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2021 Graduate Spotlight!!!

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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!!!

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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!

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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.

Beit Sefer: Sharing Love Not Virus

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How do I “recap” this year of Beit Sefer?

Ahava means Love

Thirty Sunday mornings filled with love says it for me. Our Beit Sefer teachers Marcy Epstein, Aaron Jackson, Shani Samuels and myself showed up every week filled with love for Judaism, for the students, and for each other.

We started off the year in the first week of Elul with love of animals and we ended on Shavuot with love of Torah and blintzes, and in between we learned about and celebrated every Jewish holiday.

Rabbi Ora met with the students every month to introduce some of our most precious Hebrew blessings and prayers. Our virtual Family Shabbat in April was a lovely culmination of our tefilah (prayer) learning for the year.

With Shani, we learned to write Hebrew alef-bet on the Zoom whiteboard. Marcy invited her students’ families into the Zoom room, and Aaron showed up every week with both his kids, Noah and Ava, brightening up every Zoom.

I thought to recap this year, I’d share images of the love we shared.

Jack and Brenna shared the love but not the virus by going apple picking for Rosh Hashanah in their family pod.
Shani Samuel shared her love of Hebrew and of animals.
Kitanim teacher Marcy Epstein found all sorts of ways to share the love but not the virus including leaving notes on her door!
Aziza shows us loving the natural environment is a Jewish kind of love, too.
The Ullmann McLanes came early and stayed late with some family love to our final day of Beit Sefer.
For our final Beit Sefer session we saw each other in person!
A new family to share the love! Lisa Wexler and her son Dylan Schnorr met Beit Sefer families for the first time on our last day.
Our teens obviously know how to hold a physically distanced conversation! Sharing the love but not the virus.

June is Pride Month at AARC!

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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!

Shavuot 5781: A Vibrant, Joyful, and Educational Holiday!

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Photo Credit: Clare Kinberg. Clare produced over 100 Blitzes for the Beit Sefer Blintz Picnic!!!

70 Faces of Justice: A Community Shavuot Celebration

Members from Washtenaw and Ingham county Jewish congregations gathered Sunday evening for a stimulating evening of learning on Jewish approaches to justice.

The keynote speaker for the evening was Eli Savit, Washtenaw County Prosecutor. Mr. Savit offered a fascinating perspective, redefining how we pursue justice work within the legal system. Savit compared re-writing existing unjust laws to the early rabbis’ re-interpretation of the biblical commandment to kill one’s own ‘rebellious son’ (ben sorer u’moreh). The early rabbis made the discernment process for execution so long and convoluted that no one could possibly meet the standards to carry out the law. Savit likened this process to such contemporary issues as choosing not to prosecute young offenders for smaller crimes and implementing a restorative justice program for larger crimes.

Savit’s lecture led to the conclusion that the criminal justice system is influenced by larger systems of injustice in our society. Not only do we need to re-think how we prosecute crimes, but must also increase funding for education and health care–the lack of which can contribute to violence within our society. The thought-provoking lecture led to a vibrant Q and A with Mr. Savit.

Following the keynote address, attendees were sent into breakout rooms for ‘Speed Cheesecaking’ to discuss issues important to them and get to know members of other congregations. Many attendees commented that they appreciated the opportunity to get to know more people within the larger Jewish community.

The evening carried on with three consecutive study sessions where attendees could choose from discussions led by area rabbis on topics as diverse as LBGTQIA advocacy, kabbalah, gender, and social justice. Rabbi Ora led two sessions; ‘When a Pauper Takes the Bimah: The Revolutionary Message of Lecha Dodi,’ and ‘Nothing But Niggunim!’

The event was a success and everyone agreed we will carry on the tradition for years to come!

Beit Sefer Shavuot Picnic

Photo Credit: Clare Kinberg. Getting ready to make Blintzes on her special heirloom Blintz pan!

For Shavuot this year, Beit Sefer director Clare Kinberg organized a COVID-safe outdoor picnic for the end of the year Beit Sefer gathering. The event was hosted at the home of Beit Sefer teacher Aaron Jackson. Families were treated to freshly made blintzes, lovingly prepared by Clare Kinberg.

This was the first time since the pandemic began that most of the Beit Sefer students had been together as a group! They had so much fun catching up and playing on the playground together. Yasher koach to the Beit Sefer teachers and especially Clare for organizing this event and providing such a stimulating year of learning for our Beit Sefer students.

Resources for Learning More About Reconstructionist Judaism

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How does Reconstructionist Judaism define itself? We are a movement that draws on Jewish history, ritual, and practice to build meaningful and meaning-filled communities. We strive to be inclusive, casting a wide net to draw in previously marginalized Jews and provide them a home to practice Judaism in ways that feel relevant and comfortable.

To learn more about our diverse community, a good place to start is the online home of Reconstructionist Judaism, reconstructingjudaism.org. We have also gathered additional resources below; please comment on this blog if you have any questions or comments.

Resources for engaging with Reconstructionist thought, belief, and ritual:

Hashivenu podcast: A podcast full of Jewish teachings on individual and collective resilience and renewal. The podcast is produced by Reconstructing Judaism, the central organizing arm of the Reconstructionist movement.

Evolve: An online platform with conversation-sparking essays from thought-provoking Reconstructionist rabbis, leaders and creators. Explore essays on key social, ethical, and political topics, as well as curricula, sermon sparks and videos that apply the best Jewish thinking to contemporary questions.

Ritualwell: A website that offers thousands of curated rituals for every moment in a Jewish life, from birth to death, celebration to loss to spiritual renewal, and everything in between. Ritualwell is an example of how we can create meaningful rituals that are relevant to us as modern Jews. This is a great place to start if you are looking for ways to mark a special life event — and you’re invited to contribute your own ritual creations, as well!

Books/articles for learning more about Recon:

Exploring Judaism: A Reconstructionist Approach: A great introductory text that offers a brief history of the Reconstructionist movement, as well as what makes the movement unique in its approaches to God, Jewish chosenness, prayer, and contemporary social issues. An accessible and important read.

A Guide to Jewish Practice, Volumes 1-3: This comprehensive series provides a guide to Reconstructionist Jewish thought and its take on contemporary ethical issues, the Jewish calendar year, and the Jewish life cycle.

The Radical American Judaism of Mordechai M. Kaplan: This book focuses on Mordecai M. Kaplan, the founder of the Reconstructionist movement. Drawing on Kaplan’s 27-volume diary, author Mel Scult describes the development of Kaplan’s radical theology in dialogue with the thinkers and writers who mattered to him most, from Spinoza to Emerson and from Ahad Ha-Am to Abraham Joshua Heschel.

Rabbi Mordecai Kaplan as an American Thinker: This article is quick read that how Reconstrucionist Judaism was shaped by and shaped in turn liberal American Judaism.

We hope that you enjoy these resources!

Preparing For Shavuot

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The Evolution of Tikkun Leil Shavuot and Details About Community Shavuot 2021

Shavuot is an ancient holiday that has blossomed in recent years as a celebration of Jewish learning. But how exactly did we arrive at the modern manifestation of Shavuot, and what significance does this day hold for us as Reconstructionist Jews?

The biblical origins of Shavuot lie in the agricultural celebration of the first wheat harvest after Passover. Ancient Jews would bring their freshly-baked bread to the temple and partake in a celebration of freedom and bounty. However, in post-Temple Judaic practice, Shavuot shifted into a celebration of the giving of Torah to Moses at Sinai. This shift happened around the 1st century CE, when the early rabbis noticed that the receiving of Torah on Sinai coincided with the exact date of Shavuot. By linking Shavuot to this event, the holiday regained relevance in the Jewish calendar.

The celebration of receiving the Torah evolved over the years. In early days the holiday centered around Torah as divine revelation, but soon expanded into an exploration of halakha (Jewish law) and midrash (stories). Around the 16th century, mystics and Kabbalists expanded the holiday’s celebration into an entire night of study, called Tikkun Leil Shavuot (preparation for a night of study). In the early 20th century, the tradition of eating dairy (in particular cheesecake!) was born out of the symbolism of Torah as milk and honey. Consuming these foods was thought to be a symbol of receiving Torah.

Into the 21st century, the study of Torah on Shavuot has taken on new meaning as the definition of Torah itself has expanded to encompass the whole of Jewish tradition. The Reconstructionist tradition has embraced Shavuot as a time to study what it means to be Jewish and explore how Jewish values can inform contemporary social issues. Reconstructing the revelation of Torah at Sinai, we ourselves are experiencing the revelation of knowledge from our community, our rabbis, and each other during this engaging evening of study!

On Sunday May 16th at 7:30pm, AARC will join congregations in Washtenaw county and beyond to celebrate Shavuot. The event will feature a night of study featuring a keynote address by Washtenaw County Prosecuting Attorney Eli Savit. The evening will host multiple learning sessions, including text study, embodied movement, and creative cooking. BYOC (Bring Your Own Cheesecake) and prepare for a night of learning and connecting to our Jewish community. The zoom link will be sent out in our mailer the Tuesday prior to the event. If you do not receive our mailers and would like to come, please email us! We hope to see you there!