The question of how to combine

Transcription

1 Volume 43 Number 8 May 2013 Iyar/Sivan 5773 From the Rabbi s Desk The question of how to combine technology with teaching is nothing new. There is a well-known Hasidic story from the turn of the last century where the disciples ask their teacher, what can we learn from the invention of the train, the telegraph, and the telephone? The rabbi answers: From the train we can learn that in one moment everything can be lost, from the telegraph we can learn that every single word counts, from the telephone we can learn that whatever we say here is heard there. How would I update this story for the turn of this century? What can we learn from the invention of the smart phone, blogs, and Twitter? From the smart phone, we can learn that despite multitasking, we still can t dance at two weddings at the same time. From blogs, we can learn the power of being anonymous, which can empower us to say the important things that need to be said or can make it hard for us to remember to be a mensch. From Twitter, we can learn that a lot of information is shared in just 140 characters and that information is recorded for posterity. Technology can add so much to our teaching. Now that KAM Isaiah Israel has made the decision to move our mid-week Hebrew program to a distance learning program that we call Ivrit@Home, I am very excited that Ivrit@Home is working for our families and helping us to accomplish our education goals. But we shouldn t be so quick to congratulate ourselves. All we are doing is shifting one element of our Religious School program to the computer, not changing how our students are really learning. There is nothing new about a teacher working with a child individually. Ivrit@ Home makes one-on-one instruction possible for every one of our students, but there is nothing new here. We are not even scratching the surface for what could be accomplished with technology. In the Mishnah we read that each of us should see ourselves as if we had been redeemed from Mitzrayim, as if we had experienced the Exodus. What are the possibilities of recreating that experience for each of our students and ourselves using technology? We already tweet the Exodus, blog the Exodus, put pictures of the Exodus on Instagram and Pinterest. We can make videos or use animation to tell the story. What if we developed a role-playing game about the Exodus? What could be possible in the future, using virtual reality to recreate the crossing of the Sea of Reeds? The last thing that I want to add is something Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel said about the role of the teacher. Because no matter what technology we use, whether quill on parchment, or printing in books, or writing in chalk on a chalkboard or sending out Tweets Everything depends on the person who stands in front of the classroom. The teacher is not an automatic fountain from which intellectual beverages may be obtained. The teacher is either a witness or a stranger. To guide a pupil into the promised land, the teacher must have been there themselves. When asking themselves: Do I stand for what I teach? Do I believe what I say?, the teacher must be able to answer in the affirmative. What we need more than anything else is not textbooks, but textpeople. It is the personality of the teacher which is the text that the pupils read; the text that they will never forget. I have been privileged this year to be in both our Religious School and our Nursery School. We are blessed to really have faculty that are text-people in both of our schools and I have enjoyed working with them as much as possible. Please come to Teacher Appreciation Shabbat Reishit on Friday, May 3 at 6 p.m. as we celebrate our teachers. COMING IN JUNE Mark Your Calendar for the Annual Meeting on June 7 and Tribute to Rabbi Appel on June 14. See page 3 for more information.

2 President s Report Dear Congregation, This will be my last monthly letter to you as your president. While the past three years have had some significant challenges, I have thoroughly enjoyed your support and friendship. My last report to the congregation will come June 7 at the Annual Meeting. I hope that you will come and welcome Robert Nevel as our new president. We have remained busy during these last months - recruiting a new rabbi, organizing an exciting fundraiser and establishing the musical components for the High Holidays this coming September. It is my pleasure to announce that Cantor Deborah Bard will be joining Rabbi Reeves for our High Holidays services. I hope that you will all come to welcome the new year with both of them...and bring your friends. EDITOR S NOTE The next bulletin deadline is: Monday, May 6 for the June/July bulletin Dan Mass, President KAM Isaiah Israel Slate of Officers and Directors Officers President: Robert Nevel Vice Presidents: Alan Berger, Amy Gelman, Leslie Kay Secretary: Leslie Stulberg Treasurer: Ron Bauer Board of Directors ( term) Ernestine Austen Addison Braendel Robert Deegan Mark Greenwald Elizabeth Kieff Isaac Kirstein Bernard Levy Regina Umanskiy Board of Directors ( term) Henry Arkin Jim Bloom Michael Dockterman Ben Jacobson Richard Miller Jonathan Perman Sheila Shochet Max Stein Please send your event notices, articles and photos to me at phyllis.cohn@gmail.com. Phyllis Cohn, Bulletin Editor 2 KAMII

3 Mark Your Calendar 7 OUR KAMII ANNUAL MEETING FRIDAY, JUNE 7 Please join us for the Meeting at 6:00 p.m. followed by a Shabbat Dinner at 6:30 p.m. and a Shabbat Service with Installation of Officers at 7:30 p.m. Dinner is free, but reservations are required by June 4 14 OUR TRIBUTE TO RABBI APPEL FRIDAY, JUNE 14 Congregational Barbeque at 6:30 p.m. Shabbat Service at 7:30 p.m. followed by an Ice Cream Social Oneg Shabbat Hot dogs, hamburgers, and veggie burgers will be provided. Please bring your favorite non-dairy salad or side dish. Dinner is free, but reservations are required by June 11 For the dinners, RSVP to or call Stewart in the office at May

4 Weinstein Weekend The Jacob J. Weinstein Committee & Beatrice K. Schneiderman Social Action Fund of KAM Isaiah Israel present Inequality: Our Democracy in Crisis Friday, May 3rd & Sunday, May 5th, 2013 Friday, May 3 7:30 p.m. Shabbat Service 8:00 p.m. The Growth of Inequality, 1980 to the Present Presentation by Heather McGhee The policies adopted from the late 1970s to the present have greatly increased inequality in the U.S., decreased the size of middle class, and increased rates of poverty. Cuts in public support for education, healthcare, housing, and livable wage jobs are narrowing economic advancement opportunity. This contradicts our national values. Oneg Shabbat, sponsored by the Weinstein Committee, will follow the presentation Sunday, May 5 10:30 a.m. noon Inequality in Chicago A Panel Discussion Experts will discuss inequality in Chicago, why it s important, how it affects all of us, and opportunities for change. Terry Mazany, Chicago Community Trust, will discuss education; Dory Rand, The Woodstock Institute, will focus on housing; and Mark Meinster, United Electrical Workers, will talk about the role of labor in good jobs. Heather McGhee will comment on the talks, and audience participation will follow. Noon Lunch No charge; reservations required. RSVP to or call Stewart in the office at :45 1:30 p.m. Policies That Make a Difference A Conversation with Heather McGhee Heather McGhee will lead a conversation about the policies that can reduce inequality and that we can support. The Jacob J. Weinstein Committee was created by the congregants of KAM Isaiah Israel to honor the memory of Rabbi Jacob Weinstein, leader of the congregation from 1939 until He was a spiritual leader as well as an internationally known scholar, preacher, and social activist. The Committee endeavors to honor Rabbi Weinstein by sponsoring Scholar-in-Residence and other weekends that explore some of his areas of interest, particularly social action, the arts, and Jewish thought and culture. Jacob J. Weinstein Committee Judith Kossy, Co-Chair Nikki Stein, Co-Chair Rabbi Batsheva Appel Lucy Ascoli Leigh Breslau Rona Brown Sam Golden Rachel Havrelock Nina Helstein Ruth W. Levine Bud Lifton Grace Wolf 4 KAMII

5 Weinstein Weekend Keynote Speaker Heather C. McGhee is the Vice President of Policy and Outreach at Demos, a public policy research organization. She is a frequent writer, speaker, and media commentator on issues of democracy reform, economic opportunity, racial equity, and financial regulation. A contributor to Countdown with Keith Obermann and a regular guest on MSNBC, Fox News, and CNN, her opinions, writing, and research appear in numerous media outlets, including The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, NPR, The Washington Post, and The New York Times. In 2009, Ms. McGhee co-chaired a task force that helped shape key provisions of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. She holds a B.A. in American Studies from Yale University and a J.D. from the University of California at Berkeley School of Law. Terry Mazany is President and CEO of The Chicago Community Trust, one of the nation s largest community foundations, with grant making exceeding $100 million to benefit more than 1,000 not-for-profit organizations in metropolitan Chicago. In 2011 Mazany served as the interim chief executive officer of Chicago Public Schools. He is a board member of the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago and the Council on Foundations. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan appointed him to the National Assessment Governing Board that oversees the National Assessment of Education Progress, known as our Nation s Report Card. Dory Rand is President of Woodstock Institute, a leading research and policy nonprofit focused on fair lending, wealth creation, and financial systems reform. She worked as an attorney at the Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law, Legal Assistance Foundation of Metropolitan Chicago (LAF), ACLU of Illinois, and a private law firm. Ms. Rand serves on the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau s Consumer Advisory Board, the National Community Reinvestment Coalition Board, and the State Banking Board of Illinois, and co-chairs the Grantmakers Concerned with Poverty affinity group at the Donors Forum of Illinois. Dory co-chaired the Illinois Children s Savings Account Task Force and served on the Illinois Taxpayer Action Board. Mark Meinster is an Illinois-based labor activist who organizes low-wage factory and warehouse workers in the Chicago area. He is an International Representative for the United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers of America. Meinster coordinated the December 2008 sit-down strike at Republic Windows and Doors. The plant occupation led to a negotiated settlement between the union, the employer, and the employer s two largest creditors, Bank of America and JPMorgan Chase. Meinster led UE s successful efforts over the past five years to organize thousands of immigrants working in Chicago s manufacturing sector. Previously Mazany worked in public education in Detroit, Chicago, Baltimore, Oakland, and San Francisco. He earned Master s degrees in Anthropology and Business Administration at the University of Arizona and a Masters in Education Policy from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Beatrice K. Schneiderman Social Action Fund Endowed by and named in memory of a devoted social activist, these funds are used each year to sponsor a Social Action Lecture or program for the congregation. May

6 In the Family By Grace Wolf yxxx A Kitchen Garden Is the Ultimate in Eating Local Building on her experience at a community garden in Woodlawn, Debra Hammond has started an internet-based small business in which she grows vegetables, herbs, and fruit for people in their home gardens. According to the March 20 Hyde Park Herald, Debra does most of the work on their gardens, planting and tending to them, preparing seedlings, weeding, fertilizing, placing mulch and doing some of the watering. Visit Debra s website, thekitchengardener.com for more information about her garden services as well as about seeds, soil, different kinds of vegetables, and other gardening topics. yxxx Ancona School Looks Forward According to the April 3 Hyde Park Herald, Bonnie Wishne, head of the Ancona School, has announced that she will retire in She has been head of the school for 26 years. She had joined the school as a teacher in On March 2, Ancona celebrated its 50th anniversary with a symposium on diversity in the school s environment. At the symposium, Bonnie spoke about the ways the school promotes both cultural and socio-economic diversity. yxxx Music Can Help Transform Society Duffie Adelson, president and executive director of the Merit School of Music, had a letter published in the March 30 Chicago Tribune praising the Chicago Symphony Orchestra s Citizen Musician initiative. Some excerpts from her comments: Music has the power to transform both listener and performer and, we believe, has the power to civilize a society.... Increased technical command boosts confidence while the relentless pursuit of excellence instills the courage to set ambitious life goals. Most important, these experiences often provide a larger, more humane and compassionate understanding of one s fellow human beings and a sense of individual responsibility for the welfare of the greater community. yxxx do Kids Really Need College? Robert Zimmer, president of the University of Chicago, wrote an article in the Atlantic in March: The Myth of the Successful College Dropout: Why It Could Make Millions of Young Americans Poorer. In the article, Bob warns against the danger of young people s generalizing from the stories of startup entrepreneurs who dropped out of college in order to pursue their dreams and became wildly successful. He writes, Those who are able to achieve such success often rely on a set of skills already developed before they get to college. They know how to educate themselves, get a bank loan, and manage their time and their money. They may benefit from a network of family, friends and acquaintances who open doors and provide a safety net. But... the vast majority of kids, especially those from disadvantaged families, need college to improve their circumstances. In fact, a recent UCLA study found that those who are least likely to attend college, including kids from disadvantaged backgrounds, benefit most from a college education. yxxx Award Received for Writing About Chicago Schools In March, the Education Writers Association awarded Kate Grossman, daughter of Bob and Fran Grossman, its firstplace national award for opinion writing. Kate is deputy editorial page editor of the Chicago Sun-Times. In reporting the award, the paper wrote on March 13, Grossman was honored for work in 2012, a particularly turbulent year in education in Chicago, with a teachers strike and big battles over a longer school day and school closings. In a stream of editorials, Grossman attempted to expose the spin and hyperbole of both sides and proposed workable solutions that would benefit, above all, school children. More often than not, the views in those editorials prevailed. Grossman writes like a tough-minded mediator, pointing out to both sides the flaws in their logic and what they need to reach a compromise, one judge wrote. yxxx former Hyde Parker Becomes Bat Mitzvah in Oklahoma On April 6, Noa Schumann - daughter of Sarah-Anne and John Schumann, granddaughter of Grace Wolf, and niece of Dara Henning - celebrated her bat mitzvah at Congregation B nai Emunah in Tulsa. Chanting Torah at the service, in addition to Noa, were Sarah-Anne and John Schumann, Dara and Justine Henning, and Ezra and Carmen Scott-Henning. For her mitzvah project, Noa has been volunteering at a Head Start program, where once a week, she reads to and plays with the preschool children. She also is using some of her bat mitzvah cash gifts to buy books for the Head Start program and to make donations to the Animal Rescue Foundation (ARF) and the SPCA of Tulsa. yxxx newsworthy Several KAM Isaiah Israel middle schoolers at Akiba-Schechter Jewish Day School won awards at the school s History Fair this winter. They included: Zoe Weiner, daughter of Anne Weiner; Zev Goldberg, son of Carla and Bob Goldberg; Leah Finkielsztein, daughter of Ariel Finkielsztein and Kate Maguire; and Samantha White, daughter of Larry White and Stefanie Rothman White. University of Chicago philosophy professor Ted Cohen was quoted in the New Yorker s on-line humor column on March 14. The column recounts a joke about death from Ted s book, Jokes: Philosophical Thoughts on Joking Matters, and quotes him: The idea of death can be terrifying, numbing, incomprehensible. Joking about it returns a kind of balance. Family continues on page 16 6 KAMII

7 In the Community By Grace Wolf yxxx University of Chicago Jewish Studies Presents On Thursday, May 23, beginning at 9:30 a.m., the Chicago Center for Jewish Studies and the Martin Marty Center for the Advanced Study of Religion are co-sponsoring The Cultural Worlds of a Medieval Translator, a conference that celebrates the 800th Anniversary of Samuel Ibn Tibbon s Hebrew translation of Maimonides Guide of the Perplexed. It will feature lectures by Bernard Septimus (Harvard University), Jonathan Dauber (Yeshiva University), Jonathan Decter (Brandeis University), Sarah Pearce (New York University), Maud Kozodoy (New York University and Jewish Theological Seminary), and Tamas Visi (Palacky University). Contact the Chicago Center for Jewish Studies about the site of this conference, as two different locations have been announced. For more information, contact ccjs@uchicago.edu. Except where otherwise noted, all CCJS events are free and open to the public. On Tuesday, May 28, at 4:30 p.m., in Room 403 of Swift Hall, Tsafi Sebba, Visiting Scholar at Indiana University, will present his current work on The emergence (and concealment) of the Jewish joke in Alter Druyanow s Sefer ha-bediha ve-ha-hiddud (The Book of the Joke and the Witticism, 1922). What Does It Mean to Care? - Religious Traditions and Health Professions Today will be the topic of the Second Annual Conference on Medicine and Religion Tuesday, May 28 - Thursday, May 30, at the Westin Hotel on N. Michigan Avenue. At the heart of medicine is care. Medical care, surgical care, nursing care, wound care, palliative care, even spiritual care almost everything health professionals do is advanced as a form of care. Yet patients, health professionals, and critics of medicine often question how much care there is in health care. Moreover, it is often unclear how health care fits into a faithful life, as understood in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The conference will provide a forum for scholars and health care professionals to ask what it means to care and how the traditions and practices of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam inform possible answers to the question. Keynote speakers include: Najah Bazzy (President of Zaman International and CEO of Diversity Specialists and Transcultural Health Care Solutions), David Novak (University of Toronto), Warren Reich (Georgetown University), and John Swinton (University of Aberdeen). For more information, please contact the Program on Medicine and Religion at medrelig@ uchicago.edu or yxxx This Month at Spertus On Thursday, May 2, at 7:00 p.m., Melissa R. Klapper of Rowan University will address Ballots, Babies, and Banners of Peace at Spertus Institute for Jewish Learning and Leadership. She will discuss how, at the turn of the twentieth century, American Jewish women were consistently and publicly engaged in all the major issues of their day, including suffrage, birth control, and peace. The activism of American Jewish women was grounded in their gender, religious, cultural, and ethnic identities. No history of these movements in the United States is complete without analyzing the impact of Jewish women s presence. Tickets cost $18, $10 for Spertus members, $8 for students. On Sunday, May 5, at 2:00 p.m., Elana Drell Szyfer will speak on Global Vision, Jewish Leadership, and a Woman s Journey to the Dead Sea. She is CEO of AHAVA North America and Deputy CEO of AHAVA Dead Sea Laboratories, Inc. Reserved seats cost $35, $25, and $15. The $35 tickets include a Meet & Greet reception with the speaker at 3:00 p.m. From Sunday, May 12, through Sunday, August 11, the Voices & Visions exhibit will be shown at Spertus. In a series of 18 striking images, the words of Jewish luminaries from Maimonides to Susan Sontag are newly interpreted and graphically transformed by renowned artists and designers such as Milton Glaser, Carin Goldberg, and Seymour Chwast. An initiative of the Harold Grinspoon Foundation, Voices & Visions elicits the power of art to communicate great ideas and inspire reflection and conversation. Admission to the exhibit is free. On Sunday, May 19, at 1:00 p.m., Nate Silver will speak on The Signal and the Noise: Why So Many Predictions Fail But Some Don t. He will discuss the impact of the Jewish vote in American politics and the art and science of predicting the future. Nate Silver is a 34-year-old statistician and writer who gained recognition by developing a system for forecasting the performance of baseball players. A booksigning and cocktail reception will follow his talk. Tickets are $50 and $35; all seats are reserved. A limited number of $15 student tickets are available by phone purchase only. Tickets for all the above Spertus programs may be purchased at spertus.edu or at Spertus Institute is located at 610 S. Michigan Avenue. yxxx JCUA Honors Sylvia Neil On Wednesday, June 5, the Jewish Council on Urban Affairs will present its Rabbi Robert J. Marx Social Justice Award to Sylvia Neil, a prominent activist lawyer who served for many years as legal counsel and executive director of the Midwest region of the American Jewish Congress. Martha Nussbaum of the University of Chicago will be the keynote speaker at this event, Acts of Change Individual dinner tickets cost $300. Additional information is available at jcua.org or yxxx Film on Agunot Screened in Hyde Park Women Unchained, directed by Chicago filmmaker Beverly Siegel, presents the problem of contemporary Jewish women whose husbands refuse to grant them a get, or Jewish divorce. This well regarded film will be shown at Congregation Rodfei Zedek at 10:00 a.m. on Monday, May 20. If you missed the March screening of this 2011 film at Spertus Institute, now is your chance to learn how the Jewish community can deal with this perennial issue. A postfilm discussion will be led by Rabbi Elliot Gertel and Bobby Gordon, who is the Outreach and Education Coordinator at Shalva. If you would like to attend the Rodfei Zedek Sisterhood s annual closing luncheon at noon after the film discussion, please send a check for $36/person to the Sisterhood at 5200 S. Hyde Park Boulevard, Chicago, IL May

8 KAM Isaiah Israel May 2013 KAM Isaiah Israel Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Please confirm dates and times with the office, as schedules may change weinstein weekend religious school 9:30 am adult classes 9:30 am Panel discussion 10:30 am lunch noon; concluding conversation 12:45 pm advanced hebrew class 6:30 pm wednesday morning minyan 8:00 am wednesday morning minyan 8:00 am weinstein weekend weinstein weekend shabbat reishit service with teacher appreciation 6:00 pm congregational shabbat dinner 6:30 pm shabbat service 7:30 pm Presentation 8:00 pm shabbat service at montgomery Place 4:45 pm shabbat service 7:30 pm followed by Klezmer oneg torah study 9:30 am shabbat service 10:30 am torah study 9:30 am shabbat service 10:30 am hyde Park second saturday 4:30 pm religious school 9:30 am adult classes 9:30 am advanced hebrew class 6:30 pm Board of directors meeting 7:30 pm community shavuot Program at rodfei Zedek 5:30 pm shavuot office closed wednesday morning minyan 8:00 am shabbat service 7:30 pm torah study 9:30 am shabbat service with william Braendel s Bar mitzvah 10:30 am last day of religious school 9:30 am adult classes 9:30 am youth group car wash 9:30 am advanced hebrew class 6:30 pm wednesday morning minyan 8:00 am an evening with idit menashe 7:30 pm shabbat service at montgomery Place 4:45 pm shabbat service 7:30 pm torah study 9:30 am shabbat service 10:30 am arza Bike the drive memorial day office closed wednesday morning minyan 8:00 am shabbat service 7:30 pm

9 Looking ahead to... June 2013 KAM Isaiah Israel Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1 Please confirm dates and times with the office, as schedules may change. torah study 9:30 am shabbat service 10:30 am wednesday morning minyan 8:00 am annual meeting 6:00 pm congregational shabbat dinner 6:30 pm shabbat service 7:30 pm torah study 9:30 am shabbat service with Jeremy chizewer s Bar mitzvah 10:30 am hyde Park second saturday 4:30 pm wednesday morning minyan 8:00 am shabbat service at montgomery Place 4:45 pm rabbi appel farewell - congregational Barbeque 6:30 pm shabbat service 7:30 pm - ice cream oneg following torah study 9:30 am shabbat service with sam adelman s Bar mitzvah 10:30 am Board of directors meeting 6:00 pm wednesday morning minyan 8:00 am shabbat service 7:30 pm torah study 9:30 am shabbat service 10:30 am wednesday morning minyan 8:00 am shabbat service at montgomery Place 4:45 pm shabbat service 7:30 pm torah study 9:30 am shabbat service 10:30 am

10 Community Shavuot Program Tuesday, May 14 Join in the festivities at Congregation Rodfei Zedek 5:30 p.m. Torah Fair 6:00 p.m. Parade and Play 6:30 p.m. Dinner (Free, but reservations required; RSVP to Stewart in our office at or at by May 7) 7:15 Maariv Service led by Rabbi Appel and Ed Hamburg Following the service: a program featuring Sam Berrin Shonkoff The evening concludes with a cheesecake reception Sam Berrin Shonkoff will speak on the topic: Martin Buber s Approach to Revelation and Torah Study Buber believed that Revelation must be unmediated that is, the human-god encounter only occurs when one is genuinely present with whatever is happening here-and-now, free of the distractions and distortions of heady concepts, obligations, memories of the past, hopes for the future, and so on. When one encounters a person or thing in the world with such clear-sightedness, one encounters the Unmediated, also known as God. In this program, we ll explore what this means, for Buber. Also, we shall ask: If revelation is unmediated, then how does the Torah, the revelation par excellence, fit into Buber s theology? We will learn from Buber about how his intriguing and unusual approach to Torah study may, indeed, prove to be a revelatory act. Join us for a very special program Wednesday, May 22 7:30 p.m. KAM Isaiah Israel in the Library An evening with Idit Menashe An Israeli who works to make a difference About Idit Menashe, Shatil Advocacy Consultant, Center for Policy Change Idit has been working for the past two and a-half years as an advocacy consultant at Shatil s Center for Policy Change. In her first year at Shatil, her job was to coordinate civil-society efforts against antidemocratic legislation, such as the Boycott Law, the Nakba Law and the proposed Parliamentary Investigation Committee against human-rights organizations. The efforts involved lobby work and grassroots advocacy through outreaching to social justice organizations, media outlets and international bodies. Idit promotes, in collaboration with assorted organizations, transparency and public participation in the Knesset and the government; works with the Coalition for Gender Equality in the IDF to combat the exclusion of women; and leads advocacy efforts to promote microfinance opportunities for disadvantaged women. Before joining Shatil, Idit worked for five years at the Knesset as a parliamentary assistant to MK Nitzan Horowitz and to former MK Ran Cohen, both from the Meretz Party. She holds a B.A. in Behavioral Sciences and an M.A. in Public Policy. Idit is 33 years old and lives in Tel Aviv. 10 KAMII

11 Social Justice at KAMII Enrollment now open for our Summer Program Food Justice and Sustainability. Leadership Development. A Unique Opportunity for Teens. Apply to KAM Isaiah Israel Congregation s third annual Food Justice and Sustainability Young Leadership Summer Program. Experience the world of urban agriculture with other Chicago-area high school students. KAMII s Food Justice and Sustainability Young Leadership Summer Program is a unique way for teens to spend part of their summer. The program is free and open to high school students of all backgrounds who are entering grades It will be held at KAM Isaiah Israel Congregation at 1100 East Hyde Park Boulevard in Chicago during the four Sundays of July Hands-on training in KAM Isaiah Israel s award winning, food-producing gardens will focus on urban farming methods and sustainable land use. In addition, students will participate in two workshops each week. In the first, leaders of different faith communities will present their faith s teachings on sustainability and food justice. During the afternoon workshops, students will learn from experienced urban farmers and environmentalists about land use, sustainability, urban agriculture, local food production and healthy cooking and eating Schedule: July 7, 14, 21, 28; 10:00 a.m. 3:00 p.m. Garden work: 10:00 a.m. 10:45 a.m. Workshop 1: 11:00 a.m. 11:45 a.m. Lunch: 11:45 a.m. 12:30 p.m. (please bring a bag lunch) Workshop 2: 12:30 p.m. 1:15 p.m. Garden work: 1:15 p.m. 3:00 p.m. Applications are due to socialjustice@kamii.org by Friday, June 14. Go to to apply. Admission is on a rolling basis and enrollment is limited. Students who complete the program may be eligible for community service credit. Certificates will be awarded upon completion of the program. Please direct questions to socialjustice@kamii.org. Notes from a Noteworthy Evening The Art of Prayer, Poetry, and Music Shabbat Service on April 19 was a beautiful and memorable evening; Jonathan Miller received the 2013 Perelmuter Award AND presented the world premiere of Out of the Land of Heaven, using a Leonard Cohen poem for his Perelmuter commissioned musical composition. Jonathan taught the congregation the refrain, The Queen will make every Jew her lover, and all heartily sang along with the familiar liturgy. The committee extends thanks to all the musicians who participated, especially Jonathan Miller. Thanks also go to Rabbi Appel, Cantor Miriam and the wonderfully cooperative staff. Enthusiastic members and friends of Jonathan enjoyed the festive Oneg, too. Rave reviews for the evening! Roberta Siegel, Chair The Rabbi Hayim Goren Perelmuter Committee Rabbi Batsheva Appel Cantor Miriam Eskenasy Sam Golden Susan Levy Mark Mandle Kate Morrison Nancy Perelmuter Joan Pomaranc Donna Rosenbush Tal Rosen, Ex Officio Roberta Siegel, Chair Nikki Stein May

12 Religious and Nursery Schools The Jim Joseph Foundation recently released a report, Effective Strategies for Educating and Engaging Jewish Teens, to evaluate effective youth engagement programming both within and outside the Jewish community. While there are many meaningful Jewish programming opportunities aimed at teens, about 80% of Jewish teens in America do not participate in any of these options. Josh Miller, Senior Program Officer for the Jim Joseph Foundation, states, If we listen to these teens, the message they are sending is clear the current offerings are simply not compelling enough to win the competition for their time. With this in mind, the Foundation developed this report to try and begin to answer the following question: How can we reconceptualize our approach to Jewish teen education to dramatically broaden its appeal to teens? At the end of March, executive director Tal Rosen and I attended the URJ s Campaign for Youth Engagement Retreat in Highland Park, where we discussed the findings of this report and met with professionals from other URJ congregations in the Chicagoland area. We had the opportunity to brainstorm and problem-solve with these professionals, and I left the retreat feeling that, here at KAM Isaiah Israel we have a wonderful resource that we have yet to fully take advantage of: YOU, THE CONGREGATION. One of the key learnings from the report is that successful youth engagement programs utilize adult volunteers to expand the reach of staff. The report states, Engaging volunteers from within a local community can have other important effects beyond reach and finances it can strengthen the overall fabric of communal life and foster additional organizational connections. Additionally, the involvement of volunteers broadens teens opportunities to forge positive connections with adults. Volunteers can also act as role models and positively demonstrate the importance of lifelong community involvement for teens. This is something we have begun to tap into this year in the Religious School with our Volunteer High School Faculty, a collective of four adults from our community: Tom Levinson, Isaac Kirstein, Jim Bloom and Rachel Cane, who alternate teaching the first hour of the Kadima (8th & 9th grade) class each Sunday. They come from a variety of backgrounds, including law, medicine, marketing and archaeology. Some of the topics of discussion have ranged from social media to children s books to medical ethics and politics, all through a Jewish lens. These four individuals have been a great addition to our Religious School community and curriculum, and have kept our students engaged and interested in this variety of topics. They are wonderful role models from our community that is rich with professionals in a wide range of fields. So, I invite you to think about how you can help engage our teens, in and out of the classroom. We want to keep our teenagers involved in their post-b nai Mitzvah years and provide them with opportunities that they can t necessarily create on their own. What can you do as a role model to help create meaningful experiences, both Jewish and secular, with our wonderful students? To read the full report by the Jim Joseph Foundation, visit: for_educating_and_engaging_jewish_teens.pdf Sarah Cort Synagogue Educator Coming Up at the Religious School: Friday, May 3: Teacher Appreciation Shabbat Reishit Sunday, May 5: 5th Grade Meeting Sunday, May 19: Youth Group Car Wash & Last Day of School Make a splash and come clean at the Youth Group Car Wash! Line up in our parking lot on Sunday, May 19 from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. 12 KAMII

13 Religious and Nursery Schools Nursery School celebrating Passover... building pyramids, parting the Red Sea, and enjoying a festive seder. Come and Discover The Nursery School at KAM Isaiah Israel Open Houses Wednesday, May 8th: 9:30-11 a.m. Monday, May 20th: 5-6:30 p.m S. Greenwood Avenue Chicago, IL Fax scort@kamii.org May

14 Please join us for our Klezmer Oneg Shabbat on Friday, May 10 Following the 7:30 p.m. Shabbat service, the KAMII Klezmer Band ( The President s Own ) will entertain us with Klezmer tunes! Meet the new Klezmer Band Leader! Come hear your fellow congregants with Don Jacobs, the band s new leader, as they play this festive, toe-tapping music. Bring your dancing shoes! Donald Jacobs started playing Klezmer music in 1983, and shortly thereafter began playing with the Maxwell Street Klezmer Band. He graduated cum laude from Washington University in St. Louis, and has studied with clarinet masters Sid Beckerman, Richard Corpolongo, George Silfies and James Stoynoff. He also plays with Las Guitarras de España and the Jazmer Ensemble, both Chicago-based groups. Don specializes in Balkan music. He has recorded with all the above-mentioned groups, and with the Balkan Rhythm Band. Don s touring career has included two trips to Jewish festivals in London, Vienna and Germany, three Danish tours, and many festivals in the U.S. and Canada. Don also teaches clarinet and saxophone in the Chicago area. Don and his wife Maria live in Evanston. We are delighted that Don is leading the KAMII Klezmer Band! Teacher Appreciation Shabbat Reishit First Shabbat friday may, 3 6:00-6:30 p.m. Join us on the first Shabbat of every month for a special service for families with young children. We will be learning, writing, singing, reading Torah, hearing stories, and having birthday blessings. This month, we will be honoring our teachers. All are welcome! Shabbat Reishit Service at 6:00 p.m. Congregational Shabbat Dinner at 6:30 p.m. (Dinner is free, but reservations are requested. RSVP to or call ) Shabbat Service at 7:30 p.m. 14 KAMII

15 FOOD FOR THOUGHT The KAMII Social Justice Committee s Food Justice and Sustainability Program is part of an exhibit running through September 2 at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum in Lincoln Park. The exhibition title is: Food: The Nature of Eating, an Illinois-centric history of changes in the food industry, as stated in a Chicago Tribune recent article. They go on to explain, The exhibit is divided into three sections, proportionally representing the three words of farm to table. Included here is a photo of the KAMII exhibit. For more information on the exhibit, contact the museum at or naturemuseum.org Reasons to Celebrate SPECIAL MAY BIRTHDAYS Sheri Mecklenburg, May 1; Frances Zemans, May 1; Grace Newman, May 2; Barbara Greenberg, May 6; Robert Rosen, May 6; Karl Riedl, May 10; James Shapiro, May 18; Joel Smith, May 19; Norman Weinberg, May 19; Merrick Fahrenwald, May 20; Kineret Jaffe, May 20; Amy Wishnick, May 21 SPECIAL MAY ANNIVERSARIES Raymond and Helene Groban, May 6, 62 years; Barbara and Steven Adelman, May 13, 40 years; Michael Rosen and Lee Haupt, May 22, 30 years; Harry and Jean Gottlieb, May 23, 71 years; Aaron and Ellen Krumbein, May 30, 25 years SPECIAL JUNE BIRTHDAYS Ruth Levine, June 4; Aaron Collard, June 5; Steven Bloomberg, June 8; Nancy Fritz, June 9; Paul Freehling, June 10; James Herst, June 15; Saul Levmore, June 16; Ella Henning-Sepkoski, June 17; Barbara Moss, June 18; Sasha Salk, June 18; Claire Krantz, June 22; Jesse Schumann, June 23; Sandra Meyers, June 27; Mardi Trosman, June 29; Robert Wagner, June 29; Emily Kirschner, June 30; Estelle Mae Levinson, June 30 SPECIAL JUNE ANNIVERSARIES Sheldon and Jane Stolowich, June 10, 40 years; Leslie Kay and Maryellen Begley, June 14, 15 years; Gloria and Allen Needlman, 63 years; Samuel and Paula Golden, June 20, 65 years; Samuel and Julie Volchenboum, June 20, 20 years; Harry and Mardi Trosman, June 22, 61 years; Paul Berks and Amy Whitaker, June 28, 15 years; Marcus Fruchter and Mitzi Baum, June 29, 10 years May

16 Tributes We thank all contributors for their generosity and support of our synagogue family. (Contributions received March 6th to April 5th are listed) General Fund Meryl Domina Larry and Ruth Bloom With Best Wishes for Paula Golden s Recovery Lynn Foreman In Memory of Hank Schwab Marianne Dreyfus Memorial Yahrzeits In Memory of Hermann Berlak Marianne Dreyfus In Memory of Richard Baeck Dreyfus Marianne Dreyfus In Memory of Hilda Hefter Ursula Winter In Memory of Irving Kruger Ruth M. Levine In Memory of Rosl Messinger Susan Messinger In Memory of Dr. Sheldon Schiff Louise Schiff In Memory of Ho Lee Young Linda Young In Memory of Jewel Young Lynn Foreman The Rabbi Hayim Goren Perelmuter Fund Robert Stillman and Janet Surkin The Rabbi Arnold J. Wolf Adult Education Fund Marlene Richman From the Caring Committee Jessi Allender and Her Twins Continue to Need Your Support As many of you know, our congregant, Jessi Allender, gave birth to twins, Coral and Max, on March 29, The babies were quite premature. We are happy to let you know that Coral is now home with Jessi and doing well. Max, however, is still in the hospital and will be there for some time. He is making progress but Jessi needs some help. Below is a link to a blog, written by Jessi s sister, Laura, that provides more detail about the family and their needs. We encourage you to read this and respond as you are able. Despite the time limit in the attachment, contributions may continue to be made through Jessi s parents congregation as follows: To make a tax deductible donation, please call Temple B rith Shalom at and ask Kay to charge the amount to your credit card for the rabbi s discretionary fund for the twins. Or, mail a check marked for the rabbi s discretionary fund with the memo twins to B rith Shalom, 2077 Brohner Way, Prescott AZ family-time-for-max-and-coral/25720?fb_ action_ids= &fb_action_ types=og.likes&fb_ref=.uk_mymec6zy. like&fb_source=aggregation&fb_aggregation_ id= Thank you! 16 KAMII Staying Connected Abbey Allison, our administrative assistant, has moved from Chicago, but continues to work for KAM Isaiah Israel remotely. Although she is no longer living in Chicago, you can always reach her at aallison@kamii.org. While she will miss playing the piano for services and playing the accordion with the Klezmer Band, Abbey is very happy to continue working for KAMII. Family continued from page 6 yxxx Greeting the Next Generation Kineret Jaffe reports that she and Mort Silverman became grandparents for the first time this winter. She writes, Noah and his wife, Rena Dascal, are now the proud parents of Micah Sidney Dascal Silverman, who was born on January 15. They live in Brooklyn, but we got to see the three of them for Peach at Aunt Ariana [Rabbi Ariana Silverman] and Uncle Justin s house in Detroit, where we were also joined by Ethan, who s now in med school at Wayne Sate, and his girlfriend, Kate. Who would have thought that two of our three kids would end up in Detroit! Ruth and Larry Bloom are excited to report that their family added two grandchildren in March. Asa Dow Edgerton was born March 10 to Gabrielle and Peter Edgerton, who live in Evanston with Asa s older sister, Eliza. Anya Seren Bloom was born March 24 to Aaron and Adria Bloom, who live in New York City. Anya s older brother is Emmett. Ursula Winter is the very proud great-grandmother.

17 Tributes KAM Isaiah Israel Congregation Tribute Funds Donor Address I/We contribute $ Date Acknowledge to Address In Honor of In Memory of Temple Operating Funds Discretionary Funds: Rabbi s Fund Cantor s Fund Other Landmark Preservation Fund Stolz-Levi Walter Jacobs Memorial Library Fund Music Enhancement Fund Prayer Book/Humash Fund Religious School Fund Nursery School Fund Kathrynn W. Rosenbluth Flower Fund Harold A. Rosenstein Temple Fund Blanche R. Stolz Scholarship Fund Jacob J. Weinstein Fund Rabbi Arnold Jacob Wolf Memorial Fund Youth Activities Fund Youth Group Israel Scholarship Fund Restricted Foundation Funds Blanche and Philip Brail Social Action Fund Julius J. Browdy Scholarship and Education Fund Agnes Davis Memorial Fund Ruth Diane Davis Scholarship Fund Maurice L. Heller Memorial Camp Scholarship Fund Gretel and Max Janowski Fund Babette and Irving H. Mann Educational Fund Necheles Scholarship Fund Rabbi Hayim Goren Perelmuter Fund Beatrice K. Schneiderman Social Action Fund Michael and Rebecca Schneiderman and Family Scholarship Fund Ezra Sensibar Fund Harvey Shapiro Memorial Scholarship Fund Esther Rosalie N. and Theodore Stone Chapel Fund William and Bernard Weinberg Scholarship Fund Other Please make checks payable to: KAM Isaiah Israel Congregation 1100 East Hyde Park Blvd., Chicago, IL Contributions are tax deductible to the extent allowed by law May

18 Shabbat Services Shabbat B har/b chutokai: Leviticus 25:1 27:34 Friday, May 3 Shabbat Reishit Service at 6:00 p.m. with Teacher Appreciation Shabbat Service at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 4 Shabbat Service at 10:30 a.m. Shabbat B midbar: Numbers 1:1 4:20 Friday, May 10 Shabbat Service at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 11 Shabbat Service at 10:30 a.m. Shabbat Naso: Numbers 4:21 7:89 Friday, May 17 Shabbat Service at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 18 Shabbat Service at 10:30 a.m. William Braendel will be called to the Torah as a Bar Mitzvah Shabbat B haalotecha: Numbers 8:1 12:16 Friday, May 24 Shabbat Service at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, May 25 Shabbat Service at 10:30 a.m. Shabbat Sh lach L cha: Numbers 13:1 15:41 Friday, May 31 Shabbat Service at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, June 1 Shabbat Service at 10:30 a.m. Torah Study at 9:30 a.m. every Shabbat morning. Transportation to Shabbat evening services is always available. Please call the office. KAM Isaiah Israel Congregation, Founded in E. Hyde Park Boulevard Chicago, Il P: F: kamii@kamii.org Daniel P. Mass... President Batsheva Appel...Senior Rabbi Miriam Eskenasy...Cantor Deborah Bard... Cantor Emerita Tal Rosen... Executive Director Sarah Cort...Synagogue Educator Phyllis Cohn...Editor Abigail Allison... Assistant Editor Stewart Martin... Assistant Editor May Vol. 43, No. 8