March 2018
Adar/Nisan 5778
Call 206-567-9414 for event details or see our online calendar here.
March
- 3 JLC
- 4 Coordinating Committee
- 5 Reading the Book of Esther
- 10 Havdalah
- 17 JLC
- 18 IFC Music Festival
- 26 Super Supper
- 31 First Night of Passover
April
- 14 JLC
- 28 JLC
- 30 Super Supper
COMMUNITY
We wish full and speedy recoveries to three of our integral, wonderful chavurah women – Denise Brown, Jane Greenberg, and Jessica Lang.
BOOK OF ESTHER
In acknowledgment of Purim, Torah Group will be detouring from its trek through the Prophets (Nevi’im) to read the Book of Esther on Monday March 5th from 7 to 8 pm at the Weiss’s house. Call 206-567-9414 for directions. Please feel free to join us. No Torah knowledge is needed :-). We all learn, discuss and wrestle together.
Best read as a comedy, the Book of Esther was written during the Persian period (600-400 BCE) and can be found in the Kethuvim (Writings) of the Tanakh. Its fictional account of a baffoon king, Ahasuerus, who relies on his ministers and servants to tell him what to do; the erratic egomaniac Haman, who has wild mood swings and only cares about disgracing others to elevate himself; a strong, intelligent, female protagonist, Esther, who is unafraid of standing up to those in charge to do what is right; and her uncle, Mordechi, who leads his community in nonviolent resistance, is sure to spark lively conversation.
HAVDALAH
This month’s Havdalah & Potluck will be a Purim-themed evening at Dee Axelrod & Sarah Van Gelder’s home on Saturday, March 10th. The potluck begins at 6 p.m. Dee will supply the hamentaschen. We will be reading the Book of Esther with an eye toward applying her proto-feminism to today’s issues. Call 206-567-9414 for directions.
IFC MUSIC FESTIVAL
Spring is a joyous time on Bainbridge Island. People start to come out of their winter hibernation, and the earth fights off the gray sky with bursts of brightly colored flowers. It is a perfect time for singing and listening to beautiful music in a worshipful setting.Music is a unifying force, no matter how different the cultures. And we celebrate our musical traditions in an annual IFC Music Festival every spring. Join the Kugelettes and singing.
Sunday, March 18 at 5:00 pm at Grace Episcopal Church – 8595 E. Day Road
The concert is typically an hour long and features entries from all of our council member organizations. There is also a unifying choir number and opportunities for the audience to sing and dance. Everyone leaves uplifted. Like all IFC events, this is free, open to the public and family friendly.
Why We Need To Sing Together?
by Tiffny Weighall – 2016 – When you sing in a group it forces you to listen, to think outside yourself and about how you effect the group. It physiologically effects the frontal cortex of the brain which controls how you see yourself—as a member of a group or alone. Neurochemically, singing in a choir releases oxytocin, which has a role in friendship, trust and empathy.It’s time we all think outside ourselves. Listen. Work together. This doesn’t mean there are no intentionally dissonant notes. But they get resolved by the end of the song. And there are sometimes moments at rehearsal where you’re ready to throw it all out, and swear you’re never coming back. But you do. Because the music needs you. And you need the music.We need each other in our communities in the same way a choir needs differences. We’re no good on our own. Sure, some solos will happen, but you can’t take the alto section out of a choir and send them off to a performance all on their own. Without the other parts, they make no sense. The sopranos, the ones who usually carry the familiar melody, are understood on their own, but lack depth when segregated from the rest. We all have to show up. And we all have to be willing to make the choir good through some grueling work.The things I know about working in a group–any group–came from music. May we all sing a little more, listen more intently, and make music.
MEMBERSHIP & Tax Deductible Donations
All memberships & program fund contributions are tax deductible . If you haven’t yet, please send in your membership form to Chavurah Shir Hayam, PO Box 11492, Bainbridge Island WA 98110. If you need an application, it is posted online here. Tax deductible donations can be made to the General Fund, School Fund, Education Fund, Tikkun Olam Fund, Cemetery Fund or other fund of your choice to honor an event, person, or as a remembrance. Make checks payable to Chavurat Shir Hayam.