Ann Arbor Reconstructionist Congregation

Gillian Jackson

Capturing Learnings as the AARC enters the High Holiday Season

by

Written by Rebecca Kanner and Emily Eisbruch for the Washtenaw Jewish News

Hybrid Shabbat, July 2021

Lots changed during the COVID 19 pandemic, including, for many of us, how we worshiped and how we socialized.  What a joy to experience the happy reconnections in the summer of 2021, as vaccines enabled the resumption of many in-person events.  Now, on the brink of the New Year 5782, the Ann Arbor Reconstructionist Congregation (AARC) is taking stock of lessons learned during the pandemic and taking steps to capture and continue some of the positive innovations.

Aziza celebrating Tu B’Shvat

As one example, the pandemic inspired an increase in creative outdoor activities for the AARC Beit Sefer (religious school).  A Tu B’Shvat program centered on Ann Arbor’s champion trees and a bike/hike relay experience connecting Beit Sefer families are two examples.  “The healthy connection with the outdoors, and focus on Jewish environmental education is an emphasis we plan to continue,”  says Beit Sefer director Clare Kinberg. “For the upcoming school year we have plans for a monthly Beit Sefer program at The Farm on Jennings, a farm providing a diverse selection of certified naturally grown produce and flowers, owned and operated by AARC member Carole Caplan.”    

At the congregational worship level, we recently invested in state-of-the-art equipment to deliver hybrid worship experiences that are meaningful both for in-person and online participants.  According to Seth Kopald, who is a Board member and part of the AARC’s Tech Committee, “We bought quality equipment so everyone will hear and see things clearly, and hopefully it will help those on Zoom engage on a deeper level. We really want people to feel a part of the services and other events. We are together even when we are apart.”  In July, the AARC was pleased to convene an outdoor Kabbalat Shabbat service and to kick off using the new sound system, with the event streamed live on Facebook.  

In another innovation, color-coded name tags (using green, yellow or red circle stickers) were offered for those in-person at the July Kabbalat Shabbat. The colorful stickers were applied on name tags to indicate an individual’s comfort with hugs versus handshakes versus socially distanced smiles.  The stickers provide an easy mechanism for people to signal their level of readiness (or not) for friendly physical connection.   The congregation will decide whether to continue offering the stickers moving forward. 

Mishpocha groups, formed during COVID to facilitate AARC members keeping in touch, have proved highly successful.   AARC members serve as hosts for small groups that meet weekly or biweekly on Zoom, providing a cohort for check-in, support, and even sometimes for sharing music, poetry and short stories.  The friendships and new bonds continue as we emerge from the pandemic, and the Zoom check-ins may also continue.

Here’s a friendly reminder that High Holiday services are a great time to check out the Ann Arbor Reconstructionist Congregation. Our live-streamed services are open to all.   For more details, we invite you to visit the AARC website at https://aarecon.org/ or reach out to Gillian Jackson at aarcgillian@gmail.com. 

To see this article in the September 2021 Washtenaw Jewish News, scroll to Page 8 here.
https://washtenawjewishnews.org/PDFs/WJN-09-21-web.pdf

Update on AARC’s Beit Sefer Religious School From Director, Clare Kinberg.

by

This is my seventh year as Beit Sefer director and I’m very excited to let the curriculum of the past years take a rest (it’s a shmita year after all) and plant some seeds of a new program that centers outdoor, environmental and experiential learning. 

The Beit Sefer will still meet weekly on Sunday mornings, but one Sunday each month will meet out at Carole Caplan-Sosin’s farm on Jennings where we will learn Torah straight from nature. On the other Sundays we will focus on Hebrew, t’fila (prayer) and finishing our monthly creative projects begun out at the farm. Of course, stories and songs will round out each of our gatherings. 

We will return to meeting at the JCC when we aren’t at the farm, but we will learn outside under the tents as long as possible, and in the spring, as soon as possible we’ll be outside again. At all times we will follow COVID safety measures, including wearing masks.

Last year, the AARC Beit Sefer/religious school spent a good deal of time learning on Zoom, but we also did many activities outdoors. It was inspiring to break down the walls. The contemporary movement for outdoor Jewish learning has created many resources: books, lesson plans, and curricula. “Hazon: The Jewish Lab for Sustainability” website has over 500 excellent lesson plans that use Jewish traditions, rituals, and texts to teach compassion for all life on earth and environmental responsibility. While our AARC Beit Sefer will not be inventing the wheel of Jewish environmental education, we will be creating a dynamic new program.

Over the course of the school year, we will visit The Farm on Jennings nine times, on the second Sunday of each month. Each month will have a different theme based on the yearly cycle of trees as taught in Rabbi Jill Hammer’s The Book of Days: A Companion for All Seasons. The themes of our Sundays at the farm will include “Seeds,” “Roots,” “Branches,” “Leaves,” “Flowers” and “Fruit” and each will include learning from a song, psalm or blessing, exploring fields, trees and crops on the land, and a creative craft or project. 

Our Beit Sefer year will begin with a trip on August 29 to the Barn Sanctuary in Chelsea, a refuge for abused and neglected farm animals. Last year we did a virtual tour, and this year we will start off the year with an in person visit to celebrate, a bit late, Alef Elul, the first of Elul, which is the Jewish New Year for Animals where we learn deeper and deeper compassion for all creatures. 

The full schedule for the AARC Beit Sefer will be available soon, as will an enrollment page on the AARC website. Please contact Clare Kinberg ckinberg@gmail.com with any questions.

Elul Events and Resources 2021 (5782)

by

Throughout history we as Jews have leaned on our traditions to lead us back to ourselves in times of trouble or uncertainty. The month of Elul is one of those traditions: a time of cheshbon hanefesh or an accounting of the soul.

Elul has come at a perfect time this year; many of us are carrying a heavy emotional load due to the current state of affairs. Elul encourages us to take time to look inward and prepare for what’s to come. In this spirit, we are offering a multi-modal Elul experience:

LEARN: “How Do We Emerge from A Long, Dark Time? Or, What the Book of Jonah Can Teach Us About This Moment,” Sunday August 15, 4-5:30 pm. ON ZOOM.

Many of us know how Jonah came to be swallowed by the whale, but what was it like inside the whale, and how was Jonah changed once he emerged from his period of isolation? Join Rabbi Ora for a close read of the book of Jonah, a snappy and surprisingly funny prophetic text that can help us navigate this latter stage of the pandemic with a little more ease, lightness, and hope. Zoom link will be emailed to members the week before the event. If you would like to attend and do not receive our mailers, email aarcgillian@gmail.com

LISTEN: Songs of Return, A High Holiday Community Playlist

Our community playlist features gorgeous niggunim, new melodies, and High Holiday favorites to get us in the teshuvah mood. Listen and enjoy, and add your favorites tunes so we can all hear them. To listen, all you need is a free Spotify account. To add music, you’ll need to open the Spotify app on your phone, tablet, or desktop.

BREATHE: Elul Meditation Offerings

A series of pre-recorded meditations from Rabbi Ora and members are now available to stream, below. These themed meditations vary in length and style, and can be listened to on your schedule as many times as you like.

Blessing This Moment (16 min)

Hineini: A Meditation & Chant for Presence (18 min)

Sitting in Divine Light (10+ min)

A Mind-Body-Spirit Integration (6 min)

Gam Zeh Kadosh/This, Too, Is Holy (9+ min)

WRITE: Daily Reflection Prompts

Sign up to receive daily reflection and journaling prompts for the entire month of Elul (August 8-September 6). Created by Rabbi Jordan Braunig, these prompts may serve as “a little more space than we are used to to dig in and do the work of cheshbon nefesh/soul-accounting.” 

SING:

Elul Concert with Joey Weisenberg, Sunday August 8, 3-4 pm

AARC’s Elul programming begins with a musical-spiritual Zoom concert with Joey Weisenberg, prolific composer, author, and director of Hadar’s Rising Song Institute. Between participatory niggunim, Joey will dip into his book The Torah of Music, showing how singing is a spiritual practice accessible for all. Join the song circle to draw strength from our collective voice and lift you into the High Holiday season. This event is co-sponsored by the Ann Arbor Orthodox Minyan and Beth Israel.

Selichot Services, Saturday August 28, 8-9 pm. IN PERSON AT THE JCC.

Our selichot services will ease us into the High Holy Days with beautiful melodies led by Rabbi Ora and members. We’ll lean into some soulful niggunim that will form the aural backdrop to our Rosh haShana and Yom Kippur services, then end Shabbat together with Havdallah. Sign up to attend HERE.

Gather: Annual Summertime Potluck Picnic, August 22nd, 11am-1pm. 

Come spend time with our community and bring some canned goods to contribute supplies to our local food pantry. Bring a dish to pass. Sign up here, COVID guidelines here.

If you have any questions about any of these Elul offerings, please email Gillian.

Details About Our First Hybrid Shabbat Service!

by

The day has come for our first hybrid in person and streaming Shabbat service, and we are all excited for this momentous event! Volunteers and staff have been working hard to make this a safe and enjoyable event for everyone. It has truly been a monumental team effort; many thanks to our board, re-opening task force, tech committee, and event volunteers. See below for details and safety protocols, and don’t hesitate to email Gillian with any questions.

Event Details:

  • Services will begin at 6:30 at the JCC, 2935 Birch Hollow Dr, Ann Arbor, MI 48108.
  • Services will be on the side of the JCC in between the building and the soccer field. After parking, head to the right of the front doors, you will see the greeters when you round the corner. If you need help with wheelchair/handicap access, please email or call Gillian.
  • Bring a blanket and/or lawn chairs to set up on the JCC lawn. We will have some folding chairs if needed. There are some semi-permanent tents for shade over parts of the lawn; let’s save the shady parts for folks who may have less tolerance for sun exposure.
  • Services will be streamed onto our Facebook page.
  • The amazing Seth Kopald will be running sound over a brand new speaker system so that everyone can hear from various locations on the lawn.
  • There will be childcare provided on the JCC playground
  • If there is a high chance of rain, we will move to Zoom services. This will be announced by Thursday night.

COVID Safety Guidelines:

  • All are welcome at outdoor events, both members and non-members.
  • When entering the JCC’s outdoor area, ALL attendees will be asked to use hand sanitizer and then sign in, providing their name, the names of anyone attending with them, email, phone number, and completing a short health and safety checklist. 
  • If you currently have or have recently experienced a cough, sore throat, aches, fatigue, gastrointestinal distress, or loss of sense of smell or taste, or have had close contact within the last 14 days with someone who tested positive for COVID-19, please stay home and access the service via livestream.
  • If you or someone in your home or social circle is considered at high risk, either for health or reasons of advanced age, we encourage you to keep them safe by staying home yourself. 
  • For vaccinated people, masks are optional at outdoor events.
  • For unvaccinated people, masks are recommended at outdoor events. 
  • People should please feel free to wear a mask if they are concerned in any way. 
  • Color-coded (green/yellow/red) stickers for name tags will be available for helping communicate one’s personal social distancing needs.  The “key” to the color coding will be posted prior to and at every event, e.g. green = handshakes and hugs OK, yellow = elbow bumps only, red = social distance please. 
  • Parents with children are asked to ensure that their children are playing in a low-risk manner.
  • Although there will be chairs available, attendees are encouraged to bring their own lawn chairs or blankets.  
  • For now, food and drink will not be served. However, if you or your children need to eat or drink for health reasons, please feel welcome to do so, but be sensitive to maintain at least 6 ft of distance from attendees who are wearing red stickers.
  • For services, members with AARC siddurim are asked to bring their siddurim with them and return home with them; for those without, siddurim will be available for use. Attendees are encouraged to bring their own tallitot and kippot.
  • With the JJC building remaining closed, a Porta Potty will be available.

A Little Stroll Down Memory Lane!

by Leave a Comment

A few editions of the Havurah’s original newsletter, ‘The Grapevine.’

The cover of the May 2012 Grapevine

Is everyone ready for a trip down memory lane? Aura Ahuvia has very generously donated her archive of the Grapevine newsletter from 2000-2013. Thank you Aura! We have uploaded a few notable ones here for you to enjoy. Feel free to share memories in the comments below.

Grapevine from October 2012- AARC discusses name change and hiring a Rabbi!Download
Grapevine from October 2005- The Hav has its first Friday Night Childrens Service!Download
Grapevine from October 2001- The Hav buys our Torah from EHNTJCDownload

If you enjoyed this and would like to check out the rest of the archive, Margo Schlanger has uploaded it here! You will need to log into the member section of the website to access the archive. If you need help with this, let me know!

July Events at AARC

by

July is an exciting month for us here at AARC! We will be having our first in person hybrid Shabbat Service on July 23rd at 6:30! We will also be having a joyful Saturday service with Etta Heisler and Hannah Davis on July 10th followed by our second summertime social on July 11th. More details below!

Second Saturday Morning Shabbat Service. July 10th, 10:30am-12. Please join us for this lay-led community Shabbat service. This service will be led by Etta Heisler and Hannah Davis. There will be lots of singing and an abundance of joy! Join us!

July Summertime Social and Seed Bomb Station, Sunday July 11, 11AM-1PM: During this social we will have a seed bomb station loaded with native beneficial plant seeds. You can make some seed bombs and throw them around your neighborhood to populate the area with beneficial plants! Of course, if you are not interested in making seed bombs and would like to come just to visit, there will be friends there ready to shmooze! Sign up here.

Fourth Friday HYBRID In Person and Streaming Shabbat Service. July 23rd, 6:30-8pm. This service will be held outdoors and in-person at the JCC. For those not able to attend in-person, we will also be broadcasting the service via livestream. Families are encouraged to bring their own blankets and chairs, but there will be folding chairs available for those who need them.

We look forward to seeing everyone soon!!

2021 Graduate Spotlight!!!

by Leave a Comment

Mazel Tov to our graduates!

Aaron Belman-Wells, a Skyline grad, is off to UM’s College of Engineering this Fall where he’s planning on studying mechanical, aerospace or nuclear engineering.

Rose Basch graduated from Huron High School in June 2021 with Honors and an International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma. She was awarded the Paul K. & Fern L. Meyers Award and Scholarship. At Huron, Rose served as Program Manager on the Ratpack FIRST Robotics team, captained the Women’s Varsity Soccer team, and is Chief Operating Officer for INNO summer camp.  Outside of school, she enjoys soccer, skiing, travel, hanging out with friends and creating art. This summer, Rose is a counselor at Camp Lookout in Frankfort, MI. She will be attending Cornell University in the fall to study mechanical engineering.  

Ruby Lowenstein just graduated from Bennington College in Vermont with a degree in Drama and Literature. This summer Ruby will be living at home, taking Yiddish classes online. Later this summer she will be going to Boston to finish writing a play about the 1902 Kosher Beef Riots with one of her close friends (They got a grant!!! Whooop!!!). This fall Ruby is hoping to go WWOOFing for a while before moving to NYC to pursue playwriting!

Jacob Schneyer graduated with a degree in philosophy from Grinnell College.  He was awarded the John H. Worley Endowed Prize in Philosophy. After doing some relaxing and traveling this summer, he will move to Chicago in the fall and look for work as an organizer. 

Livia Belman-Wells graduated this May (2021) from Brown University with a BS in Mathematical Physics. In August she begins graduate school at Berkeley in Condensed Matter (Physics).

Aaron Kurz, the first Bar Mitzvah of the AARC when it was the Hav, graduated with his PhD in Earth and Environmental Sciences from the University of Michigan, in May. The focus of his research in Environmental Biogeochemistry culminated in his dissertation: Mercury Stable Isotopes Identify Past and Present Mercury Sources and Cycling.  In addition, he earned a graduate certificate in Science, Technology and Public Policy from the Ford School at the UM.  This fall, Aaron will be joining the 2022 cohort of the Science and Technology Fellows of the California Council for Science and Technology in Sacramento. This fellowship supports scientists in the California state government to help shape sound and smart public policy.

It was a tricky year for tracking down all of our graduates. If we missed your graduate, please email us– we can add them to the spotlight at any time!

LGBTQ Jewish History Workshop THIS WEEKEND!!!

by

This Sunday, June 20th at 2pm, AARC will be hosting a workshop that will take a deep dive into formative moments in LGBTQ Jewish history. The workshop will be hosted by Hannah Forman, a trainer with Keshet. Keshet is an organization that works for the full equality of all LGBTQ Jews and our families in Jewish life. Keshet strengthens Jewish communities, equips Jewish organizations with the skills and knowledge to build LGBTQ-affirming communities, creates spaces in which all queer Jewish youth feel seen and valued, and advances LGBTQ rights nationwide.

This workshop assumes some basic familiarity with LGBTQ identities and will not provide an introduction to gender identity and sexual orientation. Participants may familiarize themselves with these terms and concepts through Keshet’s LGBTQ Terminology sheet, available in the Keshet online Resource Library.

Keshet has a lot of workshops coming up including some teen pride events. They are a powerful workhouse that tirelessly organizes for the LGBTQ community. Learn more about them and check out their calendar of events here.

LGBTQ Jewish History Workshop with Keshet: Sunday June 20, 2-3:15 PM. This interactive workshop explores key moments in LGBTQ Jewish history in the United States and the implications of this history for our work on LGBTQ equality and belonging in Jewish life today. If you would like to attend, please email aarcgillian@gmail.com for the zoom link. We look forward to seeing you there!!

New Summertime Social Series and Hybrid Services!

by

Join us for our first IN PERSON social events since the COVID-19 shutdown!!!

Earlier this month, AARC members were asked to fill out a survey to assess how and when we should re-open for in-person activities. Based on the survey responses, it was clear that many members would like to start gathering together for outdoor, COVID-safe activities over the summer! In an effort to answer that call, we have organized a series of monthly outdoor social gathering for the summer, as well as hybrid Fourth Friday Services in July and August.

Summertime Socials:

We will host a Summertime Social once a month and pair the event with a tikkun olam activity. The Summertime Socials will take place on the east side of the JCC grounds, under Hebrew Day School’s outdoor tents. You can access the space by heading around the right side of the building towards the soccer fields. We will have signs directing you for those who have not spent much time at the JCC, as well as a welcome table staffed by volunteers. If you have accessibility needs, please contact Gillian.

  • June Summertime Social and Pride Poster Painting, Sunday June 13, 11AM-1 PM : AARC will provide paint, markers and poster board for you to paint your own pride poster. Please feel free to bring your own supplies if you would like to avoid use of communal supplies. Bring your beautiful posters home and put them in your yard and windows to show your PRIDE!! Of course if you are not interested in making posters and would like to come just to visit, there will be friends there ready to shmooze! Please sign up here to participate and volunteer.
  • July Summertime Social and Seed Bomb Station, Sunday July 11, 11AM-1PM: During this social we will have a seed bomb station loaded with native beneficial plant seeds. You can make some seed bombs and throw them around your neighborhood to populate the area with beneficial plants! Of course, if you are not interested in making seed bombs and would like to come just to visit, there will be friends there ready to shmooze! Sign up will be sent out in July.
  • August Summertime Social: Annual Picnic and Food Drive, Sunday August 22 11AM-1PM. This social will be a combination of our annual summer potluck picnic and a tikkun olam food drive. Prior to the event we will get a list of foods needed by local food pantries and send them out to participants. Sign up will be sent out in August.

Fourth Friday Hybrid Shabbat Services:

  • July Fourth Friday Shabbat Hybrid Service: July 23, 6:30-8PM. This service will be held outdoors and in-person at the JCC. For those not able to attend in-person, we will also be broadcasting the service via livestream. Families are encouraged to bring their own blankets and chairs, but there will be folding chairs available for those who need them.
  • August Fourth Friday Shabbat Hybrid Service: August 27, 6:30-8PM. This service will be held outdoors and in-person at the JCC. For those not able to attend in-person, we will also be broadcasting the service via livestream. Hopefully we will have worked out the kinks for this service and will be ready to roll into the High Holidays with our hybrid wheels under us! As with July’s service, families will be asked to bring their own blankets and chairs.

As we move into fall, we will work with the congregation to plan future hybrid/virtual services. We will update everyone as soon as we can!

Safety Guidelines

The AARC Reopening Task Force has outlined some best practices for us while gathering outdoors this summer. You can review them in their entirety here. Here are some of the highlights:

  • All in-person attendees must pre-register for each event or service, providing their name, the names of anyone attending with them, and their email and phone number; those who have not pre-registered will be asked to register on arrival. 
  • If you currently have or have recently experienced a cough, sore throat, aches, fatigue, gastrointestinal distress, or loss of sense of smell or taste, or have had close contact within the last 14 days with someone who tested positive for COVID-19, we ask that you stay home.
  • If you or someone in your home or social circle is considered at high risk, either for health or reasons of advanced age, we encourage you to keep them safe by staying home yourself. 
  • Everyone, including children (age 4 and older), must properly (i.e., fully covering nose and mouth) wear at least one mask at all times. 
  • All attendees should maintain 6 feet of distance between themselves and anyone else who is not a member of their family/pod.
  • Parents with children are asked to keep their children with them, and/or to ensure that their children are playing in a low-risk manner with other children. Children will have access to the JCC’s outdoor playground.
  • Although there will be chairs available, attendees are also encouraged to bring their own lawn chairs or blankets. 
  • For now, food and drink will not be served due to the requirement to remain masked. However, if you or your children need to eat or drink for health reasons, please feel welcome to do so, but be sensitive to maintain at least 6 ft of distance from other attendees when temporarily taking off your mask. 
  • For Fourth Friday Shabbat services, members with AARC siddurim are asked to bring their siddurim with them and return home with them; for those without, siddurim will be available for use. Attendees are asked to bring their own tallitot and kippot.
  • With the JCC building remaining closed for the summer, a wheelchair-accessible Porta Potty will be available for everyone’s use.

June is Pride Month at AARC!

by

Written By: Gillian Jackson and Clare Kinberg

Pride Events at AARC:

PRIDE SHABBAT: Saturday June 12, 10 AM Ta Shma, 10:30 AM Shabbat service. Join us for a Pride-focused ‘Pray What’ to learn how our traditional prayers have been reconstructed (by Reconstructionists and non-Reconstructionists!) to include non-heteronormative models of love and relationship, and a Shabbat morning service honoring and amplifying the many voices of our queer elders, siblings, and children.

Zoom link for services will be sent out the week before the event; if you are not on our mailing list and would like to participate, please email us!

LGBTQ Jewish History Workshop with Keshet: Sunday June 20, 2-3:15 PM. This interactive workshop for AARC members and friends explores key moments in LGBTQ Jewish history in the United States and the implications of this history for our work on LGBTQ equality and belonging in Jewish life today.

Note: This workshop assumes some basic familiarity with LGBTQ identities and will not provide an introduction to gender identity and sexual orientation. Participants can familiarize themselves with these terms and concepts through Keshet’s LGBTQ Terminology sheet, available in our online Resource Library.

Zoom link for services will be sent out the week before the event, if you are not on our mailing list and would like to participate, please email us!

Happy Pride Happy Hour: Saturday June 26, 6-9 PM. AARC members Robin Wagner and Sharon Haar invite our LGBTQ+ members to drinks and light dinner on their patio to celebrate Pride Month. To RSVP, please fill out this sign-up genius.

Here are some other ways to engage with LGBTQ Pride activities this month:

Read this gorgeous essay, Queer Delicacy: An Ancient Approach to Halakhah, by Congregation Agudas Achim’s Rabbi Alex Weissman

Watch this symposium on Jewish Queer History from the Center for LGBTQ and Gender Studies in Religion recorded this year on May 2. Twenty years after the publication of Queer Jews, this symposium in memory of its co-editor David Shneer brings together many of the most thoughtful Jews in the movement: Dr. Bernie Schlager, Christie Balka, Dr. Gregg Drinkwater, Avi Rose, Rabbi Jane Rachel Litman, Ali Cannon, Hadar Ma’ayan Dubowsky, Rabbi Steve Greenberg, Rabbi Robert Judd, TJ Michels, Rabbi Mychal Copeland, Dr. Marla Brettschneider, Sandi Simcha DuBowski, Dr. Ruti Kadish, Eve Sicular , Rabbi David Dunn Bauer, Dr. Jodi Eichler-Levine, Koach Baruch Frazier, Dr. Samira Mehta, Dr. Lori Lefkovitz, Jaron Kanegson, Dr. Jonathan Krasner, Moderator: Idit Klein), Rabbi Aviva Goldberg, Rabbi Evette Lutman, Dr. Kathy Simon. It’s long, enjoy parts of it at a time.

Watch some queer theatre from the National Queer Theatre of NYC. Their Criminal Queerness Festival, June 22-26 presents explosive new plays by LGBTQ artists from countries that criminalize queer and trans people.

“‘Together we can make a safe home:'” Space, Violence and Lesbian Activism” is a presentation on 1970s St. Louis lesbian history. Learn about AARC Beit Sefer director Clare Kinberg’s story. LGBTQ history is personal!