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January 2014 | Tevet - Shevat 5774
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Preparing for Bar and Bat Mitzvah
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here are moments in a family’s life which we call liminal moments, threshold moments. These are times of transition when something in our family structure changes. A liminal moment could be when you retire, when your last child leaves for college, when your first child is born, or when you move into a new home. One liminal moment during which I am privileged to work with many synagogue families is around Bar and Bat Mitzvah. Preparation begins several years before a child reaches
that age, but we work most intensively in the sixth grade year preceding most children’s b’nei mitzvah. A big part of that preparation is Project Mitzvah, a series of programs designed to engage both parents and children in exploring the skills, feelings, rituals, and religious significance of this threshold moment. Bar/Bat Mitzvah is a great opportunity to ask important questions. At our last Project Mitzvah gathering, Shabbat services and dinner, children and parents interviewed each other. They talked about what it is to which they were looking forward, important Jewish traditions in their families, and why they wanted to travel to Israel. One hundred fifty parents and kids joined us to dream about their Jewish future.
At our next gathering on Shabbat morning, January 25, sixth grade parents and students will be with us for morning services to gain more comfort and familiarity with the Sanctuary service, and then share lunch together as we discuss Torah trope, Divrei Torah, and mitzvah projects. If you have a sixth grade student who will become Bar or Bat Mitzvah in the coming year, you are a Project Mitzvah family! Please be in touch with me and join us. B’Shalom, Rabbi Debi Wechsler
Upcoming Stulman Center Sessions Jerusalem on a Plate Film Presentation Sunday, January 26, 2 p.m.
Join us for a cinematic visit with Yotam Ottolenghi, the famous chef who revolutionized Mediterranean and Middle Eastern food and made the flavors of the region more accessible and desirable than ever before in his book, Jerusalem on a Plate. Yotam takes us to his hometown of Jerusalem where he meets and cooks with both Arabs and Jews in restaurants and at home. They draw on hundreds of years of traditions to create the dishes that define this wonderful city. Enjoy a reception featuring an Israeli food tasting with an explanatory commentary by our Israeli teachers. $5 per person for ‘tasting’ reception. Co-sponsored by the Israel Engagement Committee and the Stulman Center for Adult Learning
Rabbi Akiba: Talmudic Hero Wednesdays, February 5, 12, and 19 7- 8:30 p.m. Join us as we explore the life of Rabbi Akiba, legal scholar, mystic, revolutionary, martyr with Dr. Barry W. Holtz from the Jewish Theological Seminary. An endlessly revolutionary martyr, Akiba has become the model figure for learning, dedication, and vision. We will look at the teachings reported in his name, learning about the man who might legitimately be called the “hero” of the Talmud. Fee: $10. Our deepest gratitude to the Hoffberger Foundation for Torah Study for their generous sponsorship of this program.
The Future of Conservative Judaism
Tuesday, January 7, 7:30 p.m. Chancellor Arnold Eisen of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America returns to Chizuk Amuno to speak and meet with our community. Dr. Eisen will think with us about challenges present in American Jewish life, and the different approaches that respond to them, and our
unique position as Conservative Jews. Following his remarks, we’ll share in conversation together with Dr. Eisen. Over the past many years we have been privileged to meet in Dr. Eisen a dynamic and insightful teacher. We are delighted that he returns to us this January to further our discussion and relationship. We invite everyone to join with us in welcoming and learning with Chancellor Eisen. 1
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