Jewish Reconstructionist Federation

In partnership with the New York Board of Rabbis and the major Jewish movements — Jewish Reconstructionist Federation of Metropolitan New York and New Jersey, Orthodox Union, Union for Reform Judaism, and United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism — UJA-Federation of New York’s Caring Commission and SYNERGY are pleased to announce a community Shabbat devoted to emotional health and well-being to be held just after Mental Health Awareness Week in October 2010: Friday, October 15 — Sunday, October 17, 2010 (Parshat Lech L’cha). In preparation for the Shabbat of Wholeness, congregational leaders, both lay and professional, have an opportunity on THURSDAY, MAY 6th, to learn about the resources available for our members and their families, and how to make our congregations most welcoming and comforting to ALL. The RRC's Barbara Breitman will address a panel on Training Rabbis as first responders.

Congregations across the metropolitan area will highlight the ways in which our liturgy, our texts, and our communities can foster hopefulness and connection, while diminishing despair and isolation. This information will help support all of our members and families as they confront some of the most difficult life issues will be provided.  We encourage congregational leaders, mutual support chairs, rabbis, Ed directors and other professionals to attend.

During the MAY 6TH orientation at UJA FEDERATION OF New York, participants will learn about resources available for congregational support and response around issues of mental illness.

Please join us for:

Community Learning Symposium in Preparation for the Shabbat of Wholeness, Holiness, and Wellness

Speakers and participants will share their expertise and experience to expand the ways congregational staff, leaders, and clergy can recognize, acknowledge, and respond supportively to emotional distress, suicidal ideation, and serious family problems. We will focus on helping people of all ages find comfort, inspiration, and strength through their participation in Jewish programs, prayer, and tradition.

By attending the symposium, you will gain:

• Guidance and materials about simple steps and programs each congregation can take to reduce shame and stigma, increase understanding and support, and access existing helpful resources available within the community.
• Programmatic suggestions, text studies, prayers, tzedakah projects, meditations, inspirational and educational materials for organizing your congregation’s own Shabbat of Wholeness, Holiness, and Wellness.
• A deeper understanding of the resources available in the community so you can most appropriately respond to your congregants’ mental- and emotional-health needs.

Many people struggle with depression, debilitating anxiety, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and such self-destructive behaviors as eating disorders and substance abuse. Some will turn to the tradition, to their communities, and to their clergy and educators for a sense of belonging, meaning, and solidarity. Others will withdraw further into isolation out of shame or a lack of hope that their situation will be understood or addressed.

This learning symposium is for clergy, synagogue professionals, and mental-health professionals.

Thursday, May 6, 2010
8:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m

UJA-Federation of New York
Seventh-Floor Conference Center
130 East 59th Street
(between Park and Lexington Avenues)
New York City

To learn more about the community learning symposium, please contact Diane Scherer at schererd@ujafedny.org or 1.212.836.1604 or simply register on the UJA website. This event is free.

Please remember to share with JRF NY/NJ (mschneider@jrf.org) items of interest to which your congregation invites members of our region.  As you may have noticed, JRF NY/NJ has begun sending a bi-weekly newsletter.  If we have your requests with good lead time, we’ll be able to include your program in our newsletter distribute it widely! Thanks!

Saturday, April 10
1:15 PM 

The Society for the Advancement of Judaism presents Mel Scult on “Mordecai Kaplan on Suffering and Evil.”  Kaplan has thought much about the “power that makes for salvation” but what about the more destructive powers in the universe? We all seek meaning but sometimes the meaning breaks down. Religious thinkers throughout history have sought to understand evil and suffering both individual and collective. This talk will attempt to outline Kaplan’s thoughts on suffering and evil and try to present his attitudes in the context of this perennial problem.

Mel Scult is a renowned expert on Mordecai Kaplan.  He is award winning writer and has just completed a major work on Kaplan’s thought entitled “Mordecai Kaplan and His God- An Exploration of Naturalist Judaism.”

SAJ is located at:
15 West 86th Street
New York, NY 

www.thesaj.org

Are you a Jewish educator invested in the future of our earth?
Registration is now open!
www.tevacenter.org/seminar
June 7-10, 2010
Surprise Lake Camp in Cold Spring, NY

Come meet, learn, pray and share with others also passionate about Jewish environmentalism. Join Torah scholars, farmers, educators, students and scientists to engage in contemporary topics of Jewish environmentalism. Participants will leave with curriculum, connections and skills to run Jewish environmental programming at their summer camp.

We offer four curricular tracks:
• Camp and Wilderness: Teach Jewish values through camping, hiking, backpacking, drama and storytelling.
• Ethics and Texts: Debate different approaches to reading texts with a diverse array of Torah scholars. This track includes educators from Hebrew College.
• Congregational Education: Bring Lively and effective Jewish environmental programming to your classroom, congregation or community.
• Organic Agriculture and Educational Gardening: Learn to design and maintain a thriving educational garden. This track facilitated by the Jewish Farm School

New for 2010:
• Teva/JNF educator certification- choose to join a cohort of certified Jewish environmental educators
• Lessons for connecting to Israel though the natural world
• Opportunities for interfaith dialogue

Participants have had this to say:
• “A program that puts you in the mind-set of thinking proactively and positively about changing environmental consciousness and places the values of sustainability and healthy ecology at the forefront.”
• “An outstanding Jewish environmental education seminar that I wish all religious school instructors could attend.”
• “An interesting source of learning for how the environment connects with Judaism and how Judaism connects with me.”

For more information please contact Leora Mallach at seminar@tevacenter.org

For more information about the Seminar, or to register, please go to: www.tevacenter.org/seminar

The Teva Learning Center is proud to offset the costs of the Teva Seminar though Good Energy Initiative and JNF GoNeutral.
Participants will have the opportunity to offset their travel carbon.

For the second year in a row, communities in the New York-New Jersey region welcome newcomers to our High Holiday services. Called “Open Seats,” this effort is part of a two-year regional outreach initiative funded by the UJA-Federation of New York.  Last year, over 300 newcomers attended High Holiday services in our regional congregations.

Open Seats 2009 includes a centralized website: www.highholidayopenseats.com, where each community describes their services and outreach efforts. We are proud that these efforts include holding services in public venues so all can attend, providing captioning for the hearing impaired, and asking for a voluntary donation, rather than selling tickets at a set price.  The updated website will be ready by the end of August.

 read more »

North American Solar and Renewable Energy Campaign in the Jewish Community

The year 5769 (2008-2009) will be the little known Jewish year of “Birkhat HaHammah” the “blessing of the sun.” Every 28 years, the ancient rabbis demarked a time in the Jewish calendar that celebrates the ceremonial return of the sun to its original place in the cosmos during creation.

JRF, as part of a national coalition participated in this rare event to focus on solar power and energy stewardship. Our commitment to a dynamic Judiasm on a Sustainable Planet will continue!  read more »

Cantor Susan Wehle, zl.With the deepest sadness, we want to let you know of the tragic death of Cantor Susan Wehle, who was among those who died in the plane crash of Continental Flight 3407 on Thursday evening, February 12. Susan was a dearly beloved cantor in the Buffalo area, where she previously served JRF congregation Temple Sinai in Amherst, NY for nine years, working alongside Rabbi Jamie Arnold. She was currently serving as cantor at Temple Beth Am, where she had worked for the last seven years.

Calling all teens! Come to the NYC Mini Kallah, January 24-25 at West End Synagogue, New York, NY. This event, co-sponsored by West End Synagogue, The Society for the Advancement of Judaism, and Bet Am Shalom, is a sleepover for teens in grades 8-12 from Reconstructionist congregations all over the east coast and beyond, featuring:

• Havdallah and ‘camp fire’ style song session
  Concert and dance party for all ages, followed by an exclusive teen-only set
• Late night movies and games
• A special NYC outing, including the top-notch NYC pizza
• Catching up with old friends and making new ones
• Our team of dedicated Reconstructionist youth advisors including Education directors and teachers from JRF congregations, local youth workers, and Camp JRF Counselors

For more information please contact Sarah Chandler, West End Synagogue Education Director, 212-579-0777, ext. 222, schandler@westendsynagogue.org. Download and complete the attached registration forms and mail them to West End Synagogue, 190 Amsterdam Avenue, New York, NY 10023.

Our Evening of Celebration in support of Reconstructionist Judaism, our congregations and the JRF is SOLD OUT!.  read more »