Western

Welcome to the JRF Western Region's Web page!

Devorah Servi — Wed, 26 Jul 2006 10:04:57 -0400

THE JRF'S WESTERN REGION MISSION

The JRF’s Western Region mission is to build a Reconstructionist Kehillah shel Kehillot. Our “community of communities” will provide an environment that: celebrates and respects each Kehillah's unique minhag (practices), enables each Kehillah to thrive and achieve its goals, while also stimulating connection, communication, and sharing of best practices within the region.

Regional leadership will serve as the first point of contact for Affiliates, ensuring that they become aware of the JRF’s North American initiatives and available resources. Regional leadership will expedite connections to such resources and other solutions and services that affiliate members value as helpful to achieving their objectives. Leaders will also facilitate synergies within the region and seek opportunities for the Western Region to be an integral part of the entire movement’s Kehillah shel Kehillot, with the intention of fostering growth, innovation and inspiration.

Special Thanks to the Planners Team (past and current):

Marlene Bellamy, Dor Hadash
Mark Bregman, University Synagogue
Charlean Clemons, Temple Beth Sholom
Ron Glickman, University Synagogue
Sandy Goldman, B’nai Havurah
Ros Goldstein, Dor Hadash
Andy Gordon, Havurah Shalom
George Greenberg, Malibu Jewish Center & Synagogue
Judith Havas, Temple Beth Sholom
Sheldon Kardener, Kehillat Israel
Rich Levine, Beth Evergreen
Alan Marcum, The Keddem Congregation
Linda Schibel, Kehillat Israel
Devorah Servi, Regional Director
Myrna Sigman, Convention Co-Chair

Some expressions of our mission statement already include:

· The existence, either regionally or subregionally, of education director, affiliate president, and rabbinic “affinity groups” who meet regularly, either by telephone or in person

· Special topic affinity groups on topics such as Leadership Development programs, Capital Campaigns, Strategic Planning, and others to be launched this spring

· Invitations of affiliates to other affiliates, or their leadership, to attend programs or communal simchas (e.g. Havurah Shalom’s recent Scholar-in-Residence program with Dr. Tamar Kamionkowski, Temple Beth Sholom’s fall Torah Trek, and the sharing of Reconstructionist speakers in Southern California’s Reconstructionist Spirituality Institute)

· Referrals to other affiliates in the region who have experience with particular community issues and programs, such as staffing changes, interfaith youth programming, adult education models, creating a positive board culture, planned giving, etc.

Do you have ideas of how to further "live out" the kavannah (intention) of this mission? If so, please contact Regional Director, Devorah Servi at dservi@jrf.org.

Keddem Congregation's 1st Beverly B. Fuchs Memorial Scholar-in-Residence Weekend

Devorah Servi — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 15:57:11 -0400

Start: May 16 2008 - 6:30pm

End: May 18 2008 - 12:30pm

WHO'S THE SCHOLAR: Rabbi Richard Hirsh, author of The Rabbi-Congregation Relationship: A Vision for the 21st Century
and Executive Director of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association

WHERE: All events will take place at Keddem Congregation, 3900 Fabian Way, Palo Alto.

HOW TO REGISTER: Some events require pre-registration; please register by May 1st by contacting us at: 650-494-6400, or by sending e-mail to s-in-r@keddem.org. You are welcome to attend any individual service, meal or talk without attending others on the same day.

SPECIAL THANKS: This event was made possible by a generous donation from Dr. Victor Fuchs.

PROGRAM:

FRIDAY, MAY 16

“If Reconstructionist Judaism Was the Answer, What Was the Question?”

Rabbi Hirsh places Kaplan in his context, the goal being to see what can be extracted from that setting that remains relevant today, in an age of diminishing ideologies and denominationalism.

Service: 6:30-7:15 PM

Dinner: 7:30-8:30 PM (Reservations are required for dinner)

Talk: 8:30

SATURDAY, MAY 17

Torah study 9:00-10:00 AM

Rabbi Hirsh will lead Torah study on the portion of the week

“Meet Me at the Corner of Heart and Mind”

What would Judaism look like if we reconstructed it through an artistic/aesthetic lens of art, poetry, music, theatre, rather than through the prisms of philosophy, theology and sociology?

Service: 10:00 AM

Lunch: 12:00 noon (No charge, but reservations are appreciated)

Talk: 12:45 PM

Havdalah and pot-luck dessert get-together 8:00 PM

A short musical program, followed by informal discussion with Rabbi Hirsh

SUNDAY, MAY 18

“Talk Amongst Yourselves”

"Reconstructionism as ideology" confronts "Reconstructionism as Methodology." What makes a Reconstructionist community different from any other "warm, welcoming, inclusive, egalitarian, democratic" Jewish community?

Bagels and Coffee: 9:30 AM

Talk: 10:00 AM

Dream Fulfilled: Temple Beth Hatfiloh's Growing Congregation Embraces Makeover

Lisa Tuttle — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 16:06:11 -0400

Temple Beth Hatfiloh in Olympia is scheduled to finish its remodeling project this month. The 7,000-square-foot addition on the left houses offices, meeting space and classrooms to better serve members of the congregation. (Steven M. Herppich/The Olympian)by Lisa Pemberton

This article originally appeared in The Olympian and is reprinted with permission.

Members of Temple Beth Hatfiloh in Olympia have envisioned a new synagogue for about 15 years.

"At one time, the (new building) committee was called TBH 2000," said Beth Halpern of Olympia. "When we first started, it seemed realistic."

The dream soon will come to fruition as workers put the final touches on the 18,000-square-foot temple at Eighth Avenue and Washington Street, formerly the home of a Christian Science church.

The temple's $3.2 million capital project - mostly paid for with private donations from the congregation - broke ground in the fall of 2006. It includes:

A complete renovation, including seismic and accessibility upgrades, to the historic, 11,000-square-foot brick building Temple Beth Hatfiloh purchased in 2003.
A 7,000-square-foot addition that houses administrative offices, meeting space and nine classrooms.
Environmentally friendly elements through the site, including a water-wise garden with native plants, salvaged building materials and energy-efficient lighting
and appliances.
New gallery space and several artistic features such as a custom-made aron hakodesh, or holy ark, to hold the congregation's Torah scrolls.
A commercial kitchen with stainless steel appliances and an extra-large social hall.

Rabbi Seth Goldstein said the new synagogue was designed with plenty of kitchen and dining spac e for community events such as today's Blintzapalooza, the

temple's annual charity sale of books, blintzes and bagels.

"A lot of our events have to do around food," he said smiling.

Deep roots

Temple Beth Hatfiloh is Olympia's oldest and largest Jewish congregation; its roots trace back to the mid-1800s, according to congregation president Jeff Trinin.

The only other Jewish temple in South Sound, Congregation B'nai Torah, started as a more conservative offshoot of Temple Beth Hatfiloh. In 2005, it moved into a former evangelical church on Libby Road in north Olympia.

Temple Beth Hatfiloh is affiliated with the Reconstructionist Movement, a branch of contemporary Judaism open to new interpretation and creative forms of

religious expression. Its founding families built their first synagogue in 1938 at Jefferson Street and Eighth Avenue in downtown Olympia, next to the Olympia post office.

"It was a beautiful building," Goldstein said.

During the 1980s and 1990s, the temple's mem bership more than doubled - from 70 families, to more than 160. The 4,500-square-foot synagogue didn't have the capacity to handle the crowd.

"We were very overcrowded where we were," Halpern said.

One of the main issues was lack of classrooms for the temple's religious education program, said Bernie Friedman of Tumwater. Sunday classes were taught in shifts, and teaching areas were carved out of the social hall with 5-foot-high dividers.

The new synagogue features spacious classrooms and two separate libraries - one for children's books and another that includes adult study books and a small chapel.

Accessibility was an issue as well, which is why an elevator and ramps were installed in the building.

"We did, on occasion, have to carry people up the stairs," Trinin said.

And there wasn't enough room to accommodate larger events. For example, High Holiday services were held across town at Unity Church in west Olympia so everyone could attend.

Finding a home

The search for a synagogue has not been an easy one.

In 1996, Temple Beth Hatfiloh purchased land on Olympia's west side to build a new center. But once plans were finished, the congregation learned it would cost more than $10 million to build. Members began weighing other options.

"We looked at churches, we looked at business properties. Anything that seemed like it could work, we looked at it," Halpern said.

One afternoon in the spring of 2003, Halpern visited with Eva Goldberg, the synagogue's matriarch.

"She said, 'Beth, I want you to look at this church, the big white church on Eighth and Washington,'" Halpern recalls. "She said, 'I don't even know if it's for sale.'

"Halpern called her friend Linda Blustein at Interfaith Works and asked about the building.

"She said, 'I can't believe you're asking me. They just said they want to sell it,'" Halpern said.

"We have a term in Yiddish - it's basheret. That just means it was meant to be."

Making the move

The temple bought the building for $580,000, and leased it back to the church for about a year while it prepared for the move. The Christian Science church relocated to its Reading Room in downtown Olympia and began holding services at the nearby State Theater on Fourth Avenue. It's planning to eventually build a new facility on Olympia's west side.

The original synagogue was sold to independent record label K Records for $280,000.

In September 2004, the church officially became a synagogue following a celebration that included singing, dancing, a few blessings and seven circles around the building with the Torah scrolls.

"Right before the High Holidays, we had our dedication," Goldstein said.

Aesthetically, there wasn't much that needed to be done to convert the facility from a Christian church to a Jewish worship space, according to Goldstein.

Prior to the renovation, the only major change was painting over some quotes from the New Testament that had been stenciled on the church's walls, he said.

"One of the things that attracted us to the building was that it was very beautiful and very austere," Goldstein said. "And we felt that we could move right in.

There really wasn't much in the sanctuary that needed to be altered."

Even the church's antique stained glass windows, which don't contain Christian icons, were kept in the sanctuary.

"The windows are gorgeous," Goldstein said. "At the right time of day, when the sun hits them, the room just glows."

Planning for the future

Still, the congregation began planning the facelift and addition as soon as it moved in. The new synagogue was designed with input from the entire congregation, Goldstein said.

Members said they wanted plenty of natural light and performance space. They asked for a building that promoted recycling and reusing, and one with room for community events.

Goldstein said he can't help but think of the temple's founding families and how excited they would be about the new synagogue.

"They never imagined that the Jewish community would be this big - would be thriving," he said.

The building's final artwork should be installed i n the building in May, and plans are under way for a dedication June 22, which corresponds with the congregation's 70th anniversary, Goldstein said.

Many of the temple members, including Friedman, consider the new synagogue a gift for future families.

"It's phenomenal," he said.

"To me, it was a very big honor, a blessing, to be p art of this, to leave the future Judaism of Olympia a wonderful facility."

Lisa Pemberton writes for The Olympian. She can be reached at 360-704-6871 or lpemberton@theolympian.com.

BLINTZAPALOOZA

What: This annual charity blintz, book and bagel sale benefits flood storm victims, Interfaith Works and the Thurston County Food Bank's Backpack Project.

When: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. today

Where: Temple Beth Hatfiloh, 201 Eighth Ave S.E., Olympia

Information: 360-754-8519

Rabbi David Teutsch is Scholar-in-Residence at Congregation Dor Hadash

Devorah Servi — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 17:28:18 -0500

Start: Apr 4 2008 - 7:00pm

End: Apr 6 2008 - 12:00pm

RABBI DAVID TEUTSCH AS SCHOLAR-IN-RESIDENCE AT DOR HADASH
APRIL 4-6, 2008

LIVING A JEWISH LIFE: SPIRITUAL JOURNEY AND MORAL CHALLENGE

Rabbi David Teutsch serves as Director of the Center for Jewish Ethics at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College in Wyncote, Pennsylvania, where he has been a professor of Contemporary Jewish Civilization since 1997. For 25 years, he has been active as a private consultant for Jewish organizations nationwide.
He is the author of numerous books, including Spritual Community: The Power to Restore Hope, Commitment and Joy (2005), and several volumes in the series, A Guide to Jewish Practice, on the topics of Bioethics, the Ethics of Speech, Kashrut and Tzedaka. An additional volume, on Economic Justice and Organizational Ethics, is forthcoming.

Rabbi Teutsch is also the author of a forthcoming textbook on Jewish Leadership and Not-for-Profit Management. He served as editor of the Daily and High Holy Day prayer books published by the Reconstructionist Press (1996 and 1999).

Rabbi Teutsch received his Ph.D. from the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, and was ordained by Hebrew Union College in New York.

THE SCHEDULE OF EVENTS IS AS FOLLOWS:

CONGREGATION TO COMMUNITY: A SPIRITUAL JOURNEY
Rabbi Teutsch has played a central role in shaping the Reconstructionist movement. He will tell his personal story in a way that will explore key episodes in the development of the movement and its philosophy and practice.

Shabbat Service, Friday, April 4, 7:00 pm. Oneg reception following.

THE MARCH OF HISTORY AND THE CYCLING OF RITUAL: PASSOVER, PURITY AND THE POWER OF REDEMPTION
An interactive study session devoted to the week’s Torah portion, Parshat Tazria.

Torah Study, Saturday, April 5, 10:00 am. Refreshments provided.

FAMILY VALUES AND POSTMODERN INDIVIDUALISM: NEW ISSUES IN JEWISH SEXUAL ETHICS
It is not easy to maintain a balanced view of our sexual and gender identity choices. Rabbi Teutsch uses a values-based approach that draws on awareness of contemporary scientific and social scientific data in exploring how we can shed light on these moral challenges.

Saturday Evening, April 5, 8:00 pm. Dessert reception following.

COMMITMENTS OF HEART AND ACTION: THE OBLIGATIONS OF PARENTS TO CHILDREN AND CHILDREN TO PARENTS
We will examine biblical and rabbinic texts as we explore ethical responses to the contemporary challenges that face families.

Sunday Morning, April 6, 10:00 am. Refreshments provided.

All events are free and open to the public. For more information, contact Congregation Dor Hadash at 858-268-3674.

PEARL: Providing Education and Resources for Leadership

Isaac Saposnik — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 15:39:54 -0500

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

Movies and Mitzvot on Christmas: Temple Beth Hatfiloh’s Sing-Along is now Tradition

Lisa Tuttle — Wed, 26 Dec 2007 15:15:29 -0500

Ozi, the son of Rabbi Seth Goldstein, dressed as a zombie from the dream scene in Fiddler on the Roof at the 2004 sing-along. What are your shul’s Christmas-day traditions? For the past few years, the members of Temple Beth Hatfiloh in Olympia, Washington, have gathered for a fun-filled Christmas-day Jewish movie night. Their premiere event in 2004, which featured a showing of Fiddler on the Roof, included a sing-along, costume contest, and a potluck, as well as the now-traditional food and blanket drive benefitting the Olympia Food Bank and other local organizations that support the community.

This year’s film was West Side Story - the romantic Romeo and Juliet adaptation that depicts the inner city New York turf war between the Puerto Rican "Sharks" and the American "Jets." The screening was hosted Beth Hatfiloh’s partner, the Olympia Film Society, which holds special events and shows art house films in its home base at the Capitol Theatre, a local historical landmark located three blocks away from the synagogue, in downtown Olympia.

“It is still a sing-along, but now the only food is OFS’s theater concession stand,” said Temple Beth Hatfiloh’s rabbi, Seth Goldstein, interviewed in Washington's jtnews.net. “We still put the words up using subtitles and have costume contests and prizes. It’s very interactive and a fun way of connecting to the community.”

What makes West Side Story a Jewish movie? Well for starters, the four principals of the movie, Leonard Bernstein, Arthur Laurents, Stephen Sondheim, and Jerome Robbins were all Jewish and, according to the film’s official website, the authors originally intended Maria to be Jewish!

Kehillat Israel's Grand Mortgage Payoff

Lisa Tuttle — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 15:01:53 -0400

Kehillat Israel in Pacific Palisades, CA, celebrated the end of its mortgage with a special weekend of celebrations in early October.

Mazel tov!

JRF Establishes Relief Fund for California Wildfires

Lisa Tuttle — Mon, 29 Oct 2007 10:08:57 -0400

JRF has created a fund to respond to the needs of any of our affiliated congregations that have been impacted by the Southern California wildfires, as well as to organizations that are providing relief to victims. No administrative expenses are taken on these tax-deductible donations

To donate to JRF's Wildfires Emergency Fund, please send checks only, made out to JRF with "Wildfires" in the memo line, and mail to JRF's national headquarters at Beit Devora, 101 Greenwood Avenue, Suite 430, Jenkintown, PA 19046.

Donations may also be made online, however JRF is assessed a small fee for every credit card transaction, therefore we would prefer that you make your donation by check so that every penny goes to the cause. If you do choose to donate online, please note in the comment field that your donation is intended for the Wildfires Emergency Fund.

For further information contact Lisa Kelvin Tuttle, JRF's Communications Director, at (215) 885-5601.

Western Congregations

Devorah Servi — Mon, 03 Jul 2006 09:58:23 -0400

In CALIFORNIA: Chico Havurah; Cong. Dor Hadash, San Diego; Cong. Ner Shalom, Cotati; Havurat Olam, Tarzana; Keddem Congregation, Palo Alto; Kehillat Israel, Pacific Palisades; Malibu Jewish Center & Synagogue; Or Zarua, Berkeley; Sacramento Reconstructionist Havurah; Temple Beth Shalom - South Bay; University Synagogue, Irvine; Whittier Havurah

In COLORADO: Beth Evergreen, Evergreen, CO; B'nai Havurah, Denver, CO

In NEVADA: Valley Outreach Synagogue, Las Vegas, NV

In OREGON: Havurah Shalom, Portland; Temple Beth Israel, Eugene; Temple Beth Sholom, Salem

In UTAH: Chavurah B'Yachad, Salt Lake City, UT

In WASHINGTON: Kadima, Seattle; Temple Beth Hatfiloh, Olympia

Governance

Devorah Servi — Mon, 03 Jul 2006 09:57:34 -0400

JRF WESTERN REGION PLANNERS TEAM

Marlene Bellamy, JRF Board Member-at-Large (Dor Hadash, San Diego, CA)

Mark Bregman, JRF Regional VP (University Synagogue, Irvine, CA)

Andy Gordon, President (Havurah Shalom, Portland, OR)

Ron Glickman, JRF Board Member-at-Large (University Synagogue, Irvine,CA)

Sandy Goldman, JRF Board Member-at-Large and JRF Executive Committee VP

Ros Goldstein, Past President (Dor Hadash, San Diego, CA)

George Greenberg, JRF Board Member-at-Large (Malibu Jewish Center and Synagogue, Malibu, CA)

Barnett Kalikow, JRF Regional VP (Temple Beth Hatfiloh, Olympia, WA)

Rich Levine, JRF Board Member-at-Large (Beth Evergreen, Evergreen, CO)

Linda Schibel, JRF Board Member-at-Large (Kehillat Israel, Pacific Palisades, CA)

Myrna Sigman, JRF Board Member-at-Large (Vail, CO)

JRF REPS

OPEN, Beth Evergreen

Naomi Reshotko, B'nai Havurah

Liz Michelena, Chico Havurah

Dave Wertlieb, Congregation Dor Hadash

OPEN, Chavurah B'Yachad

Roz Witt, Havurat Olam

Sima Kahn, Kadima

Bob Zimmerman, Keddem Congregation

Marty Nislick, Kehillat Israel

Dan Ross, Malibu Jewish Center & Synagogue

OPEN, Ner Shalom

Joan Resnick, Sacramento Reconstructionist Havurah

Richard Levy, Temple Beth Israel

OPEN, Temple Beth Shalom of the South Bay

Wenonoa Spivak, Temple Beth Sholom

Jim Gilbert, University Synagogue

OPEN, Valley Outreach Synagogue