Midatlantic

Mishkan Shalom "One Book Miskhan" Panel Discussion this Sunday

Lisa Tuttle — Fri, 02 May 2008 12:03:30 -0400

When: Sunday, May 4th, 10 - 11:30 am
Where: Mishkan Shalom Synagogue, 4101 Freeland Avenue, Philadelphia

Tamar KamionkowskiLisa Kelvin TuttleThe Mishkan Shalom library committee's Third Annual "One Book Mishkan" series — drawn from the themes related to Richard Friedman's Who Wrote the Bible — will host its ever popular panel discussion this weekend. This year's panel is convened by biblical scholar S. Tamar Kamionkowski, Ph.D., and Lisa Kelvin Tuttle.

Dr. Kamionkowski is Vice President for Academic Affairs and Academic Dean, Chair of the Department of Biblical Civilization and Associate Professor of Bible at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College. Ms. Tuttle is Communications Director for the Jewish Reconstructionist Federation and editor of Reconstructionism Today. An active member of Mishkan Shalom, she is a coordinator of the congregation's Shabbat morning Torah study.

The panelists will each discuss the influence of the historical-critical approach to reading the Bible on their own faith, and then the floor will open to questions. The panel will be moderated by longtime library committee member Dr. Adam Blistein, Executive Director of the American Philological Association.

This event is free and open to the public and will be followed by a reception.

For more information e-mail library@mishkan.org or call Lillian Sigal, Chair at 610-642-2376.

Reconstructing the Megillah: Or Hadash Commissions First Truly Reconstructionist Megillat Esther

Lisa Tuttle — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 11:48:30 -0400

Rabbi Kevin Hale laying out the Megillat Esther scroll

An Unusual Megillah
By Marissa Brostoff

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

The Scroll of Esther is getting a makeover from several kids in Pennsylvania, a Reconstructionist scribe and a computer graphics program.

Congregation Or Hadash, a small Reconstructionist synagogue located in the Philadelphia suburb of Fort Washington, has commissioned a sofer to create a megillah that incorporates drawings by students in its religious school.

"We are creating the first truly Reconstructionist megillah," said Rabbi Joshua Waxman, who leads Or Hadash. (To boot, Hale is the first ordained Reconstructionist sofer.)

"It's a kosher scroll, and we use the traditional text, but we engage with it and try to inject our own voices into it and experience it as something fresh."

The megillah project was conceived partly as a celebration of the congregation's 25th birthday. But Waxman was adamant that it would not be an ordinary present.

"It's easy to commission something," Waxman said. "It would have been easy to make a few phone calls to our more generous donors, but instead we invited everyone to help underwrite it for $1.80 a letter. I find it faintly distasteful when synagogues virtually auction off ritual items - you know, 'You, too, can own the Song of the Sea for $15,000.'"

To Waxman and some of his congregants, it also seemed too easy to let a sofer do all the work. So religious-school students were encouraged to submit illustrations of scenes from the Purim story, including "Vashti saying 'no,'" "Mordechai at the gate refusing to bow down," and "Haman being led to the stake."

The result, a range of 20 colorful drawings by artists aged between 5 and 14, was compiled by Hale and grafted onto parchment next to the appropriate portions of text. "It's really an illuminated manuscript," Hale said.

Further enlivening the text, Hale inscribed the names of key characters of the story in different colors. Haman's name - which, Waxman pointed out, is often set aside in traditional megillot to give cantors a chance to work up the contempt with which they must utter it - is in red; Esther's is in green, and Mordechai's is in blue.

Despite the unusual features of this megillah, those involved in its production say it's kosher. "The rules for writing a kosher scroll are more flexible in this case, because nowhere in the megillah is the name of God mentioned," said Gail Morrison-Hall, an art teacher and Or Hadash member who coordinated the scroll-making project.

The scroll was set to be unveiled at a celebration at the synagogue yesterday, four days before Purim. Hale, who lives in Leeds, Massachusetts, was slated to be on hand to teach a crash course in scroll-writing for the congregation's kids. "Who knows, maybe it will inspire a future scribe," Waxman said.

PRAYING WITH LIOR plays Philly starting March 14!

Lisa Tuttle — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 10:47:54 -0500

Lior Liebling and Rabbi Shawn Zevit"CRITIC'S PICK! The extraordinary life of Lior Liebling . . . touching!"
--Jeanette Catsoulis, The New York Times

WATCH THE TRAILER

Praying with Lior asks whether someone with Down syndrome can be a "spiritual genius." Many consider Lior close to God-- though he's also a burden, a best friend, an inspiration and an embarrassment, depending on who is asked and when. As this moving and entertaining documentary moves to its climax, Lior must pass through the gateway to manhood - his Bar Mitzvah.

After scoring Audience Awards for Best Documentary at THREE film festivals, glowing reviews from the New York Times to ABC News, and a smashing box office open in New York, Praying with Lior comes home.

A valentine to the Philadelphia community, Praying with Lior will open at the Bala Theater on March 14th. Turnout opening weekend determines the length of the run, so come early and spread the word to your synagogue, church, facebook pals, women's group, men's group, book club!

Stars Lior Liebling, Anna Liebling, Rabbi Mordechai Liebling and Lynne Iser, as well as director Ilana Trachtman will be at the theater at different screenings opening weekend for Q & A.

The Bala Cinema is located at:
157 Bala Avenue
Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004
(610) 668-4695

Buy tickets!

STAY TUNED FOR MORE INFO!

The critics have been SO NICE...

From the New York Times to IndieWire, the Forward to ABC News.&n bsp; Read clips

Report from the First Harmoniyah Retreat - November, 2007

Rabbi Margot Stein — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 16:26:21 -0500

Harmoniyah Steering Committee(L-R, rear) Barry Brian (Or Hadash), Elaine Moise (Kedem), Cantor Rachel Epstein (Adat Shalom), Doris Dyen (RRC, Dor Hadash), Rabbi Shawn Zevit (JRF), (L-R, Front) Barbara Nordstrom-Loeb (Mayim Rabim), Lauren Resnick (Dor Hadash)

Music is flowing in the Reconstructionist movement! Voices raised with kavanah, moving renditions of favorite classics, and brilliant interpretations of liturgy seamlessly intermingle with fresh explorations of the meaning of God, Torah and Israel in their broadest sense.

The November, 2007 retreat of Harmoniyah: The Reconstructionist Music Network brought together more than 40 music-lovers from 20 congregations in the US and Canada. During three days of davenning, singing, jamming, and workshops, we shared new ideas and practical tools for enriching congregational worship with music from a wide variety of genres. We opened up the conversation about where our music comes from and where we think it is going. We talked about core texts and prayers, about choirs and communal music making, about the role of traditional nusah (HWD) and bold new melodies, about chanting and about electronic instruments, about Shabbat and healing services.

At the Saturday night kumsitz, a full array of musical styles was on display, from chant, blues and folk-rock to Ladino, Yiddish and klezmer offerings. And at the Sunday night panel discussion, which I had the privilege of moderating, we explored such issues as:

Can the Ashkenazic modes and melodies of many a childhood comfortably share space with Sephardic and Yemenite rhythms? Rachel Hersh Epstein’s Psalm 150 experiments with this question, producing a difficult (for us Westerners) but exquisite take on the popular sing-along psalm. As to the future, her prediction: funky fusion sounds.

Liz Bolton treated us to 8 or 9 different melodies for the Reader’s Kaddish. Many of them were easily recognized by the participants (High Holiday evening, Shabbat and so on). We did get stumped, though, on the particular nusah (HWD) for shelosh regalim between maftir and haftarah!

By being intensely personal, Shefa Gold hopes to be simultaneously universal. She spends a great deal of time with a single phrase, seeking its deeper meaning so that she can come into relationship with it before setting it to music.

Shawn Zevit believes that the leader who wishes to bring musical change must appreciate who we already are musically. Our grandparents and our childhoods are powerful influences on us all, and Shawn treated us to some of his family’s unique melodies.

What’s clear is that having a nice voice and enjoying leading congregational singing doesn’t itself prepare you for spiritual leadership and pastoral caregiving. In MIRAJ’s workshop on healing services, one of my goals was to teach lay people who sing to also lead, because the role will often be thrust upon them by virtue of their musical talent. What’s more, healing services and bedside rituals are powerful, private moments of spiritual transition that can profoundly benefit from a compassionate musical presence. Just as in other aspects of our rabbinates, the “conscious use of self” is essential. MIRAJ “consciously uses” itself in a model of shared spiritual leadership. We assert comfortably, yet yield effortlessly, whether teaching, leading joyous musical services, or giving a concert. There’s a dynamic flow among our voices. Harmony down below, in the service of creating harmony up above. Ken yehi ratzon!

Harmoniyah's web page.

This article appeared in a slightly different form in the December issue of the RRA Connections, the newsletter of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association.

Robert Glatzer: from Kol Emet in Yardley, PA

Rabbi Liz Bolton: Congregation Bet HaTikvah, Baltimore, MD

Rabbi Shawn Zevit

Praying with Lior: Film Wrestles with Judaism, Disability

Lisa Tuttle — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 14:46:10 -0500

Lior with Rabbi Shawn ZevitAn engrossing, wrenching and tender documentary film, Praying with Lior, is debuting around the world and receiving rave reviews and was the highest grossing independent film its first weekend in New York.

The film tells the story of Lior Liebling, a member of congregation Mishkan Shalom in Philadelphia, whom his community calls "the little rebbe." Lior has Down syndrome, and has spent his life praying with utter abandon. As Lior approaches bar mitzvah, the movie poses difficult questions such as What is disability? And who really talks to God?

Read the New York Times story about the film and
an interview with director Ilana Trachtman on the NY Jewish Film Festival blog.

Praying with Lior show times

PEARL - Using the Web and Newsletters for Successful Community Building and Engagement

Isaac Saposnik — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 16:38:21 -0500

Start: May 14 2008 - 7:00pm

End: May 14 2008 - 8:30pm

Join us for PEARL: Providing Education and Resources for Leadership.

In the fast paced and ever-changing world of technology and marketing, congregations must be innovative in order to effectively reach out to their congregants. Using best practices and new models for engagement, this workshop will highlight exciting models for sharing the ongoing life of your congregation, enhancing your website and newsletter, and using both to mobilize members to be active in the community.

This session will be offered in-person for congregational leaders in driving distance of the JRF offices at Beit Devora (Jenkintown, PA).

Click here to register for this and other PEARL sessions.

PEARL - How Do We Run a Successful Congregational Fundraising Event?

Isaac Saposnik — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 16:36:47 -0500

Start: Apr 2 2008 - 7:00pm

End: Apr 2 2008 - 8:30pm

Join us for PEARL: Providing Education and Resources for Leadership.

Planning a fundraising event can be nerve-wracking: What will be successful? How much will members contribute? Who will organize the details? Will members resist being asked for additional funds? What is a reasonable scope for our event? Alleviate your nerves – and those of your congregation – by exploring answers to these questions, and more.

This session will be offered in-person for congregational leaders in driving distance of the JRF offices at Beit Devora (Jenkintown, PA).

Click here to register for this and other PEARL sessions.

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

Mitzvah Day at Kehilat HaNahar in New Hope, PA

Lisa Tuttle — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 10:58:34 -0500

From left: Michael Rothblat of New Hope, Brett Ackerman of Doylestown and Nell Sweeney of PenningtonKehilat HaNahar of New Hope, PA, held a successful Mitzvah Day on Oct. 21. That day, the community:
• Packed 500 lunches for a Trenton-area soup kitchen
• Cooked 65 meals for the Aid for Friends organization
• Sent care packages to 61 members of the New Jersey Air National Guard 108th Air Refueling Wing, stationed in the Middle East
• Signed people up to assist with HOPE (Helping People Every Day) and NOVA (Network of Victims Assistance)
• Enrolled people in the CROP walk in Lambertville

The activities were funded through a grant from the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia.

For additional resources on hunger and poverty see: http://www.jrf.org/hunger

Experiential Learning, Barbie Dolls, and Fondue: The Biennial Reconstructoinist Educators of North America RENA Conference

Sarah Chandler — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 15:35:25 -0500

Educators at November, 2007 RENA ConferenceSome say I just was looking to see some beautiful fall foliage. Others know that I have a soft spot in my heart for carved wood synagogue sanctuaries. Yet others might suppose that as a shul-hopper, I decided to take a few days to check out Congregation Or Hadash in Fort Washington, Pennsylvania. In fact, I went to Fort Washington on a mission: to learn from and connect with other education directors of Reconstructionist Congregations.

The theme of the RENA conference was “Experiential Learning” with a focus on how to incorporate the style of programming from Camp JRF into our schools and congregational education models.

Our first session focused on using theatre in the classroom. Alana Sklover, the facilitator, a former Camp JRF counselor and current RRC student, presented a variety of creative ways to teach Hebrew, Bible and prayer through movement and interactive competitions. The opportunity to be silly with my colleagues really broke the ice, as well as opened us up to new ways of making learning exciting and interactive. We even had a sharing session at the end where we exchanged best practices in the areas of Hebrew games and kinesthetic activities.

Gidon Isaacs, Education Director of the SAJ, and I facilitated the second session on incorporating film into the classroom. We studied texts by Mordecai Kaplan on the topic of how studying history can influence Jewish identity. Then we watched a short film called “The Tribe” which brought out these themes in a modern context. The film traces the story of the Barbie doll, created by a Jewish woman, to suggest some answers about American Jewish identity. After the film, we engaged in a lively debate about how to focus our curriculum so that we can reach our students who only come to our classes a few hours a week. Each education director shared both challenges and successes on this topic.

During the second day of the conference, we were treated to a session on the music of Camp JRF. Our facilitator, RRC student and former Camp JRF educator and songleader James Greene taught songs and shared a variety of theories on music education. From sharing the top songs of the summer (yes, the campers voted) to enlivening the room with creative new tunes for prayer, each participant left with a new perspective on how music can enhance our schools.