Ann Arbor Reconstructionist Congregation

Articles/Ads

Tu B’Shevat as a Bridge: Growing Jewish Connection Across Communities

by

This article was written by Rav Gavrielle Pescador for the Feburary 2026 Washtenaw Jewish news.

At a time when many Jews feel fractured—by politics, by ideology, or by communal boundaries—Tu B’Shevat offers a powerful counter-narrative. Known as the “New Year of the Trees,” this holiday invites us to slow down, notice what is growing, and remember our shared roots. More than a seasonal marker, Tu B’Shevat centers values that are urgently needed right now: interdependence, renewal, gratitude, and care for the earth and for one another.

This year in Ann Arbor, Tu B’Shevat is being celebrated not by any one congregation alone, but through collaboration across the local Jewish community. On Sunday, February 1, 2026, community members of all ages will gather at the JCC from 10am to noon for a daytime Tu B’Shevat celebration that brings together multiple organizations and perspectives.  There will be a variety of arts/craft/planting activities in the JCC Newman Lounge.  Shlomit Cohen, the director of the Ann Arbor Reconstructionist Congregation (AARC) Beit Sefer (religious school), is part of the community-wide programming for Tu Bishvat. “One of the activities that we are excited to offer is bringing the different colors from nature and making colorful fun tie-dye with the children,” comments Shlomit.

Later that evening of February 1, at 7:00pm, a different kind of collaboration will unfold. Clergy and members from the Ann Arbor Reconstructionist and Jewish Renewal communities will come together to lead a joint Tu B’Shevat seder. Drawing on traditional ritual structures while inviting creativity, song, and reflection.
What makes this collaboration especially meaningful is Jewish Renewal and Reconstructing Judaism have a lot of affinity.  Both are deeply engaged with tradition, yet embrace the opportunity to reinterpret it in light of modern life. Both emphasize ethical responsibility, spiritual depth, inclusivity, and a Judaism that speaks to the heart as well as the mind.



At the same time, their differences add texture to the collaboration. Jewish Renewal often foregrounds embodied spirituality, music, mysticism, and ecstatic prayer while Reconstructing Judaism emphasizes historical consciousness, democratic process, and thoughtful engagement with evolving Jewish civilization. When these approaches meet, and they often do, the result is not dilution, but enrichment providing multiple doorways into shared Jewish life.

Rabbi Elliot Ginsburg of Pardes Hannah, Ann Arbor’s Jewish Renewal chevre, notes “the Seder for Tu Bishvat invites us to experience an expansive understanding of the divine life-force while helping us appreciate the deep ecology of our own lives. The Seder Tu Bishvat historically draws on kabbalistic understandings of divinity as a Tree of Life with its roots in the Infinite. In this model, earthly life may be seen as leaves and fruit on the tree, energetically connected to the Source. From an ecological perspective,Tu B’Shevat, with its imagery of roots and branches, soil and fruit, reminds us that healthy ecosystems depend on diversity. So do healthy communities. When Jews gather across lines of denomination and ideology, we model a Judaism that is resilient, relational, and alive.“

In a season when public discourse so often pushes us toward division, these Tu B’Shevat gatherings invite something else: to come together, to plant seeds of connection, and to celebrate what can grow when we choose collaboration over separation.  |

Rabbi Aura Ahuvia, who has strong roots in Ann Arbor’s Reconstructionist and Jewish Renewal communities, states: “I’ve felt a rising need for community with every passing month. The news, social media…it all feels oppressive and manipulative. I’ve been seeking the salve of simple connection, to be reminded that when we come together, in-person, as ourselves, we’re capable of enjoying each other’s company and even solving our problems together. Celebrating life as it reawakens within and between us feels like exactly the right thing to do right now.”
 
 

AARC B’nei Mitzvah Cohort: Building Skills, Spirit, and Community


by

By Rabbi Gabrielle Pescador

This article appeared in the January 2026 Washtenaw Jewish News. See page 7 here: https://washtenawjewishnews.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Jan-2026.pdf

This year, the Ann Arbor Reconstructionist Congregation (AARC) is delighted to have four students at the B’nei Mitzvah stage of their Jewish journey, and to have the opportunity to form a cohort — a model that allows our students to learn together, support one another, and build community as they prepare for this special milestone in their lives.
 


The cohort began their journey this past spring with Hebrew Boot Camp led by veteran religious school educator, Aviva Panush. In the 2025–26 fall/spring semesters, the students are continuing their studies with me, strengthening their Hebrew decoding skills, deepening their understanding of the Shabbat morning service, creating their own B’nei Mitzvah projects, and exploring what it truly means to embrace Jewish life and values on their own terms.
 
A major focus of the year will be learning both the structure and the thematic elements of the Shabbat morning service — gratitude, praise, deep listening, personal reflection, connecting with Torah in a deeply personal way, and committing to doing good. My hope is for the cohort to co-lead their B’nei Mitzvah service with me, not only to build skills and confidence, but to help them experience themselves as spiritual leaders within our community.  This approach is especially meaningful within a Reconstructionist community, where collaborative leadership is a core value.
 
To engage the students creatively, I invite them to choose melodies they love. Students will also have the opportunity to play musical instruments during the service, if that brings them joy, to add extra richness to the already collaborative and uplifting energy of AARC’s prayer landscape. Jack Kessler z”l, my beloved teacher and director of ALEPH’s Cantorial Studies Program, used to say that music helps people “have fun in shul,” a pearl of wisdom that I take very seriously. When our young members experience joy in prayer and spiritual community, their post–B’nei Mitzvah engagement will hopefully become more natural and enduring.
 
The cohort is also learning how to craft a d’var Torah. Each student is invited to explore their Torah portion by identifying what they find meaningful, inspiring, or even challenging. In wrestling with the text — its beauty, its complexity, and its questions — students begin to discover their own values and what feels important or compelling to them. This process helps them develop a personal relationship with Torah and a thoughtful, authentic voice in interpreting tradition and finding its relevance in their daily lives.
 
Each student also works individually with their Torah chanting coach, Deb Kraus. Deb not only teaches trop (the cantillation patterns for Torah and Haftarah) but also guides the students in translating and interpreting their Haftarah portions into contemporary English. Our community takes great pride in our unique custom of having our students chant their own interpretive English rendition on their special day.
 
The goal of this cohort model is to nurture community-building not only for the students, but also for their families. The shared journey offers opportunities for families to support and deepen their relationships with one another through this rite of passage, and feel more connected to the congregation as a whole.
 
The cohort also enriches the wider AARC community. Younger students in the AARC Beit Sefer (religious school) with director Shlomit Cohen, witness their older peers taking on leadership roles — reading Torah, leading prayers, offering teachings — and can begin to imagine themselves in those roles. Our hope is that this visibility sparks excitement and a sense of belonging, helping younger students look forward to their own future B’nei Mitzvah journeys. And of course, it is only natural for the older generation to kvell (take pride and delight) over the accomplishments of our youth and to be encouraged by the planting of seeds for future community-building.
 
On a personal note, it is particularly meaningful to me to have the opportunity to be part of the process of nurturing our youth — guiding their learning, celebrating their questions and witnessing their growth. According to our tradition, this is a form of sacred communal birthing. As our sages teach, “One who teaches another’s child Torah is regarded as though they had given birth to them” (Sanhedrin 19b). I am so grateful for the privilege of getting to know the minds and hearts of these young people and of helping shepherd them to enter the next stage of their Jewish lives.
 
To learn more about the Ann Arbor Reconstructionist Congregation, please visit https://aarecon.org/ or email info@aarecon.org.
 
 

AARC’s new Yahrzeit Candle

by

This interview/article appeared in the January 2026 Washtenaw Jewish News. See page 1 and page 6 at this link: https://washtenawjewishnews.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Jan-2026.pdf

The Ann Arbor Reconstructionist Congregation (AARC) is fortunate to have a special collection of ritual objects created by its talented congregants. At the high holidays last fall, Idelle Hammond-Sass, an artist, jewelry designer and metalsmith, presented the congregation with yet another sacred object:  a beautiful yartzeit candle holder.   A yahrzeit candle is a long-burning candle lit to remember a loved one on the anniversary of their death.

Emily E (EE): Idelle, tell us about how the idea came about for you to create a yahrzeit candle holder for the AARC.

Idelle: The idea really originated with Rav Gabrielle. She invited me to create it for the ritual of lighting a community yahrzeit candle on Erev Yom Kippur.  She saw this an opportunity for an artisan in the community to contribute to hiddur mitzvah – the elevating and beautifying of a mitzvah or cherished ritual – and to embody the DIY and collaborative spirit that defines our Reconstructionist community.

_______

EE: Tell us about your research and creative process.

Idelle: I use a metalsmithing technique called Foldforming. It is a process that can transform metal with hammering, folding and unfolding, repeating the process to create amazing complex forms.  I also used this technique to create the Ner Tamid (eternal light) I made for the AARC Torah Ark.

Part of experimenting with fold forms means you can fold paper to plan a fold or create variations. Some of these can be very interesting in their own right.

I was doing a little research on paper folds and found a folded seven-point star in a book which I knew could be modified to be a six-pointed star. Using a piece of bristol board I measured it out, adapting it from the original seven-pointed form.  It looked like two triangles attached at the long edge. I then measured one-inch segments and folded them back and forth, like an accordion.  I added an additional inch to overlap in the front. This determined how much metal I would use.

_______

EE: What were the materials and did you have any challenges in creating the candle holder?

Idelle: I first made a copper model to see how the glass candle holder would fit. It needed to be longer to accommodate the thickness of the metal and the glass insert. First, I priced it in sterling silver which turned out to be fairly expensive, so I began to look for other alternatives.  I ultimately decided to use NuGold, a brass alloy often called Jewelers Brass. I wanted the interior to have a golden glow and reflect the candle.

_______

EE:  At Kol Nidre Services in October 2025, you dedicated this yahrzeit candle holder to an AARC founder and longtime friend Evelyn Neuhaus, z”l, who passed away in February 2025.   Tell us about the connection you felt between this special object and Evelyn.

Idelle: Evelyn and I met in a Hebrew class and she was an important friend over many years. I was unable to attend her funeral and honor her so this was something I wanted to do.  She had many close friends in the AARC congregation and in the community and made spirituality and Jewish learning a priority in her life. The Yahrzeit candle radiates the inner light of the person we are remembering; this is what the golden glow represents within the object.

Evelyn Neuhaus, z”l,

Evelyn Neuhaus, z”l

_______

EE:  How do you see the yahrzeit candle holder being used by the congregation?

Idelle: I imagine it will be available to use especially at times of remembrance such as Yizkor, but will be used at other services as the congregation and Rabbi decide.

_______

EE: What else would you like to share about this gift to the congregation?

Idelle: I’ve made other ritual objects for our AARC congregation including our Yad (Torah Pointer), a Crown for a Megillah holder made by Allen Haber and the Ner Tamid (eternal light) called “Forest Dawn” which sits atop the Torah Ark.  All of these are specific to our congregation as they were intentionally made for AARC. I don’t use the Star of David often, although I did use it on the end of the Yad which was a triangle and offered that very naturally.  In this Yahrzeit holder, the Star of David becomes the space to hold the memorial candle. I see it as the whole community holding the space for the person(s) we are remembering, embracing them with love and respect for who they were to us as a community.

_______

To learn more about Idelle’s artwork, see her website.

To see photos of the AARC’s beautiful ritual objects visit https://aarecon.org/sacred-objects/.

AARC Welcomes New Executive Director by Emily Eisbruch

by

“AARC Welcomes New Executive Director”  By Emily Eisbruch was originally published in the Washtenaw Jewish News’ December 2025 Edition.


The Ann Arbor Reconstructionist Congregation (AARC) is delighted to
welcome Elizabeth Brindley as its part-time Executive Director. Elizabeth
started this new role in October. Her responsibilities include managing the
congregation’s administrative functions, publicity and outreach, event
coordination and more.


Elizabeth is a Michigan native, originally from the Saginaw / Bay City Area. In
addition to her role with the AARC, she also works in the Ohio Department
of Rehabilitation & Corrections as a librarian in a men’s maximum security
prison.


Elizabeth earned a Bachelor’s in Public & Nonprofit Administration from
Eastern Michigan, and a Master’s of Library & Information Science from
Louisiana State University. She has several other certifications as well,
including holding cosmetology and massage licenses in Michigan, being
Mental Health First Aid certified, and having worked as a roller skating
instructor in her early twenties.


“I centered a lot of my college studies around the decolonization of
repositories and on libraries as tools to create strong, healthy communities,
and I’ve found that I’m passionate about building communities that are safe,
inclusive and joyful for everyone,” says Elizabeth.


With humor, she notes that in her personal life she’s basically the
stereotypical librarian: she has six cats, wears almost exclusively handmade
cardigans, and reads anything she can get her hands on.


“My favorite fiction genres are Fantasy and Sci Fi, but if I’m honest I mostly
read nonfiction, particularly on social issues. I also really love history and
spiritual thought. I have a lot of hobbies: I cross-stitch, paint miniatures for
table top games like Dungeons & Dragons, and write a whole lot of different
stuff. My main project right now is a combination of a self-care manual for
corrections staff and research into alternative justice models that are more
humane and compassionate to the people in prisons, both those there by
force and those there for money.”


“We are absolutely delighted to have Elizabeth stepping into this newly
expanded role,” says AARC Board Chair Dave Nelson. “As our community
grows, so does our need for dedicated professional staff, which are the life
support system for a spiritually energetic community. We look forward to
seeing Elizabeth and the community thrive together.”


The AARC is a caring, inclusive and music-loving community of people who
want to practice and study Judaism, or simply be around people who share a
commitment to Judaism’s values. The AARC’s spiritual leader, Rav Gavrielle
Pescador, is known for her warmth, her collaborative spirit, and her
incredible voice and harp playing. You are invited to visit
https://aarecon.org/ or email info@aarecon.org to learn more about the
Ann Arbor Reconstructionist Congregation.