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Yom Kippur Workshops 2022

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The War in Ukraine: Empire, War, Refugees, and us with Debbie Field 1:30-3pm

Our own family histories, and Jewish history in general, have been shaped by empires and their wars of conquest. In this interactive session, we’ll learn a little about the war in
Ukraine, its impact on civilians, and the creation of refugees. We’ll make some comparisons with our own experiences as Jews, and end by considering actions we might take as individuals and as a community.

Movement Workshop with Alison Stupka. 1:30-3pm

People will gain a reconnection with their bodies during their fast.

Jonah Workshop with Rabbi Debra, 3-4:30pm

During this breakout session, we will read the book of Jonah together, and share informal discussion about its themes and why the rabbis chose such a seemingly silly story for the Yom Kippur afternoon Haftarah.

Sing and Connect with Deb Kraus, 3-4:30pm

Deb Kraus will hold space outdoors if weather permits to sing together and connect.

Thoughts on Elul By Rabbi Debra

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Rabbi Debra Rappaport will be leading this year’s High Holidays services

Greetings! As I write to you, we are at the beginning of the new moon of Elul, the month that precedes the new moon of Tishrei – also known as Rosh Hashanah. ELUL is known as an acronym for the phrase Ani L’dod v’Dodi Li – I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine. Who or what is the Beloved to whom we need to return this season? 

The work of this season is called cheshbon ha-nefesh – taking stock of our own souls and our relationships. Where have my actions not been true to my values? Where do I need to make amends and/or change course? Teshuvah – making amends where appropriate and returning to our best selves, to the ineffable Beloved, is the other part of our season’s work.

Though we are new to one another, we may share some of the same sentiments… for example, wondering as the season approaches, How have I changed? What difference did all of last year’s resolve make? Or, What more can I do to stem the destruction and injustices I see around me?

Believing that we can change, and that repairs can be made, matters. It forms how we choose to show up to every moment. The Talmud (Pesachim 54a) describes teshuvah as a possibility created even before the world itself was created! The possibility of choice and change exists in our very essence. Not just regarding the big things but in every moment. Not just as individuals but collectively. Think of how a tiny course correction on an ocean liner leads a ship to a different landing place. Likewise, tiny moments of showing up differently in our own behavior can change our life’s trajectory – and hopefully our country’s and our planet’s – for the better.

MyJewishLearning.com offers some ideas for practice for the month of Elul.  If you’d like to do some learning and reflecting together, please do join one of the High Holy Days workshops starting September 18.  Sign up here!

In any event, I am truly looking forward to meeting you in person, and making the journey of the holy days together. In the meantime, may all have a nourishing Elul.

L’shalom,

Rabbi Debra Rappaport    

Children and Family Programming and Childcare for High Holidays 2023

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AARC offers an engaging and flexible series of High Holidays learning opportunities and services for children and families. To take part, please fill out the Childcare & Children’s Services Signup form below.

Childcare & Family/Children’s Services Signup

High Holidays Family/Children’s Services Schedule

  • Saturday, September 16th, 2023, 10:30am: Rosh Hashanah Children’s Service at the UU
  • Monday, September 25th, 2023, 10:30am: Yom Kippur Children’s Service at the UU

If you have any questions about this programming, please email us. We looking forward to sharing this sacred time together!

High Holidays Childcare Signup

  • Childcare is offered for children 2 years of age and older.
  • The childcare room is located in the hall behind the registration table. Vaccinated teens over 12 can be supervised in the teen room across the hall.
  • Both rooms will be staffed by qualified caregivers.
  • Members: Childcare for members who sign up by September 1 is free of charge. Members who do not sign up by the deadline will be asked to pay $10 per child per day. Without advance reservation, childcare will be offered on a space-available basis only. Sign up online below.
  • Non-members: The cost for non-members is $20 per child per day.
  • Payment is due by September 1. Payment can be made by mailing a check or using the Donate link to pay online.
  • Please note that children under 13 must remain in childcare or be supervised by an adult at all times; children are not permitted to roam on their own while on the Unitarian Universalist Congregation premises. Children may leave childcare only if an adult picks them up.
Childcare & Family/Children’s Services Signup

Elul Workshops with Rabbi Debra Rappaport

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We approach the High Holy Days during the Hebrew month of Elul. ELUL is referred to as an acronym for Ani L’Dodi V’Dodi Li (Song of Songs 6:3) “I am drawn to my Beloved and my Beloved is drawn to me.” And so we begin with love as the foundation and container of the hard work of teshuvah, aligning our actions with our values.

Here are three invitations, three moments, to learn and reflect in community with Rabbi Debra Rappaport. Each one stands alone; each speaks to a different big question of the season. Each session support participants in preparing our hearts to arrive at the High Holy Days with clear(er) intentions. The focus is on text-based reflection (in English), so the sessions will be inclusive of all, regardless of Jewish background. Please rsvp to attend HERE.

Thursday, September 15: 7:00 – 8:15 pm Turning inward, Teshuvah (turning, returning)

How can the teachings of the season support our cheshbon ha-nefesh (taking an account of the state of our souls) and our teshuvah (making reparations and returning to our highest selves)?

Thursday, September 22: 7:00 – 8:15 Reaching outward, Din V’Rachamim (Justice/Judgment & Mercy/Compassion)

What are the implications of the Rosh Hashanah image of a heavenly court in which perfect justice is weighed against compassion and forgiveness?

Thursday, September 29: 7:00 – 8:15 Confessing together, Al Chet

By Yom Kippur, we are to have made amends with those whom we’ve harmed. What, then, is the significance of the confessional words we recite together on Yom Kippur? Why do we recite as a community when we didn’t necessarily commit all the transgressions? Do the traditional words convey all we need to say at this moment in history?

Observe Tisha B’Av This Year Outdoors with Lauren Zinn!

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19th Century Painting of Tisha B’Av Observance by
Léopold Horowitz
 (Hungarian, 1838–1917)

As predicted, this year brings new opportunities for learning and growth! Encouraging members to bring their ideas and traditions to the congregation has allowed for this exciting opportunity to learn about the observance of Tisha B’Av!

Lauren Zinn will be hosting up to 10 participants at her house on Saturday August 6th at 7:15. There will be an optional outdoor BYOB picnic meal together before the listening/chanting of the first chapter of Eicha alongside a recording at 8pm. Lauren says “… Tish B’Av can be an opportunity to express sorrow not only for the historical event it commemorates but for our current collective angst as well as any personal sadness folks might want to share. Sometimes letting the grief out makes room for the joys.” If you would like to attend, please SIGN UP HERE! Lauren’s address will be sent out to participants who have signed up.

What is Tisha B’Av?

Tisha B’Av is a day of mourning for the loss of the first and second temples in Jerusalem. Tisha B’Av is translated literally as the ninth day in the month of Av. It is believed that other occurrences of loss have happened on or around this day involving the persecution of Jews in Europe amongst others therefore the observance has been expanded to include a mourning of loss in general.

On Tisha B’Av the book of Eicha is read, which grapples with how we as Jews deal with catastrophe, pain, and loss. It explores the role of G’d in suffering and how we may contribute to our own suffering or loss.

Similar to Yom Kippur, some Jews fast and refrain from perfumes, sex, bathing etc. There is traditionally a light pre-fast meal that does not include meat. Once the sun sets, participants begin reading the book of Eicha while sitting on the floor or a low stool.

Learn more about the Reconstructionist approach to the holiday, explore their website here!

Transitions at AARC’s Beit Sefer (Religious School)

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It is a summer of change and transition at AARC as we have said goodbye to Rabbi Ora and now our Beit Sefer Director, Clare Kinberg. As you may know, Clare is the publisher and editor of the Washtenaw Jewish News. In her short tenure as publisher and editor, Clare has taken the paper in a new direction that provides our community with critical insight into the local and wider Jewish community. In order to more fully support this effort, Clare has decided to pass on the directorship torch of the AARC’s Beit Sefer program.

But as they say, when one door closes, another one opens! The AARC leadership has encouraged us to use this year as one of growth and opportunity. Not just in terms of service leadership, but in terms of redefining what is important to us as a community and strengthening our community’s participation in their spiritual home. In line with this view, bringing in new leadership to our Beit Sefer program brings the opportunity to reinvigorate our program of learning for our young families. Although we cherished our time with Clare, we know that we will find new and bright opportunities for the years to come.

With that said, we invite you to spread the word about this job opportunity to your networks in the greater Jewish Ann Arbor area. The job posting is listed on our website HERE. As always, please let us know if you have any questions, and enjoy the photos below that spotlight the years of Clare’s heartfelt and inspiring leadership!

Introducing Debra Rappaport, AARC’s Rabbi for the High Holidays

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The Ann Arbor Reconstructionist Congregation (AARC) is delighted to announce that Rabbi Debra Rappaport will lead our High Holiday services for the fall of 2022 (Hebrew Year 5783). 

Rabbi Debra shares this warm greeting:

“Greetings from Minneapolis! My name is Debra Rappaport, I use she/her pronouns, and I share a home overflowing with plants with my husband Bobby Zelle and our fierce funny cat Ozi. I have served two wonderful congregations for seven years each since my ordination from the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College in 2007, one in Vail, CO and one in Minneapolis, MN. I’m really excited to be with you this High Holy Days season! Though we don’t really know each other yet, I have been moved by the way the AARC values member engagement at every level.

I’m inspired by the way the people I’ve “met” (by Zoom) are approaching the High Holy Days, with active roles for as many people as possible. And I’m really excited to meet more of you!”

A bit more info on Rabbi Debra: she is co-chair of the Minnesota Rabbinical Association and she served as co-chair of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association Bi-Annual Convention in March 2022. Before becoming a rabbi,  she had a career in sales, marketing, and change management, earning  an MBA from the Wharton School in 1990. AARC Board Co-Chair Debbie Gombert shared that after a just a few conversations, she felt connected and thrilled that we will be sharing High Holidays and partnering with Rabbi Debra this year.

In addition to leading Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur services for the AARC, Rabbi Debra will also lead several workshops around the high holidays.  The first workshop will be for a Kavanot (intentions) team on Sunday, July 31. Rabbi Debra will also lead three adult education/workshops via Zoom on these Thursdays: September 15, 22 and 29th to help us get spiritually ready for the holidays. Mark your calendars!

We are at this time forming a Kavanot (intentions) team for those who would like to contribute liturgy in the form of stories, poems or intentions to the High Holiday services. Here are details from Rabbi Debra:

The first opportunity I will have to meet some of you will be a
Zoom gathering on Sunday, July 31st, 1:30-3:00 pm ET with Deb Kraus as your local host.

This gathering of what will be the Kavanot team is for folks who feel moved to write and share something during our Rosh Hashanah or Yom Kippur services. Everyone is welcome! 

You don’t need to know what you want to write at this point; together, we’ll start to explore the themes of the services and the questions that inspire reflection. Please RSVP to Deb at drdebkraus@gmail.com by Friday, July 29.  

Alternatively, if singing, chanting, musical prayer, and making music in general suits you better, please be in touch with Etta Heisler at ettaqueen@gmail.com.
The “Davenning team” is beginning to convene this month as well. Likewise, everyone is welcome – it’s about bringing our voices together in prayer, not about performance.

Stay tuned as more information about plans for the High Holidays 5783 will be available in future blog posts and emails. As a community, we have a lot to plan and a lot to look forward to, and we are grateful to have Rabbi Debra Rappaport as our rabbinical leader for this season.

Take Part in This Year’s Participatory High Holidays Services!

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By Deb Kraus

This year the high holidays are later in the fall:  Rosh Hashanah lands on Sunday night, Sept 25 and Monday, Sept 26, and Yom Kippur will be on Tuesday night October 4 (Kol Nidre) and Wednesday, October 5 (Yom Kippur day).  We hope you are making plans to join us for the full time, but as always you are welcome to join for any part.  This gives us lots of time to plan.

We are proud to announce that this fall we will welcome Rabbi Debra Rappaport as our High Holiday rabbi for 5783.  One of the many things she brings to us is a desire to empower us to participate broadly—through music, poetry, storytelling and of course, torah and haftarah readings.

As her partner in this endeavor, I want to include everyone in this process.  Please read below to see how you can contribute your words, your voice, your presence.  I’m dividing this into four “teams;” please respond to as many of these suit your interests and abilities:

Musical team:  We will NOT have a cantorial soloist this year.  Instead, we will divide up those cantorial pieces (Kol Nidre, Unetaney Tokef, HaMelech, Hineni, Ya’aleh, some of the Kaddishes) to those who can take these on.  We will also have a group of singers with hopefully guitar accompaniment, who can lead us in communal song (all our old favorites plus some new selections).  Let me know asap if you would like to be in the group (our own personal “davening team”!) or would like to do one of the solos.  If you want to contribute with an instrument, let us know this as well, and because I don’t know where else to put this, please know that we are always looking for shofar blowers, both for RH day and for Ne’illah at the end of YK.

This team will be meeting to practice outdoors in Ann Arbor on:

Wednesday July 20
Thursday July 28
Wednesday August 3
Thursday August 11
Wednesday August 17
Thursday August 25

Kavanot team:  We will be looking for poetry, your own or something that you already love or that you find, stories and liturgy.  The initial meeting of this team will be July 31, from 1:30 – 3:00.  Please let me know if you are interested!

Torah/haftarah team:   We will have an opening for a Torah reader for both Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, so let me know if you would like dibs on one of these.  And once again, haftarah for Yom Kippur will be done by the post B mitzvah teens.  Several of these young adults have also moved on, so parents, please “voluntell” your kids to do this?

Workshop team:  Once again, there will be workshops on Yom Kippur afternoon.  If you have something that you would like to present for discussion, please let us know as soon as you can, with a blurb that explains your goals, along with what format (discussion, lecture, etc.) you plan to use.  If there is competition for these slots, we might have a survey to determine which have the most likelihood of attendance.

We will also be needing our standard High Holidays Volunteers to help set up, staff the welcome table, and schlep the Mishkan to the Unitarian Church etc. Sign up to volunteer for these volunteer spots here.

If you would like to join any of the teams mentioned above, please email Deborah Kraus!

Recruiting service leaders for Shabbat services! 

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The AARC Board expected that we would have a student rabbi or rabbinical intern to lead bi-monthly Shabbat services for the 2022-2023 year. Unfortunately, there were no fifth year Reconstructionist Rabbinical College (RRC) students interested in field placement in Ann Arbor. (Fortunately, there were RRC rabbi graduates interested in leading High Holidays services, so look for an announcement of our High Holiday service leader next week!)

For our Fourth Friday Kabbalat Shabbat and Second Saturday Shabbat services this year we envision a mix of lay leaders and visiting rabbis. We formed a committee to consider the Jewish holiday calendar as well as our current bi-monthly shabbat services schedule. We want to create a vibrant tapestry of services and events this year, spun by a variety of leaders. To encourage variety, we will set a limit that each person will conduct no more than four services during the year.

We have a committee led by Deb Kraus, Debbie Zivan, and Rebecca Kanner, who have begun the process of organizing and scheduling service leaders. We will have a network of support for anyone that is interested in providing this deeply important service to our community. You can volunteer here.  If you have any questions, or are curious about the possibilities, please email us. We look forward to hearing from you. Please sign up to lead!