Tammuz/Av 5778

Call 206-567-9414 for event details or see our online calendar here.

July

• 30 Super Supper

August

• 5 Coordinating Committee Meeting
• 27 Super Supper

September

• 9 Erev Rosh Hashanah
• 10 Rosh Hashanah
• 18 Kol Nidre
• 19 Yom Kippur
• 27 Super Supper

Do not be daunted
by the enormity
of the world’s grief.
Do justly, now.
You are not obligated
to complete the work,
but neither are
you free
to abandon it.

the Talmud

COMMUNITY

Mazal Tov Mazal Tov to all our recent graduates

• Ben Cowan graduated from college
• The Stahls have a graduation twofer, Mitchell from college and Jared from high school
• Gabe Travis graduated from high school
• Ari Jabloner graduated from high school

What wonderful achievements after much hard work, and our congratulations also to parents David, Sue, Eric, Robyn, Paul, Nancy, Ellen, and Matt.

MULTICULTURAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE

Thank you to Steve Soltar for his wonderful work on the Multicultural Advisory Committee and all of those on MAC who work so hard to try and ensure a safe and equitable education for all Bainbridge students so that they may learn and thrive in the best ways possible.

Also, thank you to Rebecca Rockefeller who helped make us aware of ongoing issues of antisemitism that have unfortunately become more normative, at least at Bainbridge High School, and been quite upsetting for Jewish students there.

The comments at the recent School Board Meeting, which so many of our chavurah attended, described ongoing, disturbing racism and prejudice towards other minority community members as well.  Not surprising given the bigotry and violence espoused by our president.  Community members including Nina Rogozen, Rebecca Rockerfeller, Lisa Weiss, Julie Rosenblatt, Robin Hruska (via Julie Rosenblatt) and Julie Soboil from Shir Hayam spoke thoughtfully and eloquently. Randy Westreich played You Have to Be Carefully Taught, from South Pacific, over fifty years old, and still relevant.

You’ve got to be taught to hate and fear
You’ve got to be taught from year to year
It’s got to be drummed in your dear little ear
You’ve got to be carefully taught

You’ve got to be taught to be afraid
Of people whose eyes are oddly made
And people whose skin is a diff’rent shade
You’ve got to be carefully taught

You’ve got to be taught before it’s too late
Before you are six or seven or eight
To hate all the people your relatives hate
You’ve got to be carefully taught.

RUACH

Chavarim,

The Ruach committee is trying to set up hosts/hostesses and leaders for this year’s monthly services and holidays. We understand some folks are happy to host, but not to lead or perhaps visa versa. With that in mind, think about what you might like to do. It is much easier for me if I know ahead of time or have a list of folks to call on after we get our calendar established, which will probably be done before High Holidays.

We are going to create resource materials for the leaders to use if they would like so that folks are not having to come up with services themselves but can focus on what they might bring to the service they are leading. Also, we would like to create a theme for this year’s services, as we did several years ago when we focused on the Psalms. We are working with Rabbi Jen Clayman to select the theme for this year High Holiday services and will be considering if the theme is one we might want to continue throughout the year.

We need leaders and hosts for Simchas Torah/Sukkot, Tu B’ Shevat, and Shavuos as well as monthly Shabbats and Havdalahs. We do not have the dates set yet for these events. Simchas Torah/Sukkot will probably be celebrated the weekend of September 29-30 or perhaps on the Erev of Sukkot, Sunday, Sept 23. If a time works better for you and you want to lead, this is your opportunity to call the shots! Erev Tu’b’Shevat is Sunday, Jan 20^th, and is a potential date for this gathering.

Purim and Chanuakkah will also need host/ hostesses and activity organizers. FYI Channukkah starts Sunday, Dec 2. Purim is Thursday March 21. The dates to celebrate are flexible at this point.

With that in mind, all you folks that are anxious (or perhaps just willing) to lead services or host please email Robin Hruska . If there is a particular holiday/service you are anxious to lead, let me know.  It is okay to just say, hey I will do a service or I am willing to host and we can finalize a time later.

Many thanks,

Robin Hruska for Ruach

HIGH HOLIDAY PLANNING

Hi All you fabulous Hebrew readers!,

Rabbi Jen Clayman is looking for folks who would like to read from the Torah for High Holiday services. FYI Erev Rosh hashanah is Sunday Sept 9,  RH Sept 10, Kol Nidre is Tuesday Sept 18, and Yom Kippur is Wed Sept 19. Please email me Robin Hruska. Looking forward to hearing from you! Many thanks, Robin

SHABBAT

Photo from the Saturday morning Shabbat at Robin Hruska and Mike Orr’s home. The parsha discussed was Behaalotecha, Numbers 8:1–12:16. In addition to prayers, and discussion of the parsha, we spent time sharing insights or journeys people had about working with the quality, middah, you had chosen during High Holidays. Mount Rainier made an appearance. Photo by Paul Travis. 

KUGELETTES

Always wanted to sing with the Kugelettes on High Holidays (or ever)? We are going to be practicing weekly beginning in August and would love new singers to join us. For more information you can email Terry Cowan.

The dates are:

August 7            place TBD
August 14          Linda’s house
August 22          place TBD
August 29          Linda’s house
September 4     Linda’s house
September 12   Linda’s house

ANNUAL MEETING MINUTES

Minutes – Shir Hayam Annual Meeting – May 20, 2018

LOCATION: Pru’s House at Hilltop, Grand Forest, Bainbridge Island

PRESENT: Joanna Church, Collyer Church, Sharon Rutzick, Denise Brown, Jeffrey Brown, Rachel Kerbrat, Steven Soltar, Nina Rogozen, Danielle Gordon, Julie Rosenblatt, Lisa Weiss, Renee Leiter, Elliot Leiter, Robin Hruska, Paul Travis, Carol Rappaport, Rebecca Rockefeller, Carol Shakow and Dee Axelrod

Thanks to everyone who attended. It was a good meeting with lots of lively talk and yummy noshes.

ACTIVITY

We broke into three groups to discuss what we wanted for Shir Hayam in this coming year, then regrouped and shared ideas and opinions with the larger group. A sampling:

• Let’s bring more spiritualism into the group through our services throughout the year. Create a continuity of services as well.
• Let’s have more social action and socio-political conversations and continue with movie/adult ed activities.
• Have opportunities to discuss Judaism today – we need a collective sense of Judaism, especially with negative local, national and global events and attitudes today.
• We need to be more visible in the community and attract new members, especially families with children.

COMMITTEE REPORTS

Community Presence(presented by Paul Travis)

• We put a notice of High Holidays into the Bainbridge Islander.
• We need to get the larger community’s eyes on us and what we do and what we offer.
• Thinks that other committees have to put on events, and CP will let it be known to the community.
• Lisa Weiss is taking the reins and putting together, with others, a booth for the middle school Cultural Fair, which is no longer put on by the eighth grade classes.
• Idea generated: Facebook advertising.

Cemetery(presented by Dee Axelrod and Rachel Kerbrat)

• Our beautiful cemetery bench is nearly finished; it will be a wonderful addition to our cemetery.
• The dedication ceremony in September 2017 was very sweet and moving. The cemetery is very beautiful; everyone is encouraged to go.
• There are plots available – contact Denise Brown if you are interested.

Adult Education(presented by Carol Shakow)

• People gathered for three movies followed by lively discussions: The Divan, A Tale of Love and Darknessand To Life. There was also a discussion with Michael Nathanson about his book, Between Myth & Mandate – Geopolitics, Pseudohistory and the Hebrew Bible. (Thank you to our hosts for those events.)
• Next year ideas: More films and discussions; keep it open and fluid with lots of possibilities. Collier has over 50 artifacts related to French Concentration camps and the move of people from France to Auschwitz (including correspondence). This would make a wonderful show of some kind.
• We are a resource to the community and the school district on the Holocaust.

Tikkun Olam(presented by Rachel Kerbrat)

• We gave $1,242 in donations this year to: Coffee Oasis (serves homeless youth) in Poulsbo, the Kitsap Immigration Center and Doctors without Borders for their work with Rohingya refugees.
• We need someone to step up and coordinate this committee! Rachel has been doing it for many years, and it is time to pass the baton. It’s not a lot of work, yet is very gratifying.
• Denise continues to run Super Supper at Helpline, and can always use help with that. It is a longstanding service to those in need on Bainbridge Island.

Jewish Learning Center(presented by Lisa Weiss)

• This year there are five families, with children from 3 – 14 years of age.
• JLC meets in families’ homes – celebrates shabbats where prayers, history, and songs are reinforced. The learning is experiential and involves many aspects of Jewish history, philosophy, ritual and community.
• They also continued their Tikkun Olam activities with a Seattle tent city, following them to their new location in Seattle where folks now live in tiny houses. Sadie Gordon’s Bat Mitzvah project is working with the families to design and paint the doors of all 30 tiny houses. JLC’s involvement has demystified homelessness and has been an invaluable lesson for the children involved.
• JLC has just become involved with the Universal Church of Christ Wednesday community meal on Division Street in Suquamish. Anyone can participate. (It was noted from a group member that Shir Hayam has been doing Super Supper at Helpline for over 20 years, and this project always needs help.)

Ruach(presented by Robin Hruska)

• Ruach put on several lovely Shabbats and Havdalahs in family’s homes throughout the year. (Thank you to those families!)
• Rabbi Jennifer Clayman conducted High Holiday services last fall to great reviews. She focused us on Middot (Jewish virtues and values that serve us in our personal daily lives).
• Ruach wrote and sent out a comprehensive survey to the Shir Hayam membership to get feedback on last year’s services. There were members who prefer lay-led services, and approximately 75% of respondents said they wanted to welcome Rabbi Jen back this fall to lead services.
• We have invited her back with a very slight increase in her fees, and she has accepted out invitation.

 Revised Shir Hayam Handbook(presented by Nina Rogozen)

The Handbook committee had many meetings in their task to revise the SH Member Handbook. We sent it out for group feedback several months ago. Nobody had comments, and the Handbook was ratified this year at the annual meeting.

Finances(presented by Jeff Brown)

• The budget put together by Denise Brown was approved.
• We voted to use the remainder of the JLC’sbackup account for their budget this year and to put JLC back as a line item in the general SH budget. In addition, families will be asked to pay a fee (as with SH dues, families pay what they can), and SH will add $400 to JLC’s budget, so that they can meet their financial demands.
• It was unanimously endorsed that SH supports the education of our children, and moving forward, there will be consideration of increasing the amount the Chavurah puts in for JLC when the need arises.

VOTING FOR SLATE OF COORDINATING COMMITTEE NEW MEMBERS

Carol Rappaport and Michele Lyons were voted in as members to the Shir Hayam Coordinating Committee. Other members include: Jeff Brown, Sharon Rutzick, Rachel Kerbrat, Dee Axelrod, Jessica Lang and Nina Rogozen. Welcome to our new members!

NOTE: At the request of the JLC, the CC has added one more member to the Coordinating Committee. Welcome Julie Soboil, JLC parent & member! Because Julie wasn’t on the original slate, we have to have an open comment period, in the unlikely event of an objection, please email one of the Coordinating Committee members.

OF UTMOST IMPORTANCE – ANTI-SEMITISM IN OUR SCHOOLS(presented by Rebecca Rockefeller)

There was an (and there have been many) incident at the high school where some seniors—during lunch outside—were celebrating Adolph Hitler’s birthday. They were sitting right behind Rebecca’s daughter. Some sentiments and ideas expressed at our meeting:

• Our Jewish kids don’t have a bunch of other kids to defend and protect them, which is scary and problematic.
• The school responded to Rebecca’s concerns. She also exchanged some correspondence with one of the perpetrators and his mother, but it was not satisfying.
• Racial discrimination and issues are not new at the HS, and other minority kids are targeted as well, which has a marginalizing effect.
• Rebecca pointed out that if you look at all of this as a pyramid, at the baseis the dehumanizing of people based on their religion, sexual identity, race, etc. and in the worst case scenario, at the topof the pyramid is the Holocaust and slavery.
• The schools on BI no longer teach about the Holocaust, slavery, or Native American history on the island through the book “They Cast a Long Shadow.”
• The school no longer produces the Cultural Fair (noted above)
• The Multicultural Council (MAC), which Steven Soltar is very active on, is working on many of these issues with the schools, but progress is often slow.
• Members of Shir Hayam and Kol Shalom wan to have a joint meeting with Jewish teens on the island about these incidents. They need our support.

COMING UP

1. Ruach will be meeting to plan services throughout the year, and work to meet the needs of those who said they wanted to experience more spirituality in our Shabbats and Havdalahs.
2. It was agreed that we need a visioning meeting. The Coordinating Committee will plan this, with ideas from the Chavurah, and notify the group when it is scheduled.
3. One item for the visioning meeting will be discussing the potential of spending some money from reserves to build our membership.
4. Potential meeting with other cultural groups on the Island and in North Kitsap to discuss the issues under the Anti-Semitism article above and potentially approaching the school board(s).

HAPPENING IN SEATTLE

ADL Annual Supreme Court Review

Diplomatic Rescuers: Rhodes and Beyond

Mexican Consul General Roberto Dondisch and Cynthia Dondisch