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August 2013 | Av-Elul 5773
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Hopeful in the New Year
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ven though it’s August, a new Jewish year is soon upon us. As summer wanes, we know some of this year’s troubles, and certainly its headlines, will carry over into the new one. Anticipating the future we want to focus more on our hopes than our concerns. It’s time for a fresh start and a new chance. A New Year presents us a calendar with no days yet marked off or lived as they still might be. Our apprehensions and challenges are real every day. Even so, as we anticipate what comes next in a worried world, we want to be optimistic. We want to be realistic and positive. During the High Holy Days we find uplift
and encouragement. Rosh HaShanah, Yom Kippur, and Sukkot remind us to look forward with renewed purpose and encourage us to imagine what’s possible. This month, we’ll introduce the hopeful mood of the High Holy Days. During our New Shabbat service on August 9 in song and conversation we’ll celebrate with a happy and upbeat spirit. Before and during our Selihot Service on August 31, we’ll discover the “holiness of hope,” the optimistic spirit
of Judaism. Soon thereafter, early as it will seem, summer will end and the New Year will begin. Be sure to look at our booklet describing how we’ll celebrate Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur at Chizuk Amuno. It will be good to join all together then. For now enjoy summertime! B’Shalom Rav,
Ninth Annual Cinema under the Stars
teachers at a public school in Brooklyn. Both are also experiencing the process of “arranged” marriages through their respective religious and traditional customs. With family pressure on one hand and the rejection of traditional values by the outside world on the other, Rochel and Nasiro rely on each other to pull through this difficult time, striving to be strong women in charge of their own happiness, while keeping their deep religious and cultural convictions. Join us for this pleasant evening. Everyone is welcome. There is no charge for the movie or refreshments. This program is funded by the Stanley and Lillian Wilen Fund for Adult Jewish Education.
Sing with Chizuk Amuno’s Community Choir!
Wednesday, August 21, 8 p.m. Every year we enjoy a film, fresh popped corn, candy, snacks, and drinks outdoors in the courtyard. This year, we will feature the film Arranged, the recipient of several awards, including the Brooklyn International Film Festival Award for Best Narrative Feature. Arranged is “touching and often hilarious, a must-see in this globalized world.” It is the story of Rochel, an Orthodox Jew, and Nasiro, a Muslim of Syrian origin, both young
Rabbi Ron Shulman
Our Community Choir is back and we enthusiastically invite you to join us in joyful singing for the 2nd day of Rosh HaShanah. All are welcome – no singing experience is necessary. Please try to attend at least three of the following rehearsals: • Sundays, August 4, 11, 18, 25, or September 1 at 10 a.m. • Tuesday, September 3, at 7 p.m. To sign up or for more information, contact Bob Hallock, rjhallock@gmail.com or 410/653-0256.
Foundations of Jewish Family Living: Jewish Values for Parents to Share with Children 20 Sessions beginning in October Mondays, 7-8:30 p.m., or Wednesdays, 9-10:30 a.m. If you are the parent of a child in Early Childhood through fourth grade, Foundations is for you. The specially designed curriculum will provide you with the learning, the language, and the confidence to be a learning partner and teacher to your own children. Each week you will meet together with a wonderful teacher to explore what Judaism has to say about
“Making Our Own Miracles,”“Overcoming Anger,” “Gratitude,” and many other subjects relevant to our lives. At the conclusion of each lesson is a special section called Taking the Conversation Home, developed by Foundations, in collaboration with The PJ Library. This section includes a helpful list of major themes and ideas in the lesson, topics related to the lesson for you as parents to discuss at home with your children, as well as a convenient list of The PJ Library books, arranged according to age-level, that reflect or reinforce ideas raised in each lesson. 1
The values presented in each lesson will come to life for your children through watching the Shalom Sesame video clips linked to our Melton website. Please contact Michelle Gold, Director of the Goldsmith Early Childhood Education Center, mgold@chizukamuno.org or 410/486-8642, or Josh Bender, Head of the Lower School, Krieger Schechter Day School, jbender@ksds.edu or 410/486-8640, to learn more about this new course. Join with your friends on this exciting journey in Jewish learning.