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Ann Arbor Reconstructionist Congregation

Ann Arbor Reconstructionist Congregation

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Upcoming Activities

Isaac Meadow Presents Benefit Concert for Ukraine  

May 15, 2023 by Emily Eisbruch

   Isaac Meadow, of the Ann Arbor Reconstructionist Congregation, will present a humanitarian aid benefit concert for Ukraine on Thursday, June 15, at Zion Lutheran Church in Ann Arbor, at 6:00 p.m. The concert will feature music by multiple composers, played upon the piano and the organ in the church’s main sanctuary. Admission will be by free-will donation.

      The concert will be performed as a “mitzvah project” ― a community service associated with Isaac’s Bar Mitzvah.  Isaac was inspired to take on this particular effort by the confluence of compassion, love of music, and familial ties to Ukraine. 

      At the age of five, when Isaac first received money as a present, he wanted to give it away to a beggar he met in the streets.  In the following years, he has remained empathetic to people in distress, particularly the homeless. When Isaac started following the news of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, he knew he wanted to act. “I was horrified,” he said, “particularly by the violence against children ― children being killed, or forced from their homes.” A benefit concert, he thought, might be a way for him to raise money to help.

      Isaac has a long-standing love of music. He has studied the piano since the age of five under the tutelage of Renée Robbins, and recently has started to study the organ with Carol Muehlig. He is looking forward to an intensive organ study at Interlochen fine arts camp later this summer. He has played piano for the Ann Arbor Reconstructionist Congregation’s High Holidays services, and looks forward to serving the congregation musically again in the future. The concert will feature pieces that Isaac has learned especially for the occasion, as well as several pieces that he has been playing for longer. The concert will also include a brief demonstration of the types of sounds and musical techniques achievable on the piano and organ.

      Isaac’s family has a current connection to Ukraine because Isaac’s grandmother befriended Vladimir Sayenko, now a Ukrainian lawyer, when he was studying at the University of Michigan in 1993 and 1994. Sayenko later hosted Isaac’s grandmother, and mother on a visit to Goroshina (alternatively, Horoshyne), the Ukrainian village Isaac’s great-great-grandfather fled in the early 1900s to come to the United States.

      All proceeds will go to “Breathe” (Ukrainian: “Dyhai”), a charity originally founded in 2020 to provide equipment for hospitals in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since Sayenko is an associate of one of Breathe’s founders, Isaac looks forward to keeping a close conversation going about the charity, and to seeing the good that the benefit concert proceeds will be able to accomplish. Thus far, Breathe has provided supplies to Ukrainian hospitals, winter clothing for the elderly, and electronic chargers and other equipment to families, for lighting, communication and for continuing children’s education in the wake of wartime disruptions. Isaac said, “It’s really good to be able to help people – even from so far away!”

Filed Under: Articles/Ads, Posts by Members, Tikkun Olam, Upcoming Activities Tagged With: Mitzvah Project, Tikkun Olam

Shavuot 2023!

May 7, 2023 by Gillian Jackson

AARC will celebrate Shavuot this year in combination with our normal Fourth Friday Shabbat Service on May 26th, 6:30-8pm at the JCC of Ann Arbor. The shabbat service will by hybrid in person and on Zoom. If you would like to attend the service online and do not receive our mailers, please email us for the Zoom link.

The service will be followed by in-person potluck dinner and mini Torah study workshops at the JCC. Everyone is welcome!

We invite you to bring something from your yard or home such as flowers, greenery cuttings, asparagus, or spinach that are among our first harvests here.

Please also bring your vegetarian, nut-free dish to share at the potluck. For Shavuot,  Dairy (or dairy-like) desserts are always popular, or you might feature ancient “first fruits” that included wheat, barley, grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives, and dates in your dish.  

This service will include Shavuot songs and readings and Torah-related drash with leadership by Carol Lessure, Seth Kopald and Kathryn Kopald.

If you are unable to make our Shavuot gathering or would like additional Shavuot opportunities, Unbound Judaism will have an online Shavuot offering. You can find out more about it here!

Filed Under: Upcoming Activities Tagged With: Shavuot

Congregational meeting to vote on rabbi candidate Gabrielle Pescador!

April 6, 2023 by Gillian Jackson

The congregation will meet via Zoom on Sunday, April 16, 10-11:30 am for discussion and a vote on rabbi candidate Gabrielle Pescador. Read on for a summary of this year’s search process.

Rabbi Position Posted

AARC posted our half-time rabbi position with the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College (RRC). In a subsequent meeting with the RRC placement director, we learned that once again there were only six RRC graduates and again only one or two interested in pulpit positions. AARC then posted the opening to a broader community: Hebrew College, the Academy for Jewish Religion (in NY), the Academy for Jewish Religion (in CA), ALEPH Alliance for Jewish Renewal, and the Reform and Conservative movements.

Candidate Interest and Shabbaton

The rabbi search committee received applications from three candidates, and after interviewing all three, scheduled a Shabbaton with Gabrielle Pescador. She is a cantor and soon-to-be ordained rabbi through the ALEPH Ordination Program. Sixty members completed a survey after attending events with Gabrielle during the Shabbaton weekend of March 17-19; 75% found her good or exciting.

Click HERE to watch videos from Gabrielle Pescador’s Shabbaton Weekend.

Search Committee and Board Approval

On the basis of the Shabbaton events, interviews, and your survey feedback, the rabbi search committee voted unanimously to recommend that Gabrielle Pescador be offered a contract to serve as rabbi of our community. The AARC Board voted unanimously in favor of this recommendation.

Congregation Vote

It is now up to the congregation as a whole to vote on the matter. Our bylaws require approval from a majority of member attendees in order for an offer to be made to the candidate.

If you are a member, please register HERE to join the Zoom meeting on Sunday, April 16, 10-11:30 am for discussion and the vote.




Filed Under: Upcoming Activities Tagged With: rabbi

Passover Plans 2023!

March 23, 2023 by Gillian Jackson

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!

Saturday Shabbat During Passover

Second Saturday Shabbat Morning service will fall during shabbat this year. This service will be led by Brenna Reichman and Tara Cohen! These two soulful women will surely bring joy, insight, and lots of heart to your mid-passover week. You won’t want to miss it! The service will be held at the JCC of Ann Arbor and on Zoom at 10:30am, April 8th.

Mimouna Pizza Party Bonfire

We will also be hosting a Mimouna Pizza Party Bonfire at Jeff and Rena Basch’s house at the end of Passover. Mimouna is a Sephardic tradition that celebrates the end of Passover as well as the harvest. Learn more about Mimouna here. Its a really fun way to mark the end of the Passover holiday. Come enjoy pizza, donuts and other chametz at the end of Passover at Rena and Jeff Basch’s house. The party will Friday, April 14th, 6pm-8pm. Address will be sent out to registrants. Sign up to attend HERE!

We hope that you will find an opportunity to connect with each other during the passover holiday this year. As always, let us know if you have any questions!

Filed Under: Upcoming Activities Tagged With: community, Mimouna, Passover

Shabbaton With Rabbinic Candidate, Gabrielle Pescador 3/17-3/19!

March 8, 2023 by Gillian Jackson

Gabrielle Pescador is a hazzan and soon to be ordained as a rabbi.  She serves as Interim Spiritual Leader of Temple B’nai Israel of Petoskey MI and as guest cantor in synagogues throughout the country.  In 2018 Gabrielle founded and continues to lead the Rosh Chodesh Online Minyan, and is a regular prayer leader and teacher for Pardes Hannah of Ann Arbor MI.  From 2019-2021 she was cantorial soloist for the high holy days for AARC. Gabrielle is a harpist and composer of liturgical music, and considers the harp an instrument of healing.  Before entering the ALEPH Ordination program, Gabrielle spent several years working on documentary films and community art projects focused on issues of social justice.

SIGN UP TO ATTEND SMALL GROUP SESSIONS HERE!!!

FRIDAY 3/17/23

-5:30 pm Dinner – sign up here to join a small group for dinner with Gabrielle. Meet promptly at 5:30 at Desi Ruchulu Indian Cuisine

-7:00 pm Hybrid Kabbalat Shabbat services at JCC (Zoom link)

-8:00 pm Dessert Oneg

(Please note differences in this Friday night services than our typical fourth Friday – small group gathering for dinner beforehand, later start time, dessert and schmoozing time afterwards.)

SATURDAY 3/18/23

-10:30 am Hybrid Shabbat Morning Services at JCC (Zoom link)        

-12:00 pm Catered lunch at the JCC ( be sure to RSVP here ASAP!)

-1:00 pm Hybrid Adult Education Session   (Zoom link)                                    

-2:00 pm Informal Q & A with Gabrielle 

-5:00 pm Dinner – small group at Jeff & Rena’s house – sign up here. Menu TBD

-7:00 pm Havdalah, singing, desserts & schmoozing at Paul & Caroline’s house – sign up here. (Desserts are pot-luck.)

SUNDAY  3/19/23

-10:00 am Gabrielle to meet with Beit Sefer parents

-1:00 pm   Lunch – small group salad-bar lunch at Debbie & Jan’s house – sign up here.

Filed Under: Upcoming Activities

Purim 2023: Join Us For Purim Fun!

March 2, 2023 by Gillian Jackson

March 6th, 5:30pm–7:30pm at the JCC of Ann Arbor and Online Via Zoom

Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me…It’s Purim!

Hosted by Peter Chagall (not Peter Sagal), the Megillah reading will be woven between bursts of Jewish-themed trivia and antics in the style of NPR’s famous news quiz. 

Don’t forget to get festive! Come in costume and bring your graggers- you can dress up as anything, or just come as you are!

The Purim Spiel will be followed by a Pizza and Hamantaschen Oneg. If you feel inspired, feel free to bring a veggie dinner dish or a beverage! 

There’ll be lots of all-ages fun: facepainting, festive games, a very contemporary Purimspiel, music from Twas Brillig and the Mazel Tovs (with AARC’s own Daniel Pesach!), triangular potluck, and….

Our annual HAMANTASCHEN CONTEST! There’s no need to register! Just bring 6-12 of your best sweet, savory, or original hamantashen on the plates, and our panel of judges will do the rest! And yes, there are prizes for the winners! 

Beit Sefer will also be sharing delicious and lovingly prepared mishloach manot to our seniors at the party– we can deliver these to your homes in Ann Arbor! Please let Marcy know you’d like one by emailing dr_marcy@hotmail.com.

Filed Under: Upcoming Activities Tagged With: Purim

Refusing to Be Enemies Film Event and Panel

February 21, 2023 by Gillian Jackson

April 23rd, 2:00-4:00pm at the JCC of Ann Arbor and online via Zoom

AARC will be hosting a film showing and speaker panel featuring the groundbreaking documentary, Refusing To Be Enemies: The Zeitouna Story directed by AARC member, Laurie White! The film showing will be followed by Q & A from members of Zeitouna featured in the film. The women will talk about their experience and answer questions about the evolution of the conversation over the past 20 years.

The film showing will be held at the JCC of Ann Arbor on April 23rd at 2pm. The event will be hybrid so that those unable to attend in person can join us via Zoom. Attendees at home and online can participate in the Q & A. Light snacks will be provided. Attendance is free and open to the public. Please sign up to attend below.

Sign Up To Attend

Refusing To Be Enemies: The Zeitouna Story Trailer

“REFUSING TO BE ENEMIES: The Zeitouna Story is a 58-minute long 2007
documentary film that profiles … a self-formed group of twelve ordinary women
calling themselves “Zeitouna,” the Arab word for “olive tree.” These six Arabs and
six Jews living in southeast Michigan weave an unusual and intimate tapestry of
sisterhood. Some of the women are American-born, others are immigrants; one is a
Holocaust survivor, another is a survivor of the Nakbah’s terror; their ages span 40
years. Filmmaker Laurie White is a founding member of Zeitouna. Her camera
became an invisible member of this sisterhood, capturing the interior of this sacred
space without ever upsetting and altering the fragile process of the group’s
awakening. The film does not attempt to answer questions of right and wrong, or
how to break the deadlock of the Middle East relationship. Instead, it offers living
proof of how the journey of personal transformation may pave the way to socio-
political transformation and peace.”

Sign Up To Attend

Filed Under: Highlight, Upcoming Activities Tagged With: upcoming events, zeitouna

Home Hosted Hanukkah Schedule 2022!!

December 14, 2022 by Gillian Jackson

Wow what a super fun eight days we have coming! Take a look at the myriad of excellent opportunities for celebration and community and sign up to attend!

First Night of Home Hosted Hanukkah Potluck at Marcy Epstein’s House! December 18th, 6:00-8:00pm. First night at Marcy’s– bring your Hanukkiah, have a latke, bring a vegetarian dish with serving utensil! Capacity: 20, kid-friendly, white elephant, dreydl– dogs in house, please mask if you can, three steps to front door. SIGN UP TO ATTEND HERE, Address will be sent to registrants (Marcy’s house is in the Burns Park area) 

Second Night: Stop by the Giant Menorah Gelt Drop in Liberty Plaza! On Monday Dec 19 at 6 PM, Chabad House will be Lighting Up the Night at a grand celebration for the entire community at Liberty Plaza! The Giant Graffiti Menorah will stand tall as a symbol of our Jewish pride and unity, and the exciting Chanukah activities will be fun for the whole family! 
Enjoy latkes, donuts, hot drinks and live music while dancing with the Dreidel Mascot. Get ready to experience the spectacular Chanukah Gelt Drop, with chocolate coins and other treats raining down from our city’s finest fire truck ladder. Airbrush your very own Chanukah beanie and feel the joy of Chanukah and community spirit! 
Third Night: Home Hosted Hanukkah Karaoke Night! at Shannon Rappaport’s House, Tuesday December 20th, 5:30-8:30. Donuts, hors d’oeuvres, wine and kid snacks. Dreidel, candle lighting, karaoke! 2 steps to access house, house has cats and a dog. Sign up to attend HERE, address will be sent to registrants.  
Fourth Night: Candle for Tzedakah, Wednesday December 21st, 5:30pm. For one night of Hanukkah, community members and families come together to give to those in need. One Candle begins at 5:30 PM with a pizza dinner, edible dreidel making (marshmallows, pretzels, frosting, Hershey kisses), gift wrapping, and fun crafts! If a kosher meal is required, please indicate so on your registration form. Register to attend HERE. At 6:15, we’ll welcome magician and comedian Jonathon LaChance as seen on the television show Penn & Teller: Fool Us. This hilarious show will be lots of fun for the whole family!

This year, we’re partnering with The Bottomless Toy Chest! The Bottomless Toy Chest is a nonprofit organization with the goal of providing toys, crafts, and interactive activities to children undergoing cancer treatment. Please join us by bringing a new toy in its original packaging to the event! If you are unable to join us, boxes will be in the lobby prior to the program to collect new toys.
Fifth Night: Home Hosted Hanukkah Campire Stories and Singing at Etta Heisler’s House. Thursday December 22nd, 7pm-8:30pm. Outdoor party. This party will feature large fires available where you can warm up, as well as warm beverages to enjoy. The Heisler’s will provide mozzarella sticks and jelly donut holes as well as hot coffee, tea, hot cocoa, and cider. This night will feature a dramatic reading of Herschel and the Hanukkah Goblins and Hanukkah songs around the fire. Fire pits are handicap accessible, bathrooms require stairs. Bring cash/coins for the tzedakah box, OR use a qr code to make a community donation to Community Action Network’s Bryant Community Center. Masks required inside. SIGN UP TO ATTEND HERE. 
Sixth Night: Fourth Friday Kabbalat Shabbat and Hanukkah Service, Friday December 23rd, 6:30-8:00 pm. Hybrid Service at the JCC of Ann Arbor. Come connect with community, rest, recharge, rejuvenate. Everyone welcome. We are asking everyone that comes in person to read the Health and Safety Guidelines. Vegetarian, nut free potluck after services. Please bring a dish to pass. **This will be a special Hanukkah Shabbat Service co-led by Margo Schlanger and Rebecca Kanner. 
Seventh Night: Home Hosted Hanukkah Bonfire at Rena & Jeff Basch’s House. Saturday December 24th, 5:30pm-8:30pm. Gather for candle-lighting, bonfire, and a chili dinner around the fire. Bring a menorah & candles. Bring/wear warm campfire clothes. Capacity 25-30 ish. COVID restrictions – stay home if you’re feeling ill or test positive. Food details: Rena will make a big pot of chili or maybe two, and a toppings bar. Will also have warm and cold beverages for children and adults. If people want to bring something, here are some ideas – salad, corn bread, fruit, dessert, Fireball! Sign up to attend HERE, address will be sent out to registrants. 
Eighth Night: Home Hosted Hanukkah Potluck at Eileen Dzik’s House. Sunday December 25th, 6pm. Come gather for latkes and singing. Vegetarian potluck – desserts welcome! Sign up to attend HERE, address will be sent out to registrants. 

Filed Under: Upcoming Activities Tagged With: community, Hanukkah, home hosted hanukkah, Reconstructionism

Can we think of AARC as an “ecosystem”?  

November 27, 2022 by Rena Basch

“Metaphors make the mind.”

By: Rena Basch

After having Rosh Hashana lunch at Zingerman’s Deli, the title of an article in the Zingerman’s newspaper caught my eye: “Replacing the Great Resignation with the Great Regeneration. New metaphors can change our minds and lives.”  

The concept of “regeneration” is what got me to pick up the paper, as it feels like our congregation is in a period of regeneration. Upon reading the article, however, I was truly moved by founder/author Ari Weinzweig’s proposal: when you change the metaphor in your mind, you change the world or at least change the culture of your organization. He proposes to change the metaphor of an organization to an “ecosystem,” and he calls the metaphor of Zingerman’s a “poetic organizational ecosystem.” 

When you change metaphors you literally change your mind and your ways of thinking.  Research shows that metaphors you use shape how you think, creating the frames in which you see things.  If you think of an organization as an ecosystem, it creates a holistic and generative mindset, more aligned with nature and natural processes.

With business, people inside and out of that world describe, think and speak about business organizations in metaphors of competition, sports, machines, and even war. These metaphors lead people to think primarily in terms of winners and losers, of efficiencies, of control, and creates a culture around these things.   Even non-profits and congregations tend to use similar metaphors, thinking of the organization as a business, team or family.  Even these metaphors of team or family still contain elements of control, competition and hierarchical thinking that influence culture and decision-making.

While it is true that both businesses and nonprofit organizations have to make some decisions based on the bank account or profit and loss statements, they could also consider other components and elements of the organization. What if factors that create and support the health of every aspect of the system could be equally weighted?  What if organizations could make measures of “success” more than just the finances, and more like the overall holistic nurturing and growth of the whole poetic organizational ecosystem? 

AARC is not producing Reubens or selling high quality foods, but we are growing people and cultivating community. We are growing the values of nurturing, support, care, spirituality, tikkun olam, kindness and love. Let’s try to embed the ecosystem model in our minds as we think about AARC, as we participate in AARC, as we make decisions about AARC. Looking forward to seeing everyone at the Annual Membership meeting on Sunday, December 4 at 10 am!

-Rena Basch, AARC Board Co-Chair

Filed Under: Articles/Ads, Upcoming Activities

Join A Community Wide Discussion About Antisemitism, This Sunday November 20th!

November 17, 2022 by Gillian Jackson

AARC is a co-sponsor for this weekend’s facilitated conversation about antisemitism in Ann Arbor.

Sunday November 20th, 9am-1pm at the JCC of Ann Arbor. Register Here!

This weekend’s event is the manifestation of a coalition of Jewish organizations within Ann Arbor working together to find solutions to address antisemitism in our area. The conversation will consist of three parts. The first part of the morning will be a lecture by Steve Ginsburg about antisemitism in America. After the lecture attendees will split up into breakout groups to have facilitated conversations about their lived experiences of antisemitism. The conversations will be facilitated by a group of volunteers that have taken part in the planning of this event. The final portion of the morning will be a group wide discussion about how the Jewish community can formulate a community wide response to anti-semitism.

The hope of the organizers of this event is that this conversation will be the first step in an organized effort to combat antisemitism in Michigan. They intend to identify people to take ownership of this work and champion action going forward. In the end the Federation hopes to come out with a plan for future conversations and identify who wants to be part of the work.

As of now registration is nearly full, but Rachel Wall from the Federation still encourages everyone who wants to attend to sign up. If they encounter any problems regarding capacity, they will reach out to participants with ways they can participate in the future. The Federation has also offered childcare if needed. If you would like to use childcare, please email Rachel ASAP.

Filed Under: Upcoming Activities Tagged With: antisemitism, Jewish Federation

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Upcoming Events

  • 10:30 am – 12:00 pm, June 10, 2023 – Second Saturday Shabbat Morning Service
  • 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm, June 23, 2023 – Fourth Friday Kabbalat Shabbat Service
  • 10:30 am – 12:00 pm, July 8, 2023 – Second Saturday Shabbat Morning Service
  • 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm, July 28, 2023 – Fourth Friday Kabbalat Shabbat Service
  • 10:30 am – 12:00 pm, August 12, 2023 – Second Saturday Shabbat Morning Service

Latest News

  • Happy Pride Month AARC! June 6, 2023
  • Reconstructing the 10 Commandments May 31, 2023
  • AARC Welcomes Gabrielle Pescador as our new Rabbi!!! May 25, 2023
  • Isaac Meadow Presents Benefit Concert for Ukraine   May 15, 2023
  • Shavuot 2023! May 7, 2023

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