Ann Arbor Reconstructionist Congregation

Margo Schlanger

New member intro: Welcome the Nelson/Spindler family!

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In our ongoing series of new member intros, I’m happy to introduce the Nelson/Spindler family:  Cara Spindler, Dave Nelson, and Aziza and Otto.

Nelson-Spindler

Dave says:  “I’m the tall one; Cara is the pretty one.”

 

 

 

 

 

Some Q & A’s:

What brought you to Ann Arbor and how long have you been here?

Cara and I both came to Ann Arbor as U-M undergrads twenty years ago, and have been here ever since.

Tell us about your prior involvement in the congregation:  

We’ve been skulking around the periphery of the AARC for several years (Otto’s been in Beit Sefer for, I dunno, maybe three or four years now).

What are some things you like to do? 

Um . . . being outside? The kids are very into imagining insane things and playing made up games that I find totally inscrutable (as well as Pokemon–ugh), while my wife and I hope to get to see a movie again some day. And we all read a fair bit.

Many of us already know Dave, Cara, and their kids — if you don’t, say hi the next chance you get!

Klezmer Music is coming to Ann Arbor

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Maxwell Street Band pic 2The Maxwell Street Band

Come enjoy a rich, multi-dimensional performance that combines dance music, folk songs, theater medleys, and jazzy Yiddish pop music from the 1930’s to the 1950’s.

Concert & Dance Party

Saturday, November 1

Location: Eastern Michigan University Student Center, Main Ballroom

  • Doors open at 6:45 pm; music starts at 7:30 pm
  • Opening act: Detroit’s Kidz Klez, followed by Maxwell Street Concert and Dance Party
  • Cost: $18 per adult, $5 per student.  Kids are free.

Visit www.jewishannarbor.org to purchase tickets.

Musician’s Workshop

Sunday, November 2

Location: JCC of Ann Arbor (2935 Birch Hollow Dr, Ann Arbor, MI 48108) Newman Lounge

10:00 – 11:30 am.  Learn and play klezmer music.

Register below.  After you register, you’ll get a link to download mp3’s for the workshop.  

Free to all musicians (recommended age 12 and up).  Maxwell Street’s clarinetist, violinist, and pianist will lead a master class to teach musicians of all levels how to play in the klezmer style. The musicians will receive band arrangements and coaching. By the end of the workshop, the musicians will play together as an orchestra!  Participants should be able to sightread music (or should come having already learned the assigned pieces by listening to MP3s provided in advance).

The Klezmer Concert & Workshop are organized in part by the Ann Arbor Reconstructionist Congregation with support from the Eastern Michigan University Jewish Studies, the JCC of Greater Ann Arbor, and an Impact Grant of the Jewish Federation of Greater Ann Arbor, as part of the Ann Arbor Yiddish Festival.

All-Logos-for-Klezmer-version-3

Register for the Musician’s Workshop here:

A D’var Torah about the Akedah

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by Margo Schlanger

ShofarThe traditional Torah portion for the first day of Rosh Hashanah is about the birth of Isaac and the near-death of Ishmael, Abraham’s son by a woman whose name we never find out – Hagar, the name given in the Torah, means “foreigner.”  Ishmael, of course, is the father of the Ishmaelites.  In the Muslim tradition, he is the Muslim patriarch, ancestor of Muhammed, and more generally of the Arab Muslims.

It’s the relationship between that first day’s parsha and the parsha for today, Rosh Hashanah’s second day, that I want to talk about.  Today’s parsha is Akedah, the binding of Isaac.  As we all know, it’s a difficult portion.  If the project of our Torah reading is to find inspiration and edification, that’s a tough undertaking from a story that seems to portray just about everyone behaving badly.

How can we reconcile ourselves to a God who says to Abraham “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and offer him as a burnt offering on one of the mountains that I shall show you”?  And if the answer to that question is, it’s a test, then that raises another question:  How can we admire an Abraham who is so bold, so compassionate, as to argue with God over strangers in Sodom and Gomorrah, but not bold enough and compassionate enough to argue with God about the command to murder his own child?  If it’s a test, didn’t Abraham fail, when he set so silently to obey?

These are not new questions.  [Read more…] about A D’var Torah about the Akedah

And welcome to the Bramsons, too!

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Bramsons
Candace, Elliot, Eric

New AARC members Eric and Candace Bramson have lived in Ann Arbor over 20 years.  They met at the University of Michigan Ballroom Dance Club in the mid 90s, and still enjoy dancing today.

Eric is an engineer at Ford Motor Company and enjoys photography, biking and bird watching. Candace works for Pfizer doing clinical research and likes learning languages (currently studying French), biking, and running. Their son Elliot, who has attended the Beit Seifer for the last 3 years, is in 4th grade at Angell Elementary and loves legos, stuffed animals, and anything University of Michigan.

The Bramsons look forward to strengthening their connection to the Jewish community and becoming involved in the congregation’s celebrations and activities.

WELCOME!

Welcome the Angus family!

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Here’s how our new members, the Anguses introduce themselves:

We are the Angus family, Dale, Orna, Aden (12) and Sara (9). We met the Reconstructionist Hav in 2013. I (Orna) grew up in Ann Arbor. Dale grew up in Marysville, MI. We met when he attended EMU. We are an interfaith marriage.

We recently moved back to Dexter in 2010 to be closer to my parents. Dale works for Thule in Manufacturing Sales, and I work at Pittsfield Charter Township as the Deputy Treasurer.

Our children love sports and various activities. Aden enjoys playing basketball & golf, and Sara is a gymnast. They both enjoy school and spending time with friends. As a family we enjoy biking and kayaking in the local parks. We have two dogs Catcher, and Kelly they love to cuddle. The family favorite books & movie would be the Harry Potter Series.. Favorite Foods: (Dale) BBQ, (Orna) Italian, (Aden) BBQ or Buffalo wings, (Sara) Chinese Food.

Welcome to Becky, Brian, Sam, and Joey!

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Our newest members are Becky and Brian Ball and their sons, Sam and Joey.

I asked Becky if she’d introduce her family to us, and she wrote this:

I was actually born and raised in Ann Arbor, but my husband is from Rhode Island (we met living in Los Angeles). We’ve been back in Ann Arbor for 12 years, but finally begun to look for a congregation to belong to. My husband teaches special education in Saline, and I teach social studies at Skyline in Ann Arbor (World History, World Humanities, Economics and Government). We are an interfaith family – I am Jewish while Brian was raised Catholic. I love quilting, kayaking and medieval history. My husband enjoys writing and gardening. Sam (8) and Joey (5) both went to preschool at the JCC, but both are now at Eberwhite Elementary. They are obsessed with legos and superheroes. We have four cats and are a vegetarian family. Our favorite movie is the original “Star Wars.” My favorite book is “The Lightbearer,” a novel about the Roman Empire. Brian’s favorite book is “The Great Gatsby.” We live in Scio Township between Ann Arbor and Dexter, and love the natural setting of wildlife and being near the river, but also being close to the libraries and museums of town.

Welcome to Becky and Brian!
Welcome to Becky and Brian!
Sam and Joey
And to Sam and Joey, too.

 

Sukkot Retreat 2014, Save-the-date!

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Lulav, pointing right

WHEN: Fri. Oct. 10 to Sun. Oct. 12

 

WHAT: A weekend full of learning, community, celebration, rest, and fun

 

  • Build and decorate the sukkah; celebrate sukkot.
  • Music and folk dancing with the fun and fabulous house band, Dan Peisach and the Mazel Tovs
  • Workshops (more details soon)
  • Yoga
  • Walks to the lake
  • Shabbat service
  • Share great meals and relaxing time

WHERE: Emrich Retreat Center (Brighton Recreation Area), just 45 minutes from Ann Arbor by car

PRACTICAL DETAILS:

  • Sleeping is in bunk beds
  • Child care provided Saturday morning and afternoon
  • Cost:  TBA (you can come for the whole weekend, or for just Shabbat lunch or dinner)

MORE INFORMATION:

FUN WE HAD LAST YEAR:

Under the Sukkah, 2013
Under the Sukkah, 2013

New Member Profile: Carole and Rose (& Cleo)

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Rose Brown and Carole Caplan
New Members Rose Brown and Carole Caplan

Carole Caplan and her daughter, Rose Brown, are new members who have recently relocated to Ann Arbor from the suburbs of Chicago, IL. With their new kitty, Cleo, they are currently renovating a home that sits on a dirt road on 11 acres on the far north side of Ann Arbor. Carole’s dream of living rural is enhanced by the farm being only 12 minutes from all that Main Street has to offer, and by the fact that Ann Arbor is home to the like-minded Jewish, yoga and “green” communities that have been such an important part of her and her families’ life in the Chicago area.

Rose currently attends Washtenaw Community College and is looking to work with horses through the summer before studying Equine Management at MSU in the fall. Carole’s son, Max, is hard at work for IBM in Chicago, and her daughter Elana graduates from Hampshire this spring.

When not working the farm, Carole teaches yoga and meditation, trains yoga instructors, and offers Thai Bodywork sessions as well. Believing that sustainable living starts with physical and mental health that is heavily influenced by our environment, Carole also offers Healthy Home consulting for building and renovating spaces that people can truly thrive in. (www.livebychoice.com)

Raised as a cultural Jew in a reform community outside of Detroit, Judaism initially failed to offer Carole the spiritual connection that she had been seeking since a young age. After years of practice and study in Eastern systems, Carole feels grateful to have found her way back to Judaism through Reconstructionism. An active member of the Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation in Evanston, IL for many years, Carole is both a Wexner Heritage Fellow and a Greenfaith Fellow, and has a passion for helping people explore the important intersection between spirituality and environmentalism.

Carole and Rose are excited to get to know the AARC!