanah service.
For Rosh Hashanah, the Mahzor can be used for a traditional shofar service and full Musaf, or combining the two in several different ways.
On Yom Kippur, the Musaf service and Martyrology are integrated with the Avodah service creating a powerful, seamless whole.

SIDDUR KOL HANO’AR: THE VOICE OF CHILDREN
Transliterated edition available now!
Rabbi Sandy Eisenberg Sasso and Rabbi Jeffrey Schein
Illustrated in full color by Joani Rothenberg

This beautiful hardcover Shabbat prayer book for children ages 5-9 makes a wonderful gift for the whole family to share at home. $28/$23.80 for JRF members. Consider adding a set of matching note cards for a lovely gift set for just $5 more!

MOADIM LE’LIMUD – SEASONS FOR LEARNING:
MISHNAH ON THE HOLIDAYS OF THE YEAR
Rabbi Gail Diamond
Participants’ Text (Parts I & II) - 33 pages, softcover $12.50
Facilitator’s Guide – 62 pages, softcover $12.50

The Reconstructionist Press is proud to introduce Moadim Le’Limud – Seasons for Learning: Mishnah on the Holidays of the Year. This exciting new course, written by Rabbi Gail Diamond, gives students an introduction to the Mishnah while expanding their knowledge of the laws and customs of various holidays of the Jewish year. The lessons are designed to be suitable for students of all backgrounds. Some of the most prominent features of this volume are:

Two ways for facilitators to use the curriculum: Over several sessions taught over a period of two to three months, concentrating on learning Mishnah on the holidays of the year; or presented seasonally over the course of a whole year, ideally beginning in Elul, timing each lesson for two to four weeks before the holiday discussed.
Participants’ Text contains texts to be studied at each lesson along with some of the questions for discussion.
Facilitators’ Guide has goals for each section and an expanded selection of discussion questions for each section.
Part I, comprising the first half of these wonderful lessons, will be ready in time for Rosh Hashanah for communities that would like to present the course alongside the High Holy Days. Part II will be ready in late fall – in plenty of time for the spring holidays, and will automatically be sent upon publication.

JRF DIARY FOR 5769 / 2008-2009
Available now! $8.25 (U.S.)

Comprehensive calendar for the Jewish and secular year, including explanations of all Jewish holidays and important shabbatot
Ample space to jot down appointments, with blank pages for notes and addresses
Current listing of all JRF synagogues and havurot
The platform and program of the Reconstructionist movement

Order by mail with a check payable to JRF and send to JRF, Beit Devora, 101 Greenwood Avenue, Suite 430, Jenkintown, PA 19046, or order by credit card by calling 877-JRF-PUBS. This unique, pocket-size Jewish calendar makes a great gift so order while supplies last!

The Reconstructionist Press is looking forward to seeing you at the 42nd JRF Convention in Boston this November—come to our table and see the new commemorative 10th Anniversary edition of A Night of Questions Reconstructionist Haggadah available for the first time there!

Camp JRF is Available for Your Special Events

Planning an annual Shabbaton or retreat? Consider holding it at Camp JRF on the Aaron and Marjorie Ziegelman Campus. This beautiful facility in the Pennsylvania Pocono Mountains is now available for rental for our JRF congregations, boards, religious schools, JRF regional programs, teens, and the like.

For more information, please contact the Camp JRF office at 877-CAMP JRF (877-226-7573).

JRF’s Sustainable Synagogue Initiative

With the enthusiasm around JRF’s Omer Learning Initiative, as well as the solid response of JRF congregations in the Climate Change Initiative, JRF is continues to deepen its greening work with member communities next year. Our hope is to motivate and educate our congregations in sustainable practices, with the goal of reaching 100 percent participation in the years ahead, recognizing those JRF communities who excel at sustainable practices at the JRF Convention in Boston, 2008.

A full listing of the 7 weeks of teaching packets is available at www.jrf.org/omer and the three related Tikkun Olam conference calls held as part of this year's PEARL initiative, available at www.jrf.org/PEARL-resources.

Please refer to the following additional links to find specific resources for tikkun olam:

Tikkun Olam Resources Library: http://jrf.org/resources-library
Tikkun resources outside JRF: http://jrf.org/tikkun-olam-issues
Anti-hunger and poverty: http://jrf.org/hunger
Sustainability and Environment: http://jrf.org/climate
Service Learning: http://jrf.org/service-learning
Ending Genocide in Darfur: http://jrf.org/darfur

Information on JRF’s Sustainable Synagogue Initiative can be found on the JRF website’s environment pages at www4.jrf.org/green-call and www4.jrf.org/climate.

For more information contact Rabbi Shawn Zevit, director of outreach and tikkun olam, SZevit@jrf.org.

Get Out the Vote: Why American Jews Must Vote

Rabbi Yitzhak taught, "A ruler is not to be appointed unless the community is first consulted.” —Talmud, B’rachot 55a

A crucial election day is only months away. At stake are vital political, economic and moral issues of concern to all Americans, in addition to issues of special concern to American Jews.

During the next four years, there will be important debates about the way our government does business. Legislation on significant issues such as health care, foreign aid, civil rights and support for Israel is likely to be considered by the next Congress and Administration. In addition, over the next four years, the President and Senate will confirm judges who will make crucial decisions affecting our lives. With the stakes so high, we must work to reverse the trend toward declining percentages of voters.

As Jews and American citizens we have an obligation to participate in the elections to ensure that our country's policies at the local, state and national levels reflect our commitment to social justice. Every vote counts and plays a defining role in setting policy agendas. It is our civic duty to register promptly, educate ourselves about the critical issues and VOTE!
The Get Out the Vote 2008 Guide provides you with tools, resources and information to help your congregation or community plan a successful voter engagement effort in advance of Election Day. This guide was designed for use by Jewish congregations and communal organizations wishing to conduct their own voter registration drives. We also encourage participation in voter registration drives in the general community. The same procedures and materials that are suggested here for use in the Jewish community can be adapted for voter registration use in the broader community.

The Guide was prepared by the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism for the Jewish Reconstructionist Federation and the larger Jewish community.

Download the Get Out The Vote Guide free of charge at www.jrf.org/get-out-the-vote-2008.

Fighting Poverty with Faith: A Week of Action

JRF endorses and joins national interfaith coalition "Fighting Poverty With Faith: A Week of Action", September 10-16, 2008

WHAT WILL THE CANDIDATES DO IN THEIR FIRST 100 DAYS
TO ADDRESS POVERTY AND OPPORTUNITY IN AMERICA?

From September 10-16, 2008 people of faith across the country will be mobilizing their communities to ask their local, state and national candidates what they will do to address the pressing issues of poverty and opportunity in America in their first 100 days in office.

In communities across the country, people of faith will be calling and writing the candidates, holding forums to discuss these issues with civic and political leadership, engaging in interfaith community service to aid those in need in their communities, and otherwise highlighting the need for increased leadership on these issues.

By acting during this time, you can be a part of a national interfaith movement to build the political and public will to address poverty in America.

Join Us! Learn more at www.fightingpovertywithfaith.com, www.spotlightonpoverty.org and www.jrf.org/hunger, where you can find resources on how to participate and find events near you!

NY/NJ Region Unites in an Effort to Reach Out to Unaffiliated Over the High Holidays

As part of the Kehillah Kedoshah Synagogue Outreach and Growth initiative, the synagogues of JRF's NY/NJ region have launched the "High Holiday Open Seats Campaign" to let the unaffiliated know they are welcome at our synagogues. Through "Open Seats" each synagogue in the region has set aside a designated number of seats for non-members and posted information about their High Holiday services on the website www.highholidayopenseats.com.

The website is being advertised by a regional press-release blitz and through the purchase of domain names and key words on all major search engines. We are excited about our new and unprecedented initiative and will report back about the results.

For more information about Open Seats, please contact Hannah Greenstein, Outreach Coordinator for JRF Metropolitan NY/NJ Region at hgreenstein@jrf.org or at 212-870-2484.

Join JRF in Brooklyn for Havdalah and Selichot

Saturday evening, September 20, 2008, 7 pm.

Please join us in Brooklyn as we bid farewell to Shabbat and welcome the High Holiday season with a family-oriented Havdalah ceremony followed by a Selichot (forgiveness) service filled with beautiful music. Location and other information coming soon. Share the news with your friends and family in Brooklyn!

Contact mschneider@jrf.org or dan@cedarbaum.net.

Active Leadership: Essential Practices for Board Members, A Leadership Orientation

Thursday, October 23rd, 2008, 5:30 - 8:45 pm.

At the start of the program year, this orientation seminar for congregational leaders will provide a rich leadership exchange with material for new and returning synagogue board members. Rabbi Shawn Zevit, Director of Outreach and Tikkun Olam/Congregational Consultant, Jewish Reconstructionist Federation will lead the session.

For more information contact mschneider@jrf.org.

Marketing Your Congregational Message

Thursday, November 6th, 2008, 6:00 - 8:45 pm.

Congregations in the New York-New Jersey region will meet to consider what makes them unique, and will learn how to communicate this message to the greater community. Participants will discuss marketing strategies tailored to different audiences.

For more information contact hgreenstein@jrf.org

B’nai Tikvah Dedication Celebration

[In photo, from left to right, Rabbi Bruce Adler, incoming President David Fine, Rabbi Donna Adler, outgoing President Q Benedikt]

On August 17, Congregation B’nai Tikvah, the Jewish Reconstructionist Center of Southwestern Ohio, celebrated the official dedication of its new building along with its 10th anniversary. The opening included music, dancing and refreshments as well as information on B'nai Tikvah and Reconstructionist Judaism. "The opportunity to be part of the synagogue building process is a rare opportunity. The chance to do this with a group that truly makes a difference in the community makes it even more special," noted outgoing president Q Benedikt. "Our members' hard work running this historic undertaking and the awareness that every person counts makes B'nai Tikvah a very exciting and appealing congregation." Kol Hakavod!

Kol HaLev Marches Torah to New Home

On August 31st, members of Kol HaLev in Cleveland will be marching with their Torah to their new home at the Ratner School, where the entire Kol HaLev Community will come together for a brief ceremony to celebrate a new chapter in its history. At the meeting of the Kol HaLev board where the vote to partner with the Ratner School was unanimous, Rabbi Steve Segar called this "an historic moment for Kol HaLev" and led all those present in singing the shehecheyanu. Barry Epstein expressed the board’s gratitude to the members of the space committee: Alan Lipson, Barbara Epstein, Allen Binstock, Sue Pelleg and Rabbi Steve for their hard work and dedication.

For more information call the synagogue office at 216-320-1498 or visit www.kolhalev.net.

Oseh Shalom to Honor Cantor

On Saturday, September 6, Congregation Oseh Shalom in Laurel, MD, will honor Cantor Charlie Bernhardt for 25 years as their cantor with a very special concert at the synagogue. The concert will feature Cantor Jan Morrison, Rabbi David Shneyer and Alan Oresky from Fabrengen fiddlers, the DC Labor Chorus, Joe Jencks and Cantor Charlie himself. It is an evening not to be missed. The concert will be appropriate for all ages. Download the event flier at www.jrf.org/cantor-charlie-gala and help spread the word!

For more information and to purchase tickets, contact the synagogue at 301-498-5151 and visit www.oseh-shalom.org.

Tell us about it!

JRF wants to hear about news and upcoming events at your congregation!

Contact Communications Director Lisa Tuttle at ltuttle@jrf.org today.

Ma Nishma - JRF News for July/August 2008

Lisa Tuttle — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 15:07:41 -0400

Dear Ma Nishma Subscriber,

I'm happy to deliver to your email doorstep the latest issue of Ma Nishma ("What's Happening?"), featuring news and events from JRF.

Newsletter editors and webmasters: Please reprint stories and announcements from this issue for a JRF News page in your congregational newsletter and on your website.

Those who send a Weekly Update e-mails: Please disseminate Ma Nishma along with your regular posting.

Feel free to forward this to anyone you think would enjoy reading Ma Nishma.

Download this issue of Ma Nishma as an MS Word document, for easier cut/paste into synagogue newsletters.

L'shalom,

Lisa Kelvin Tuttle
JRF Communications Director

July – August 2008 / Tammuz - Av 5768

Ma Nishma
News from the Jewish Reconstructionist Federation

In This Issue

Registration Now Open for the 42nd JRF Convention
Experience Camp JRF Family Camp!
Tikkun JRF Teen-Parent Week of Service
The Challenge for Camp JRF
Special Offers from JRF’s Reconstructionist Press
Camp JRF is Available for Your Special Events
JRF’s Sustainable Synagogue Initiative
Harmoniyah is Now Part of JRF!
JRF Officially Welcomed at JCPA 2008 Plenum
Get Out the Vote: Why American Jews Must Vote
Fighting Poverty With Faith: A Week of Action
Rabbi Mark Kram Joins Beth Or
Kol HaKavod!

Registration Now Open for the 42nd JRF Convention
Nov. 13-16, 2008 at the Boston Park Plaza Hotel

“Transformative Judaism for the 21st Century”

Learn more and register!Experience the largest gathering of Reconstructionists in North America for four enriching days of learning, building connections, and sharing best practices to strengthen and grow our Reconstructionist communities.Beautiful Boston Harbor

CONVENTION HIGHLIGHTS
A Plenary Session on Identity, Community and Leadership is a dialogue between the generations — those involved today in creating "emerging communities" and those who were shapers of the Havurah movement in the '60s and '70s, now serving as leaders of the Reconstructionist Movement. Participants will include Rabbi David Teutsch, Zachary Teutsch, and Rabbi Michael Strassfeld.

Four special Forums will immediately follow the opening plenary, giving us an opportunity to explore the themes raised as we engage in conversations with leaders in their fields:

Building the Jewish Identity of the Next Generation with Jonathan Woocher and Jerry Silverman
Strengthening and Transforming Congregational Life with Rabbi Hayim Herring and Amy L. Sales
Rethinking the Role of Movements in the 21st Century with Rabbi Joy Levitt and Rabbi Sid Schwarz
What is the Forefront of Tikkun Olam? with Rabbi Toba Spitzer and others

Professor Jonathan Sarna, the foremost expert on American Jewish history, will join us on Thursday evening with a talk entitled American Judaism at a Crossroads: A Perspective on Reconstructionism from a Jewish Historian.

Shabbat services filled with ruach (spirit) and kavannah (intention) will bring us together as an extended Reconstructionist family.

Beit Midrash sessions on Shabbat afternoon include informal text study, creative exploration of Reconstructionist liturgy, and a celebration of the arts.

A special screening of Praying with Lior, an award-winning film by Ilana Trachtman. The film celebrates the Reconstructionist Bar Mitzvah of Lior Liebling, who has Down Syndrome, and explores themes of disability and spirituality.

Networking opportunities throughout Convention will facilitate connections between our communities, such as break-out sessions, affinity group meetings, and receptions. Come and contribute your questions and your congregation’s best practices to the conversations!

Harmoniyah--the Reconstructionist Music Network and RENA (Reconstructionist Educators of North America) will be participating in our Convention again this year.

Visit sights of Jewish interest in Boston or participate in a tikkun olam service opportunity on Sunday.

And much more!

Get all the details and register now at www.jrf.org/convention.

Experience Camp JRF Family Camp!

When: 5 pm on Wednesday, Aug. 13 - Noon on Sunday, Aug. 17
Where: Camp JRF, South Sterling, PA.

Experience as a family the joy, fun and community of Reconstructionist camping this summer at Camp JRF Family Camp. There’s something for everyone: activities for adults, teens, children and families!

Participants in Family Camp will enjoy all of JRF’s camp facilities and staff, including professional Jewish educators, rabbis, musicians, art and sports instructors, counselors, and our fantastic food.

Register now at www.jrf.org/family-camp. Space is limited! For more information contact info@campjrf.org or call 1-877-226-7573.

Tikkun JRF Teen-Parent Week of Service

Post-B’nai Mitzvah teens and their parents are invited to share a week working together to make a difference. Tikkun JRF is a tikkun olam project for teams of post-B’nai Mitzvah teens and parents, August 10-15, at Camp JRF in South Sterling, PA.

Space is limited! Enrollment is currently open for 20-30 adult and teen pairs, post-B’nai Mitzvah ages 13+ (teams may include one or two parents). You will live for a week in active, participatory community, connecting to local communities and providing much needed support and building work. We welcome your diverse skills and talents, including: carpentry, painting, meal planning, photography, team playing. Worker bees, educators, musicians and all others are welcome!

Download the registration form online at www.jrf.org/tikkun-JRF. To learn more, contact Eve Maslin at (215) 885-5601 or e-mail emaslin@jrf.org. For project information, contact Clifford Goldsmith at (617) 965-7323 or e-mail clifgold@hotmail.com.

The Challenge for Camp JRF

Camp JRF has set a goal to raise $1 million over the next 12 months as part of its new The Challenge for Camp JRF fundraising campaign. The first $500,000 contributed will be matched dollar-for-dollar, thanks to the auspices of the Harold Grinspoon Foundation and the Gottesman Family.

The campaign has been organized by Rabbi Jeffrey Eisenstat, director of Camp JRF; David Nerenberg, president of the Jewish Reconstructionist Camping Corp.; and Archie Gottesman, chairman of the Camp Capital Campaign.

Program guidelines for The Challenge include:

Minimum gift of $3,600 payable over three years (first gift installment payable within two months of the pledge commitment)
Gifts from both new and previous donors to Camp JRF are eligible
Gifts can be used for scholarship, annual, capital, or endowment needs
Challenge concludes December 31, 2008

For further information, please contact Marla Friedenberg, Camp JRF development associate, at (215) 885-5601, ext. 28 or mfriedenberg@jrf.org.

Special Offers from JRF’s Reconstructionist Press

Do you have your own Mahzor for the High Holidays and does the congregation own enough? Our beautiful Mahzor Leyamim Nora’im (prayer book for the Days of Awe), part of the Kol Haneshamah Prayer Book Series, is now available for purchase in time for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.

Have you experienced Siddur Kol Hano’ar, the wonderful, colorful Shabbat siddur for children? Whether for your synagogue, for friends and family, or for your own home, it makes a great gift!

And now you can have all the Jewish holidays and important contact information at your fingertips with the JRF Pocket Diary for 5769. Check out all the fantastic offerings!

MAHZOR LEYAMIM NORA’IM
1250 pages, hardcover $42.00 ($33.60)

The first new Reconstructionist High Holy Day prayer book to be published since 1948, the Mahzor is an inclusive, comprehensive volume for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur services; one that is rooted in the traditional Hebrew liturgy, yet fully contemporary. Some of the most prominent features of this volume are:

All readings appear within the text, simplifying the selection of material for services.
Constructed with a special strong, reinforced library quality binding.
Printed on very thin, lightweight opaque paper.
A new section, Kabbalat Hashanah, has been created to begin the erev Rosh Hashanah service.
For Rosh Hashanah, the Mahzor can be used for a traditional shofar service and full Musaf, or combining the two in several different ways.
On Yom Kippur, the Musaf service and Martyrology are integrated with the Avodah service creating a powerful, seamless whole.

SIDDUR KOL HANO’AR: THE VOICE OF CHILDREN
Transliterated edition available now!
Rabbi Sandy Eisenberg Sasso and Rabbi Jeffrey Schein
Illustrated in full color by Joani Rothenberg

THE JRF POCKET DIARY FOR 5769 / 2008-2009
Available now! $8.25 (U.S.)

Comprehensive calendar for the Jewish and secular year, including explanations of all Jewish holidays and important shabbatot
Ample space to jot down appointments, with blank pages for notes and addresses
Current listing of all JRF synagogues and havurot
The platform and program of the Reconstructionist movement

The Reconstructionist Press is looking forward to seeing you at the 42nd JRF Convention in Boston this November—come to our table and see the new commemorative 10th Anniversary edition of A Night of Questions Reconstructionist Haggadah available for the first time there!

Camp JRF is Available for Your Special Events

For more information, please contact the Camp JRF office at 877-CAMP JRF (877-226-7573).

JRF’s Sustainable Synagogue Initiative

As this year's tikkun olam Omer Learning Initiative comes to a close, we want to thank all the many contributing individuals and congregations, as well as the over 800 on-line participants who signed up to receive the weekly postings from across Canada and the United States.

We especially thank Carl Sheingold, JRF's EVP, Bob Barkin, JRF’s President, Val Kaplan, the Chair of JRF’s External Affiliations Committee, and Dan Cedarbaum, JRF’s Immediate Past-President, for all their support in our social justice work and among other leaders in our movement and at the national table for JRF.

Brian Fink, RRC rabbinical student, has worked tirelessly and with great skill and commitment the last two years to help extend our reach to your communities and collect and develop resources for what you are committed to in terms of tikkun olam in your OWN communities. We wish Brian well as he continues his rabbinic studies in Israel next year.

Please refer to the following additional links to find specific resources for tikkun olam:

Tikkun Olam Resources Library: http://jrf.org/resources-library
Tikkun resources outside JRF: http://jrf.org/tikkun-olam-issues
Anti-hunger and poverty: http://jrf.org/hunger
Sustainability and Environment: http://jrf.org/climate
Service Learning: http://jrf.org/service-learning
Ending Genocide in Darfur: http://jrf.org/darfur

Information on JRF’s Sustainable Synagogue Initiative can be found on the JRF website’s environment pages at www4.jrf.org/green-call and www4.jrf.org/climate.

For more information contact Rabbi Shawn Zevit, director of outreach and tikkun olam, SZevit@jrf.org.

Harmoniyah is Now Part of JRF!

At its June meeting, the JRF Board voted unanimously to support Harmoniyah: Reconstructionist Music Network's request to become an official project of JRF. The grass roots group of Reconstructionist cantors and musicians came together at the 40th JRF Convention in Portland, OR in 2002 and now boasts a steering committee, its own listserve with close to 150 registered members, a successful November 2007 retreat, programs at the 42nd JRF Convention (not to be missed!) and a future online catalogue of original music and arrangements by Reconstructionist musicians.

To join the Harmoniyah list serve, go to www.jrf.org/listserves. See the full details and resources for music in our movement at www.jrf.org/music.

JRF Officially Welcomed at JCPA 2008 Plenum

At the JCPA 2008 Plenum in Atlanta, JRF was officially welcomed as the newest member and fourth religious movement to have voting rights. The resolutions begin in one of three national task forces months beforehand and are refined in reports prior to the Plenum. JRF has 23 votes for each resolution on par with the Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform movements and the other votes for the local JCRCs from various cities according to Jewish population size (cast by the individuals representing their members in consultation with their leadership team). JRF works closely with Rabbi Steve Gutow and JCPA's initiatives around stopping the genocide in Darfur, Sudan, ending hunger and poverty, climate change, and more.

To see the resolutions presented at the Plenum, visit www.jewishpublicaffairs.org.

Get Out the Vote: Why American Jews Must Vote

Get Out The Vote 2008Rabbi Yitzhak taught, "A ruler is not to be appointed unless the community is first consulted” —Talmud, B’rachot 55a

A crucial election day is only months away. At stake are vital political, economic and moral issues of concern to all Americans, in addition to issues of special concern to American Jews.

The Get Out the Vote 2008 Guide provides you with tools, resources and information to help your congregation or community plan a successful voter engagement effort in advance of Election Day. This guide was designed for use by Jewish congregations and communal organizations wishing to conduct their own voter registration drives. We also encourage participation in voter registration drives in the general community. The same procedures and materials that are suggested here for use in the Jewish community can be adapted for voter registration use in the broader community.

The Guide was prepared by the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism for the Jewish Reconstructionist Federation and the larger Jewish community.

Download the Get Out The Vote 2008 Guide free of charge at www.jrf.org/get-out-the-vote-2008.

Fighting Poverty With Faith: A Week of Action

JRF endorses and joins national interfaith coalition "Fighting Poverty With Faith: A Week of Action", September 10-16, 2008

WHAT WILL THE CANDIDATES DO IN THEIR FIRST 100 DAYS
TO ADDRESS POVERTY AND OPPORTUNITY IN AMERICA?

By acting during this time, you can be a part of a national interfaith movement to build the political and public will to address poverty in America.

Join Us! Learn more at www.fightingpovertywithfaith.com, www.spotlightonpoverty.org and www.jrf.org/hunger, where you can find resources on how to participate and find events near you!

Rabbi Mark Kram Joins Beth Or

Rabbi Mark KramPlease join us in extending a warm welcome to Rabbi Mark Kram, who became the new spiritual leader of Temple Beth Or in Miami, FL, on July 1, 2008. In announcing the agreement with Rabbi Kram, Larry Goodman, President of Temple Beth Or, expressed the sentiments of the Congregation: “We are thrilled to welcome into our spiritual community an individual who has been such an integral part of the Greater Miami community for so many years and who has been a source of education, inspiration and comfort to so many of us.” Learn about Rabbi Kram at www.bethortemple.com/newrabbi.

Kol Hakavod!

Mazel tov to two congregations in our Western Region who celebrated building dedications in June. On June 8, members of Temple Beth Israel of Eugene, OR, moved into their new building, as did Temple Beth Hatfiloh of Olympia, WA, who commemorated the dedication of its beautifully renovated “new” site on June 22nd.

For the first time ever, Congregation Bnai Keshet in Montclair, NJ, held its summer retreat at Camp JRF, the camp of the Reconstructionist movement, in South Sterling, Pennsylvania, and it couldn’t have been better received. Over 80 BK congregants enjoyed the scenic, wooded grounds, the balance of recreation and hiddur mitzvah-themed programming, and the peaceful spirituality of the Memorial Day weekend spent with the BK community. Highlights included tefillot by the lake, the instant choir on Shabbat morning, an in-depth story discussion, thought-provoking Torah study, craft activities, a blazing campfire with s’mores, spirited games of baseball and basketball, and tasty food! For the many kids under 13 who attended, clear highlights were discovering a love for ga-ga (an Israeli ball game), tie-dying T-shirts, and finding dozens of furry caterpillars just about everywhere. Everyone is saying "Next year in South Sterling!"

Congregation Beth Hatikvah of Summit, NJ, celebrated its first Adult B’nai Mitzvah on Saturday, March 8, 2008 in a joyous service with Rabbi Amy Joy Small. Guests, family and members celebrated at a festive luncheon given by the congregation. The class studied for two years in preparation for this important day. Mazel tov to Gary DeBode, Katia Segre Cohen, Connie Seligman, Arleen Soldati, Carol Sussman-Skalka, and Leslie Weber.

Kudos to Nancy Larner, a member and teacher at Congregation Beth Evergreen in Denver, CO, on the fantastic response she has been receiving to her children’s book A Mouse in the Rabbi's Study. When her own home became inundated with mice around the High Holy Days, Nancy, a longtime early childhood educator, began to imagine what would happen if a mouse found its way into a rabbi's study at Rosh Hashanah. The rabbi she invented likes to eat at his desk and enlists the aid of the mouse to clean up his crumbs. Their humorous relationship extends through a year of Jewish holidays and gives Mazel the mouse a Jewish education, along with tastes of challah, latkes, hamantashen and other holiday leftovers. Then there's a great surprise ending! Learn about Nancy and her book at www.songsparrowpress.com.

JRF celebrates along with the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College the graduation on June 1st of a new Reconstructionist cantor and 15 new Reconstructionist rabbis. Please join us in welcoming Cantor Jennifer Duretz, and Rabbis Jordan Bendat-Appell, Vanessa Grajwer Boettiger, Jameson Israel Greene, Melissa Jane Heller, Donna Kirshbaum, Leigh Ann Kopans, Darby Jared Leigh, Amanda Rachel Lurer, Nomi Chana Manon, Mark Melamut, Helen Plotkin, Sandra Michelle Rubenstein, Isaac Saposnik, Josh Snyder, and Benjamin Micah Weiner as leaders in our movement. We wish them all simcha (joy) and hatzlacha (success) in their new role, knowing the tremendous impact they will have on the communities they serve.

We wish all outgoing congregational presidents and officers a hearty mazal tov and extend our gratitude to you for the many ways you have served and will continue to contribute toward your congregations. Ye’asher koach to all the new leaders who have stepped up to make a difference in your congregation! We look forward to working together with you over the years to grow and strengthen our Reconstructionist communities.

Tell us about it!

JRF wants to hear about news and upcoming events at your congregation!

We don’t want to miss spreading any of your good news, so let us know of all the great things that happened over the summer and we will share all the simchas in the September issue of Ma Nishma.

Contact Communications Director Lisa Tuttle at ltuttle@jrf.org today.

Ma Nishma - JRF News for May/June 2008

Lisa Tuttle — Mon, 19 May 2008 08:25:19 -0400

Dear Ma Nishma Subscriber,

I'm happy to deliver to your email doorstep the latest issue of Ma Nishma ("What's Happening?"), featuring news and events from JRF.

Newsletter editors and webmasters: Please reprint stories and announcements from this issue for a JRF News page in your congregational newsletter and on your website.

Those who send a Weekly Update e-mails: Please disseminate Ma Nishma along with your regular posting.

Feel free to forward this to anyone you think would enjoy reading Ma Nishma.

Download this issue of Ma Nishma as an MS Word document, for easier cut/paste into synagogue newsletters.

L'shalom,

Lisa Kelvin Tuttle
JRF Communications Director

May-June 2008 / Nisan - Sivan 5768

Ma Nishma
News from the Jewish Reconstructionist Federation

In This Issue

National and Regional JRF News

JRF Welcomes Temple Shalom of the South Bay
JRF Leadership Institute: Strengthening Rabbi-President Teams
JRF Signs Letter to United Methodist Church
Experience Camp JRF Family Camp!
Tikkun JRF Teen-Parent Week of Service
Announcing … The Challenge for Camp JRF
Join 42nd JRF Convention on Nov. 13-16 in Boston
Special Offers from JRF’s Reconstructionist Press
Camp JRF is Available for Your Special Events
Register for the No’ar Hadash Israel Experience
JRF’s Sustainable Synagogue Initiative
Make a Difference for Myanmar Cyclone Victims
Share Shabbat in Prospect Park, Brooklyn, on May 30

Congregational News

RSNS Celebrating Its 50th Anniversary Year
Oseh Shalom to Host Shabbat Iyyun
Beth Israel Honors Tina Johnson of Chester
Cantor Benjie Ellen Schiller Concert
Mishkan Ha’am Celebrates 10th year
Rabbi Susan Falk Joins Kehilat Shalom of NJ
Rabbi Sarah Rubin Joins Congregation Ahavas Achim of NH

Kol HaKavod!

NATIONAL AND REGIONAL JRF NEWS

JRF Welcomes Newest Affiliate: Temple Shalom of the South Bay

JRF is delighted to welcome Temple Shalom of the South Bay as its newest member community, and the 12th Reconstructionist-affiliated congregation in California, serving Hermosa Beach and Manhattan Beach, Calif., and the outer lying South Bay region. With the spirited leadership of student rabbi Lori Schneide, the 70-household congregation is excited about joining the Reconstructionist movement.

The story of the congregation’s founding began with the question, “If you build it – will they come?” asked by three friends, Lani Zaun, Roz Bliss and Shereen Lavi one cold winter afternoon in December of 2004. The women, each with very diverse Jewish backgrounds and experiences, started sharing their ideas and dreams for the South Bay Jewish community.

By the winter of 2005, their community had outgrown the founders’ homes and each put in money to rent a facility to have services. By October of that year, the religious school opened with an astounding 108 students, held at the St. Cross Church in Hermosa Beach where they continue to sublet space.

Please join us in greeting members of this dynamic, thriving community at the JRF Convention this November!

Learn more about our newest JRF congregation at www.shalomsb.org.

JRF Leadership Institute: Strengthening Rabbi-President Teams

For three enriching days, May 4-6, rabbi-president pairs from Reconstructionist congregations across North America took part in the JRF Leadership Institute for Rabbis and Presidents. The seminar, utilizing a systems approach to help congregational rabbis and their presidents maximize their effectiveness as a leadership team, was facilitated by JRF Executive Vice President Dr. Carl A. Sheingold, and Esther Perel, a therapist and author whose innovative strategies and models for leadership have won her an international clientele of nonprofit organizations, foundations, schools, community groups and corporations.

Participating congregations included: Adat Shalom in Bethesda, Md.; Oseh Shalom in Laurel, Md.; Congregation Beth Hatikvah in Summit, N.J.; Temple Beth Hatfiloh in Olympia, Wash.; B'nai Havurah in Denver; Congregation Kehilat Shalom in Belle Mead, N.J.; Congregation Agudas Achim, in Attleboro, Mass.; and Kehillat Israel in Lansing, Mich.

JRF Signs Multi-Agency Letter to United Methodist Church

Twenty one Jewish agencies, including JRF, have joined together in a letter of thanks to the United Methodist Church for sincere strides made in areas of concern to the Jewish community, including Jewish-Christian relations, and peace and reconciliation in the Middle East. The recent work with the church is an example of one of the many coalitions and cross-agency initiatives for which JRF represents our member communities.

Read the full letter at www.jrf.org/umc-thank-you.

Experience Camp JRF Family Camp!

When: 5 pm on Wednesday, Aug. 13 - Noon on Sunday, Aug. 17
Where: Camp JRF, South Sterling, Pa.

Register now at www.jrf.org/family-camp. Space is limited! For more information contact info@campjrf.org or call 1-877-226-7573.

Tikkun JRF Teen-Parent Week of Service

Announcing The Challenge for Camp JRF

Program guidelines for The Challenge include:

Minimum gift of $3,600 payable over three years (first gift installment payable within two months of the pledge commitment);
Gifts from both new and previous donors to Camp JRF are eligible;
Gifts can be used for scholarship, annual, capital, or endowment needs;
Challenge concludes Dec. 31.

For further information, please contact Marla Friedenberg, Camp JRF development associate, at (215) 885-5601, ext. 28 or mfriedenberg@jrf.org.

Join 42nd JRF Convention on Nov. 13-16 in Boston

“Transformative Judaism for the 21st Century”

What exciting innovations are on the horizon for Jewish life in the 21st century?

What are the most pressing issues facing our Reconstructionist communities?

Are you seeking new ideas and solutions? Do you have ideas to share?

Hundreds of Reconstructionists and likeminded friends will gather at the 42nd Convention of the JRF to learn, dialogue, and celebrate Shabbat together in beautiful, historic Boston, at the Boston Park Plaza Hotel.

Hear from leaders across the spectrum of Judaism, including Jonathan Sarna, Rabbi Michael Strassfeld, Dr. David Teutsch, Jonathan Woocher, Jerry Silverman, Amy Sales, Rabbi Toba Spitzer, Rabbi Hayim Herring, Rabbi Sid Schwarz and Rabbi Joy Levitt.

Workshops at convention will address a broad range of topics, including:

Arts and Spirituality
Congregational Schools
Effective Decision Making Models
Fundraising
Growth and Finance
Israel
Leadership
Next Generation
Sustainability
Text Study and Divrei Torah
Tikkun Olam

More details soon at www.jrf.org/convention.

Special Offers from JRF’s Reconstructionist Press

It is traditional to study the Megillat Shir HaShirim (Song of Songs) during Passover, and JRF’s Reconstructionist Press is delighted to announce a newly revised edition of Etz Hayim We: Megillat Shir HaShirim, just in time for Pesach.

And have you experienced Siddur Kol Hano’ar, the wonderful, colorful Shabbat siddur for children? Whether for your synagogue, for friends and family, or for your own home, it makes a great gift!

ETZ HAYIM WE: MEGILLAT SHIR HASHIRIM (SONG OF SONGS; REVISED EDITION)
Rabbi Jeffrey Schein, Project Director
Rabbi Erin Hirsh, Curriculum Writer
This richly detailed, hands-on resource for Reconstructionist teen and adult exploration of Song of Songs during spring is chock full of innovative approaches to biblical study, and particularly the themes of divine and human love. Spiral-bound soft cover, 100 pp., $15 each.

SIDDUR KOL HANO’AR: THE VOICE OF CHILDREN
Transliterated edition available now!
Rabbi Sandy Eisenberg Sasso and Rabbi Jeffrey Schein
Illustrated in full color by Joani Rothenberg

Camp JRF is Available for Your Special Events

For more information, please contact the Camp JRF office at 877-CAMP JRF (877-226-7573).

No’ar Hadash Israel Experience – Make a Difference!

This summer over 30 Reconstructionist teens from across North America will share an amazing month exploring Israel together. Your donation can help defray the cost for this year’s participants and will make a difference for next year’s group.

Please visit www.jrf.org and click on the Donate Now button. Please consider either making your donation to the Leonard and Phyllis Friend Memorial Scholarship Fund or the general scholarship fund for No’ar Hadash.

For more information visit www.noarhadash.org/israel or contact Jessica Shimberg at jshimberg@jrf.org or (215) 885-5601 x 47.

JRF’s Sustainable Synagogue Initiative

Our hope is to motivate and educate our congregations in sustainable practices, with the goal of reaching 100 percent participation in the years ahead, recognizing those JRF communities who excel at sustainable practices at the JRF Convention in Boston this November.

Information on the Sustainable Synagogue Initiative can be found on the JRF website’s environment pages at www4.jrf.org/green-call and www4.jrf.org/climate.

For more information contact Rabbi Shawn Zevit, director of outreach and tikkun olam, SZevit@jrf.org.

Make a Difference for Myanmar Cyclone Victims

JRF is an ongoing coalition member of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee’s Jewish Coalition for Disaster Relief (JCDR) during times of natural disaster and human suffering in the world.

As UJC’s overseas partner, the JDC has opened an emergency mailbox to raise relief funds for victims of Cyclone Nargis, which devastated portions of Myanmar (formerly Burma) on May 3.

Read the JCDR Myanmar Cyclone Situation Report at www.jrf.org/myanmar-cyclone-relief, and click on the map of Cyclone Nargis’s path to donate. Funds are being collected for nonsectarian aid for the several hundred thousand cyclone victims left without shelter and safe drinking water.

Congregations may download Web banners, found in UJC’s central library, for use on their Web sites to help support the JDC efforts. For more information on the Web tools, contact UJC’s Andy Neusner at andy.neusner@ujc.org.

Come Share Shabbat in Prospect Park, Brooklyn!

When: Friday, May 30, 6:30 p.m.
Where: The Grecian Shelter in Prospect Park, Brooklyn, NY
Please join the Jewish Reconstructionist Federation as we welcome Shabbat in Prospect Park with song, stories, and a catered community dinner. Children of all ages are welcome. The evening will be led by Rabbi Shoshana Leis (RRC ’05) and Avi Fox-Rosen.

Make your e-reservation today at www.jrf.org/prospect-park-shabbat. In case of questionable or inclement weather, call JRF NY/NJ at (212) 870-2483 for alternate plans.

For more information, contact:
Melanie Schneider - jrfny@aol.com
Jayne Roberman - jrforensic@optonline.net
Dan Cedarbaum - dan@cedarbaum.net

CONGREGATIONAL NEWS

RSNS Celebrating 50th Anniversary Year

The Reconstructionist Synagogue of the North Shore (RSNS) is commemorating its 50th anniversary year with an exciting roster of special events. On May 9, the congregation enjoyed a special musical evening with the RSNS choir, featuring two compositions by Judith Kaplan Eisenstein, daughter of Reconstructionism’s founder Mordecai Kaplan and wife of Ira Eisenstein – RSNS’s first rabbi.

The celebration continues through the fall with a program June 13 with:

Rabbi Richard Hirsh, executive director of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association, addressing the topic “Reconstructionist Judaism: Its Evolution in the Past 50 Years”;
Rabbi Shawn Zevit, JRF’s director of outreach and tikkun olam, on Oct. 10, speaking on “Reconstructionism and Social Justice”;
a special Shabbat service Nov. 11 with Rabbi Jodie Siff and Rabbi Nancy Fuchs-Kreimer, who both grew up with the congregation;
a gala dinner dance Nov. 2;
and a culminating event on Nov. 7 dedicated to programs for families.

To learn more, visit www.rsns.org.

Oseh Shalom to Host Shabbat Iyyun

What: “Faith-based Initiatives and the Perils of Government Funding”
When: Friday, May 23, 8 p.m.
Where: Oseh Shalom, 7515 Olive Branch Way, Laurel, Md.
This special evening at Oseh Shalom is third in a series featuring intellectual inquiry woven into the Friday evening service.

Featured speakers from The Interfaith Alliance (TIA) are Ari Geller, director of communications; and Preet Singh, deputy director of public policy. TIA is a nonpartisan organization whose goal is to promote the positive and healing role of religion in public life. The speakers will address the complex and timely issues surrounding faith-based initiatives or charitable choice proposals – legal, ethical and practical ways for faith organizations and government to work together to remedy societal ills.

Services and presentation will run from 8 - 9 p.m. An Oneg/dessert and discussion to follow. For additional information and directions, call (301) 498-5151 or www.oseh-shalom.org.

Beth Israel Honors Co-op Leader of Chester, Pa.

Tina Johnson of Chester has won Congregation Beth Israel’s 2008 Friend of the Community Award. She is being recognized for her vision, creativity and tireless efforts to bring healthy and affordable food to the residents of Chester, Pa.

Working for the Tibetan government in-exile while only 27 years old, Johnson thought she could make a difference for those in poverty and hunger. Little did she know that her calling would bring her 7,500 miles east to Chester – a short drive from where she grew up. And while the landscape has changed, the drive to train and inspire others to create their own sustainable community and defeat hunger is still her passion.

The Friend of the Community Award is given each year by the congregation to celebrate the efforts of volunteers and activists who have made a vital difference in the quality of life in Delaware County. The recipients of the award can be of any faith, but all exemplify the Jewish tradition of Tikkun Olam, or “repairing the world” through charity, volunteerism and dedication to improving the lives of others.

Cantor Benjie Ellen Schiller in Concert on May 18

Cantor Benjie Ellen Schiller performed her own compositions at a gala concert at Bet Am Shalom Synagogue in White Plains, NY, on May 18. In addition to serving Bet Am Shalom as chazan, Cantor Schiller is a professor of cantorial arts at the Hebrew Union College. She is a nationally known composer and a frequently featured soprano soloist with the Zamir Chorales of New York and Boston, the Western Wind Ensemble and Sine Nomine.

Mishkan Ha’am Celebrated 10th year

On March 9, Mishkan Ha’am of New York celebrated its 10-year anniversary. With a membership expanding from Riverdale through Westchester’s Rivertowns, the community has grown to include Shabbat services for all areas, a Hebrew school, adult-ed program, social action activities and innovating programming (including yoga and meditation).

For more information, visit www.mishkanhaam.org or call (914) 478-4996.

Rabbi Susan Falk Joins Kehilat Shalom of NJ

Congregation Kehilat Shalom of Belle Mead, NJ, officially installed Rabbi Susan Falk at a ceremony on April 25. The service featured Rabbi Jacob Staub of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College, as well as the Kol Ahava and Children’s Choir.

Rabbi Falk was appointed to the pulpit of Congregation Kehilat Shalom (formerly the Jewish Community Center of Belle Mead) last August after an extensive search by an internal search committee.

A native of Bergen County, Rabbi Falk received a bachelor’s in English literature from Barnard College, and her rabbinical degree from the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College in 2005. She worked previously as hospice director for the Jewish Family and Children’s Service of Greater Philadelphia.

For more information about the community, visit www.ksnj.org or call the temple office at (908) 359-0420.

Rabbi Sarah Rubin Joins Congregation Ahavas Achim of NH

Congregation Ahavas Achim in Keene, NH, officially installed Rabbi Sarah Niebuhr Rubin at a “very special Shabbat Simcha” held April 25.

Rabbi Rubin, a Seattle native, earned a bachelor’s degree from Ohio State University and a master’s from Indiana University, both in anthropology. She excavated archaeological sites in Ohio, Israel and Turkey, and has taught courses in religion at Temple University and in biology and anthropology at Indiana University, where she received a Teaching Excellence Recognition Award. She was ordained as a rabbi in 2007 at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College.

While at RRC, Rubin was president of the Reconstructionist Student Association. She also worked as a student rabbi, a hospital chaplain, an education resource specialist and a rabbinic intern at a community residence for seniors.

For more information about Congregation Ahavas Achim, visit www.keene-synagogue.org or call the temple office at (603) 352-6747.

Kol Hakavod!

Abbey Alpern of congregation Adat Shalom in Bethesda was featured recently in The Gazette for her creative work collecting recycled material and making unique pieces of art that include sculptures and masks. She sometimes enlists fellow Adat Shalom members to help collect the materials.

Bet Am Shalom synagogue in White Plains, NY, is happy to announce its participation in Tuv Ha’Aretz – a Community Supported Agriculture program launched in partnership with Hazon, a Jewish environmental organization. Tuv Ha’Aretz (which means both “good for the land” and “good from the land”) aims to promote agricultural sustainability by supporting local, organic farmers. The congregation held a Meet the Farmer Night on March 10 to introduce the program to congregants.

Congregation Or Hadash, in the Philadelphia suburb Fort Washington, unveiled a unique Megillat Esther on March 16, commissioned from a scribe and incorporating drawings made by students in its religious school. The sofer, Reconstructionist Rabbi Kevin Hale, used a computer program to graft the children’s images onto fine rice paper that was then affixed to parchment. Hale, who lives in Leeds, Mass., taught a crash course in scroll writing for the kids, as part of the special event.

Darchei Noam of Toronto has moved into its new two-story building. For 15 years, the congregation had rented space at the local B’nai Brith headquarters. The official move was celebrated on Jan. 27, when the 300 members of the congregation, led by Rabbi Tina Grimberg, carried the Torah in a procession from their old address to the new synagogue.

Ye’asher koach to Kehillath Shalom of Cold Spring Harbor, NY, for its work with Project H.O.P.E. (Home Ownership Program for Everyone) to provide low-cost loans to buy and rehabilitate one to four family homes in Huntington, Long Island. After three years of planning, demolition, new house plans, and applying for permits, construction was started on an H.O.P.E. house funded in part through congregants’ contributions.

Temple Beth Hatfiloh of Olympia, Wash., has completed its $13.5 million renovation. The building, purchased in 2003, is now 18,000 square feet and includes seismic and accessibility upgrades; and added office, classroom and meeting space. A dedication celebration for the new wing is planned for June 22.

The members of Temple Beth Israel of Eugene, Ore., are not only counting the Omer—they are also counting the days to the dedication of their new building. On June 8, the final day of the Omer, the congregation will joyfully escort its Torah scrolls from their old home on Portland Street to their new synagogue at 29th and University. All are invited to share memories, blessings, and good wishes.

Tell us about it!

JRF wants to hear about news and upcoming events at your congregation!

Contact Communications Director Lisa Tuttle at ltuttle@jrf.org today.

Ma Nishma - JRF News

JRF News - Ma Nishma for September 2008

September 2008 / Elul 5768 Ma Nishma News from the Jewish Reconstructionist Federation

NATIONAL and REGIONAL JRF NEWS Register for the 42nd JRF Convention Nov. 13-16, 2008 at the Boston Park Plaza Hotel “Transformative Judaism for the 21st Century”

Meet our Newest Affiliate: Or Shalom in San Francisco!

JRF Congregations Welcome New Reconstructionist Rabbis

JRF and RENA at CAJE33

JRF Launches Reconstructionist Curriculum Resource Finder

Special Offers from JRF’s Reconstructionist Press

Camp JRF is Available for Your Special Events

JRF’s Sustainable Synagogue Initiative

Get Out the Vote: Why American Jews Must Vote

Fighting Poverty with Faith: A Week of Action

NY/NJ Region Unites in an Effort to Reach Out to Unaffiliated Over the High Holidays

Join JRF in Brooklyn for Havdalah and Selichot

Active Leadership: Essential Practices for Board Members, A Leadership Orientation

Marketing Your Congregational Message

B’nai Tikvah Dedication Celebration

Kol HaLev Marches Torah to New Home

Oseh Shalom to Honor Cantor

Tell us about it! JRF wants to hear about news and upcoming events at your congregation! Contact Communications Director Lisa Tuttle at ltuttle@jrf.org today.

Ma Nishma - JRF News for July/August 2008

July – August 2008 / Tammuz - Av 5768 Ma Nishma News from the Jewish Reconstructionist Federation

Registration Now Open for the 42nd JRF Convention Nov. 13-16, 2008 at the Boston Park Plaza Hotel

Experience Camp JRF Family Camp!

Tikkun JRF Teen-Parent Week of Service

The Challenge for Camp JRF

Special Offers from JRF’s Reconstructionist Press

Camp JRF is Available for Your Special Events

JRF’s Sustainable Synagogue Initiative

Harmoniyah is Now Part of JRF!

JRF Officially Welcomed at JCPA 2008 Plenum

Get Out the Vote: Why American Jews Must Vote

Fighting Poverty With Faith: A Week of Action

Rabbi Mark Kram Joins Beth Or

Kol Hakavod!

Tell us about it!

Ma Nishma - JRF News for May/June 2008

May-June 2008 / Nisan - Sivan 5768

Ma Nishma News from the Jewish Reconstructionist Federation

In This Issue

NATIONAL AND REGIONAL JRF NEWS

JRF Welcomes Newest Affiliate: Temple Shalom of the South Bay

JRF Leadership Institute: Strengthening Rabbi-President Teams

JRF Signs Multi-Agency Letter to United Methodist Church

Experience Camp JRF Family Camp!

Tikkun JRF Teen-Parent Week of Service

Announcing The Challenge for Camp JRF

Join 42nd JRF Convention on Nov. 13-16 in Boston

Special Offers from JRF’s Reconstructionist Press

Camp JRF is Available for Your Special Events

No’ar Hadash Israel Experience – Make a Difference!

JRF’s Sustainable Synagogue Initiative

Make a Difference for Myanmar Cyclone Victims

Come Share Shabbat in Prospect Park, Brooklyn!

CONGREGATIONAL NEWS

RSNS Celebrating 50th Anniversary Year

Oseh Shalom to Host Shabbat Iyyun

Beth Israel Honors Co-op Leader of Chester, Pa.

Cantor Benjie Ellen Schiller in Concert on May 18

Mishkan Ha’am Celebrated 10th year

Rabbi Susan Falk Joins Kehilat Shalom of NJ

Rabbi Sarah Rubin Joins Congregation Ahavas Achim of NH

Kol Hakavod!

Tell us about it!

September 2008 / Elul 5768

Ma Nishma
News from the Jewish Reconstructionist Federation

NATIONAL and REGIONAL JRF NEWS

Register for the 42nd JRF Convention
Nov. 13-16, 2008 at the Boston Park Plaza Hotel

“Transformative Judaism for the 21st Century”

Tell us about it!

JRF wants to hear about news and upcoming events at your congregation!

Contact Communications Director Lisa Tuttle at ltuttle@jrf.org today.

July – August 2008 / Tammuz - Av 5768

Ma Nishma
News from the Jewish Reconstructionist Federation

Registration Now Open for the 42nd JRF Convention
Nov. 13-16, 2008 at the Boston Park Plaza Hotel

Ma Nishma
News from the Jewish Reconstructionist Federation