Jewish Reconstructionist Federation

When: Friday, May 23, 8 PM
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.

When: Saturday night, April 5th, 8:00 p.m.
Where: Oseh Shalom Congregation, Laurel, MD.

Craig TaubmanCraig Taubman, a renowned singer and songwriter, will be giving a concert at Oseh Shalom dedicated to Tikkun Olam! This concert is being sponsored by Oseh Shalom Congregation including the Music & Arts Fund, the Social Action Committee, the Mens' Club and the Sisterhood; and Chesapeake Region JRF, Adat Shalom and Beit Tikvah. This concert is appropriate for adults, teens and families.

Download the attached event flyer and help spread the word!

The Chesapeake JRF Regional Council, the Afternoon of Honor Committee, and Chespeake Regional Director Jackie Land are excited to announce the Chesapeake JRF Afternoon of Honor and Celebration, on March 16, 2008 at Savage Mill at 4:30 p.m. We are looking forward to a great event of regional celebration followed by dinner and a social hour.

Invitations have been mailed out. We encourage safe and easy online registrations

This year we are thrilled to be honoring the following honorees from our Chesapeake Region congregations:

• Adam Reese and Rich Scissors from Oseh Shalom
• Judy Young from Columbia Jewish Congregation
• Lisa and Steve Libowitz from Beit Tikvah
• Garry Grossman, Josh Levin and Carol Bloomberg from Adat Shalom
• Beila Organic from the Reconstructionist Havurah of Greater Washington and
• Janet Davis from Mishkan Torah

We are also very excited to be honoring our Regional Cantors and Cantorial soloists with the Tzadik Award for all they do to fill our congregations with music and spirituality: Cantors Charlie Bernhardt, Rachel Hersh Epstein, Phil Greenfield, Jan Morrison and Diane Wacks.

Please join congregation Oseh Shalom in Laurel, MD, on Sunday, January 27 at a Public Forum to discuss issues with representatives from the Democratic and Republican Presidential campaigns.

With the Maryland Presidential Primary taking place Tuesday, February 12, this is a great opportunity to hear from candidate representatives about the issues, ask questions, and review campaign materials. Bring friends and neighbors! Doors open at 2:30 pm.

Help get the word out! Download and post the event flyer attached to this announcement.

For more details, contact member Mark Cook at: mark@markcook.com or (240) 554-2231.

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

The Jewish peace group Brit Tzedek v'Shalom is staging a rally to support the Israeli/Palestinian peace talks which begin in Annapolis, Maryland, tomorrow. Brit Tzedek writes:

For the first time in six and a half years, we actually have real diplomacy happening, led by the United States! And you have a chance to be a part of history! Join Brit Tzedek, along with many other pro-Israel, pro-peace groups, and rally for Israeli-Palestinian peace in Annapolis!

When: Tuesday, Nov. 27th, 1-3pm
Where: Annapolis, MD

Read more on the Brit Tzedek web site.

Hey 8th -12th graders!!!

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

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

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

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

Save the date: Dec. 14-16, Capital Camps, Waynesboro, PA
The theme of this year's Chesapeake Regional Shabbaton is "Prayer, Spirituality and Expressions of Prayer through Reconstructionist Eyes." There will be adult, family and childrens' programming and a concurrent No'ar Hadash Teen Kallah for students in grade 8 and above.

For more information, contact Jackie Land, JRF Chesapeake regional director, at jljrf@aol.com.

On September 9th I was part of a truly joyous simchah – the wedding of Richard Ruth and Jim North, two members of Kol Ami, our Northern Virginia affiliate. It was a perfect day in every sense – the weather was warm and sunny and there was enough joy and ruach (spirit) to fill the whole world.

Rabbi Leila Gal Berner conducted a beautiful wedding service, which, in the best tradition of Reconstructionism, took the “traditional” marriage service and perfectly adapted it for this sacred occasion -- Richard and Jim publicly, Jewishly affirming their love for each other and their commitment to take their two separate lives and combine them into one, new life.

Chesapeake Region of the Jewish Reconstructionist Federation

Chesapeake Region is made up of 7 synagogues and Havurot in Baltimore, the Greater Washington area and Northern Virginia. Congregations include Adat Shalom in Bethesda, MD; Beit Tikvah in Baltimore, MD; Columbia Jewish Congregation in Columbia, MD; Kol Ami: Northern Virginia Jewish Community in Arlington, VA; Mishkan Torah in Greenbelt, MD; Oseh Shalom in Laurel, MD; and the Reconstructionist Havurah of Greater Washington.

Our current officers are President: John Riehl and Vice Presidents: George Stone and Rhoda Ratner.

Chesapeake JRF has many programs during the year including a Shabbat celebration either a local Shabbaton, Retreat in a camp or Traveling Scholar program; an Educators Day; a regional social program and an Afternoon of Honor and Celebration highlighting honorees from our region and synagogue.

We have a monthly newsletter that shares information about National JRF, Regional activities and congregational activities.

For more information, contact Jackie Land, Regional Director at jljrf@aol.com or 301-206-3332.