Chesapeake Region's Annual Celebration

Victoria Cangelosi — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 14:15:10 -0500

The Chesapeake Region's Annual Celebration is on Sunday, April 3, 2011 at Oseh Shalom in Laurel, MD from 4:00 pm - 7:00 pm.

We are excited to be honoring members of our congregations and Havurot and special members of our region. The national theme for this year is "Ohel: Together Under One Tent." All of our honorees have contributed to creating a “Big Tent” for Judaism or securing the ohel/tent in their congregations and havurot.

We will also be presenting our special Tzadik Awards to Stan Newman and George Stone, our past regional vice presidents. Both Stan and George have worked hard to make JRF thrive on national, regional and local levels. Stan and George also both campaigned very hard for Camp JRF, in addition to bringing new ideas and programs into our region and into their synagogues.

This year we plan to make the Annual Celebration even more “green” than in past years. Instead of mailing paper invitations, we will be e-mailing invitations through congregation e-mail lists, and attaching copies of the invitation to list serves and in the February and March JRF Chesapeake Region newsletters. At the event, we will only distribute 2 or 3 Tribute Journals per table, but later we will e-mail the journal to all those in attendance. We will be using biodegradable plates and silverware that will be “recycled” after the event.

If you would like to work on the Celebration Committee and help make the Chesapeake Region's Annual Celebration even more successful than in past years, please contact the Regional Director, Jackie Land, at jland@jrf.org.

Look for your email invitations to this event beginning in February. You will be able to register online with a credit card or by printing out the RSVP card and mailing it to the national office, along with your check. Please click here to purchase your tribute or ad. We hope you can join us for this great event.

Chesapeake Region Newsletter - January 2011

Victoria Cangelosi — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 13:57:13 -0500

News from Chesapeake Region of the Jewish Reconstructionist Federation,January 2011!

As I write this newsletter, we are hard at work preparing for the Chesapeake JRF Annual Celebration. This year the Annual Celebration is on Sunday, April 3, 2011 at Oseh Shalom in Laurel from 4:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m. We are excited to be honoring members of our congregations and Havurot and special members of our region. The national theme for this year is Ohel: Together Under One Tent. All of our honorees have contributed to creating a “Big Tent” for Judaism or securing the ohel/tent in their congregations and havurot.

We will also be presenting our special Tzadik Awards to Stan Newman and George Stone, our past regional vice presidents. Both Stan and George have worked really hard to make JRF thrive on national, regional and local levels. Stan and George also both campaigned very hard for Camp JRF, as well as bringing new ideas and programs into our region and into their synagogues.

This year we plan to make the Annual Celebration even more “green” than in past years. We will not be mailing paper invitations. Instead, we will be e-mailing invitations through congregation e-mail lists, and attaching copies of the invitation to list serves and to the February and March Chesapeake JRF newsletters. At the event, we only distribute 2 or 3 Tribute Journals per table, and later e-mail the journal to all those in attendance. We will be using biodegradable plates and silverware that will be “recycled” after the event.

If you would like to work on the Celebration Committee and help make the Annual Celebration even more successful than in past years, please contact Jackie Land at jland@jrf.org. Look for your email invitations to this event beginning in February. You will be able to register for the event by printing out the Response information and sending it to the national office or by registering online with a credit card. We hope you all choose to join us for this great event.

Jackie Land, Regional Director

Chesapeake Region

301-490-0422

jland@jrf.org

The following is an update from our Regional President, John Riehl:

As I write this, we are approaching a critical moment in the history of JRF. As you know, JRF and the RRC are in the middle of intense discussions to create a unified Reconstructionist Movement. Those of you who participated in the recent series of Webinars held by JRF Central and the RRC got the chance to get an update on those discussions, ask questions and raise concerns. Michael Mitchell, President of JRF and the rest of the negotiating committee have reported back to the Board that the comments and feedback they’ve gotten from our affiliates has been of tremendous help in their discussions with RRC. The discussions are ongoing, and everyone is hopeful that a final, unified proposal will go to the Plenum for a vote in early April.

Regardless of whether a new, unified Movement results from these discussions, JRF is very much alive, well, and thriving. There are a series of PEARL – on-line educations that are being offered this year. Camp JRF is 100% full with a huge waiting list – something that seemed inconceivable even two years ago. And, as you can see from our monthly Newsletters, we’ll be having Regional activities – and each of our region’s affiliates has a full slate of programs.

And, once again, we’ll be coming together for our Annual Afternoon of Celebration – this year on Sunday, April 3rd. Once again, we’ll behave special programs, great food, ruach – and we’ll honor people from our affiliates. This year, Stan Newman, from Adat Shalom, and George Stone, from Oseh shalom, will receive our special Tzadik award. Last year, through your generosity and spirit of giving, our Region demonstrated its commitment to JRF by raising a record amount of funds through our Annual Afternoon of Celebration. Once again, this year donors have stepped forward and offered to match contributions made by some of our affiliates. We hope that more of you will consider doing so this year, and that you will continue to express your commitment to JRF by making a generous contribution in honor of our honorees.

Truly, this will be a seminal year in the life of JRF – and of our Region. May it be a Shanah tovah for you, too!

In late December JRF was very excited to be a part of the ceremony when President Obama signed the repeal of “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell”. Rabbi Leila Gal Berner was the JRF representative to this ceremony. The following is an article that was posted on the JRF website.

Congress Repeals "Don't Ask Don't Tell" Military Policy

by Rabbi Shawn Zevit

President Barack Obama signed a landmark law Wednesday, Dec, 22, 2010, repealing the ban on gay men and women serving openly in the military, fulfilling one of his major campaign pledges and casting the issue as a matter of civil rights long denied. The new law ends the 17-year-old policy that forced gay, bi-sexual and lesbian persons to hide their sexual orientation or face dismissal.

The Jewish Reconstructionist Federation has been on record in support of full equality of rights and opportunities for gay men and lesbians since 1984, when our partner seminary, the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College, began admitting openly gay and lesbian applicants. The Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association passed a resolution supporting GLBT rights in 1990 and civil marriage equality in 2004, and the RRA rabbis manual includes same sex wedding ceremony templates. For resources on GLBT inclusion see http://jrf.org/GLBT-Inclusion.

The following paragraph appears in Homosexuality and Judaism: The Reconstructionist Position, a groundbreaking report issued by the Reconstructionist movement in 1993:

"We regard the Jewish values that affirm the inherent dignity, integrity and equality of human beings as having primacy over historically conditioned attitudes... It is our duty to correct the misunderstandings and resulting injustice of the past and to fulfill the Jewish obligation to seek justice."

In appreciation of JRF's support for GLBT rights and inclusion, we were invited to attend the Presidential signing ceremony for the repeal act. Rabbi Leila Berner, a long-time advocate for gay rights and equality, and a well-respected Reconstructionist rabbi serving our member community Kol Ami in Northern Virginia, represented JRF at the signing ceremony and issued the following report:

"Today I was proud to represent the JRF as President Obama signed into law the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Repeal Act of 2010. By my purely unprofessional count, there were about 2,000 people in attendance including many members of Congress, many discharged members of the military (victims of DADT), representatives of hundreds of organizations like ours that had long supported repeal of "Don’ Ask, Don’t Tell" and GLBTQ activists from all around the nation. We gathered at 7:00 a.m., and for about two hours an entirely festive atmosphere prevailed. Someone remarked that he had never seen so many hugs and kisses at a governmental event!" "Many men and women of all ages who had been discharged from the military simply because they were gay or lesbian proudly wore their uniforms and their medals, strangers introduced themselves to each other, and even hugged, and throughout the morning, tears of joy were shed."

"One gentleman introduced himself to me and, seeing my kipa, asked me if I was a rabbi. When I responded “yes,” he smiled and said, “so I guess God doesn’t mind after all!” I told him that I was a lesbian and that I guessed not — and after all, why did God placed us GLBTQ folk on this earth if there weren’t a sacred purpose for us being here." "Another elderly gentleman told me that he had been a high-ranking naval officer for 25 years and was up for the admiralty, but was told in no uncertain terms that because it was known that he was gay, he’d never get there. His buddies didn’t want to “turn him in” and have him lose his pension, so he resigned quietly. At that moment, this square-jawed, still-fit man began to weep. And then we embraced and the tears turned into joyful ones. “But today’s a happy day,” he said. “It is indeed,” I responded. “As President Obama stepped to the podium, the crowd spontaneously broke out in a chant, “Yes, we did! Yes, we did!” — and for an instant, I felt the thrill of hope I have felt at other moments in history — such as the March on Washington, when the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his “I have a dream” speech. I felt that whatever our differences and disappointments in this complex country of ours, we still can move forward – perhaps sometimes at an agonizingly slow pace, but we can progress. This morning, I am proud to be an American once again."

"President Obama delivered an eloquent speech that I truly felt came from his heart. Beginning with a poignant story about a veteran of World War II whose life had been saved by a comrade, only to learn four decades later that he comrade was gay, the President concluded the story by saying that the son of the soldier who had been saved (now deceased) was in the audience. He had come a long way to thank all the GLBTQ soldiers who had come along since “Andy,” the gay soldier who had saved his father — and enabled his own life to unfold."

"President Obama spoke about what it means to live with freedom and integrity, and about the presence of gay soldiers on the battlefields of the American War of Independence, Gettysburg, Europe during World War II, in the Pacific and in all the wars our country has fought and is currently fighting. The President reiterated his theme of diversity – e pluribus unum – out of many, one people here in America, irrespective of sexual identity, gender, race, religion, creed.” I am proud that the Jewish Reconstructionist Federation has been at the forefront of the Jewish world in supporting the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and GLBTQ rights. More than two decades ago, I was able to fulfill my dream of becoming a rabbi because of Reconstructionist stance on equality. This is one of the reasons I proudly remain a Reconstructionist today."

Rabbi Fred Dobb, Rabbi of Adat Shalom Congregation in Bethesda, MD, forwarded these words to us and with his permission, we share them with you: "Mazel tov, all, for our own groundbreaking efforts and for JRF's stellar coalition work which earned us this invitation. The DADT repeal vote was on Shabbat -- the same day that our bar mitzvah boy happened to be Rep. Sander Levin's grandson, and thus Sen. Carl Levin's grand-nephew. Senator Levin had sent last-minute regrets, since the procedural (substantive) vote would be that morning. We also gave a same-sex couple an aliyah for their anniversary that morning, and at that time shared from the bimah that any senators who'd have otherwise been at the bar mitzvah had a 'pass' to miss it, in light of the avodat hakodesh (holy work) that they were doing! The bar mitzvah boy did a magnificent job, and our focus remained on him and on Shabbat. Later, at the family's party downtown Senator Levin and his wife Barbara entered, and received a huge round of applause when it was shared that the procedural hurdle had cleared, but that he had to be back in the senate for the 3pm final vote which was now pro-forma!"

Rabbi/Chaplain Arnie Resnicoff's invocation at the signing of the repeal of the DADT law:

O Lord who made a world of change,
You challenged us to mend, repair, and change the world.

...Some lose faith and think that things will never change,
But we Americans – of every faith – religious faith or not –
...Refuse to give up hope or abandon that most American of dreams:
That we can make a difference, and that the future can be better than the past.

Today we make a change as President Obama signs this bill to law.
Today we recall that unity, not uniformity, is our goal,
That we need not fear differences
Among those united to defend our nation’s freedoms and its dreams.

Today we honor ALL brave men and women,
Including those who served so long without the honor they deserved.

O Lord our God, and God of generations past,
Help us move forward,
Toward a nation a little more united, more indivisible,
A union a bit more perfect, founded on a great deal more respect.

Let us pray that if the day has not yet dawned
When we can see the face of God in others
Then we see, at least, a face as human as our own.

Lord, help us keep faith the day will dawn
When justice flows – for ALL – like mighty waters,
When liberty will be proclaimed throughout the land,
When every man or woman can stand tall,
And none shall be afraid.

And may we say,
Amen.

Local Progams and Opportunities- Plan to Participate!

Join Adat Shalom on January 28th and 29th for their Annual Shabbaton

An Exploration of the Hasidic Spirit with Rabbi Nehemia Polen

Shabbaton Schedule

Friday night, January 28

6:30pm Kabbalat Shabbat & Maariv

7:15pm Shabbat Dinner (*by reservation only – to reserve dinner, go to www.adatshalom.net and click on “welcoming Shabbat” on the menu bar)

8:15pm All are welcome to hear Rabbi Polen’s Talk: Introduction to Hasidic spirituality: tales, teachings and melodie

Shabbat morning, January 29

9:30am Shacharit

Rabbi Polen’s D'var Torah: Intimacy With God: The Torah's Embodied Spirituality

1:30-2:15ish Rebbe's Tisch – join with Rabbi Polen, Hazzan Rachel and others for teachings, songs, nigunim (melody without words as prayer) and bentsching (grace after meals.)

2:30-4pm – mini-sessions – choose one:

The Hasidic Tradition, Neo-Hasidism and Their Impact on the Reconstructionist Movement led by Joel Kaufman
Meditation with Jewish Sources
Restorative Yoga led by Hazzan Rachel
Guided Neighborhood walk

4-4:30pm snack/seudah shlishit

4:30-6pm

Rabbi Polen’s Shiyur: Building Sacred Community: A comparison of Biblical and Hasidic approaches to enriching our personal and communal quests for meaning
Hasidic stories and songs for kids (ideally grades K-3)

6:30pm - Havdalah/short Melaveh Malkah – all are welcome for songs and prayers to escort Shabbat out for the week.

*Babysitting will be available during the Shabbat morning and final (4:30pm) Shabbat afternoon sessions.

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Join Rabbi Doug Heifetz for the Oseh Shalom “Roots, Rocks & Writings” Israel Encounter this summer, from July 23rd-August 4th.
Experience the Land of Israel as the ultimate guide to the Jewish past, and the texts of our ancestors as a guide to the Land. This trip is perfect for first-time Israel travelers and repeat visitors seeking to deepen their experience of Jewish history, texts and antiquities. For more details, please see the documents available on the Oseh Shalom website (www.oseh-shalom.org) or contact Rabbi Heifetz (RabbiHeifetz@Oseh-Shalom.org).

Trip highlights include, among many others:     * Tour the archaeological site of Tzipori, the founding place of post-biblical Judaism and the ‘ornament of all the Galilee.’
    * Walk the walls of Jerusalem and experience the wonder of its many ancient sites     * Explore the mystical city of Tzfat and learn of its importance in Kabbalah and Jewish thought.
    * Enjoy a jeep tour of the Golan Heights, taste wines at one of best wineries, witness efforts for Arab-Jewish coexistence, experience Bedouin-style desert hospitality, participate in a Palestinian drumming workshop, engage in unique and innovative Shabbat worship opportunities, and much more.
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Tikkun Olam Information from JRF Central

For information about special Tikkun Olam programs for this year check the Tikkun Olam section of the JRF website.

Updated info on fires in Israel, including drought background is at: http://jrf.org/Israel-Forest-Fire

Tu B’shvat is celebrated this year on Wednesday night January 19th and Thursday the 20th. The New Year of the Trees is a perfect time to buy trees to help reforest Israel.

General Tikkun Olam information: http://jrf.org/to/jrf-tikkun-olam-2010-11

Thanks for your help and cooperation. I hope to see you at our upcoming events.

If you would like to publicize a future event, please send it to me by the 5th of each month.

Kol Tuv!

Jackie

Jackie Land,
Chesapeake JRF Regional Director
301-490-0422Please note my new telephone number!
jland@jrf.org

Welcome to our newest Reconstructionist communities!

Victoria Cangelosi — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 15:29:06 -0400

JRF is thrilled to welcome Kol HaLev as our newest and second Reconstructionist community in Baltimore, Maryland!

Kol HaLev’s roots go back to 2006, when a small group of founders began a dialogue with Geoff Basik, a rabbinical student who was then completing his final year at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College. Together, they decided to form a new Reconstrucitonist community around Geoff Basik once he had completed his rabbinical studies.

Kol HaLev began holding regular services in the homes of the founding members and also used space in a function hall at the St. Johns Episcopal Church in Mount Washington. The first High Holy Day services were held in the fall of 2007 and drew about 100 attendees. Due largely to word of mouth, the congregation has grown from the original 20 founding member households to about 70 households today. As a result, they outgrew the space at St. Johns, and now hold services at Brown Memorial Woodbrook Presbyterian Church in Baltimore.

The composition of the membership has shifted to include more young families, so in 2009, they established a children’s school. They also attract an increasing number of inter-faith families who have seek a synagogue community where they feel comfortable and welcomed. Kol HaLev members have formed new interest groups for “social action,” kabbalah study, and cultural activities, indicating the increasing maturity and activeness of the community.

So please join us in welcoming Kol HaLev Baltimore as the second Reconstructionist community in Baltimore, joining our long-standing affiliate Beit Tikvah (http://www.beittikvah.org/), to the Chesapeake Region and into the Reconstructionist Movement!

Living Wages - Adat Shalom cited as model congregation

Rabbi Shawn Zevit — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 13:00:42 -0400

Pushing for Better Wages, Not Necessarily Giving Them: Conservative Leaders Support ‘Living Wage’ and Magen Tzedek, but So Far Little Change at Shul

Published October 07, 2009, issue of October 16, 2009,

Full article at http://www.forward.com/articles/116270/,Excerpt on JRF congregation Adat Shalom, Bethesda, MD http://www.adatshalom.net/, One synagogue that did systematically decide to pay a living wage is Adat Shalom, a Reconstructionist congregation in Bethesda, Md. The rabbi at Adat Shalom, Fred Scherlinder Dobb, raised the issue in 2001 — eight years before Jacobs’ teshuvah passed — when the Washington, D.C., City Council passed a living wage ordinance. Scherlinder Dobb faced opposition from the congregation president at the time, Judith Gelman, who is an economist.

“As an economist I thought it would break the bank,” Gelman said, looking back.

Scherlinder Dobb did not give up. His board calculated that paying two janitors a living wage would cost $8,000 extra a year — 1% of their annual budget, or $35 per member each year. For the janitors at the time, this meant $10.20 an hour with health insurance, or $11.80 without. The congregation ultimately reached this standard by raising more revenue and reshuffling its budget priorities.

The executive director at Adat Shalom, Sheila Feldman, said that she tried to promote what Adat Shalom had done at meetings of executive directors from synagogues across the Washington area — but she always heard that the other synagogues could not afford it.

“Believe me, my synagogue was in no better shape than theirs,” Feldman said.

One person who was eventually convinced was Gelman, the economist and executive director. She said she was surprised by the benefits that the move brought to the synagogue — most of all the quality of the employees who were attracted, and the lack of employee turnover. She also heard from one janitor who went to a doctor as soon as he got health insurance, and ended up catching a life-threatening illness early.

“To this day,” Gelman wrote in an essay about her experience, “he says that the congregation saved his life.”

See

http://jrf.org/living-wage,

http://jrf.org/omer/2006/4/living-wage-handbook,

http://jrf.org/resources/files/Tikkun%20Olam-Liebling.pdf,

http://jrf.org/files/PEARL%20-%20Tikkun%20Olam.pdf,

Contact Nathaniel Popper at popper@forward.com

Report From Richard and Jim's Wedding

John Riehl — Sat, 31 Mar 2007 21:57:00 -0400

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.

In his beautiful and moving D’var torah during the Shacharit service just before the wedding, Richard spoke of all of us who were at the service being the “sound of a shofar, breaking up a confining reality in need of braking up, so that We and all G-d’s children can have a space in which to live … Two grooms, multiple voices – a new kind of joy and an expanded opportunity for gladdening.” “Kol chatan v’kol chatan v’kol Kehilah – the voice of two grooms and the voice of the entire community” came together as one in joyous celebration on September 9th.

Mazal tov to Richard and Jim and mazal tov to Rabbi Leila and Kol Ami, which created a simchah that truly embodied all the best and highest values of the Reconstructionist movement!

Chesapeake JRF

Jackie Land — Mon, 12 Mar 2007 11:40:21 -0400

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.

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