The Voice The KOL AMI newsletter December 2016-February 2017 / Kislev, Teves, Shevat, Adar 5777 A Reconstructionist congregation PO Box 810504 Boca Raton, FL 33481 561-990-2641 mail@kolami-bocaraton.org www.kolami-bocaraton.org Services are generally held once per weekend, Either Friday night at 8:00 PM Or Saturday morning at 10:30 AM. Check the calendar for dates. All services and special events are held at: The Unitarian Universalist Fellowship 2601 St. Andrews Blvd., Boca Raton FL 33434 Message from the president.. Our High Holidays are over. My thanks to all of the members who helped make the services and festivities successful. The requests for reservations to attend services were overwhelming. We even had to form a waiting list. To ensure you are not left out in the future please consider joining the congregation. If you are one of our guests who expressed their enjoyment of our service please plan to attend our Weekly Shabbat services the 1st and 3rd Saturday morning at 10:30, and alternate Friday evenings at 8:00, if there is no Saturday morning service that week. Please watch your email and our web site for variations from our normal schedule. One of the changes will be in January when services will be conducted by the Rabbis Eisenstadt on Friday evening January 20, and we will be cancelling Saturday morning 1/21/17. As the season proceeds we will be planning social activities in addition to services. Information about some of these activities are described elsewhere in The Voice and in e-mails. If you would like to help up with the plans please contact one of the board members to join us. I and the other Board members look forward to greeting you at our services and activities. L'hitraoit Roberta Jainchill, President Kol Ami--Boca Raton
The Board Health and Welfare Board of Directors Roberta Jainchill, President Renee Rogoff, Vice President Barry Friedman, Treasurer Cindy Schwartz, Ritual Bonnie Austin Daniel Kaufman Jennie Bonnin Barbara Krupp Dec-Feb Yahrzeits Morris Krupp, 12/14 Gary Goldstein, 12/20 Frieda Jainchill, 12/26 Louis Bergman, 12/29 Robert F Selby, 1/10 Gertrude Turner,1/21 Jerome Jainchill, 1/29 Irving Becker, 2/2 Hyman Turner, 2/6 Jerome Rotstein, 2/10 Anna Weinstein, 2/13 Dita Horchow, 2/13 Shirley Sorger, 2/14 Moe Ash, 2/20 Donations can be made to any of the following funds and are always appreciated. General Fund Social Action Fund Oneg Fund Yahrzeit Fund Rabbi/Scholar Fund Yizkor Fund Board meetings are generally held the third Wednesday of every month at 7:30 PM, but check the calendar for any changes in the schedule. All members of Kol Ami are always welcome, and encouraged to attend. Happy Birthday to Jennie Bonnin, Dec 5 Ruth Alterman, Dec 10 Libby Wilkens, Dec 11 Artie Schwartz, Jan 3 Ann Mitchell, Jan 9 Harriet Kalin, Jan 11 Myrna Selby, Jan 13 Audrey Kaufman, Jan 19 Stan Krupp, Jan 30 Jo Feldman, Feb 2 David Shine, Feb 6 Donald Barron, Feb 7 Andy Scher, Feb 18 Anita Werner, Feb 26 Happy Anniversaries.. Cindy and Artie Schwartz, Dec 21 Sally and Marvin Spellman, Dec 24 Erika and Shellie Hearst, Jan 1 Wishing good health and happiness to all of our members.. especially Shellie Hearst. Let us know of anyone who is ill or in need of cheering up and I will be happy to send out a card from Kol Ami. Let us know of your simchas as well. Thanks!
NEWS from the RRC Since the High Holidays we have been receiving much information about the doings at our Rabbinical College in Philadelphia. If you would like to investigate yourself, you can find the WEB page at http://www.rrc.edu/ In the meantime, please follow along with the information presented on the next several pages. (Italics, mine: BKA) For many of us in the Reconstructionist movement, the results of this election have been hard. We see, with stark clarity, that our country is painfully divided. We recognize that many Americans are celebrating the feeling that they are finally being heard; so too, many are fearing that their voices will now be silenced. Those political divisions exist to some extent within our movement too, though it s safe to say that the great majority of our membership is feeling shock, fear, and grief. During this unusual campaign, we have objected to expressions of misogyny, racism, xenophobia, homophobia, Islamophobia, anti-semitism and disrespect for people with disabilities. We believed then and believe now that it is incumbent upon all of us to speak out, as our prophets once did, against degradations and injustice. That said, we also want to underscore that we are prepared to move forward and partner with an administration that sets out on a course toward justice and love for all. It is our sincere hope that we will see very different words and actions now that the campaign rhetoric is behind us and the very real problems in need of solutions lie ahead of us. Needless to say, we will continue to stand up for the marginalized in society, as Jewish tradition teaches, and our resolve to redouble our efforts toward fixing a very broken world has only strengthened over the past days. Foundational insights of Reconstructionism are that we live in two civilizations, the American and the Jewish, and that each of those civilizations can and should influence each other. Now is a time for the Jewish civilization to strongly influence the American civilization. Today, in our communities, there is much grief and fear of what institutions and freedoms are at risk, and of what might happen next to our most vulnerable neighbors. To face these times, we must advance the bedrock of our most powerful Jewish values: Tzelem Elohim (we are all created in God s image); Ki Gerim Hayitem (remember that you were strangers); Ahavah Rabbah (the expansive universal love we draw upon); and Tikkun Olam (repair of the world). And we remember the teaching from Genesis that we recently read in services - we are all our brothers and sisters keepers. There has never been a more important time for progressive religious leadership, and we are already seeing that leadership take form through the determined grace and strength of Reconstructionist rabbis, educators, and lay people who are creating opportunities across the nation for people to gather to hug each other, cry together, sing together, and listen to each other. Please click on this link to see some of these resources. Continued on the next page:
NEWS from the RRC continued: We are members of religious communities because we believe a religious approach aids us in how to be most fully alive and most fully connected to the world around us. As Jews, community is central to our religious understanding. We need community to celebrate. We need community to grow. At this time, we need our communities to hold each other up and create a safe religious space for grief and healing. We also need our communities to safeguard the right of all members, regardless of political leanings, to continue to find in our congregations a respectful and spiritual home. And it is important for all of us, Jews and non- Jews alike, to hear and understand the pain expressed by many Trump supporters a pain borne partly out of economic dislocation and resentment of elites and the status quo. Hazak, hazak venithazek. Let us be strong, and strengthen each other. L shalom, Rabbi Deborah Waxman, Ph.D. President Reconstructionist Rabbinical College and Jewish Reconstructionist Communities David Roberts Chair, Board of Governors Reconstructionist Rabbinical College and Jewish Reconstructionist Communities Rabbi Nina Mandel President Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association Rabbi Elyse Wechterman Executive Director Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association
Jewish Learning never ends! FROM KOL AMI: Howard Newman has graciously offered to conduct a Torah study class for Kol Ami this winter. This small group (10-12 participants maximum) will begin on Wednesday evening, January 25th and it will run for four weeks held at the home of President Roberta Jainchill. (This is a gated community and names will be required for entry.) Pre-registration is required and participation is capacity limited. Please reserve your space by email to mail@kolamibocaraton.org or call (561) 990-2641 (first come, first served). Thank you. FROM THE RRC: Did you know that the Reconstructionist Movement facilitates an on-line learning curriculum? All kinds of topics and a varied schedule allows participation at your own convenience. And classes are free to members and at a nominal fee for non-members. We are facilitating networks on social justice, marketing, education, ritual and more! If you don't see what you are looking for, let us know. We plan to offer additional networks in the spring. Some topics listed in the latest catalogue are: How can Jewish bedtime rituals help children feel loved and secure? Where is our Shabbat when we work on Shabbat? The entire Reconstructionist Learning Networks Catalogue, with a full listing of classes available, times, and registration information, can be viewed at: http://jewishrecon.org/files/pdfs/learning%20network%20catalog%208-30-16.pdf
Going s On: Happy Chanukkah! The Board of Kol Ami welcomes all families, all ages, members and non-members, local residents and visiting guests, to a festive Hanukkah service and celebration on Friday, December 30th at 7 p.m. held at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Boca Raton (UUFBR). RSVP is required by December 26th either by email at mail@kolami-bocaraton.org or by telephone at (561) 990-2641. Please provide the number of attendees and the ages of the attendees (please specify # of adults and for all children indicate their ages) with your reservation request, along with your contact information (name, email and phone number). BOOK CLUB: The first meeting of this season s Kol Ami book club is being hosted by Aileen Gluck. She has picked the book The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem By Sarit Yishai-Levi. Gabriela's mother Luna is the most beautiful woman in all of Jerusalem, though her famed beauty and charm seem to be reserved for everyone but her daughter. Ever since Gabriela can remember, she and Luna have struggled to connect. But when tragedy strikes, Gabriela senses there's more to her mother than painted nails and lips. Set against the Golden Age of Hollywood, the dark days of World War II, and the swinging '70s, (the story) follows generations of unforgettable women as they forge their own paths through times of dramatic change. With great humor and heart, Sarit Yishai-Levi has given us a powerful story of love and forgiveness and the unexpected and enchanting places we find each. The Club will meet on Tuesday afternoon, January 10th at 1 PM. The location will be determined by the number of people who RSVP. Please contact Aileen at 914-393-9624 or at aileengluck@gmail.com AN APPEAL: In the past we have enjoyed other activities together that are now only waiting for someone to step up and say, Hey, I d like to do that! One such activity was our movie review nights. One member would volunteer the name of a movie, available on Netflixs or the library. We would all watch it and then meet at that member s home to discuss (and occasionally trash) the movie. Are you a movie goer? Do you know of a movie with some Judaic or Israeli content that you would like to share with the rest of the congregation? Please let us know! A bigger commitment, but two jobs where we really need some help: Recording Secretary and Corresponding Secretary. If you can come to Board Meetings once a month and set down what was discussed it would be so helpful. If you would like to take responsibility for Yahrzeit notices and help with mailings, let us know. Both jobs would take some computer skills, but not a lot of time on your part.
DECEMBER 2016 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 2 3 10:30 AM Cantor Jan Courte 4 5 6 7 8 9 8 PM 5:10PM 10 EstelleSlutzky & IrwinBraun 5:11PM 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 10:30AM Howard Newman 18 19 20 21 7:30 PM Board Meeting 22 23 8 PM 5:14PM Bonnie Austin 24 25 26 Deadline for RSVP for Chanukah Party. 27 28 29 30 7 PM 5:17PM CHANUKAH CHIDREN S SERVICE/ PARTY 31 1st light 2nd light 3rd light 4th light 5th light 6th light 5:21PM 8th light
JANUARY 2017 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 10:30AM Steve Carter 5:26PM 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 10:30AM Howard Newman 5:31PM 15 16 17 18 7:30 PM Board Meeting 19 20 8 PM Sara and Jeff Eisenstat 21 22 23 24 25 TORAH STUDYwith HOWARD NEWMAN 5:37PM 26 27 8 PM Jan Courte 28 29 30 31 5:42PM
FEBRUARY 2017 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 1 TORAH STUDYwith HOWARD NEWMAN 2 3 4 Steve Carter 5 6 7 8 TORAH STUDYwith HOWARD NEWMAN 9 10 TBA 5:47PM 11 12 13 14 15 TORAH STUDYwith HOWARD NEWMAN 5:52PM 16 17 18 Howard Newman 19 20 21 22 7:30 PM Board Meeting 23 24 TBA 5:57PM 25 26 27 28 6:01PM