Havurah Shalom Celebrates Purim: Saturday, March 19
February 28, 2011
Costumes, hamentashen, singing, and a special Purim Shpiel (play)…Purim is on the way! All ages are invited.
This year our celebration will focus more on kids, but will incorporate many of the familiar elements from years past, including:
2:45-3:30 Make Hamantashen and/or Masks:
3:30 – 5:00 Purim Spiel, Costume Parade, Singing: A kid-friendly rendition of the Purim story with lots of laughs and audience participation.
Hamentashen Bake-Off: Calling all bakers! Do you favor apricot filling? Prune, poppyseed, Nutella? We love ‘em all and there’s never too many. Please bring a batch to share. Our distinguished panel of judges will be on hand.
Noise-making: Although we won’t have a complete reading of the Megilla, there will be plenty of opportunities to drown out the name of you-know-who. Like last year, we’re supporting the CommunityWarehouse by asking folks to bring new or used pots and pans, spatulas, wooden spoons, and silverware (especially forks and knives) to bang as noisemakers (then we’ll donate them)
Costumes: Raid the dress-up box and parental closet (no need to buy something!)
Light finger foods will be provided, but this year there’s no potluck, so we encourage kids (and parents) to eat something beforehand.
PLEASE RSVP by March 15 with your family names and ages of any children.
Read the Torah of Wisconsin
February 28, 2011
The Torah of Wisconsin
BY ELISSA BARRETT AND ARYEH COHEN
In the streets of Madison, we can hear the echoes of Torah. From Moses to Maimonides to modern day Rabbis across the country, Jews have a long and lively history of supporting the rights of working people. Rabbis Bonnie Margulis and Jonathan Biatch recently reported from Wisconsin that standing for worker’s rights is “absolutely” the Jewish thing to do. Now is a good moment to ask ourselves, why?
For the past 150 years, labor unions have formed the backbone of progressive movements for social change. In Egypt, the winds of change blew hardest when workers from Alexandria to Aswan joined the youth revolution. In America, unions are woven into the story of empowerment for countless generations of immigrant workers, Jews among them, and the struggle of American minorities-from the sanitation workers of Memphis in the 1960s to the janitors of Los Angeles today.
The issue in Wisconsin is no longer about budgeting or steep cuts in wages and benefits-the unions and Governor Scott Walker are in full agreement there. When Governor Walker began targeting the ability of public employees to bargain collectively for their common good, he targeted our country’s most fundamental labor right: the right to a voice on the job. Our Jewish tradition urges us to see this as a shofar call to action.
It is no coincidence that the first lessons we receive after being freed from slavery in Egypt are on the treatment of workers. “You shall not abuse a needy and destitute laborer, whether a fellow countryman or a stranger. You must pay him his wages on the same day, before the sun sets. else he will cry to God against you and you will incur guilt”
(Deuteronomy, 24:14-15). The third century mishnah and tosefta instructs employers to meet or exceed local custom in terms of wages and benefits, and the Babylonian Talmud gives town residents the right to intervene between a local employer and a worker to insure that wages are fair. All this is codified by centuries of commentaries, Talmud scholars and jurists.
Don’t forget to RSVP for the next Kabbalat Dinner and Service on March 11th! RSVP by March 3!
February 22, 2011
A modestly-priced dinner will precede the service and starts at 6:30 pm.(Contact the office for details.) Water and teas are provided so please bring your own wine or juice.
If you cannot attend the community dinner, please join us for this inspirational, music-filled service and for tea and dessert after the service.
Green Empowerment Fundraising Update
February 8, 2011
We are very proud to announce that as of February 2011, Havurah Shalom has raised not only the $40,000 we’ve committed to the El Jocote solar water pump and deep well project, but has now exceeded our goal and raised $41,000.
Green Empowerment and Havurah’s Tikkun Olam Committee extends its heartfelt thanks to everyone who has generously contributed to the project’s success. The villagers in El Jocote, Nicaragua, will now have running water in their homes for the very first time. This project is part of Havurah’s Mahsh’pi’a: Impacting Global Poverty initiative.
For more information, please visit the Green Empowerment page on our website.
Introducing the “Tikkun Olam” Committee
February 8, 2011
We are pleased to introduce the revitalized Havurah Social Action Committee which will be known as the Tikkun Olam Committee. The new committee will continue Havurah’s long-term commitment to the work of tikkun olam (“repair of the world”), and the pursuit of justice. The committee will be guided by values that prioritize the participation and engagement of a broad range of Havurah members in this work.
In Havurah’s on-going work of tikkun olam, members have been involved in a range of projects focusing on service, advocacy, education and/or financial support. Projects have differed in levels of participation, scope and sustainability. As a community, we share pride in all our accomplishments. Going forward, we will continue to recognize and honor individual efforts and initiatives.
The Tikkun Olam Committee will have a shared leadership triad of Layton Borkan, Steve Rudman and Ben Walters. We are looking for three to four more committee members. Would you be interested in participating in the Committee’s work?
If you are interested in helping us to get this new committee up and running, we welcome you to join us (Steve, Ben, Layton) on the Committee as we work to create decision-making processes and procedures that will help us support the work of tikkun olam in our community.
Please contact Ben Walters, Layton Borkan, Steve Rudman, to get connected.
