Ann Arbor Reconstructionist Congregation

efbrindley

D’var by Wesley Jackson

by

My Torah portion combines two portions:  B’har and B’chukotai.  

B’har talks about the Sabbatical and the Jubilee year.  The sabbatical year, also called Shmitta, occurs every 7 years.   In the sabbatical year you cannot farm on your land to let the land grow back naturally.  In that time you cannot harvest, plant or prune. And if something does grow then animals, poor people and slaves are allowed to eat that produce. Hebrew and contracted slaves are also released.

To ensure that people have enough to eat during Shmitta, in the 6th year – the year before shmitta – God commands the Israelites to grow enough crops to last two years. Another detail about Shmitta is that all debts are canceled. The sabbatical year is still observed in Israel.  

The year after seven sabbatical years is called the Jubilee or the Yovel.  The Jubilee is also a year of rest  and a time when a home or property is returned to the original owner – if the ownership has changed in that time. In the Jubilee you also do everything that you’re supposed to do in the sabbatical year. 

The main difference between the Sabbatical and Jubilee years is that in the jubilee there is an aspect of returning property ownership back to how it was in the previous jubilee however in the sabbatical year it is more about stopping people from being mean,  and to be fair to the land –  and to the people. 

B’chukotai, the second half of my Torah portion, talks about curses and blessings.  For example,  if you follow God’s laws then you will be blessed and your crops will grow and you will not be attacked by anyone or anything, and you will win battles. 

However if you don’t follow the laws then you will be cursed and you will lose all of your battles and continue getting punished. 

This doesn’t completely make sense to me because some of the rules in Torah do not apply anymore.  Why should people be punished for things that do not make sense?  And some of these commandments are longer practiced, even according to the rabbis – like the jubilee.  It would be almost impossible to celebrate now.  This could cause problems because people would lose a lot of money if they had to return the homes they bought to the original owners.  Our economy would crumble. 

Shmitta, however, is practiced in Israel and the Jewish law around it is very complicated.  But I don’t think it would work in this country.  However, in the spirit of shmitta – of being kind to the land – we could try to use farming methods that help the land and make it easy for crops and nature to flourish. 

That is what I’m trying to do for my Bar Mitzvah Project. For my bar mitzvah project I am planting a garden in the Eddie Center with wild and native plants in Chelsea – where I live – because these plants perform much better in our environment. 

Native plants are important because they provide something for native animals to eat and they make healthy roots that can help the land and prevent problems with it.  Native plants grow easily and naturally and do not need as much human intervention to flourish, if any. So you don’t need toxic pesticides and you don’t have to use as many energy consuming devices for the plants to grow successfully.  Because these plants are native to this region and have adapted to it.  They grow well in this environment. 

How does my Bar Mitzvah Project relate to the themes in my Torah Portion?

It could be easier for the land in my city to rest because it does not need as much human intervention (beyond planting) because the native plants were made to survive there. This is a way of observing Smitta where I live. 

So I choose the blessings rather than the curses in my Torah portion.  If you let the land regrow naturally with indigenous plants then it helps you and the animals and the environment.  It helps all of us.  

My question for you is – how could you practice shmitta in your life?

I would also like to thank my parents for starting this and my brother for surviving going places for me to be able to learn.  And I’d like to thank my uncle Neil for reading his portion and my friends for coming and Jack, Aaron, and Elliot for helping me learn blessings.  And I’d like to thank Deb Kraus for helping me learn haftarah and Torah and those blessings – and the rabbi for helping me learn blessings for the service and my speech and leading the service with her.  I’d also like to thank Deborah Fisch for putting the supplement together – and the congregation of course for being there so that I can become a more active part of it and especially everyone who came and helped set up or is going to help clean up. 

Rosh Hashanah La’Behemot Celebration

by

Originally, Rosh Hashanah La’Behemot served as an agricultural and financial deadline to count and tithe newborn livestock for Temple offerings. This year, we’re reimagining it as a time to appreciate our furry beloveds! Please enjoy these photos of AARC’s animal members:

If you’d like to know more about the origins of Rosh Hashanah La’Behemot, check out Mishnah Rosh Hashanah 1.

AARC Welcomes New Assistant to the Executive Director by Elizabeth Brindley

by

Hello AARC community!

Just like we always hoped, our community is growing. We’re gaining new members, hosting more programs, and welcoming more and more faces to our services. To make sure services and programs continue to run smoothly, AARC has hired an assistant to help me out.

Please allow me to introduce Sebastien Keeler. Here’s what he has to say about himself:

Hi everyone!

My name is Sebastien Keeler and I’m happy to be joining you as part of AARC.

I live in Ypsilanti, and used to run the Jamerican Grill food truck with my late husband. Originally, I moved to Ypsilanti to go to Eastern Michigan University where I got a Master’s degree in hotel/restaurant management in 2014.

I enjoy collecting and playing video games; my favorites are from the SNES/Sega Genesis era. I play several musical instruments and have been playing the euphonium in the Canton Concert Band since 2016.

Summertime is my favorite season and I love going on road trips with my Doberman, Fred.

I held an active role at my old synagogue in Pennsylvania, and I’m truly happy for the opportunity to do the same here. I’m looking forward to continuing working with AARC and meeting all of you.

Jewish Federation launches community new board member training

by

“Jewish Federation launches community new board member training” was written by Eileen Freed. It appeared in the July 2026 edition of Washtenaw Jewish News.

This winter, 40 board members from almost every local Jewish congregation and organization gathered for a three-part educational experience coordinated by the Jewish Federation of Greater Ann Arbor and funded by the Jewish Community Foundation.

The aim of the Jewish Community Leadership Training series was to provide important general information about nonprofit board service for new and current board members of local Jewish organizations, large and small. The Jewish Federation hoped this information would drive increased board effectiveness at participating organizations. Other key goals were for participants to develop cross-communal connections, learn best practices from one another, better understand the local Jewish communal landscape, and increase collaboration. 

Under the leadership of facilitator Carrie Hammerman, formerly the Chief Strategy and Programs Officer at the NEW Center, a three-part curriculum was developed and delivered. Session One focused on “The Basics,” such as board and governance responsibilities; board structure, roles, committees, meetings and recruitment; and challenges of volunteer boards. The session was facilitated by University of Michigan Professor Emerita Janet Weiss. Professor Weiss taught nonprofit and public management for 40 years in the Ford School of Public Policy and the Ross School of Business and founded the UM Nonprofit Board Fellows Program at UM, which has provided opportunities for over a thousand graduate students to serve on nonprofit boards in Michigan, and to learn hands-on about board service.

The second session focused on fiduciary responsibilities — organizational financial policy and fundraising. Greg Lewis, an executive coach and consultant and longtime lecturer at Ross School of Business, led the group through understanding the financial obligations of the board and how to serve as stewards of the organization’s finances. Participants received handouts about financial terms and engaged in an exercise around reading financial statements. This was followed by Carrie introducing “the elephant in the room” — the very key role board members play in ensuring financial stability through fundraising — giving, educating, and connecting for the benefit of the organization. Carrie encouraged the group to get comfortable with and find joy in fund development. People serve on boards because they care about the cause or mission, and fundraising is simply giving people the opportunity to support the organization to which they commit their time and leadership. Former development director at JFS and UM’s Museum of Natural History and current team leader for the Temple Beth Emeth Life & Legacy team Robin Little spoke to the group about the importance of incorporating planned and legacy giving into the culture of the community’s Jewish communal organizations.

The final session focused on better understanding the Jewish community organizations and structures in Washtenaw County. Jewish Federation CEO Eileen Freed gave a presentation on Ann Arbor’s Jewish history, receiving much appreciated input from the participants regarding their organizations’ important milestones. She spoke about the Jewish community today and shared opportunities and incentives for community collaborations. 

Temple Beth Emeth Board Chair Jack Billi thanked Freed for the “very valuable series of sessions for training our community leaders. I hope we can carry forward some of the excellent suggestions for future areas of collaboration.”

Rabbi Gabrielle Pescador and the board members of the Ann Arbor Reconstructionist Congregation (AARC) believe that serving on the board of a congregation is “a terrific way to give back to the community, but it can come with challenges.” The AARC leadership were eager to attend the training to learn and network with board members of other area congregations, and the AARC was strongly represented at all three sessions. 

“Rabbi Pescador and our board strive to create a warm, supportive leadership cohort that will reflect in the vibe and experience of the congregation,” wrote AARC Board Member Julie Norris in a reflection after the final session. “We work to serve our congregation by fostering an inclusive and caring environment for our current and future congregants. This training helped further these intentions.

“Our Board members sat together during the training, which strengthened our team, and enabled us to quickly discuss and begin applying the valuable learning points directly to our growing Reconstructionist congregation. The sessions were an effective mix of teaching best practices and allowing for participant interaction.”

Dave Nelson, Chair of the AARC’s Board, said, “The program was substantive, informative, and engaging. We really appreciated the opportunity for concentrated time together to reflect on our own leadership, processes, and planning.” He added that “the dinners were delicious and the quinoa stuffed squash was especially good.” 

Norris continued, “We are grateful to Federation for the significant work that went into producing this high-quality training. Our hope is that having this resource will encourage our congregants and members of the greater Jewish community to volunteer for board service with more confidence. We now have access to an excellent training program with extensive accompanying resources, all tailored to our unique and wonderful Ann Arbor community.”

The Jewish Federation plans to offer this series on a regular basis, taking the input from this inaugural group to make adjustments. For more information, contact the Jewish Federation at info@jewishannarbor.org.

LGBTQ+ Pride Kabbalat Shabbat — June 26, 2026 by Robin Wagner

by

We are thrilled to share that Ann Arbor Reconstructionist Congregation invites you to an evening of prayer, poetry, music, and community at our LGBTQ+ Pride Kabbalat Shabbat, on Friday, June 26, 2026 at 6:30 pm, at the JCC, 2939 Birch Hollow Dr. A parve potluck follows the service. Come as you are. Bring your whole self. Bring a friend. Bring a parve dish to share (no meat, no dairy, but eggs ok)!

A Torah Portion Made for This Moment

The week’s parsha, Chukat-Balak, is the perfect queer-positive parsha to center our thoughts around Pride and the LGBTQ+ experience. At its heart is a jenny — a female donkey — who sees what the powerful male prophet Balaam cannot: the angel of God standing directly in his path. When she speaks, she disrupts everything. She’s marginalized, overlooked, and dismissed — and she’s the one with the clearest vision of truth.

Sound familiar?

The central drama of this portion is Balaam’s repeated attempt to curse the Israelites, which God transforms, again and again, into blessing. “A people that dwells apart, not reckoned among the nations” — words Balaam meant as an insult that become, through a queer lens, a source of pride. To be outside the norm, to resist definition by society’s narrow metrics, to be “strange” in a world that rewards sameness — these are not curses. They are, read rightly, blessings.

Transforming Curses into Blessings, Because Pride is Protest

There’s a wonderful saying–I have it on 2 t-shirts–that “Pride is Protest.” It’s an odd phrase, but an important one: we need to always remember that LGBTQ+ Pride was born out of the Stonewall Uprising, in the early hours of June 28, 1969, when queer patrons of the Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village, New York City, resisted a police raid. This is why we celebrate Pride in June, and why we must always keep in mind that we have turned the hideous efforts to shame and humiliate vulnerable members of the community into a reason to celebrate, march, dance in the streets, wear all sorts of rainbow decorations, and celebrate LGBTQ+ people. 

Inspired by the Chukat-Balak parsha and Pride month, we’ll engage in a special ritual to help us each release a curse, hurt, or fear bogging us down and then embrace a hope or blessing to lift us up and give us pride, just as Balaam’s curse was transformed, into something new and positive.

Poetry, Music, and the Sacred Art of Being Seen

The evening will be woven through with poetry and song that honor LGBTQ+ lives and sacred belonging. We are thrilled to welcome Detroit-based poet Stephanie Glazier, a Lambda Literary Fellow, who will read her own work at the service — including her moving poem Agent Orange, Again, a meditation on prayer, rage, love, and the wildness of God. Stephanie’s manuscript Of Fish & Country has been recognized by the National Poetry Series, the Alice James Book Prize, and many others. Her work has appeared in the Michigan Quarterly Review, The Southern Review, and Alaska Quarterly Review, and she served for years as poetry editor of Gertrude, the celebrated LGBTQ+ literary journal. Having her voice with us on this night is a true gift.

The service will also draw on the poetry of Mary Oliver (who was, in her own life, a testament to love on one’s own terms), and on the music of Debbie Friedman — including Miriam’s Song — performed by an ensemble of musicians and singers from our community who are bringing their whole hearts to this evening. 

Our Interpretive Amidah, adapted from Mishkan Ga’avah: Where Pride Dwells, will include a blessing for our LGBTQ+ ancestors — those who fought to love, who insisted on their dignity, who contributed their fierceness and art and voice to this world. We walk in their memory.

Celebrating All of Who We Are

The children’s blessing will name LGBTQ+ figures from our tradition — Joseph, David and Jonathan, Naomi and Ruth — alongside the matriarchs and patriarchs, because our stories have always been part of the story. We’ll close with Fred Small’s beloved Everything’s Possible, a lullaby for every child that holds open all the doors of a life: “You can be anybody you want to be / You can love whomever you will.”

Throughout the service, we’ll use fluid, expansive language for the Divine — because our tradition has always known that God is bigger than any single name.

Pronoun stickers will be available. All are welcome at this table.

## Join Us

**LGBTQ+ Pride Kabbalat Shabbat — Parshat Chukat-Balak**  

Friday, June 26, 2026 · 6:30 pm  

JCC · 2939 Birch Hollow Dr, Ann Arbor  

Parve potluck to follow

Shabbat Shalom — and Happy Pride. 🌈

Time to stand up for our immigrant neighbors! by Steve Merritt

by

Back in January, Jeff Basch posted on Reconchat about an interfaith coalition on immigration coming together in Ann Arbor. When he asked if any of us were interested, it called out to me.

I had worked for eight years as a Spanish interpreter in courts, hospitals, schools and community mental health. I was often there in people’s most difficult, intimate moments—during jail visits, medical procedures, school meetings with parents, and in the privacy of therapists’ offices.

In those years, I got to know the Latino community. What I saw were people working multiple jobs to feed and clothe their kids, paying social security taxes they’d never collect on, and trying their best to live under the radar. They took jobs no one else wanted. They prioritized family and friends. They went to church. They are not so different from any of us. And they are here for the same reasons most of our ancestors came: To escape danger and/or seek a better life for themselves and their kids.

They do not merit the harsh, dehumanizing treatment they are receiving. The Torah calls on us 36 times to care for the stranger in our midst, often cited as the most frequently mentioned commandment. If there ever were a time to heed the call to defend our immigrant neighbors, it is now.

In what became the Interfaith Funds for Immigrant Justice coalition, 23 congregations committed to raising $100,000 so that the Michigan Immigration Rights Center (MIRC) could hire more legal staff. At the AARC, David Speyer quickly organized an immigration-themed Purim party to raise money. In mid-March, Kira Berman put on a benefit cocktail party. You can read about our next fundraiser below.

____________________________________________________________

The Latin Music & Dance CELEBRATION! on Saturday, June 13, 6:00-9:00 pm, is our next benefit for MIRC. Paul Vornhagen’s Afro-Cuban jazz band Tumbao Bravo will headline an evening of music for listening and dancing. We’ll be at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Ann Abor, which is co-sponsoring the event with us and providing the venue.

The doors for the event will open at 6:00 with dinner from Pilar’s Tamales and a cash bar. A salsa lesson with Mambo Marci from YA Salsa will start at 6:30. The band will take the stage at 7:15.

During the intermission, we’ll hear from Molli, a member of the UU congregation who answers the MIRC hotline. She’ll share some of the stories she hears from callers and help put a face on the people we are supporting.

It should be a fun, high-energy evening. And a chance to take a break from the depressing daily news cycle, find a little joy, and show support for our neighbors. Please plan to attend!

Tickets are $50 per person. The deadline for registering is June 6. Those who cannot attend are encouraged to donate. Buy your tickets or donate here!

Wine & Vegan Cheese Tasting to Draw Attention to Link Between Food and Climate by Steve Merritt

by

The Wine & Vegan Cheese Tasting to be held at the Washtenaw Food Hub on Saturday, May 30, at 3:00 is a fun and tasty way to get us talking about the connection between our food choices and climate change. The AARC is organizing this event. The Ann Arbor Jewish Climate Circle is partnering with us to promote it to the broader community. And you are invited!

The Shavuot-inspired tasting will feature artisanal vegan cheeses, Michigan wines, and locally sourced dairy cheeses and accompaniments in a beautiful farm setting. The wines were paired by our own Joel Goldberg, who has been a wine columnist and wine competition judge. As much as possible, the foods we’ll sample are made in Michigan. 

Fortified by delicious food and drink, we’ll explore the consequential topic of food and climate!

First, a statistic: Food systems– production, transportation, and consumption–are estimated to generate about 30% of greenhouse gas emissions. We’ll look at the roles of animal agriculture, food sourcing and waste, among other factors. And we’ll hear about how our individual actions, when scaled, can shift an unsustainable food system. To guide this exploration, we’ll have a guest speaker from the UM Food Sustainability Initiative.

Rabbi Gabrielle will provide a Jewish context for the event using the concept of “eco-kosher,” which reconstructs traditional notions of what is “fit to eat,” a key aspect of which is care for the earth.

Given the enormous challenges posed by climate change, we’ll also talk about some things that we personally can do to lower our carbon footprint. 

And finally, we’ll learn about the Washtenaw Food Hub, the venue for the event, which supports many of those solutions.  Their farm market, which looks like a country general store, carries many of the products we’ll sample. Their related business, Tantre Farm, is currently enrolling people in its CSA to receive fresh produce throughout the summer.

We thank the Ethyl Hyman & Rose Kaplan Foundation, whose generous support makes this program possible.

Tickets to attend the Wine & Vegan Cheese Tasting are $18 per person. Space is limited and the registration deadline is May 20. We hope you’ll come. Register here! 

AARC Has a New Member Area

by

Good news, everyone! The Member Area of the AARC website is now integrated with our congregational Google Workspace. This makes it easier to maintain, easier to access for the members, more secure, and easier to share more information with you. The link to “Member Area” (accessible from the top navigation bar at http://www.aarecon.org, under the “Membership” tab) now links directly to our shared Google Drive: https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/folders/0ANC_yIQy8QqSUk9PVA 

Log in using your email address listed in the directory (which is probably the same email address through which you received this email message). You can immediately download the most recent member directory, financial reports shared at the latest Annual Meeting, the congregation bylaws and articles of incorporation, and almost 20 years of meeting minutes. 

This will work even if you have a Yahoo, Outlook, iCloud, or other email service. You just need a free Google account linked to that email. Google will prompt you to create one if you don’t have one already. It’s free, and only takes about two minutes. 

Still having trouble? Email info@aarecon.org for help.

RSVP to “Lesson of the Homeland” and the Stories We Tell: A Conversation with Anat Zeltser

by

Anat Zeltser is the Ken Burns of Israel. Over the past 25 years, she has made deeply researched and thought- provoking films about Israel’s  identity,  history, culture and politics. 

On Sunday, April 26, the AARC and wider Jewish community will have the opportunity for a conversation with her about her work. Gilad Halpern, a journalist and media historian will lead a conversation with Anat, and there will be time for questions from the audience. 

Both Anat and Gilad have been Fellows at the University of Michigan’s Frankel Center this year and will soon be leaving town. This event is a rare opportunity to meet and learn from “the best documentary creator in Israel,” (according to one of her reviews); another Israeli critic describes her work as  “mesmerizing, informative, and profound.” 

We ask that participants come having watched the first part of her series “Lesson of the Homeland.” A link is here. It’s about 30 minutes and has subtitles.

Please RSVP below for the conversation.

Event Address: Jewish Community Center of Greater Ann Arbor, 2935 Birch Hollow Dr, Ann Arbor, MI 48103.

Time: 12:00 – 2:00 pm, bagels, fruit and coffee/tea available.

Gilad Halpern, Moderator
Anat Zeltser, Documentarian

Reimagining Torah Study: Moving from Zoom to In Person by Rabbi Gabrielle Pescador

by

2nd Saturday April 11th, after services, 12:00-1:00 pm, JCC and on Zoom. With bagels and coffee!!

For the past couple of years, we’ve held a monthly “pop-in” Torah study session on Zoom.  The intention was simple: to create an accessible space for Jewish learning, reflection, and conversation.

Although participation has been modest, we are hearing from individual members and from our Annual Members Meeting about a strong desire for deeper intellectual engagement and for a place to wrestle with big questions: textual, spiritual, philosophical, moral and ethical. 

Perhaps the issue is simply one of timing – 3rd Wednesday evenings at 7 pm may not be ideal or convenient.  Or perhaps people are longing to gather in person rather than on Zoom. 

So, we are pleased to announce that, beginning in April, we will be moving our study session from 3rd Wednesday on Zoom to the 2nd Saturday of the month, following Shabbat morning services.  The study session will take place at the JCC and will begin at 12 pm.  This will be a hybrid offering – in person and on Zoom.  [Please note that we will not have a Torah study in May or June due to B-mitzvah events.]  To sweeten the deal there will be BAGELS and coffee!!

This change is also responding to another clear yearning: many of us want to engage more directly with what is happening in the world—socially, politically, ethically – through a Jewish lens.  The 2nd Saturday Torah study will invite that kind of discussion, as our tradition does not shy away from diving into complexity and asking difficult questions. It invites argument, nuance, and wrestling—machloket l’shem shamayim, disagreement for the sake of heaven. It asks us to think, to question, to challenge, and to be challenged. 

This shift is not meant to replace broader opportunities for political conversation or engagement in our community. A healthy community needs a variety of gathering opportunities.  We are complex people who need different things at different times.  And many of you have stepped up to facilitate and organize gatherings that address those needs.  I hope that continues. 

At the same time, I think it is important to emphasize that our Shabbat services are, and will remain, a space for healing. They are not designed to be arenas for debate or for the release of political frustration. In a world that is already loud, reactive, and polarized, the sanctuary allows us to hold something different.  A place for prayer, music, quietude, and re-centering. 

I also hope we continue to make room to simply be together, to enjoy one another’s company, to laugh and to connect.  That matters too.

I am grateful for all the lay leadership, for the generous feedback and the multiple voices that shape this community. 

Let us continue to build this community together, and lean into the multifaceted spirit of our evolving Jewish tradition. 

Chag Pesach Sameach,

Rav Gav