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AARC To Participate in a Community Wide Tikkun Leil Shavuot

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Join AARC and the Wider Jewish Community For A Night of Learning at Temple Beth Emeth

Tuesday, June 11, 2024 • 5 Sivan 5784, 8:30 PM – 4:00AM

AARC is very excited to announce that our congregation will be participating in a community wide Tikkun Leil Shavuot gathering. Rabbis from the Ann Arbor and surrounding area will be sharing teachings including our own Rabbi Gabrielle Pescador. There will also be teachings from community members, if you would like to offer a teaching you can sign up by following the QR code on the flier below. The night will be split up into one-hour sessions on a variety of Jewish topics. Kosher refreshments will be served. You can stay as long or as little as you like.

Rav Gavrielle will be offering a teaching during Session 1: Spiritual Mapping in Tanakh. In this session we will explore parallels between the spiritual mapping of Ezekiel’s vision of the Divine Chariot (Ezekiel 1:1-28, 3:12) and the mapping of the encampment of the tribes of Israel in the desert (Numbers 2:1-34). Participants will be invited to imagine and reflect on how such parallels can inspire and deepen spiritual practice.

Registration is requested below.

Lecture Happening This Sunday with Rabbi Julia Watts Belser!

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Moses:  Provocations from a Disabled Prophet”

May 5, 2024 – Join us on Zoom for a Presentation and Torah Study which will be led by Rabbi Julia Watts Belser –  “Moses:  Provocations from a Disabled Prophet”

Register Here

When God sends Moses to lead the Israelites out of slavery, the prophet famously says no.  Why?  Moses describes himself as “slow of speech and slow of tongue”—in other words, as a man with a speech disability.  While some commentators treat Moses’ disability as a spiritual impediment, this talk and text study brings Moses’ story into conversation with the life experiences and activism of contemporary disability communities.  We’ll grapple with spiritual and political questions about access and equity, invisibility and silence, as well as practices for transforming social inequality and shame to illuminate the provocative power of spiritual leadership that centers disability wisdom.

Rabbi Julia Watts Belser (she/her) is a scholar, spiritual teacher, and longtime activist for disability, LGBTQ, and gender justice. She is a professor of Jewish Studies in the Department of Theology and Religious Studies at Georgetown University and core faculty in Georgetown’s Disability Studies Program. She’s also an avid wheelchair hiker, a devoted gardener, and a lover of wild places.  Her latest book is Loving Our Own Bones: Disability Wisdom and the Spiritual Subversiveness of Knowing Ourselves Whole.

Chag Pesach Sameach

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Each and every Passover we are taught to see ourselves as being liberated from slavery in Miztrayim (Egypt), which in our tradition is understood as the “narrow place,” derived from the word meitzar.  Mitzrayim is not about a specific location, but rather a narrow state of mind or set of circumstances that obstructs our ability to live healthy, fulfilling, and peaceful lives. 

On the seder nights, we are invited to draw inspiration from the Passover story and dream a journey of freedom that applies to our own lives and the societies in which we live.   Redemption is not a one-time occurrence that happened to our ancestors thousands of years ago; it is an ongoing experience that requires our utmost attention.    

Unfortunately, at this time, many of us are experiencing Mitzrayim on many fronts: the ongoing violence in Israel and Gaza, fear of further escalation of tension between Israel and Iran, worries regarding the outcome of the presidential election in November, the climate crisis, etc.  Some of us have health issues, some of us have lost loved ones recently and some of us are dealing with painful situations in our personal lives.   

These are very stressful times.  Because of that it is my wish that we all remember to take care of ourselves – physically, emotionally, and mentally.   Let us hold fast to our most loving and supportive relationships.  Let us choose to love whenever possible.   Let us choose to be grateful for the life that we have.  Let us reach out to friends, family and to those in need.  Let us enjoy what we can — the purring of a cat, the tweeting of a bird, the sprouting of seedlings, the flowering of trees, a good book, a beautiful piece of music, a prayer, a seder, the smile of a beloved, a gathering with like-minded people.     I promise that I will try to do the same.

Chag Pesach Sameach.

B’ahavah,

Rav Gavrielle

Big News! AARC Will Now Offer A Children’s Service During Fourth Friday Shabbat!

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We are so excited to announce that AARC will now be offering an interactive children’s Shabbat Service during our normal Fourth Friday Shabbat Service. Families are invited to arrive at 6:30 and join the congregation for candle lighting and MaTovu. After the opening prayers, children will join Shani Samuels and Josephine Speyer in the childcare area to attend a special abbreviated children’s Shabbat service. Following the service, children can enjoy free play until it is time to re-join the congregation for the priestly blessing and potluck.

During the children’s service Shani and Josephine will lead the children in traditional shabbat prayers such as Shalom Aleichem, Lecha Dodi, Maariv Aravim, Ahavat Olam, Shema, V’ahavta, MiChamocha, V’shamru, Oseh Shalom. This new addition to the AARC service offerings is the outcome of Josephine’s B’nei Mitzvah project. We are very proud of Josephine and can not wait to welcome her to the bima in June!

If you have any questions about this month’s Shabbat service, please email Gillian at aarcgillian@gmail.com, we can’t wait to see you there!

Celebration of Rabbi Gabrielle’s Ordination and Installation

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The community is invited to join the Ann Arbor Reconstructionist Congregation (AARC) in welcoming, installing and celebrating Rabbi Gabrielle Pescador at our Second Saturday Shabbat Morning services on Saturday, April 13 at 10 am. The morning torah service and Installation will be followed by a catered Mediterranean kiddush meal at 12 noon.  Please RSVP here to attend.

Rabbi Gabrielle trained at the ALEPH Alliance for Jewish Renewal as both a rabbi and cantor, completing the double track last year. She was ordained in January 2024. Rabbi Gabrielle started as AARC’s rabbi in July 2023, seamlessly integrating into leading the congregation. Her spirituality, musicality and commitment to helping people find meaning in Jewish life are a perfect fit for AARC. 

Music has always been an integral part of our community, and Rabbi Gabrielle brings something new to that tradition – her harp!  Around the time she began her rabbinic training she also started playing the harp and gradually included the instrument while leading services. She considers the harp an instrument of healing because of its soothing sound quality and biblical resonance, and uses it as a tool for heart opening and easing the pathway to religious experience. Learn more about Gabrielle and her path to becoming a rabbi and cantor here. 

Please be sure to RSVP to join AARC as we celebrate the ordination and installation of our musical Rabbi Gabrielle Pescador on Saturday, April 13th at 10 am.  Donations in honor of Rabbi Gabrielle are welcome. 

Passover 2024!

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Passover Seder Sign Up

One of the things that I love about our congregation is the way that opportunities are built in to be a part of a tight-knit community and make personal connections with people. One of the really special ways that we do this is to make sure that every member has a Seder table to join for the Passover holiday. Being invited to someone’s Seder table is a really meaningful opportunity to experience the Passover Seder through the perspective of another family. The way that everyone approaches the Seder is always different, getting to experience this can provide new insights and ways of looking at the Passover story. 

How the process works is that two sign ups are created for people to offer seats at their Seder table and request seats at a seder table. Once that we have all of the information about available and needed seats, we will match families to each other and exchange contact information. If you are interested in participating, sign up here!

Fourth Friday During Passover

Fourth Friday Shabbat will be held during Passover this year. This will be a wonderful opportunity to share our favorite Passover foods potluck style and celebrate the holiday together in community. More details to come!

Reconnect with the Community, the Earth and Yourself

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Join for the 2024 AARC Retreat: May 31st to June 2nd

The 2024 AARC retreat will be held at Camp Tamarack in Ortonville, Michigan, Friday, May 31st through Sunday, June 2nd (the weekend after Memorial Day weekend). This promises to be a very special retreat.

The retreat will offer:

  • A chance to celebrate Shabbat as a community
  • Three creative and musical services led by our own Rabbi Gabrielle
  • An art workshop facilitated by professional artist, Idelle Hammond-Sass
  • Hikes exploring around the beautiful lakes on the 1,100 wooded acres of Tamarack/Camp Maas
  • A Saturday night dance party with Dan Peisach’s band “Twas Brillig and the Mazel Toves” and dances led by Drake Meadow
  • A workshop on how to mend clothes with creativity and style (visible mending) with Allison Stupka
  • Discussion groups led by some of our very talented members
  • Campfires with S’mores and singing each night
  • A variety of “sportsball” opportunities at our very own sports area with soccer field, tennis courts and basketball courts
  • Canoeing and/or Kayaking
  • Childcare and Children’s Programming
  • …and other surprises as well!



To register, please click the button just below and this will take you to a registration and payment info.

Click to Register for the 2024 AARC Retreat

Questions?  Call Leora Druckman at 1-734-730-3399

Retreat Preliminary Schedule

*Note:  All Programming time slots will consist of some combination of 3 – 5 of the following options (led by AARC members).

  • Arts/Craft Workshop
  • Discussion/Workshop/Facilitated group
  • Foodie Session
  • Guided Hike or other Nature Activity
  • Some kind of Sportsball (Volleyball, Gaga, Soccer, etc)
  • Canoes, Kayaking and/or Swimming at the Lake
  • Walking Mincha (afternoon service) with Rabbi Gavrielle
  • Kids Programming and/or babysitting
  • Chill out and do nothing and/or take a nap

NOTE: Schedule is Subject to Change

Friday Evening, May 31

TimeActivity
4:00 to 6:00 PMWelcome and Registration
6:00 to 7:15 PMFriday Night Kabbalat Shabbat Service
7:30 – 8:30 PMTraditional Shabbat Community Dinner
9:00 PM – ?Evening Hang Out  (informal music making, games, socializing, noshing, etc.)
9:00 – 11:00 PM Camp fire with s’mores and singing

Saturday, June 1

TimeActivity
7:00 to 7:45 AMEarly morning yoga or meditation
8:00 to 9:00 AM Breakfast
9:30 to 10:45 AM Saturday Morning Shabbat Service
*11:00 AM to 12:30 PM Morning Programming
1:00 to 2:00 PM Lunch
*3:00 to 4:30 PMAfternoon Programming
5:00 PM(Really good) Kosher Wine Tasting Happy Hour
6:30 to 7:30 PMDinner
8:30 PM t0 ?Music by Dan Peisach with “Twas Brillig and the Mazel Toves” and Dances called by Drake Meadow
9:00 to 11:00 PMCampfire with s’mores and singing

Sunday, June 2

TimeActivity
7:00 to 7:45 AMEarly morning yoga or meditation
8:00 to 9:00 AM Breakfast
*10:00 to 11:30 AM Morning Programming
12:30 PM to 1:30 PMLunch with the Beit Sefer
2:00 PMClosing circle
3:00 PMGoodbye until next year!

The 2024 retreat planning team is headed by Leora Druckman and includes Adrianne Neff, Steve Merritt, Emily Eisbruch and Rav Gavrielle.

Many thanks to everyone who has stepped up to lead retreat workshops and activities.

We look forward to a fantastic retreat and hope you can join!

photos from past AARC retreats