Western

Welcome to JRF's Western Region and Texas!

Victoria Cangelosi — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 09:03:28 -0500

THE JRF'S WESTERN REGION & TEXAS - OUR MISSION: The JRF’s Western Region mission is to build a Reconstructionist Kehillah shel Kehillot. Our “community of communities” will provide an environment that: celebrates and respects each Kehillah's unique minhag (practices), enables each Kehillah to thrive and achieve its goals, while also stimulating connection, communication, and sharing of best practices within the region. Regional leadership will serve as the first point of contact for Affiliates, ensuring that they become aware of the JRF’s North American initiatives and available resources. Regional leadership will expedite connections to such resources and other solutions and services that affiliate members value as helpful to achieving their objectives. Leaders will also facilitate synergies within the region and seek opportunities for the Western Region to be an integral part of the entire movement’s Kehillah shel Kehillot, with the intention of fostering growth, innovation and inspiration.

Western Region Congregations
B'nai Havurah - Denver, CO
Chavurah B'Yachad - Salt Lake City, UT
Congregation Beth Evergreen - Evergreen, CO
Congregation Dor Hadash - San Diego, CA
Havurah Shalom – Portland, OR
Havurat Olam – Altadena, CA
Kadima - Seattle, WA
Kehillat Israel - Pacific Palisades, CA
Malibu Jewish Center & Synagogue - Malibu, CA
Ner Shalom – Cotati, CA
Or Shalom Jewish Community - San Francisco, CA
Or Zarua Havurah – Berkeley, CA
P’nai Tikvah, Valley Outreach Synagogue - Las Vegas, NV
Temple Beth Hatfiloh – Olympia, WA
Temple Beth Israel - Eugene, OR
Temple Beth Sholom - Salem, OR
The Chico Havurah – Chico, CA
The Keddem Congregation - Palo Alto, CA
University Synagogue – Irvine, CA
Whittier Reconstructionist Havurah - Laguna Woods, CA

Texas Congregations
Congregation Shalom Rav – Austin, TX
Congregation Beth Am - San Antonio, TX
Kol HaLev - Houston, TX

Do you have ideas of how to further "live out" the kavannah (intention) of this mission? If so, please contact Regional Director, Rabbi Jane Rachel Litman at jlitman@jrf.org.

Sign up to receive JRF's Western Region Newsletter

BELONGING, BEHAVING, BELIEVING: THE WISDOM OF RECONSTRUCTIONIST JUDAISM

Victoria Cangelosi — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 13:13:35 -0500

SUNDAY MARCH 25 from 9:30am to 4:30pm
Congregation Or Shalom
1250 Quintara St. SF, CA 94116

Come join Reconstructionists from across Northern California for a Yom Iyyun -- a Day of Learning -- to explore how the Reconstructionist understanding of peoplehood impacts Jewish life and practice. This is a wonderful opportunity for Reconstructionist Jews, and those interested in learning about transformative 21st Century Judaism, to enjoy stimulating speakers and discussions, share wisdom & experiences, participate in dynamic workshops and lift our voices together in music and song.

Cost: $18.00, light morning snack and lunch included

Workshops include:

Rabbi David Dunn Bauer          The Recognition and Inclusion of LGBTQ Jews
Melissa Dinwiddle                    The Painted Prenup: History and Art of Ketubot
Dr. Shoshana Fershtman         From Exile to Re-Membering
Rabbi Me’irah Ilinsky                Why Kaplan Chose the Term “Civilization”
Rabbi Jane Rachel Litman        Descent or Consent: Jewish Identity in a Post-Ethnic World
Rabbi Katie Mizrahi                  Bridging Today and Tradition: The News Minyan
Elaine Moise                            A Taste of Harmoniyah

For more information, please contact Rabbi Jane Rachel Litman at jlitman@jrf.org or (510) 527-7117

Click The Button Below to Register:

JRF Legacy Project

Victoria Cangelosi — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 14:02:34 -0500

As the JRF and the RRC continue to restructure our movement for a better future, JRF has created a timeless Legacy Tribute Book in honor of our congregations. This keepsake memento will walk our members through the years of Reconstructionist history and highlight each of our communities in story and pictures. We are looking for your help to make this once-in-a-lifetime tribute book a reality. Would you consider making a gift to the JRF to support our lasting legacy?

For donors who support our movement with a gift at the Kaplan Legacy Sponsorship $5,000 level, we will send you a Legacy Tribute Book, the accompanying Legacy DVD, and commemorative leather bound editions of Judaism as a Civilization and Reconstructing Judaism.

For donors who support our movement with a gift at the Eisenstein Legacy Sponsorship $1,800 level, we will send you a Legacy Tribute Book, the accompanying Legacy DVD, and one commemorative leather bound edition of either Judaism as a Civilization or Reconstructing Judaism - your choice.

For donors who support our movement with a gift at the Patron Sponsorship $720 level, we will send you a Legacy Tribute Book and the accompanying Legacy DVD.

For donors who support our movement with a gift at the Friend Sponsorship $360 level, we will send you a Legacy Tribute Book.

For donors who support our movement with a gift at the $118 level, we will send you a complimentary Legacy DVD.

Please consider contributing to this special project and receiving these special, limited edition items you will always treasure for your personal library. These also make wonderful, unique gifts for a friend or loved one.

Make your gift online or call Jennifer at JRF: (215) 885-5601 ext. 20.

THE NORTHWEST RECONSTRUCTIONIST DAY OF LEARNING WAS AN OVERWHLEMING SUCCESS!

Victoria Cangelosi — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 13:05:53 -0500

Over seventy participants - from as far north as Seattle, Washington to as far south as Eugene, Oregon - attended JRF’s regional Yom Iyyun (Day of Learning), themed “East by Northwest: A Jewish Perspective on Place and Community.” The five Reconstructionist congregations and havurot of the Pacific Northwest sponsored this thought-provoking program, held January 29th 2012 at Havurah Shalom in Portland. Feedback from attendees was extremely positive.

Some of the highlights included:

• An inspiring and intellectually stimulating keynote address exploring how Diaspora Jews understand their relationship to Israel and Zionism given by Rabbi Dan Ehrenkranz, the President of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College
• Insightful discussions on topics such as gender, age, ethnicity and Israel from a Reconstructionist perspective
• Dynamic and informative speakers and presenters, including Rabbi Dan Ehrenkranz, Rabbi Joey Wolf, Rabbi Yitz Husbands Hankin, Rabbi Jane Rachel Litman, Dr. Oren Kosansky, Simon Goldenberg and David Fuks
• Uplifting opening prayer services using the innovative Reconstructionist siddur (prayer book)
• Spontaneous singing, laughter, and communal joy
• Networking between Reconstructionist leaders and community members from different congregations and havurot

Craig Starr, the Northwest Regional Vice President of JRF, says, “I keep hearing wonderful things from people who attended the Reconstructionist Day of Learning. I believe the event set a new standard for its thoughtful engagement with contemporary issues, first rate workshops, and warm feelings of community. I’d like to express my deep gratitude to the presidents of Havurah Shalom, Kadima, Temple Beth Israel, Temple Beth Hatfiloh and Temple Beth Shalom and the many volunteers who worked so hard to make this event such a success.”

Groundbreaking Women’s Torah coming to San Francisco Bay Area

Victoria Cangelosi — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 15:48:32 -0500

This February, the Reconstructionist Community of the Bay Area welcomes the Women’s Torah, the first Torah in history to be created and embellished by an international community of women and the first to be sewn together in community.

The Torah is the handwritten parchment scroll of the first five books of the bible. All over the world, Jews read and study from the Torah during religious services and other times. The Hebrew letters must be hand-written by a trained scribe on special parchment using special ink and quills. Learning to become a Torah scribe requires painstaking training that takes many years. Until the Women’s Torah Project (WTP), only men scribed Torahs.

In 2003, the Kadima Reconstructionist Jewish Community of Seattle, WA wanted to commission the first Torah to be scribed by a woman. To do that, Kadima underwrote the training for two of the world’s first women Torah scribes. Eventually, six scribes on three continents contributed to the Women’s Torah, including Julie Seltzer, who completed a Torah scroll while in residence at the Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco.

In Jewish tradition, the Torah is treated like a person of great honor and adorned with the finest embellishments. All of the items that are used with the Women’s Torah—rollers, belt and clasp, cover, crowns, pointer, bima (altar) cloth, and wine goblet—were also made by women from all over the world, including San Francisco metal artist Aimee Golant, who created the Torah’s crowns. Scribes, artists and others associated with the creation of the Women’s Torah will offer a variety of programs at several different venues during this groundbreaking Torah’s week-long residence in the Bay Area. Most programs will also feature a benefit art sale by WTP artists.

On Wednesday, Feb 22, 2012 from 6:30-8:30 at the Bureau of Jewish Education Jewish Community Library in San Francisco, co-sponsored by the Reconstructionist Or Shalom Jewish Community, Rabbi Jane Rachel Litman will speak about the 90th anniversary of the first bat mitzvah, when Judith Kaplan, the daughter of the founder of Reconstructionist Judaism became the first woman to publically read from the Torah; Wendy Graff, Director of the WTP, will give her talk, “From Parchment to Parsha,” and Aimee Golant will speak about creating the Torah’s crowns.

Saturday morning Shabbat services on Feb 25 will be held at Reconstructionist Congregation Ner Shalom in Cotati. Saturday Mincha (afternoon) and Havdalah (end of Sabbath) services will be held at Keddem Congregation in Palo Alto, followed by a reception. Graff and Golant will speak and will show the Women’s Torah Project video.

Renowned poet and liturgist Marcia Falk will read her work on Tuesday evening, Feb 28 at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, co-sponsored by Or Zarua Reconstructionist Havurah. On Wednesday, Feb 29 Stanford Hillel will host scribe Julie Seltzer, Graff and Golant, from 6:30-9:00 for the final WTP event.

Called “among the most ambitious recent American synagogue commissions,” perhaps the most revolutionary aspect of the Women’s Torah is that it was sewn together in community. The Torah’s scribe usually stitches the 62 parchment panels into one continuous scroll and attaches each end to decorative rollers. For the Women’s Torah, however, those tasks were completed by the women, men and children who gathered in Seattle for the celebration of the Women’s Torah’s completion in October, 2010. The WTP broke ground for women, yes, but it also created a template for community involvement. For those who value community, the Women’s Torah Project is the change we wish to see in the world.

East by Northwest: A Jewish Perspective on Place and Community - A Yom Iyyun (Day of Learning)

Victoria Cangelosi — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 15:55:48 -0500

Start: Jan 29 2012 - 9:00am

End: Jan 29 2012 - 4:30pm

This is a joint event of the Pacific Northwest JRF Congregations and Havurot:
Temple Beth Israel (Eugene, Oregon), Temple Beth Shalom (Salem, Oregon), Havurah Shalom (Portland, Oregon), Temple Beth Hatfiloh (Olympia, Washington), and Kadima (Seattle, Washington)

Come join Reconstructionists from across Oregon and Washington for a Yom Iyyun -- a Day of Learning -- to explore how "place" impacts Jewish life and practice in the Diaspora in the 21st century.

This gathering will include an address by Rabbi Dan Ehrenkrantz, the President of the Reconstructionst Rabbinical College. In addition to the keynote, there will be innovative services, lunch and workshops on topics of contemporary interest by local scholars, rabbis, and lay leaders.

Keynote by Rabbi Dan Ehrenkrantz: "When We Talk About Israel, What are We Saying?"

Workshops:
• Rabbi Jane Rachel Litman, "Portnoy’s Mother’s Complaint; Jewish Gender Dislocations in North America"
• Dr. Oren Kosansky, Ph.D., "Place, Person, and Piety in Jewish Morocco"
• Rabbi Dan Ehrenkrantz, Rabbi Yitzhak Husbands-Hankin, and Rabbi Joseph Wolf, moderated by Randi Brenowitz, a discussion: "What Place in Our Lives for this Place Called Israel: the Ideas, Symbols, and Realities of Israel for 21st Century Reconstructionist Jews"
• Simon Goldenberg, “Jewish Life and Immigration in British Columbia”
• David Fuks, “'I Didn’t Want My Mouth Should Be Full': Issues of Aging and the Jewish Community”

This is a wonderful opportunity for Reconstructionist Jews, and those interested in learning about transformative 21st Century Judaism, to enjoy stimulating speakers and discussions, share wisdom & experiences, participate in dynamic workshops and join together in creative worship.

Place: Havurah Shalom, 825 NW 18th Ave., Portland
Cost: $25.00, $15.00 for students
Morning snacks and lunch provided.

Childcare and home hospitality are available through preregistration, at no additional cost. If you would like to travel to Portland the day before this event, a family of Havurah Shalom is happy for you to be their guest on Saturday night. Just check the box on the registration form to indicate that you would like "home hospitality," and you will be contacted with your host's name and contact information.

REGISTER NOW

For information about a scholarship for this event, please contact the office of your own home congregation or havurah.

The full schedule for the day is attached as a pdf below.

If you would like to further support this Yom Iyyun and the educational efforts of the Pacific Northwest JRF Congregations and Havurot, you can make an additional donation by clicking on the Register Now link, below, and entering the amount in the indicated space when you register. This additional donation will be added to your registration fee, and the total amount will be charged to your credit card and will appear on your receipt. Thank you very much for your generosity and your support.

The Western Region Congratulates JRF on a great Convention

Victoria Cangelosi — Mon, 29 Nov 2010 12:31:35 -0500

We'd like to congratulate the Jewish Reconstructionist Federation on a wonderful 2010 Convention. The Western Region was thrilled to host this year's gathering in Newport Beach, California. The overwhelming feedback has been that the 2010 Convention was an incredible experience. Mazel tov, JRF!

Women's Torah Project

Victoria Cangelosi — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 12:00:19 -0500

The Western Region of the JRF congratulates the Reconstructionist congregation Kadima on the creation of the first Women's Torah ever to be commissioned.

The Women's Torah was finished in Seattle, Washington on October 15, 2010, with the help of many hands, hearts, and spirits. It is not only the first Torah written and embellished by an international community of women, it is the first Torah literally sewn together in community. Dozens of people had the opportunity to fill in letters, sew the parchment panels together, and tie the scroll to the rollers. Many others watched or helped the six scribes put the 62 panels in order, under the exultant wings of Shekinah.

Read more about the Women's Torah

Last year's Western Region Reconstructionist “Trailblazers”

Victoria Cangelosi — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 11:37:03 -0400

The Western Region of JRF celebrated their Morei Derekh Reconstructionist Trailblazers. These outstanding individuals were chosen by their congregations for the Western region’s distinguished leadership award. Whether through building community, tikkun olam (social action) or hesed (acts of service), their volunteerism stands as a model for inspirational values in both the Jewish world and broader secular society.

The Honorees:
Beth Evergreen – Rich Levine
Bnai Havurah – Sandy Goldman
Chico Havurah – Silona Reyman
Dor Hadash – Holly Gail Baumann
Havurah Shalom – Emily Simon
Havurat Olam – Stan Shroeder
Kadima – Wendy Graff
The Keddem Community– Elaine Moise
Kehillat Israel – Pam Solomon
Malibu Jewish Center and Synagogue – Ruth Belonsky
Ner Shalom – Mary Ann Malinak
Or Zarua – Emily Galpern
Or Shalom - Stephen Gerard
P’nai Tikvah, Valley Outreach – Barbara Holland
Sacramento Havurah – Helyne Meshar
Temple Beth Israel – Tom & Patti Barkin
Temple Beth Sholem – Phil Decker
University Synagogue - Anita Mishook
The Whittier Havurah – Lou Wiener

JRF Congratulates Rabbi Seth Goldstein

Victoria Cangelosi — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 13:03:13 -0400

CONGRATULATIONS to Rabbi Seth Goldstein of Temple Beth Hatfiloh in Olympia. He has been named one of the top 10 Jews under the age of 40 in Washington state who are making a difference in their communities. In bestowing the honor, the JTNews, a Seattle-based Jewish newspaper, said that New York-born Goldstein never planned on becoming a rabbi. But after visiting Temple Beth Hatfiloh, Olympia’s Reconstructionist synagogue, as a student rabbi, he couldn’t resist an opportunity to pull this region’s Jewish community together. Read the article.

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