kehillat israel koleinu · jewish meditation and spiritual support will resume sunday, march 1, 8,...
TRANSCRIPT
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koleinu “Our Voice” March 2020 Adar/Nisan 5780 volume 20:03
Kehillat Israel Reconstructionist Congregation
Hear ye, hear ye! Fulfill the mitzvah of k'riyah haMegillah (hearing the Megillah of Esther read publicly) at KI on the evening of Monday, March 9 @6PM. There will be much cheering and jeering. Costumes are encouraged but not required. Noisemakers will be available, or
bring your own! Please contact Devorah Fick at [email protected] if you have questions.
INSIDE THIS MONTH
Meditation………………………....2
Tikkun Olam……………………....2
Soup and Schmooze…………...2
Service Schedule………………...2
Rabbi’s Column…...……….......3
Co-President’s Column..........4
Meditation………………………...4
Adult Ed……………………………..5
DGMF Scholarship…….………..5
Birthdays ......…………...…….….6
Great Books….………………….. 6
Board Meeting……...……..…...6
Kivunim……………………………...7
Donations………………..………...8
Hadassah Book Club……..…...9
GLFF Summer Camp…………...9
Purim 2020 The Play’s The Thing….
Come celebrate Purim with the Crosstown Spielers as we perform “La Pur-eme”, based on the 1990’s Jonathan Larson musical “Rent”. If the rehearsals are any indication, there will be tears, laughter, shouting, magic and maybe even a little bit of singing and dancing. Performances will be: Sunday, March 8th at 7 pm at Shaarey Zedek Monday March 9th at 7 pm at Kehillat Israel
SCHEDULE FOR RABBI MOSHE GIVENTAL VISIT March 27-29
Friday evening —Havurah dinner, at which the rabbi will lead Kabbalat Shabbat and/or a song and/or give a brief teaching. Saturday morning
—Lead the Shacharit service —Chant Torah or haftarah —Give a d’var Torah or sermon —Join us for kiddush
Saturday late afternoon/evening —Conduct an adult ed session, lasting roughly an hour (this will probably begin at 5 p.m.) Lead Havdalah —Join us for a catered dinner Sunday morning (Kivunim School) —Help with project time as a partic-ipant/observer —Lead a teaching they have done with children in the past —Meet b’nai and banot mitzvah students Sunday afternoon —Meet informally with parents after school at lunch-and-game time
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Jewish Meditation and Spiritual Support will resume
Sunday, March 1, 8, and 29 12:30-1:30pm
Together we form a circle of spiritual support to develop and enhance our meditation practice and cultivate tools for dealing with life's challenges, healing body and soul, and
deepening spiritual awareness. We draw from both traditional texts and contemporary Jewish spiritual teachings, selected and adapted to the needs of the participants.
SERVICE SCHEDULE
March Shabbat Morning Torah Reading
(10:00 am)
07 Tetzaveh Sim Shalom 14 KiTisa Sim Shalom 21 Vayakhel/Pekude Kol Haneshamah 28 Vayikra Kol Haneshamah
Soup and Shmooze Sunday March 23
Potluck dinner at 6:30 pm Presentation at 7:30 pm
What you should know about GMO’s. Rebecca Grumet speaker.
S&S will be held at Diane Levy’s home.
Arthur Slabosky
Tikkun Olam planning meeting:
Please join fellow KI members on Saturday, March 21st, following Kiddish, to discuss current
and possible future Tikkun Olam projects.
For questions or additional information, please contact Kirsten Fermaglich at [email protected] or Sheryl Groden at [email protected].
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Rabbi Zimmerman's Column
THE PURIM PRIMARY
This year, Michigan’s presidential primary election falls on Purim. Given that the festival of Purim served a vital role of providing merriment and a release from fear during some of the darkest times in Jewish history, I find the juxtaposition compelling. As a long-time Ki-er, I cannot help but think about the Purim story in the light of our annual Purim spiel. Whichever Broadway musical our spielers choose to “massacre” each year and then reshape into something infinitely more rollicking than the original, there are certain “formula” scenes that are always included. One of these is the ball at the palace, where all the eligible maidens in the kingdom dance before the king in the hopes of winning his attention and his wedding vows. The cast invite members of the audience, especially kids, to come up and dance with them, until the stage is packed with viable and would-be candidates for the queenship. It’s that stagefull of candidates that came to mind just now when I googled for the sample ballot in my precinct---15 candidates for president on the Democratic slate, including 5 who have actually dropped out of the race! On the Republican side, one of the four candidates (i.e. 25%) has also dropped out. Then there’s the narrator, who frames the story with lots of corny jokes that have little to do with the action on stage. This to me is reminiscent of the moderators during the numerous candidate debates over the past year, generally skirting vital issues such as climate change, poverty, or the defense budget; except that the framing of the debates is a lot less funny. The intricate interweaving of success and failure in the Purim story reminds me of the shifting positions in the polls, the vacillating postures of the candidates between presenting a united front and sharply attacking their fellow contenders, and the unexpected ways the events in the news cycle strengthen or weaken any particular candidate. In this regard, the most Purim-esque chain of events has played out around the President’s allegations against Joe Biden’s son, which then led to the President’s impeachment, which subsequently resulted in a boost in the President’s popularity. At this time, it is still too early to know how it will all play out, though we should probably expect to hear some references to the whole business during the Purim spiel. The parallels are not all comic. The Purim story has a very dark undercurrent: the Jews of Persia were faced with the threat of annihilation. It was only the courageous action by Queen Esther that narrowly averted catastrophe. We are not in an era when anti-Semitic violence has resurfaced and we all need to take action as responsible citizens to protect ourselves, our fellow citizens, and our democratic institutions. While many, perhaps nearly all of our members are active in various organizations and on behalf of various initiatives, the most important thing we can all do on March 10 is to VOTE, and to encourage others to vote. Finally, the conclusion of the Purim spiel does not as yet have a parallel in this year’s electoral process, but hopefully it will by the end of the year. The final scene of our spiel (unless this year proves an exception) has the Jews of Shushan rejoicing, followed by the cast and audience together singing an anthem in praise of our local synagogues and Jewish community. I certainly hope we will find cause to rejoice, and while we’re not likely to be treated to a scene of all the rivals for the nomination getting up and singing together, I do hope that our community (including our newly formed KI chorus) will rise up together in joyful song and praise this year, and for many years to come.
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I want to give everyone a quick reminder that there are still a few days to vote
in the 2020 World Zionist Congress elections if you have not done so yet. Voting is available online until March 11
th (https://www.zionistelection.org). Reconstructing
Judaism recommends that you VOTE for the ARZA slate. But there are others that might intrigue you as well. Please vote and make your voice heard for the many dollars that WZC spends in Israel.
We had two Rabbi candidates visit us during February; Rabbis Kaufman and
Miller. I hope you were able to attend at least some of the programming with them during their weekends here. At the end of this month Rabbi Moshe Givental will join us during the weekend March 27-29. More details about the events to attend are shared elsewhere in this newsletter. Please RSVP and sign up for food slots at the links provided in the emails you are receiving.
It is hard to believe that it is already March and that Rabbi Zimmerman’s end
time with us is rapidly approaching. We have now scheduled both of our farewell events to honor Rabbi Zimmerman’s time with us. The first event is a dinner to be held on May 2
nd at the Brookshire Inn and Golf Club in Williamston. We decided to
not charge members. But we are seeking donations both small and large to help us cover the cost of the event. You can send them to the KI office with the designation for the Rabbi’s Going Away Party. And the planning process is now going on with a small committee. If you are interested in helping us with the planning, please let Shari Davis or myself know ASAP. More details about the event will be coming your way soon. But reserve May 2nd on your calendar now.
The other event is a special combined Shabbat and Shavuot service on May
30th. We hope to have several guests from the larger Jewish community in Lansing,
as well as others from various spiritual organizations that Rabbi Zimmerman has been involved with over the years. Please join us for this special occasion.
Finally, our famous Purim Spiel will be taking place again this year on March
8th at Shaarey Zedek, and on March 9
th at KI. The Megillah reading will precede the
performance at KI. See you there.
Leon Puttler Co-President
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Adult Ed Beginning and Continuing Prayer Book Hebrew
with Kate Farley will continue on Friday March 6, 20, & 27
3:30 to 5:00 and 5 to 6:30 pm. The beginning class is focusing on
learning the letters and some basic vocabulary. The continuing class
focuses upon actual prayers from the Shabbat service.
Attention—DMG Camp Scholarship Applications
for SUMMER CAMP 2020
will be accepted through March 15, 2020. The Daniel M. Glickman Memorial Fund is available to KI families and students interested in attending a summer Jewish or music overnight camp, or Lansing’s
Camp Gan Israel. You are invited to apply for this scholarship award by submitting a request for funding.
E-mail Karen Glickman at [email protected] to receive an electronic copy of the application. Or, pick up a paper copies on the information table at KI.
The Daniel M. Glickman Memorial Fund gives priority awards to students who
1) are receiving a DMG award for the first time
2) are attending an “away” camp for the first time
3) are attending Camp Gan Israel
Karen and Ken Glickman
and the Daniel M. Glickman Memorial Fund Committee –Stan Kaplowitz, Eileen Heideman, Sara Kalt, Michele Loree’, Leon Puttler, Deb Weiland
How to Sign up for KI Announcemenmts!
Please go to the KI website at kehillatisrael.net and click on the tab that says "announcements" in the top right corner. Click on the tab that appears under the announcement tab that says, 'Sign up for our weekly announcements'. Now you will see a white box with direction to 'Click on the link below to sign up for weekly emails.... ' Click on the link http://eepurl.com/1WUNv"
Contact Katherine at 51-882-0049 with any questions.
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Board Meeting
Wednesday, March 04
6:30 pm
Robin Willner & Leon Puttler, Co-President Ody Norkin, Executive Vice President Sue Morris, Secretary
Stan Kaplowitz, VP for Finance Kirsten Fermaglich, VP for Facilities
Catherine Fick, VP for Religious Affairs Chantal Tetreault, VP for Education Liz Harrow, VP for Programs
Lonnie Barnett, First Trustee Steve Fraiberg, Trustee Doug Moffat, Trustee
Ken Glickman, Trustee Judy Spanogle, Trustee David Wiener, Past President
March Yahrzeit
Toby Slabosky, 6 Adar
Elaine Rayburn, 7 Adar
Burton Leland, 10 Adar
Yetta Balaban, 13 Adar
David Bing, 13 Adar
Beth Zinman, 14 Adar
Selma Appel, 24 Adar
Esther Kessler, 20 Adar 11
Karen Barnett
Karen Glickman
Ken Glickman
Marcia Horan
Max Kahn
Anna Pegler Gordon
Andy Schor
Arthur Seagull
Val Thonger
Jim Zacks
Great Books Monday, March 16
at KI, 2:00 PM.
We will begin reading in our new, "parallel," text, "More Stories We Tell: The Best Contemporary Short Stories by North American Women," edited by Wendy Martin, a paperback published by Pantheon Books in 2004.
We will be discussing the first three stories: "The Lesson," by Toni Cade Bambara; "The Burning House," by Ann Beattie; and "Big Bertha Stories," by Bobbie Ann Mason. I look forward to seeing you in March.
Alan Posner
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KIvunim
On March 21st the Kehillat Israel Tikkun Olam Committee and KIvunim are hosting
shabbat services and a day of learning as part of HIAS’ National Refugee Shabbat. The event builds on the momentum of HIAS’ inaugural National Refugee Shabbat, in which nearly 300 congregations across the United States and abroad participated. This National Refugee Shabbat will be an opportunity to once again raise awareness in our community, to recognize the work that has been done, and to reaffirm our commitment to welcoming refugees and asylum seekers.
With more than 70 million people worldwide who have fled their homes due to persecution and violence, we are now witnesses to one of the largest humanitarian crises in human history. And, yet, in this moment of unprecedented need, the policies of the current administration are grinding the U.S. refugee admissions program to a halt, imposing extreme limits on the ability of asylum seekers to find safety in our country, and cutting humanitarian aid.
As Jews, we unite to reaffirm our foundational belief that it is our duty to welcome the stranger, for we were once strangers in Egypt. Amy Maldonado, a local immigration lawyer who works with detained and separated refugee families, will join us at 1pm to discuss her work and the challenges that face the refugee community.
The Tikkun Olam Committee will hold its meeting after Amy Maldonado’s presentation.
Nicole
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Donations General Fund
Diane Levy in memory of Mark Levy
Carol and Christopher Calkins in memory of Alex Heideman
Glen Ashley in memory of Alex Heideman
Bradley and Carolyn Sherrill in memory of Alex Heideman
Building Fund
Paul and Bettie Menchik in memory of Alex Heideman and
appreciation of Travis, the mechanic, par excellence.
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Daniel Glickman Memorial Fund
Ann Harrison in memory of Alex Heideman
Stephen and Iris Linder in memory of ‘Alex Heideman
Lori and Joseph Wisniewski in memory of Alex Heideman
Barry and Sandra Gross in memory of Alex Heideman
Rabbi’s Discretionary Fund
William Hochman
Susan Farber in memory of Alex Heideman
Ronald and Johanna Balzer in memory of Alex Heideman
Robert and Melany Mack in memory of Alex Heideman
Appel Scholarship Fund
Arthur Slabosky and Robin Willner in memory of Alex Heideman
Amber Fund
Benjamin and Rachael Amber
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Hadassah Book Club
Wednesday, March 25, 2020 12:30 brown bag lunch
Discussion to follow The Book Smugglers: Partisans, Poets, and the Race to Save Jewish Treasures from the Nazis by David E. Fishman Amazon and Abe Books used copies about $14 with free shipping; Available through MeLCat. Discussion Leader: Liz Kaufman
GREATER LANSING JEWISH FEDERATION 2020 JEWISH SUMMER CAMP STIPEND PROGRAM
The Greater Lansing Jewish Federation will again be offering stipends to families sending children to Jewish camps.For Jewish sleep-away camps we will offer up to $200 per week that each child attends, up to a maximum of $600 per child. For Jewish day camps, we will offer up to $100 per week that each child attends, up to a maximum of $200 per child. Maximum per family is $1,200. Whether your child gets the maximum or less will depend on the availability of funds and how many applicants there are for such funds, with priority given to first-time appli-cants. If interested please email our office, [email protected] the following information:
Name(s) and address of parents Names of all children who will be going to camp Name of camp each child will attend Designate each camp as Day camp (D) or Sleep-Away (S), as appropriate Period in which each child will be attending each camp (e.g. July 3-16) Cost of Camp and any subsidies or scholarships received from any other source
We will make our allocations at our April meeting. In order to be sure of being consid-ered, be sure to get your application to the office by April 1. Those families who receive camp stipends are encouraged, if they have not already done so, to contribute to the Federation’s campaign. You may either do so online via http://jewishlansing.org/ or by sending a check to Greater Lansing Jewish Federation.
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Congregation Kehillat Israel
2014 Forest Road
Lansing, MI 48910-3711
Beverly Wiener, Newsletter editor
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