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December Adult Ed Series: Jewish End-Of-Life Perspectives

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AARC and Rabbi Ora Nitkin-Kaner are pleased to announce December’s two-part adult education series focused on Jewish perspectives on end-of-life care. Both sessions will be held over Zoom.

Rabbi Ora Nitkin-Kaner

Curing, Caring, and End-Of-Life: The Jewish Perspective

Sunday December 12, 1-2:30 PM 

How does Judaism engage with the values of health, preserving life, minimizing pain, and a ‘good death’? When it comes to end-of-life, what values can guide us in making the hard decisions for our loved ones and ourselves? Join Rabbi Ora to explore the Jewish perspectives on these important issues.

This is Part 1 of a 2-part AARC Adult Ed series over Zoom. Register to attend and receive the Zoom link here.

Dr. Alan Molk

Saving Lives, Saving Dignity: An ER Doctor Shares His Insights On End-Of-Life Care

Sunday December 19, 1-2:30 PM

Join us in welcoming Dr. Alan Molk, an ER physician based in Phoenix, AZ. Naturally wired to “save lives no matter what,” Dr. Molk’s decades of experience in the ER, as well as his late mother’s journey with Alzheimer’s, convinced him that there are times when comfort care is more appropriate than aggressive care. Join us for a presentation by Dr. Molk based on his book, “Saving Lives, Saving Dignity: A Unique End-of-Life Perspective from Two Emergency Physicians,” followed by a discussion and opportunities for personal reflection.

This is Part 2 of a 2-part AARC Adult Ed series over Zoom. Register to attend and receive the Zoom link here.

We hope that you will join us for this important educational experience. Please email Gillian with any questions or concerns.

Sign Up To Attend A Night of Home Hosted Hanukkah

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Hanukkah 2020, via Zoom

We have had to pivot a little this month due to increase in COVID-19 cases in the Ann Arbor area, but have no fear: we have a super fun slate of Hanukkah events lined up! Read about the upcoming events below and sign up to participate. You will not regret spending time together with our beloved community celebrating the holiday!

  • Zoom Sing-Along and Tea with Marcy Epstein: Monday November 29th, Pick up Tea and Honey 5-7pm, Singing from 7-8pm. Marcy will provide tea and honey for all participants to be picked up at 1610 Cherokee from 5-7pm. At 7pm we will light candles over Zoom, then sing songs of the season and niggunim as we sip honey tea by candlelight. Sign up to participate here. If you would like to come but will not be picking up tea, please email Marcy (dr_marcy@hotmail.com) and let her know so she knows how much to prepare. 
  • Family Latke Party at the Speyer’s: Wednesday, December 1st 5-7pm. 1465 Harpst Street. If weather permits, the Speyer family will provide latkes outdoors, while gathering around a fire pit. This party is particularly for families with kids. Latkes and standard toppings will be provided. Feel free to bring other latkes or toppings. Sign up required to attend, please Sign Up Here!
  • Candle Lighting, Hershel and The Hanukkah Goblins Reading, and Music hosted on Zoom by Etta Heisler: Thursday, December 2nd, 6:45pm.  Sign Up Here to Attend! Zoom link will be sent out next week. 
  • Candle Lighting with Rabbi Ora: Friday, December 3rd, 5-5:30pm. Join Rabbi Ora to light Chanukah and Shabbat candles, and stay for a little “light” learning about how we light, when, where, and why! Zoom link will be sent out next week. 
  • Gelt Hunt at County Farm Park, followed by Campfire and Cocoa with the Nelson Family: Saturday December 4th, 2:00pm. Bring warm clothing and boots and join the Nelson family for a family gelt hunt at County Farm Park, followed by a campfire with cocoa in their yard (2439 Buckingham Rd.). Sign up required to participate, Sign Up Here! 
  • If you are up for more Hanukkah fun after the Gelt Hunt, head over to the Jewish Federation and Beth Israel’s Illuminate Hanukkah event from 5:45-7:30. More details here.
  • Last Night of Hanukkah Congregation-Wide Celebration at the Basch’s, Sunday December 5th, 5-7pm. Join us for the last night of Hanukkah! Rena and Jeff Basch will host a campfire gathering for the last night of Hanukkah that will include pizza, donuts, and hot cider. 4260 Shetland Dr. Sign up required to attend, Sign Up Here!

AARC Mitzvah Corps – an Essential Ingredient of a Caring Community

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By Anita Rubin-Meiller written for the Washtenaw Jewish News

“Mitzvah comes from the root word tzavta, which means connection. There are 613 mitzvot, and therefore, 613 ways to connect to G-d.”
– Rabbi Zushe Greenberg

I appreciate this definition of mitzvah, which goes beyond doing a good deed or following a commandment, and adds connection as an essential ingredient. When I became chair of the Ann Arbor Reconstructionist Congregation (AARC) Mitzvah Corps several years ago, I knew that what we could offer to the larger community would best be generated by what we offered each other to build connection, support, and a sense of being known. Towards that end, we began having quarterly meetings, which moved to Zoom during shutdown and have been in person since the availability of the vaccine. The meetings begin with a personal sharing of a blessing and a challenge since we last met. In this way we have supported each other through health challenges, losses, changes in career or living situations, family stresses.  Through that feeling of being connected it is easy to feel moved to connect to others when they are in need. Connection is the heart and soul of our mission – “to mobilize support when needed” and our vision – “to create a non-judgmental community in which it is natural to ask for and receive help.”

Connection is the heart and soul of our mission – “to mobilize support when needed” and our vision – “to create a non-judgmental community in which it is natural to ask for and receive help.”

Early on the Pandemic showed us that support might have to arrive in ways that we were unaccustomed to. We were placed in lockdown in March, 2020 and a month later, a former beloved member of our congregation notified me that she had just lost her mother and was seeking support for one night of Shiva. She and her family had other resources for Shiva as well, but it was especially important to her during this time of “virtual only” contact to be with people who knew her, her family and may even have known her mother. She had been an active member of the congregation for many years and had celebrated the Bar and Bat Mitzvahs of her children with us. It was a certain joy to be able to connect her with Rabbi Ora Nitkin-Kaner and know that her needs in the midst of grief would be well tended to. The Mitzvah Corps notified  the congregation of the chance to offer support, and our first Zoom Shiva was manifested. While a Zoom Shiva could never substitute for the in-person hugs, warm personal exchanges, and provision of food that happen in person, for this woman, seeing familiar faces, in a religious context that meant a lot to her, “felt like home”.

Another request prompted by the societal circumstances we found ourselves in was from a long time AARC member with chronic health issues that impacted her mobility and sense of safety. At the start of the pandemic, she was experiencing greater physical difficulty, and had had a couple of falls. It was also just barely a year since she had lost her beloved husband, and her loneliness and isolation was acutely felt. At the suggestion of a good friend, she contacted the Mitzvah Corps and explored what support could be offered. We created a chain of daily phone calls with a combination of AARC members and personal friends, that continues to this day. She says she is “so thankful” and that through these calls she has come to trust that “someone cares about me”.

Some needs met by the Mitzvah Corps, such as helping families host services for B’nei Mitzvah have been unnecessary during these past 2 years. Other needs have remained the same. We have organized meal chains for families bringing home a newborn and for individuals moving through significant illness or injury. We have provided rides to medical appointments and assisted with grocery shopping. We have been grateful that when a need is made known, many members of our congregation rise to the occasion to pitch in.

As it is designed now, the five Mitzvah Corps members carry the responsibility to mobilize support when and where it is called for. All requests come through the chair person and are either met by her, or assigned accordingly. We have been glad to be available during these difficult times, but at times have also felt the strain of higher demand, as when two of our members were significantly injured and another’s family was ill with Covid. 

The pandemic also thwarted initial efforts from some Corps members to start new offerings, a support group for families caring for their elders and a support group for parents of teens. Hopefully these will happen in the future.

“You don’t always think of yourself as someone who will need something, but we are all vulnerable and there are times we will need help.”

At our most recent quarterly meeting we began to address the issues of increasing membership in the Mitzvah Corps and being better able to know, and meet, what the needs of the congregation’s members truly are. As we puzzled over what we’d want others to know about our efforts, one member, Caroline Richardson, observed: “You don’t always think of yourself as someone who will need something, but we are all vulnerable and there are times we will need help.” Our board liason, Debra Gombert, observed:” the act of bringing a meal to congregation members in need was about connection, not cooking; about being in community and creating community.”

It seems that the Covid pandemic and other factors in the past few years have highlighted great need in many areas for many people. It can be overwhelming to know where you can have an impact that matters, if that is your desire. But, as it says in the Mishnah, “Anyone who saves a life, it is as if they saved an entire world.” The AARC Mitzvah Corps offers an opportunity to lighten the burden of one individual, or family, and by doing so increase your own sense of well -being and joy. 

If you would like to learn more about the Ann Arbor Reconstructionist Congregation please visit aarecon.org, or contact Gillian Jackson at aarcgillian@gmail.com or Rabbi Ora Nitkin-Kaner at rabbi@aarecon.org.

To see this article in the December 2021 Washtenaw Jewish News, scroll to Page 19 here. https://washtenawjewishnews.org/PDFs/WJN-12-21-web.pdf

Member Spotlight: Janet Kelman and Dave Rein

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Janet Kelman, her husband Dave Rein, and their cat Fred!

Janet Kelman joined AARC in 2019.  She and her husband, Dave Rein, live 
in Ann Arbor.  Janet is an artist who has lovingly created art and 
architectural glass for over fifty years (www.janetkelman.com). Janet 
will be showing her work at Art Sale at the Valley over Thanksgiving 
weekend (www.artsaleatthevalley.com). Dave is an episodically retired 
software engineer and terrific in house tech help.

Janet, Emily E., and Leora are the AARC Publicity Committee! They 
diligently work to showcase the amazing events happening in AARC to the 
wider Washtenaw Jewish Community.

Welcome New Members Jeremy Singer and Jenn Swanson

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Jenn and Jeremy moved to Ann Arbor in August. They live in the Old West Side neighborhood with their puppy Luna. They are engaged, and getting married in August 2022. Jeremy was raised in a Reform congregation, and Jenn is in the process of converting to Judaism. They previously lived in Detroit, where both of them worked as teachers. Jenn now attends law school at the University of Michigan, and is interested in labor law. Jeremy works as a research assistant at Wayne State University and is completing his Ph.D. in educational policy.

Heartfelt Connections Blossom within AARC’s Mishpocha Groups

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At the beginning of the pandemic, congregation members expressed a need to build connection while they were at home during quarantine. Thus ‘Mishpocha Groups’ were born! Mishpocha groups consist of 5-10 members each and represents AARC members of all stripes. Most groups meet weekly on zoom, though some meet every other week or monthly. The groups have been a profound source of support for most in this time of isolation. New friendships have blossomed and old friendships have grown stronger through the connections that have been built within the Mishpocha groups. As we enter into the darker and colder months of winter, let’s hear from members about how these groups have warmed their hearts.


“When the pandemic hit, I’d been attending services at AARC for just over a year, and had started seeing familiar faces and meeting people at Friday services, but hadn’t had time to form closer connections. Joining a mishpocha group seemed like a fun idea but I had no idea how it would go. I certainly didn’t expect that I would look forward to our calls every week, and miss them each time I couldn’t make it; I didn’t expect these people to go from vague acquaintances to some of the closest emotional connections in my life; I didn’t expect to have an hour every week to feel loved and supported and seen. It’s an aptly named group! They’re my family now.”


“As somebody who lives alone this mishpacha group means a lot.  The Wednesday night congregation gatherings at the start of the pandemic, with breakout rooms, were also fantastic, in the way they allowed personal interaction.  The process of getting to know one another and creating closeness can be profound and powerful.”
 


“We have made good friends. It’s a very interesting group of people. We have talked about a lot of things, including recipes, travel, misinformation, challenging issues happening at the University of Michigan, 9/11 memories and reflections.”


“The mishpacha group meeting every week was helpful in dealing with the isolation
at the start of the pandemic.  We got to know each other, and it’s been nice to check in every week.”


“The mishpacha group every Monday at 7:30pm became a point of stability during the week.”

There is a new Mishpocha group forming! If you would like to include this important ritual in your life this year, email us and we will connect you!

A Book Group for People of the Book

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by Greg Saltzman, written for the November 2021 edition of the Washtenaw Jewish News

Photo of monthly book club before COVID-19 Restrictions

Jews sometimes are called “people of the Book,” referring to the Torah.  Books, interpreted more broadly, are the focus of the Ann Arbor Reconstructionist Congregation (AARC) book group.  We have met since 2014 about eight times per year, discussing a different book each time.  AARC book group meetings are open to members of the local Jewish community regardless of whether they belong to AARC.

Besides the intellectual stimulation of reading and discussing books, the AARC book group helps provide a sense of community and connection among the participants.  Before COVID forced us to meet via Zoom, our meetings began with tasty food.  (My wife, Audrey, loves feeding people.)  May the pandemic end soon and the tasty food return!

Many of the books we discussed recently won National Jewish Book Awards.  For example:

  • Max Gross, The Lost Shtetl, a novel about a hidden Jewish village in Poland that escaped the Shoah.
  • Colum McCann, Apeirogon, a novel based on a true story of an Israeli and a Palestinian who each lost a daughter to violence related to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict but nevertheless reached out to each other to build peace.
  • Yossi Klein Halevy, Like Dreamers: The Story of the Israeli Paratroopers Who Reunited Jerusalem and Divided a Nation, a nonfiction account following the lives of seven Israeli soldiers from 1967 to more recent years.
  • Michael David Lukas, The Last Watchman of Old Cairo, historical fiction based on Solomon Schechter’s discovery of a treasure trove of Jewish documents in the Cairo geniza.
  • Rachel Kadish, The Weight of Ink, a novel about a Sephardic Jewish woman in 17th century England who chafes at restrictions on women’s education.
  • Helene Wecker, The Golem and the Jinni, a novel about the immigrant experience in New York around 1900, with a twist: one of the immigrants is a golem.

I’ve also loved some Jewish-themed books we’ve discussed that did NOT win National Jewish Book Awards, such as:

  • Sophie Judah, Dropped from Heaven, short stories about Jews of India.
  • Lucette Lagnado, The Man in the White Sharkskin Suit: A Jewish Family’s Exodus from Old Cairo to the New World, a family memoir of the experiences of a prosperous Jewish family forced to flee Egypt after Nasser took over.

We discussed several books that did not have specifically Jewish themes:

  • J.D. Vance, Hillbilly Elegy, a family memoir of the experiences of working-class Appalachian whites, which helps explains some of the political support for Trump.
  • Mohsin Hamid, Exit West, a novel about war refugees that was a finalist for the Booker Prize.
  • A special treat was a discussion led by AARC member Jonathan Cohn, a journalist, of his book The Ten Year War:  Obamacare and the Unfinished Crusade for Universal Coverage.  It’s not often that the author himself leads a discussion in a small book group.
  • AARC’s Rabbi Ora Nitkin-Kaner has led the discussion for one meeting each year of the the AARC book group.  In 2021, her session focused on Bryan Stevenson’s Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption, a nonfiction account of unfair treatment by the criminal justice system of those who are impoverished or Black.

Previews of coming attractions:

  • On Sunday, November 7, 2021 from 11:30 AM to 1 PM, we’ll have a Zoom discussion of Aaron Lansky, Outwitting History: The Amazing Adventures of a Man Who Rescued a Million Yiddish Books.  This is a memoir of Lansky’s efforts (for which he later won a McArthur Award) to rescue old Yiddish books before they were discarded in dumpsters.  It also provides some insight into Yiddish culture in Canada and the U.S.
  • On a yet-to-be-determined Sunday in December 2021, from 11:30 AM to 1 PM, we’ll have a Zoom discussion of Yehuda Avner and Matt Rees, The Ambassador.  This is an alternative history novel that assumes the British government implemented the 1937 Peel Commission recommendation to partition Palestine into two states, one Jewish and one Arab.  The novel tells the story of the Israeli ambassador to Nazi Germany who desperately tries to save as many Jews as possible from being murdered by the Nazis.

If you would like to be added to the email distribution list for AARC book group announcements and Zoom links for our meetings, please email me at gsaltzman@albion.edu.

To see this article in the November 2021 Washtenaw Jewish News, scroll to Page 10 here. https://washtenawjewishnews.org/PDFs/WJN-11-21-web.pdf

Gratitude For Our High Holidays Volunteers: A Heartfelt Labor of Love

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One of the qualities that makes our congregation a warm and welcoming organization is the sense of family and responsibility that we hold for one another. When someone gets involved in the workings of AARC, it becomes apparent to them that each and every member brings something valuable to the table, be it music, writing, community-building, law, activism, education, technological expertise, etc. We could not be who we are without every single one of us. It is a rare honor to be a part of such an organization, one that everyone believes in and values.

Thank you to all of our volunteers that worked so hard to make the High Holidays happen for everyone both virtually and in person!

Board – Erica Ackerman, Rena Basch, Avi Eisbruch, Debra Gombert, Deborah Fisch, Rebecca Kanner, Seth Kopald

Tech – Seth Kopald, Erica Ackerman, Mark Schneyer,​​ Aaron Jackson, and Tony Brown

Zoom Gabbais – Stephanie Rowden and Jeff Basch

Torah Service and Haftorah Coordinator – Deb Kraus 

Torah Service Gabbais – Deb Kraus and Claudia Kraus Piper, Rebecca Kanner

Torah Readers – Deborah Fisch, Evelyn Neuhaus, Tara Cohen, Deb Kraus, Amie Ritchie, Rena Seltzer, Tommy Cohn, Cantor Gabrielle Pescador, Hannah Davis, Jonathan Weinberg, Avi Eisbruch, Janet Kelman, Lori Lichtman

Rosh HaShanah Maftir Aliyah – Miles Hall

Scheduled Yom Kippur Haftorah Readers – Ari Basch, Miriam Berman Stidd, Zander McLane, Otto Nelson, Sam Ball

Haftorah Video – Stephanie Rowden, Andy Kirshner, and Deb Kraus

Children’s Services – Clare Kinberg, Lori Lichtman

Childcare – Shani Samuel, Meleny Malcolm, and Melissa Meiller

Poetry Readers – Anita Rubin-Meiller, Janet Greenhut, Jeff Basch, Sally Fink, Kira Berman, Laurie White

Divrei Torah – Cantor Gabrielle Pescador, Deb Kraus

Hagbah and Gelilah – Etta Heisler and Brenna Reichman, Eric and Elliot Bramson

Yizkor Leader –  Claudia Kraus-Piper

Shofar – Debbie Zivan, Zander McLane

Music – Cantor Gabrielle Pescador

Instrumentals – Cantor Gabrielle Pescador and Margo Schlanger

High Holidays Volunteer Army – Logistics, moving things, packing up books, unpacking books welcome table, ushering, flowers, etc etc” Anita Rubin-Meiller, Rebecca Kanner, Rena Basch, Mike Ehman, Dale Sass and Idelle Hammond-Sass, Amy Tracy Wells, Ella August, Becky, Sam and Joey Ball, Debbie Field, Deborah Fisch, Jeremy Singer, Sally Fink, Hannah Davis, Deborah Schwartz, Claudia Piper, Brenna Reichman, Lisa Wexler, Janet Greenhut, Sharon Haar and Robin Wagner, Pam Shore and Rena Selzer, Harry Fried.

Covid Re-Opening Task Force: Caroline Richardson,  Janet Greenhut, Joe Eisenberg, Leora Druckman, Jon Cohn, Gillian Jackson, Rabbi Ora Nitkin-Kaner, Rebecca Kanner and Rena Basch

Thanks to our staff: Clare Kinberg, Rabbi Ora Nitkin-Kaner, Gillian Jackson, and Cantor Gabrielle Pescador

A Lovely Summer Outside: A Photo Blog

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AARC whole heartedly made some lemonade out of lemons this summer spending lots of time outdoors together after a long time physically apart during the COVID-19 pandemic. It took a little more planning, but we were able to find ways to congregate safely together to observe Shabbat, celebrate holidays, gather for social events, and religious school. Enjoy the photo blog today, and re-live the lovely times spent outdoors!

Outdoor Shabbat Services

Tashlich at Mallet’s Creek

Photo Credit: Emily Eisbruch

Annual Summer Picnic

Youth High Holiday Services in the Courtyard of the UU

photo credit: Aaron Jackson

Sukkot at Carole’s Farm on Jennings

Beit Sefer Field Trip to The Farm Sanctuary Animal Rescue

Shavuot Blintz Party!

photo credit: Cara Spindler

If you have some photos you would like to share, send them my way and I will add them to this blog post! Email aarcgillian@gmail.com