February 2007 Newsletter 

THIS NEWSLETTER IS INTENDED TO PROVIDE INFORMATION TO THE DENVER/BOULDER AREA SECULAR HUMANISTIC JUDAISM COMMUNITY!

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE - Jon Budoff

This is going to be a very short column, as I'm already late getting this newsletter up on the website.  2007 is off to a great start.  The school has lots of kids, the Adult Ed program got off to a great start, and we had a fun Tu B'Shevat service.  Sheila and Michelle are diving into their Madrikha training.  And we've got lots of fun events planned over the next six months.  Hope you are all enjoying (or at least coping with) this snowy Colorado winter!

TREASURER’S MESSAGE – Barry Levene

Our congregation welcomes the new membership of Ron and Lenore Kingston and Kristi and Stan Gosch. Discussion at the last Executive Meeting including the establishment of a Leadership Training Fund to support Madrikha training costs for Michelle Davis and Sheila Malcolm.  Details about this fund and how to contribute will be sent out shortly by Jon.

BETH AMI JEWISH CULTURAL SCHOOL – Lenore Kingston

The new semester of the Jewish Cultural School started on Jan. 14. An exciting new kindergarten class is beginning. Sixteen children are anticipated in the JCS for Spring semester, twice as many as started in the fall. On Sunday, Jan. 28, the school will celebrate Tu B’Shevat with the adult congregation with a short play and potluck seder. Our school meets bimonthly on Sunday mornings from 10:00am to 12:00pm.  We do craft projects, play games, listen to stories, and learn Hebrew in order to learn about and celebrate our Jewish heritage.  We encourage visitors to see our school in action.  Please contact Lenore Kingston, 303-828-0704, if you and your child(ren) would like to meet our teachers and students. 

ADULT EDUCATION

It’s with great excitement that the congregation welcomes Rabbi Richard Newman to facilitate the new Adult Education program. Our inaugural class will be Sunday, Jan. 28 at the Westminster Recreation Center at the same time as the Jewish Cultural School. Our six session program is entitled “Where We Come From: A critical look at Jewish texts from the Torah, the writings of the prophets and the Talmud.”  Classes will be held from 11a to 12p at the Westminster Recreation Center, but please come early as bagels, fruit and juice will be available at 10:30a for a little pre-class schmooze time.  This first topic is “In The Beginning . . . The Book of Genesis.”  For additional information, see http://www.bethami.com/AdultEd.htm.

SCHEDULE OF UPCOMING EVENTS

Calendar events will be updated on the website, www.bethami.com.

For Jewish events in Boulder, link to www.boulderjcc.org. For Jewish events in Denver, link to www.jccdenver.org.

January 28 (Sun) 10a-12p Jewish Cultural School and 10:30a - 12p Adult Education followed by Tu B'Shevat Seder 12 – 1p

Feb. 4 (Sun) Soup Kitchen 2007, 11:00am-2:00pm, Robert Loup Denver Jewish Community Center 

Feb 11 (Sun) 10a-12p Jewish Cultural School and 10:30a - 12p Adult Education 

Feb 12 (Mon) 7p Boulder International Humanists present Robert Tapp in honor of Darwin’s Birthday (see below)

Feb 18 (Sun) 10a-12p Executive Meeting at Lenore’s house in Erie

Feb 25 (Sun) 10a-12p Jewish Cultural School and 10:30a - 12p Adult Education followed by Purim celebration 1215 - 1p

Mar 10 (Sat) Havdalah event of music and pot-luck.

Mar 11 (Sun) 10a-12p Jewish Cultural School and 10:30a - 12p Adult Education

April 1 (Sun) 4:00p Passover Seder at Maida’s Clubhouse. Details to follow.

April 8 (Sun) 10a-12p Jewish Cultural School and 10:30a - 12p Adult Education

April 22 (Sun) 10a-12p Jewish Cultural School and 10:30a - 12p Adult Education

May 6 10a-12p Jewish Cultural School End of Year Party

LOCAL NEWS

Tu B’Shevat - Also on January 28th, the Beth Ami Jewish Cultural School will host a Tu B'Shevat Seder.  All are welcome to attend.  The program will run from 12:00p - 1:00p, and will also be held at the Westminster Recreation Center.  For additional information, see http://www.bethami.com/Jan_28_2007_TuB'shevat.htm.

Soup Kitchen - Sunday, Feb. 4th, 11:00am-3:00pm, Robert Loup Denver Jewish Community Center. Make Superbowl Sunday truly meaningful!

    -Help feed the hungry in Israel - A September 2006 study released by Israel National Insurance (Social Security) indicates that 24.7% of all Israelis, including 768,000 children, live below the poverty line. Schoolchildren, the elderly, the unemployed and underemployed are going hungry.

    -Enjoy lunch and entertainment at Soup Kitchen Sunday. Buy extra soup in advance or at the event for your Superbowl celebration. Bring family and friends and make Superbowl Sunday a tsedakah day.

    -All proceeds will go directly to Table to Table in Israel. Whatever you contribute will be doubled:  Each donation will be matched, dollar for dollar!

    -To contribute without attending Soup Kitchen 2007:  Make your tax deductible contribution out to P.E.F. Israel Endowment, mark Table to Table in the memo line, and mail to: ActionIsrael, PO Box  18040, Denver 80218. To reserve soup-to-go, email actionisrael@frii.com.

Boulder International Humanists – On Feb. 12, join Prof. Robert Tapp speaking on Darwin’s 198^th Birthday. What do Historians Know about Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and Mohammad? Stories vs. Histories: Why Care? This lecture will take place at 7:00 pm at the Old Main Auditorium, University of Colorado, Boulder, with parking on University Blvd. for $2. Donations are $5, students and faculty free with ID. www.bihi.info

Rabbi Brian Field – On the fourth Wednesday of every month from 7-8:30pm, Rabbi Brian Field holds a “One Jewish Night” discussing a variety of topics. On Wednesday, Feb 21, his topic is: Purim-A Secular Biblical Jewish Holiday. Think that secular Judaism is something new? Hardly. Purim is based on the biblical Book of Esther, which doesn’t mention God at all. We’ll discuss the story and practices of Purim as a window into the Bible’s view of Judaism without God. The group meets at 205 South Fairfax Street and the cost is $5. RSVP required: 303-320-6185. Contact Barb Griss if you plan to attend.

DU Events - Public Lecture: "Educating the Solitary Man: Levinas, Rousseau, and the Return to Jewish Wisdom" on February 5, 2007 at 7 P.M. Lindsay Auditorium in Sturm Hall (2nd Floor), University of Denver, 2000 E. Asbury Avenue. What is the goal of education, and what - if any - relationship does education have to the political community? This lecture examines Emile, Rousseau's influential treatise on education, and the Jewish writings of Emmanuel Levinas, in order to explore the relationship that primary education has to the development of the political community and the ethical responsibility of all its citizens.  Master Class: "Levinas and the Politics of Education"  Join Professor Katz for a series of intensive seminars on the religious, political and pedagogical themes that motivated Levinas' ethical project, and explore his direct and very practical response to the horrors he experienced in the 20th century. Tuesday, February 6 and Thursday, February 8 from 4-6 pm at the University of Denver, Graduate School of Social Work, Craig Hall 2148 High Street, Denver. All events are free and open to the public, but RSVP's are required as space is limited. Please call 303.871.3660 or email palarsen@du.edu. Please visit our website, www.du.edu/cjs for information on readings selected by our visiting scholar for this series.

NEWS FROM NATIONAL

HuJews Teen/Young Adult Conclave at the Hostel International, Chicago, IL, from March 16-18, 2007. $180 Registration (deadline: Feb. 9, 2007) $50 extra if you register late, includes food, activities and sightseeing. Travel expenses not included. Special day rate for Young Adults. Contact hujews@comcast.net.

IISHJ Seminar Schedule for 2007- These seminars are open to all. Michelle and Sheila plan to attend the * seminars for Leadership/Madrikha training. For more information visit www.iishj.org.

Shop Online and Support the Society for Humanistic Judaism
The Society for Humanistic Judaism has just registered with Fundraising Solutions (www.fundraising-solutions.org <http://www.fundraising-solutions.org> ), a company that partners with retail merchants (including Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Dell, GAP, Macy’s, Staples, Travelocity, and 1-800-Flowers) to bring shopping dollars back to designated non-profit organizations.  When you shop online at any of the 1,000+ retailer partners, a portion of your purchasing dollars (anywhere from 2-25%, varying from merchant to merchant) will come back to the Society.  Here’s how you can help the Society by shopping:

1.     Visit the Society for Humanistic Judaism website, www.shj.org.
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SEVEN SECULAR RABBIS ORDAINED IN ISRAEL - Surrounded by scholars, fellow humanists, families and friends, seven Israeli rabbis were ordained, December 22, by the International Institute for Secular Humanistic Judaism, “Tmura Israel.” The event took place at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem with the ordination of Tsipi Levin-Byron, Reut Hammer, Kobby Winer, Guy Oren, Nardy Grun, Avi Pascal and Oren Yehishalom as the centerpiece of the Institute’s two-day conference, “Celebrating Israeli Judaism.” Keynote speaker for the celebration of the first group of Tmura fellows was A.B. Yehoshua, award-winning Israeli novelist, essayist and playwright, who spoke on Secular Humanistic Judaism in Israel.
 
The conference also featured Dr. Adolfo Roitman, director and curator of the Shrine of the Book; Dr. Yigal Zallmona, chief curator-at-large of the Israel Museum; Yossi Beilin, author and currently a member of the Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee and the Committee for the Advancement of the Status of Women; Israel Hasson, Israeli politician and member of the Knesset; Yehuda Bauer, Holocaust scholar and academic adviser to Yad Vashem; Dr.Michael Kipnis, project coordinator of the Meitar-Ashdod Communiity Project and founder of the Ashdod School of Performing Arts; Shulamit Aloni, lawyer, author, human rights activist and former member of the Knesset; Professor Michal Zmora-Cohen, musicologist and writer; Professor Yaakov Malkin, author and founder and academic director of Meitar College of Pluralistic Judaism; and Humanist rabbis Adam Chalom, Sivan Maas, and Sherwin Wine. “The most exciting moment for me,” said an exuberant Wine, “was listening to the speeches of the seven rabbis. It was very clear to me that we have the beginning of a dynamic movement in the State of Israel.”
 
Wine is the provost and dean of the Institute in North America; Chalom is the assistant dean. Malkin leads the program in Israel, assisted by Maas. The Institute is the training arm of the Secular Humanistic Jewish Movement. In addition to the seven current graduates, eight other rabbis and more than 50 additional leaders have graduated from the Institute. Currently, five additional fellows are training in Israel, with 16 candidates interested in joining the Tmura graduate seminar.

SEND A LITTLE SMILE…

New Jewish Words (Gerrie Karasik gets full credit for forwarding these gems.)
1.  JEWBILATION (n.)  Pride in finding out that one's favorite celebrity is Jewish.
2.  TORAHFIED (n.)  Inability to remember one's lines when called to read from the Torah at one's Bar or Bat Mitzvah.
3.  SANTA-SHMANTA (n.)  The explanation Jewish children get for why they celebrate Hanukkah while the rest of the neighbors celebrate Christmas.
4.  MATZILATION (v.)  Smashing a piece of matzo to bits while trying to butter it.
5.  BUBBEGUM (n.)  Candy one's mother gives to her grandchildren that she never gave to her own children.
6.  CHUTZPAPA (n.)  A father who wakes his wife at 4:00 a.m. so she can change the baby's diaper.
7.  DÉJÀ NU (n.)  Having the feeling you've seen the same exasperated look on your mother's face, but not knowing exactly when.
8.  DISORIYENTA (n.)  When Aunt Linda gets lost in a department store and strikes up a conversation with everyone she passes.
9.  GOYFER (n.)  A Gentile messenger.
10.  HEBORT (v.)  To forget all the Hebrew one ever learned immediately after one's Bar or Bat Mitzvah.
11.  JEWDO (n.)  A traditional form of self-defense based on talking one's way out of a tight spot.
12.  MAMATZAH BALLS (n.)  Matzo balls that are as good as your mother used to make.
13.  MEINSTEIN - slang.  "My son, the genius!"
14.  MISHPOCHADOTS (n.)  The assorted lipstick and make-up stains found on one's face and collar after kissing all one's aunts and cousins at a reception.
15.  RE-SHTETLEMENT (n.)  Moving from Brooklyn to Miami and finding all your old neighbors live in the same condo building.
16.  ROSH HASHANA-NA-NA (n.)  A rock 'n roll band from Jewish Brooklyn.

17.  YIDENTIFY (v.)  To be able to determine Jewish origins of celebrities, even though their names might be St. John, Curtis, Davis or Taylor.
18.  MINYASTICS (n.)  Going to incredible lengths and trouble to find a tenth person to complete a minyan.
19.  FEELAWFUL (n.)  Indigestion from eating Israeli street food,  especially fellafel.
20.  DIS-KVELLIFIED (v.)  To drop out of law school, med. school or business school as seen through the eyes of parents, grandparents and Uncle Sid. In extreme cases, simply choosing to major in art history when Irv's son David is majoring in biology is sufficient grounds for diskvellification.
21.  IMPASTA (n.)  A Jew who starts eating leavened foods before the end of Passover.
22.  KINDERS SHLEP (v.)  To transport other kids besides yours in your car.
23.  SCHMUCKLUCK (n.)  Finding out one's wife became pregnant after one had a vasectomy.
24.  SHOFARSOGUT (n.)  The relief you feel when, after many attempts, the shofar is finally blown at the end of Yom Kippur.
25.  TRAYFFIC ACCIDENT (n.)  An appetizer one finds out has pork.

Remember the new Amazon.com link on our Beth Ami homepage! You can now shop for items from Amazon.com, Target, ToysRUs, BabiesRUs and Office Depot through the Amazon.com link on your own Beth Ami homepage www.bethami.com.  Beth Ami will receive a percentage of all purchases, which will go towards helping to support our Jewish Cultural School. Consider purchasing any of the book group titles, those mentioned below or any of your holiday buys through this easy process.

·  ABOUT OUR MEMBERS – In Memory of Marilyn Rothschild

    Marilyn Rothschild passed on peacefully and without distress on Jan. 4, 2007, while receiving hospice care. She is survived by her husband, Bert, and daughter, Aviva, who are both members of Beth Ami-CCHJ. Marilyn was not just a former president of Colorado Congregation for Humanistic Judaism, but was deeply committed to the future development of the Denver congregation and to Humanistic Judaism. Aviva recently shared a few insights and stories about her mother. Bert and Marilyn met in graduate school and would have celebrated their 53^rd anniversary this year. Marilyn retired from Denver Public Schools as a school psychologist in the early 90’s and began her “tireless efforts” to promote and share her excitement about “the future of Judaism.” She was known for her snappy dressing, which included Carol Little clothes, Native American jewelry and hats. The nursing home staff called her the “Hat Lady.” Aviva mentioned several other passions of Marilyn’s – the joy of “winning” and love for animals. Marilyn attended horse races at the old Centennial Racetrack and enthusiastically visited Las Vegas! She faithfully watched Animal Planet and adored Aviva’s cat, but chose not to have her own pet. A Celebration of Life was held at HeartLight Center in Aurora.

This newsletter is published at least four times/year with the goal of communicating events and information to inform our members and those interested in celebrating "Jewish culture and identity consistent with a humanistic philosophy of life." Kindly send submissions by email to sheilamalcolm@comcast.net.

Send mail to webmaster@bethami.com with questions or comments about this web site.
Last modified: 11/05/06