Tammuz/Av 5779

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

August

• 24 Coordinating Committee Meeting
• 26 Super Supper

September

• 22 CROP Hunger Walk
• 29 Erev Rosh Hashanah
• 30 Rosh Hashanah

October

• 8 Erev Yom Kippur
• 9 Yom Kippur
• 13 Coordinating Committee Meeting
• 19 Sukkot
• 28 Super Supper

COMMUNITY

Some History:
Many years ago, we got a call from Philadelphia.  A woman named Kathy Penn was calling to say that her husband Tom was finishing his veterinary training there, and that they and their young sons, Justin and Michael, were considering moving to the island and wanted to know about the Jewish and Bainbridge community.  The Penns did move here and Tom eventually opened Winslow Animal Clinic.   Over the years, he and his wonderful staff treated with skill and kindness many of our dear furry friends from kitten and puppyhood through illness and old age.  With little fanfare, Tom quietly retired a few weeks ago.  If you want to drop him a note, his office would be happy to forward it on to him.
Tom Penn
c/o Winslow Animal Clinic
800 Erickson Ave. NE
Bainbridge Island, WA. 98110

MEMBERSHIP

How does one become a Shir Hayam member, you might ask. It’s easy! Download the membership form here. Fill it out, sign it and send it to Shir Hayam, P.O. Box 11142, Bainbridge Island, WA  98110. The membership form gives you the opportunity to sign up for committees, holiday or project coordinator and make your pledge for the coming year. But – pledge or no pledge – sign the form & send it in and you are a member.

YEAR OF RENEWAL BRAINSTORMING SESSIONS

Our Annual Meeting in May was originally planned to include three brainstorming breakouts on Year of Renewal topics. As you may know, we felt we couldn’t do justice to these topics within the Annual Meeting’s constraints, so we deferred them to independent meetings. Look for an upcoming announcement on these sessions:

• Communication: How can we open and strengthen lines of communication between and among members, committees, and officers?
• Participation: What’s our understanding of every member’s role in doing the work of the chavurah? There are lots of ways to be a leader – small ways and larger ones. What steps can we take to encourage, enable, and support each one of us as contributor and leader?
• Tikkun Olam: How do we see Shir Hayam as a participant in “repairing the world?” What is our part? What should we continue to do, and what else should we start doing? How can we make the most of our efforts?

You are invited and requested to participate in any or all of these. There will be a contact person for each group (Communication: Paul Travis; Participation: Mike Orr; Tikkun Olam: Jane Greenberg. Each group will be completely self-organizing in terms of when/where/how to meet, how to communicate internally and with the other groups, and how to report back to the chavurah. Just indicate your interest to the contact for the group(s) you’re interested in, and your group can take it from there!

COORDINATING COMMITTEE

ELECTION OF OFFICERS

CC offered deep thanks to outgoing chair Nina Rogozen, former secretary Michele Lyons, and outgoing secretary Jeff Brown for their service during an eventful and demanding year. For the coming year, the CC elected Dee Axelrod to serve as chair, and Mike Orr to serve as secretary. Denise Brown confirmed that she will remain the Chavurah treasurer. 

ANNUAL MEETING FOLLOW-UP

CC members asked about the membership and committee signup information collected at the annual meeting. Rachel Kerbrat said she believes Denise Brown has that information and offered to contact her about it.

At our Annual Meeting in May, brainstorming breakout sessions on Communication, Participation, and Tikkun Olam were deferred with a promise to provide for them in the future. Members discussed the best way to do this. A consensus was reached that we will identify a contact person for each topic, invite all Shir Hayam members to join any or all of the topic groups by contacting the designated person(s), and allow the groups to self-task and self-organize from there.

UPCOMING CC MEETING SCHEDULE

The following schedule was set for upcoming CC meetings:

• Saturday 8/24 10 am – Rachel’s
• Sunday 10/13 10 am – Mike’s
• Sunday 12/15 10 am – Sharon’s
• Sunday 2/9 10 am – Carol’s

CC OUTBOUND COMMUNICATIONS

The question was raised as to the best way for CC to keep a line of communication open with Treasurer Denise Brown, since Denise herself is no longer a member of CC. Members present reached a consensus that Denise should be asked to attend selected CC meetings throughout the year as needed. Rachel offered to reach out to Denise about this.

Nina observed that past CC minutes have been abbreviated in the newsletter and initiated a discussion of how to best handle the partially conflicting factors of 1) a desire for CC to operate transparently, 2) the presence of potentially sensitive information in the minutes, and 3) unrestricted, public availability of the newsletter. CC members observed that a long-term solution could involve publication on a hypothetical members-only area of the website, but until such an area is available, the consensus was to make minutes available to members on request.

FARM SHABBAT

Jon Garfunkel and family hosted a couple dozen Chavurim at the Sumeyatsu /Bentryn Farm. In addition to a delightful walk around the 40-acre property, Jon sure Jan fascinating stories and photos of our island’s history — and the national tragedy of the Japanese internment. 

One of the farmers who works on the property, Ryan Butler, took a break from his tractor to share with the group that — being adopted at a young age — he’d recently learned that he too has Jewish roots. So we taught him the blessing of the fruit of the vine. Thanks for the Mitzvah, Jon!

CAY’S VISIT TO CORDOBA

I was fortunate recently to have a conference in Madrid that led into a long weekend, so I took the opportunity to go to Cordoba and visit a Juderia (of Cuando El Rey Nimrod fame…Avram Querido, Padre Bendicho, ….dai, dai, dai, dai-de-dai….).

Thought you might enjoy some of the writings in the Sefardic museum – Mainmonides’ recommendations (he was born in Cordoba) for a good diet (plus the curator’s additional Rambam admonition:  “more walking, less donkey…!”).  No more peaches for Cay!

Also, the display on Sefardic music emphasizes the role women have to play in preserving and furthering music in this tradition – unlike some periods of our Ashkenazic heritage!  The museum has a great collection of CDs.  I got one – unfortunately, I now realize its all instrumental, but it does have Cuando el Rey on it — at quite a peppy pace!  In any case, Rachel has been right on, in gently nudging us toward sefardic music when she can – we should listen to her more often!

Missing you all very much, as always – spent a long time today with my new ukulele and the Kug Companion Dee brought me last February.  Hope your ears were burning! ….or…. maybe, better, your hearts were humming!
Love,  Cay

The ‘sefarad plaque’ is found throughout Spanish cities with a significant historical Jewish presence as a small, lasting reminder – on buildings, sidewalks, walls, etc.

La Mezquita – famous (incredible) mosque, turned Cathedral, now mostly preserved as an architectural masterpiece

I learned the hamsa in its Jewish form is thought of as the hand of Miriam, and in Islamic tradition as the hand of Fatima.  Many, many beautiful renditions of this ‘shared hands’ symbology.

Synagogue – lost for years, but re-discovered and restored for visiting

Hoping you all feel wiser – I thought of you then

Women’s gallery at the synagogue

1890 painting in museum of female sefardic musician