Ann Arbor Reconstructionist Congregation

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Learn to Leyn

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By: Deb Kraus

Culinary historian Michael Twitty reading from the Torah.

So what is leyning?  Wish I had time to look up why chanting torah is called leyning, because I’ve always wondered.  Like many things in this corner of the Jewish world, and very unlike me in general, I haven’t questioned much about why.  I’ve focused on the how’s.

This course, which I just decided to call L2L, is designed for people who know Hebrew at least phonetically, and want to learn to chant.  Maybe just to know, or to help your kids someday with b’mitzvah.  Maybe to participate in a torah service.  Maybe even to have an adult bar or bat mitzvah!

So, back to what is leyning.  If you look in a chumash or even at some of the prayers in our siddur, you will see funny little symbols that aren’t vowels.  For example, check out the shema or the v’havta or ma tovu, or any prayer  in the prayerbook that originated as torah.  How can you tell a prayer originated as torah?  This is getting circular, but you can tell if there are those funny little symbols around the words that aren’t vowels.  (and you can always check under the line to see where in Torah this is from).

Those funny little symbols around the words that aren’t vowels are called trops, and they are the most efficient little musical indicators of how to chant that I have ever seen.  There are about 24 used regularly (and about 4 that show up quite rarely) and this class is going to teach you what they are and how to sing them.  

My plan would be to convene soonish, maybe mid March, and start to learn some of the basic trops, the ones that are used over and over (there are maybe 4-6 trop combos that comprise about 75% of all the torah).  I envision us as a group committing to covering a torah service sometime at a fall Shabbat morning (we have some latitude about which month, as long as it’s the second Saturday, so we can choose a torah portion we want to dig into) and all of our learning would be on the few lines that you personally will commit to (I mean, you don’t have to do this, but I think it would be good if at least some people do).  Then we will work weekly until we have it learned.  If people want to make this a b’nai mitzvah, I think we could make that happen!

I am willing to do this gratis (the hav has given me so much and I am lucky enough to not have money concerns) but do want people who are willing to commit for the full ride.  I mean, things always come up that are unanticipated, but short of that, I will assume that you want to do this and have time.  I’d also like to do this only if we have 3 or more committed people.  I would also love to meet in person (my house?), COVID permitting, since singing on line is such a pain.

In case you don’t know me, my credentials for doing this is teaching over 55 kids (and one adult) for their bar/bat mitzvahs over the last 20 years.  I myself learned how in conservative Hebrew School in Florida, but never had a bat mitzvah, first chanting from a tape Rob Dobrusin gave me at my aufruf in 1993.  Who knew it would turn into a side gig that would give me so much joy?  

If you are interested, send me an email at drdebkraus@gmail.com.  Thanks!

Capturing Learnings as the AARC enters the High Holiday Season

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Written by Rebecca Kanner and Emily Eisbruch for the Washtenaw Jewish News

Hybrid Shabbat, July 2021

Lots changed during the COVID 19 pandemic, including, for many of us, how we worshiped and how we socialized.  What a joy to experience the happy reconnections in the summer of 2021, as vaccines enabled the resumption of many in-person events.  Now, on the brink of the New Year 5782, the Ann Arbor Reconstructionist Congregation (AARC) is taking stock of lessons learned during the pandemic and taking steps to capture and continue some of the positive innovations.

Aziza celebrating Tu B’Shvat

As one example, the pandemic inspired an increase in creative outdoor activities for the AARC Beit Sefer (religious school).  A Tu B’Shvat program centered on Ann Arbor’s champion trees and a bike/hike relay experience connecting Beit Sefer families are two examples.  “The healthy connection with the outdoors, and focus on Jewish environmental education is an emphasis we plan to continue,”  says Beit Sefer director Clare Kinberg. “For the upcoming school year we have plans for a monthly Beit Sefer program at The Farm on Jennings, a farm providing a diverse selection of certified naturally grown produce and flowers, owned and operated by AARC member Carole Caplan.”    

At the congregational worship level, we recently invested in state-of-the-art equipment to deliver hybrid worship experiences that are meaningful both for in-person and online participants.  According to Seth Kopald, who is a Board member and part of the AARC’s Tech Committee, “We bought quality equipment so everyone will hear and see things clearly, and hopefully it will help those on Zoom engage on a deeper level. We really want people to feel a part of the services and other events. We are together even when we are apart.”  In July, the AARC was pleased to convene an outdoor Kabbalat Shabbat service and to kick off using the new sound system, with the event streamed live on Facebook.  

In another innovation, color-coded name tags (using green, yellow or red circle stickers) were offered for those in-person at the July Kabbalat Shabbat. The colorful stickers were applied on name tags to indicate an individual’s comfort with hugs versus handshakes versus socially distanced smiles.  The stickers provide an easy mechanism for people to signal their level of readiness (or not) for friendly physical connection.   The congregation will decide whether to continue offering the stickers moving forward. 

Mishpocha groups, formed during COVID to facilitate AARC members keeping in touch, have proved highly successful.   AARC members serve as hosts for small groups that meet weekly or biweekly on Zoom, providing a cohort for check-in, support, and even sometimes for sharing music, poetry and short stories.  The friendships and new bonds continue as we emerge from the pandemic, and the Zoom check-ins may also continue.

Here’s a friendly reminder that High Holiday services are a great time to check out the Ann Arbor Reconstructionist Congregation. Our live-streamed services are open to all.   For more details, we invite you to visit the AARC website at https://aarecon.org/ or reach out to Gillian Jackson at aarcgillian@gmail.com. 

To see this article in the September 2021 Washtenaw Jewish News, scroll to Page 8 here.
https://washtenawjewishnews.org/PDFs/WJN-09-21-web.pdf

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!

Passover Recap 5781!

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A Month of Passover Workshops

By Gillian Jackson

Our congregation came prepared this year to make the best of the second Passover holiday during the pandemic. It was a true community effort, with a month of member-led enlightening workshops scheduled in an effort to support a meaningful holiday.

The month started off with a create-your-own-Haggadah workshop with Debbie Zivan and Deb Kraus. Once everyone had a chance to start building their own Haggadah, Sharon Haar and Patti Smith led a class that provided useful tips for navigating Zoom seders. Leading up to Passover, Idelle Hammond-Sass and Carol Levin led congregants in a reflection on the idea of dayenu, or ‘enoughness,’ using art-making as a tool of exploration. Days before Passover, Rabbi Ora taught participants about the meaning and ritual for getting rid of chametz, with a special pizza-making workshop following the lesson. The holiday wrapped up with a ‘Songs of Freedom’ musical hour with Laurie White and Paul Resnick.

It is a blessing that our congregation was able to make use of the myriad talents that our membership embodies. Thank you so much to all of our Passover volunteer workshop leaders. Our community is grateful to you!

Beit Sefer’s Locally Sourced Seder Plate Symbol Search

By Clare Kinberg, director of the Beit Sefer
Photo of locally-sourced seder plate items: Photo Credit Clare Kinberg

Our AARC Beit Sefer students learned this year that the symbols on a seder plate, plus the matzah and grape juice/wine, are not only props to assist the drama of telling the story of the Exodus. Like everything we eat and use, the seder plate symbols come from somewhere and are made by someone. They symbols themselves can express our values such as regard for the environment. Combining this value with the school’s effort to get the kids outside, I devised a “Locally-Sourced Seder Symbol Search.” The requirement was for each seder plate symbol to be made in Michigan, and we succeeded: 

  • Matzah: Homemade by Rosh Clare from whole wheat flour grown in Grand Traverse and milled at Zingerman’s Bakehouse
  • Horseradish: Grown at The Farm on Jennings and dug by the Ullmann/McLane family.
  • Apples for Charoset: Grown organically in Michigan contributed by Moreh Mirel.
  • Eggs: Lain in Ann Arbor on the Brenden and Diana Hayden Farms, and picked up by Brenna and Jack.
  • Sparkling White Grape Juice: Produced and bottled in Paw Paw, and contributed by the Spindler/Nelson family.
  • Greens and Parsley: Grown in Michigan and contributed by the Ball, Dieve, and Levin/Passey families.
  • For the shankbone, I introduced my own tradition of using a Hamsa, the Jewish and Muslim hand of protection.

Zoom Art Workshops: Hanukkah Art and Midrash Workshop with Carol Levin and Idelle Hammond-Sass

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Written By: Carol Levin and Idelle Hammond-Sass

Recon Zoom meetings took many forms in 2020 – including creative art workshops. Our Yom Kippur workshop focused on Jonah and the Whale. For Hanukkah, we shared Rabbi Shefa Gold’s readings about rededication and resilience, Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks on Gorbachev’s connection to Hanukkah, and third century sages, Rav and Shmuel, on lighting the lights. We reflected on art, parsed the Blessing for Creating, by Rabbi Adina Allen from the Jewish Studio Project and interpreted the ancient and contemporary midrash with our own visual and written commentary.  

We’re planning more Zoom Art Workshops for 2021 –

Idelle & Carol

Art by Rita Gelman

Marcy.jpg

Art work by Marcy Epstein

Spread-the-Light.png

Art work by Carol Levin

Art work by Gillian Jackson

What Comes After the Paint and Swastikas

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By David Erik Nelson

You almost certainly heard about the desecration of a Jewish cemetery in Grand Rapids shortly before the election, where “TRUMP” and “MAGA” were spray-painted over the names of the honored dead.

[source]

Maybe these pictures worried you. Maybe they frightened you. Maybe they embarrassed you—because, let’s be honest: it’s shameful to be bullied, to get the “Kick Me!” sign pasted to your back again and again, century after century.  

Or maybe you didn’t feel much of anything. Maybe you’ve grown numb; one more slap in the face at the tail end of four years of unprovoked suckerpunches, it can all sort of blur together. I get that.

I don’t exactly have words for how it made me feel.

I saw these pictures of the Jewish cemetery in Grand Rapids, and I immediately thought back to the swastikas spray-painted on Temple Jacob last winter, way up in the Upper Peninsula town of Hancock. And I thought about the dozens of swastikas and slurs that defaced our local skatepark back in 2017.

(I go to that skatepark a lot. It was hard not to take it personally.)

And I thought about the increase in anti-Jewish hate crimes here in America over the past four years. I thought about the increasingly violent nature of those crimes.

I thought about the bomb threats. And the synagogue shootings. And the stabbings. And the rallies. And the men with guns in the capitol.

And so on.

And I felt hopeless. And I was afraid.

So I emailed the rabbi of Congregation Ahavas Israel, who maintain the cemetery in Grand Rapids that was desecrated on election’s eve. I wrote to voice our support and solidarity, and to ask what they might need to restore the cemetery.

Rabbi David J.B. Krishef replied almost immediately:

“Hi Dave — the cemetery was cleaned by a small group of people who live around the corner and took it upon themselves to clean the stones without even letting us know what they were doing, and a few other people, including one from Ann Arbor, who drove in and decided to wash the paint off. We are grateful for all of the love and support and positive notes we’ve received.” 

It dawned on me that this second half of the story is rarely reported, but often the case:

A lone jackass skulks around smearing his petty foulness in the dark; the whole community—not just Jews, but people from all over the community unwilling to let ugliness linger—return in the light to set things right.

That’s what happened in the cemetery in Grand Rapids. And when I went back and checked, I discovered it’s also what happened at Temple Jacob in Hancock.

And that’s what happened here in Ann Arbor, too; I know, because I saw it: I went to the skatepark the day after it was tagged. The city had already power-washed away the paint. And unknown members of the community at large had come through with colored chalk and, every place where there’d been a symbol of hate, replaced it with a message of welcoming and love:

[source]

What I saw in Ann Arbor was not the exception; it was the rule, even now, in this time of widely reported “unprecedented division and unrest.” And maybe it feels like we’re mired in a time of unprecedented division and unrest because we only report the first half of the story—the smeared paint, the thrown punch, the shots fired—and then move on to the next catastrophe, without checking back to see what comes after the paint and the screaming: a nation of folks ready to take it upon themselves to fix whatever any single angry loner chooses to break.

High Holiday Workshops 2020

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One of the silver linings of the “High Holidays at Home” format is added flexibility with workshop locations, times, and formats. In this spirit, we will be hosting a range of workshops and classes throughout the High Holiday period. Zoom links will be sent out to members in early September. If you would like to attend as a guest, please fill out the High Holidays Registration Form.

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Challah Baking Workshop

Friday September 11th, 10am-noon

Participants will learn how to prepare Challah dough, braid a special Rosh Hashanah crown, and recite special prayers during the preparation. To learn more about Lori’s process, please see our Challah Blog!

This workshop is created and facilitated by AARC member Lori Lichtman.

To attend this class, please sign up here. Zoom link will be sent to registrants before the event.

The Story of Sarah and Hagar in Art, Poetry, and Our Own Reflections

Saturday, September 19th, 2pm

On Rosh Hashanah we read the story of Sarah and Hagar, with its themes of family trauma, isolation, jealousy, survival, and reconciliation. In this workshop, we’ll reflect on how the story of Sarah and Hagar resonates with us today.  We’ll share our reactions to various artistic depictions of the story, read a poem or two, and then exchange our reflections.

This workshop is created and faciliated by AARC member Emily Eisbruch.

To attend this class, sign up here. Zoom link will be sent to registrants before the event.

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Birth/Fertility and Its Opposite: Personal Reflections

Saturday, September 19th, 4pm

In today’s Torah and Haftarah selections, both Sarah and Hannah, after struggles with infertility, are blessed with children. These stories can sometimes be a point of pain for those of us who do not feel like we were so blessed.  What has the journey of fertility and infertility been like for us?  Have your thoughts and feelings changed through the years?  If you have a story or thought you’d like to share, or just want to come and listen to others, please join us on Rosh HaShanah Day 1 afternoon.

This workshop is created and facilitated by AARC member Deb Kraus.

To attend this class, sign up here. Zoom link will be sent to registrants before the event.

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Cultivating Self-Forgiveness: A Practice for the Days of Awe

Thursday, September 24th, 7pm

This experiential offering will guide you through coming into a deep and quiet space within yourself, noticing the ways you may have “missed the mark” this past year, and engaging in a practice of self-forgiveness.

Your participation will require that you have a comfortable and quiet place to sit for 90 minutes; that you have printed off the provided worksheet for self-reflection and have something to write with; and that you have registered so that you can be sent the Zoom link. Our time together will include meditation and guided imagery, journal writing and sharing in pairs or small groups.

This workshop is created and facilitated by AARC member Anita Rubin-Meiller.

Anita is a clinical social worker in private practice with many years of experience in creating and leading workshops and ongoing groups for cultivating self-compassion, self-forgiveness, and compassionate life
review.

To register for this workshop, please email Anita. ______________________________________________________________________________

JONAH (AND THE WHALE): A Teshuva Journey through Art and Midrash with Idelle Hammond-Sass

Sunday September 27, 10am -12pm

Jonah is a traditional Haftarah for the afternoon of Yom Kippur. Join us for this experiential workshop from the comfort of your own home. Gather some art supplies at your desk or kitchen table to make your own ‘visual midrash’!

Using Jonah’s journey as a way in to our own process of Teshuva, we’ll explore Jonah through a brief text reading, followed by drawing to music and reflective writing. Drawing and writing offer two ways to see what comes to the surface, using our imagination to dive deep into the process of making a visual image and seeing what we have created.(optional)

Please bring writing paper, pen/pencil, plain paper 8 ½”x 11 or larger (can be computer paper) any “art” supplies on hand, such as your kids crayons, colored pencils, oil pastels (cray pas), charcoal pencils, markers etc. as well as some random colored paper or magazines (to tear) and a glue stick or tape. Whatever you have around the house is great!

To attend this class, sign up here. Zoom link will be sent to registrants before the event.

Congratulations 2020 AARC Graduates!

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Congratulations to this year’s graduates! AARC graduates earn an extra gold star for their ability to demonstrate strength and resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic. Mazel tov to the graduates on their accomplishments and to the parents and families of these outstanding young adults!

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Caleb Shoup is graduating from Pioneer High School and is headed to the University of Michigan, where he will attend the Residential College.

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Jonas graduated from the MSU Honors Program this past December with majors in Theater and Economics. He earned the Board of Trustees scholarship award for “attaining the highest cumulative grade point average in the graduating class of fall 2019.” The award was presented at a board meeting held in the same place where he was arrested for protesting during his first year. Jonas lives in Lansing. He works stocking shelves at Meijer and is in the process of becoming certified to operate a forklift. He is active in immigrant rights organizing and other community activities. 

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Marley graduated from Macalester College this May. where he majored in History and minored in Theater. For most of his years at Mac, Marley worked in the Theater Department’s scene shop. He participated in many productions as actor, director, assistant manager, and stage tech. While he was a student, Marley became acquainted with the large and active theater scene in the Twin Cities. He was also active in the Macalester Jewish Organization. Marley is hunkering down at home due to the pandemic, and hopes to return to the Twin Cities when theaters open once again.

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Eli Kirshner graduated from Oberlin College with a degree in History, with Highest Honors. His thesis, “Race, Mines, and Picket Lines: The 1925-1928 Western Pennsylvania Bituminous Coal Strike,” is based on over two years of research on 1920s race relations and coal mining in the Pittsburgh area, a topic that has many connections to the present day. Eli’s Zoom presentation of his thesis was a festive opportunity for friends, family, and former teachers to to tune in. (His parents were kvelling offscreen).  Eli’s Zoom talk is here, and the written thesis is here!

AARC congratulates Caleb, Jonas, Marley, and Eli on their many accomplishments and looks forward to seeing them carry those achievements out into the world.

Photo credit: https://www.pikrepo.com/fehbo/group-of-graduating-students

AARC Featured in the Toledo Jewish News!

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Emily Gordon is the author of a lovely piece about AARC in last month’s Toledo Jewish News. Featuring in-depth interviews with Rabbi Ora and Board Co-Chair Rebecca Kanner, the article goes to the heart of what makes our congregation special!

There are approximately 100 Reconstructionist congregations and havurot, mostly in the United States. Although there are three in Ohio, AARC is the closest to Toledo.

Might AARC’s emphasis on inclusivity extend to our neighbors to the south? Absolutely! We hope that when in-person events are able to be held once again, we will have the opportunity to welcome Ohioans who read about us in the Toledo Jewish News.