JCA Program Guide.pdf

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FALL/WINTER PROGRAM GUIDE 2015-2016/5775-5776 JEWISH COMMUNITY ALLIANCE OF SOUTHERN MAINE

Transcript of JCA Program Guide.pdf

FALL/WINTER PROGRAM GUIDE2015-2016/5775-5776 JEWISH COMMUNITY ALLIANCEOF SOUTHERN MAINEDear Community Members, As we approach the New Year, we are pleased to present our frst fall/winter program guide! We encourage you to check out our slate of upcoming courses, lectures and gatherings. Ofering innovative and exciting programs to enrich and support Jewish life in Southern Maine is a critical aspect of our mission. In partnership with several other organizations, we provide unique content and the opportunity for you and your family to meet new friends and explore ideas both new and familiar. Our programs are open to all, regardless of religious afliation. Some are tuition-based, and others are ofered for free; where a fee is charged, weve noted that clearly in the guide. As always, we welcome your feedback and involvement there are many ways for you to participate, and we hope you will join us as we embark on another year of learning and sharing in community! Sincerely, Ellie MillerInterim Executive Director Jewish Community Alliance of Southern Maine Center Day CampFlorence Melton School of Adult Jewish Learning Jewish Community Alliance Jewish Family Services Mothers Circle National Jewish Outreach ProgramNextDor

PJ Library Preschool Southern Maine HillelRosh Hashanah Buzz with PJ LibraryJoin PJ Library for a sweet welcome to the New Year. Meet and learn about some visiting bees and taste a few diferent types of honey. A pizza dinner and Rosh Hashanah stories will round out our evening. RSVP to Andrea so we have enough pizza.Tuesday, Sept 8, 5:30pm-7:00pmBowdoin College, BrunswickRSVP: [email protected] Mothers Circle Shabbat Potluck Come for dinner and get to know this warm, nurturing group for families with mothers of other faith traditions and backgrounds raising Jewish Children. No prior knowledge or involvement is necessary or expected. Come early for a challah and rugelach baking workshop, and bring your whole family and a vegetarian or dairydish to share.Facilitator: Margaret HathawayFriday, Sept 25, 5:00pmRSVP: [email protected] given upon RSVP Pizza in the Hut with Kadima Beth El Celebrate Sukkot with pizza in the Temple Beth El Sukkah and enjoy PJ Library Sukkot stories. RSVP requested.Sunday, Oct 4, 12:00pm-1:00pmTemple Beth El, PortlandRSVP: [email protected] Fall Festival and Annual Campaign KickofJoin us for an exciting afternoon as we kick of our annual fundraising year with a community fall festival. Learn about all the ways we use donations to make a positive Jewish mark on the world. Enjoy entertainment, food and friends, speakers and activities for all ages.Sunday, Oct 4, 1:00pm-4:00pmCenter Day Camp, Windham, MERSVP: [email protected] Baby ShowerMazel Tov! If your family has welcomed a new child in the past year, please join us to celebrate your newest family member! Come nosh and play in the Toddler Park at the Childrens Museum & Theater of Maine. Meet other new parents, and receive a welcome gift for your child. RSVP to Andrea so we can have your childs gift ready!Sunday, Oct 18, 9:00am-10:00amChildrens Museum & Theatre of Maine, PortlandRSVP: [email protected] OCTOBERYOUTH AND FAMILY YOUTH AND FAMILY Foundations of Jewish Family LivingExplore day-to-day Jewish values. Lessons are rooted in foundational master stories, and involve discussion of profound topics including gratitude, forgiveness, healing, anger, respect and hope. This rich learning experience for adults also provides tools to bring the conversation home to share with your entire family, including young children.Thanks to a grant from a private family foundation, this year we are able to ofer free babysitting and dinner for participants and their children!Instructor: Ellie MillerJCA, Mondays, 5:30pm-7:30pm20 Sessions, Oct 19-April 18 Course Fee: $350 includes course reader Hanukkah LightsGather your friends, family, coworkers, or Havurah group! Help JFS provide winter clothing and presents to local families during the Hanukkah season. This is a wonderful opportunity to practice tzedakah (righteous giving) at a local level. Last year, nearly 100 children received gifts and warm clothes through this program. Celebrate this occasion on December 3 at the annual Tzedakah Party!JFS will open this program for sponsorship and support in Oct. Contact: [email protected] Hanukkah Gift Wrap SaleSupport the JCA preschool by purchasing Hanukkah wrapping paper and candles this winter.JCA, December 1-5Tzedakah Celebrationwith Jewish Family Services and PJ LibraryJoin us for a family tzedakah (righteous giving) party celebrating this years Hanukkah Lights program and the power of giving in our community! Thursday, December 3Location TBA Hanukkah Celebration atthe Maine Mall! Happy Hanukkah! Join PJ Library at the Maine Mall for a community Hanukkah Celebration!Tuesday, December 84:00pm-6:00pmMaine Mall, South Portland JCA SPIRITWEARWatch for announcements in early fall about ordering t-shirts and sweatshirts with the JCA logo, in sizes for infants, kids and adults. Proceeds from the sale support the JCA preschool. Center Day Camp Plan your summer early! Center Day Camp provides a traditional Maine summer camp experience on the shores of Sebago lake. OCTOBER DECEMBER ADULT EDUCATION AND MELTONreclaiming the richness of Jewish history, the chronological exploration investigates signifcant crossroads where Jews made major decisions that shaped our shared identity and destiny. (New for Fall 2015; replaces Dramas of Jewish Living Throughout the Ages.)Instructor: Abby HalpernJCA, Tuesdays, 6:00pm-7:15pm30 Sessions, Oct 13- May 31Optional dinner: $150 Brunswick First ParishThursdays, 6:30pm-8:30pm 30 Sessions, Oct 1-May 26Course Fee: $350 includes reader, Tanakh required Shemot 2 (Exodus 2) Revelation and RevolutionThis course follows the development of the emerging Jewish nation from their awe-inspiring encounter at Mount Sinai through the building of the tabernacle in the wilderness. The high points of divine revelation in Ten Commandments, Encountering God, and Face to Face with God are sharply contrasted with the low points of the Golden Calf: Revolt or Reversion. The text addresses some of the specifc laws and regulations that were to become part of Jewish living as well as the meaning, purpose, and relevance to our lives today.Instructor: Ellie MillerBet Haam,Tues, 9:00am-10:45am 20 Sessions, Oct 13-Apr 12 Course Fee: $350 includes reader, Tanakh required Intro to Mah JonggIn this class you will learn how to play the American version of mah jongg which was introduced in the USA in 1920. Mah jongg is played with tiles, racks, and a special card that changes every year. Instructor: Sharon Ash TancrediJCA, Tuesdays, 6pm-8pm 3 Sessions, Oct 13- Oct 27 Fee: $20 + 2015 National MJ card 2016 Mah Jongg cards Pre-order by Jan 11 League Card: $8 standard/$9 large Bereshit 2 (Genesis 2) TheStory of the First Jewish FamilyThis course follows the development of the frst Jewish family, from The Birth of Two Nations and Stolen Blessings to Reunion in Egypt and Blessing the Grandchildren. These stories of sibling rivalry, wrestling with an angel, palace seduction, rape, and reconciliation provide some of the most dramatic and iconic images that reverberate across the millennia.Instructor: Ellie MillerJCA, Tuesdays, 6:30pm-8:15pm20 Sessions, Oct 13-Apr 12 Course Fee: $350 includes reader, Tanakh requiredOptional dinner $100 Crossroads of Jewish HistoryThis course merges the concepts of history and memory in order to better understand how each has shaped Judaism today. With an emphasis on OCTOBER ADULT EDUCATION AND MELTON Becoming a Sage: Embracing WisdomWisdom without action is like a tree without fruit.-Rashi. A Sage is a person who is reclaiming the Honored Elders rightful place in the life cycle. Elders have been honored as wisdom-keepers for thousands of years, but their position has been weakened by Western societys obsession with work and youthfulness. The role of Honored Elder is now resurfacing through such movements as Sage-ing and Conscious Aging. This course explores basic components of the journey to Sage: Sage-ing versus Age-ing, Life Review & Life Repair, Forgiveness, Facing Mortality and Creating Intentional Legacy. No writing is required. Text: From Age-ing to Sage-ing: A Revolutionary Approach to Growing Older, by Zalman Schachter-Shalomi and Ronald S. Miller.Instructor: Joanne TurnbullJCA, Mondays, 6:00pm-8:00pm5 Sessions, Oct 19-Nov 16Course Fee: $150Optional dinner $25 Beginner Hebrew Designed for people with little or no background in Hebrew, this class concentrates on teaching the Hebrew alphabet and reading skills. In only a few sessions, participants learn to read Hebrew.Instructor: Orly KahnI used to think. . . I used to think growing up meant I would have the answers to most questions. I used to think I knew the answers to most questions.I used to think that I could plan and it would happen.I used to think I was self sufcient.I used to think that bad things do not happen to good people.I used to think the bumps in my road could be completely overcome. I used that think my children would lead the charmed lives I dreamt for them.I used to think my grandchildren would be untouched by sadness. I used to think I would grow old with my love.I used to think I would never sound like my mother.I used to think everything would be fne, and if not, I could fx it. I used to think my happiness depended on external things and other people; now I know it must come from within me.- Jane SnersonWritten as part of the JCA AbromsonAward-winning Intentional Legacy Pilot Project,Summer 2013OCTOBER ADULT EDUCATION AND MELTONBet Haam, Tues 11:00am-12:00pm5-9 Sessions, Oct 13- Dec 15 Includes Reishith Binah Hebrew Reading Primer.Free Course Foundations of Jewish Family LivingExplore day-to-day Jewish values. Lessons are rooted in foundational master stories, and involve discussion of profound topics including gratitude, forgiveness, healing, anger, respect and hope. This rich learning experience for adults also provides tools to bring the conversation home to share with your entire family, including young children.Thanks to a grant from a private family foundation, this year we are able to ofer free babysitting and dinner for participants and their children!Instructor: Ellie MillerJCA, Mondays, 5:30pm-7:30pm20 Sessions, Oct 19-April 18 Course Fee: $350 includes reader Was Abraham the Common Father of Jews, Christians and Muslims?In partnership with Colby College, we are so pleased to bring the Hebrew Bible scholar and author Jon D. Levenson to Maine. Dr. Levenson is Albert A. List Professor of Jewish Studies at Harvard Divinity School. Speaker: Jon D. LevensonLocation TBD,Thursday, October 22, 7:00pmDonations suggestedRSVP: [email protected] by David Cohen 2015 Holocaust Studies CourseThis 15-week course ofers a broad and interdisciplinary overview of the Holocaust, its antecedents, complex context, and nexus of factors that exploded into the most destructive chapter in human history.We will employ primary and secondary sources as well as creative products (poetry, literature, art, flm, etc) to explore major themes, events, legacies and applications of painfully essential knowledge garnered from decades of scholarly research and discovery.The intent of this course is to help ensure the enduring signifcance of the Shoahs most dense and unique counsel for humanitys journey, with the goals of cultivating tikkun olam (repairing the world) and what Jewish metaphysician, Martin Buber, spoke of as I and Thou and the authentic We.Most materials will be presented in class, but on occasion brief readings will be assigned in advance.Instructor: Anna Bat-Chai WrobelJCA, Mondays, 6:00pm-8:00pm 15 Sessions, Nov 30-Mar 21 Course Fee: $275Optional dinner $75NOVEMBER My Mother Dances at WeddingsOut of the Whirlwind - my mothers feet.out of the dust - my mothers dance. One bourbon, thats all it takes to get her to move, her hips to shake.She leads the ring around the foor. Dance for herself and so many more. The brideThe groomA bar mitzvah boyShe exhales her blessingsInhales their joy. There is no burying any part of griefso she steals these momentsa happiness thief.She taught me life is precious. She showed me the world is open. She practced human dignity and preached a classless regard.She walked with power but rejected its meanness.Seen by all as a will of ironsome photos might show her gentler and more fragile soul.My mother dances at weddings. Kicks up her cracked and ancient heelsForgets the aching in her jointsLoses the tghtness in her chest and casts of the shortness of her breath.Where the road does fork and we must choose; she follows the bridal train - and not the graveside path. - Anna Bat-Chai WrobelPresented at Yom HaShoah Community ObservanceMaine College of Art, Sunday, April 19, 2015ADULT EDUCATION AND MELTONCOMMUNITY PROGRAMS AND OUTREACHSEPTEMBERSouthern Maine Hillel: Dwelling Place: SukkahDwelling Place: Sukkah is an art installation and traditional Jewish cultural object created by sculptor Asherah Cinnamon in 2011 with support from a JCA Linda and Joel Abromson Award. The Southern Maine Hillel is thrilled this year to be installing the Sukkah on the University of Southern Maine Portland campus. Community members, students, faculty and staf are invited to assist in the installation, take down, and celebratory meal inside the structure.Sept 20Sukkah Installation Sept 27 Install scach (roof covering) Oct 1 Lunch in the SukkahOct 11 Taking down the SukkahRSVP: [email protected] Senior Luncheons Connect with friends! Enjoy good food, good company, and fun entertainment. The JCA is hosting six senior luncheons this year made possible by a generous grant from the Sam L. Cohen Foundation.Facilitator: Rosie WohlOct date to be announced!Aging in Maine 101Explore the nuts and bolts of aging in our community! Our panel will include an elder law attorney, a representative from the Agency on Aging, a professional in-home care provider, and an expert in the continuum of options from independence to assisted and nursing levels of care. Facilitator:Joanne Rosenthal, LMSW JCA, Wed, September 9, 7:00pm Free Program Travel Down the Danube from Prague to BudapestJoin the JCA for a legendary Danube River Cruise. Special private tours of Jewish sights of interest, 7 night river cruise, and overnights in Budapest and Prague. Cruise tour price ranges from $4,458-$5,606 plus airfare and insurance. All prices are per person based on double occupancy and subject to change until time of purchase.Travel: May 29 - June 10, 2016Ongoing registration based on availabilityFor more information, contact: [email protected] the JCAs group of young people, ages 21+. Dor in Hebrew translates to generation. We connect peers, encourage leadership , and inspire action. Friend us on Facebook. Stay in touch to hear about upcomming events. OCTOBERCOMMUNITY PROGRAMS AND OUTREACHThe October 4th fall festival occurs at the end of Sukkot (Festival of Tabernacles), and just prior to Shemini Atzeret (Eighth Day of Assembly) and Simchat Torah (rejoicing with the Torah).Simchat TorahSimchat Torah is the last celebration of the Jewish High Holiday season. Created in Babylonia during the early middle ages, it is a holiday that marks the end of the yearly cycle of reading the Torah with end of Deuteronomy and then beginning the new cycle of reading with Genesis 1 once more. . . .. . .One of my favorite reminders of the coming of fall is a Japanese maple in our front yard. The leaves turn in the fall from a dark green to a glorious blazing red a fnal burst of light before they fall off and the tree sleeps in the winter.Like Scheherazade we tell stories to keep ourselves alive-- truly alive to the rhythms of Creation of which we are so intimately part of. So I will celebrate Simchat Torah and hear again the chanting ofthe Creation, look at our tree and pray that the world will come to be what it should be.- Rabbi Lawrence Troster, Simchat Torah: Remembering Creation One More Time, Huffngton Post, October 19, 2011. Community Fall Festival and Annual Campaign KickofJoin us for an exciting afternoon as we kick of our annual fundraising year with a community fall festival. Learn about all the ways we use donations to make a positive Jewish mark on the world. Enjoy entertainment, food and friends, speakers and activities for all ages.Center Day Camp, WindhamSunday, October 4, 1:00pm-4:00pRSVP: [email protected] - Tzedakah Although the Hebrew word tzedakah is often understood and translated as charity, this translation does not convey all that tzedakah implies. The word is derived from the biblical word tzedek, meaning righteousness or justice. Thus in Jewish thinking, tzedakah is not only a matter of Philanthropic sentiment, but an act of justice. Jews are obligated to give not because helping others is a kind thing to do, but because righteous giving helps to eliminate injustice in the world. -Rabbi Ron Isaacs, Ph.D.Foundations of Jewish Family Living- Jewish values for parents to share with their children, The Florence Melton Adult Mini-School Institute, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 2012In celebration of their 100th day of school, Levey Day School Kindergarten students collected 100 cans of food for the JCA food pantry.Hanukkah LightsGather your friends, family, coworkers, or Havurah group! Help JFS provide winter clothing and presents to local families during the Hanukkah season. This is a wonderful opportunity to practice tzedakah (righteous giving) at a local level. Last year, nearly 100 children received gifts and warm clothes through this program. Celebrate this occasion on December 3 at the annual Tzedakah Party!JFS will open this program for sponsorship and support in Oct. Contact: kefron@mainejewish. orgKeep the Oil BurningWinter months are long and cold in Maine. Each year, JFS provides emergency relief to local families struggling to pay fuel and utility bills. JFS is accepting donations year round to make the winters just a little bit warmer for our neighbors in need. Donate: www.mainejewish.orgVOLUNTEER! Help in the food pantry; with senior luncheons; with community events and more!Contact: Andrea at [email protected] and FacilitatorsSharon Ash-Tancrediearned her Masters of Social Work from Boston University and has a private clinical practice in Portland. A regular Mah Jongg player now, she was frst introduced to the game while vacationing in the Catskills in the mid 1960s. It wasnt until 2005 when she learned the intricacies of the game from the late Shelly Dassa at the JCA. She now believes that Mah Jongg is like chicen soup --good for what ails! Ariel Bernstein joins us this year as Southern Maine Hillel Director. A former Commander Non-ofcer of Education in the Israeli Defense Force, Ariel is dedicated to serving the community and passionate about supporting Jewish life on campus. She is a University of Haifa graduate with a degree in English Linguistics and Literature and a minor in Israeli Studies, and is currently studying to be a Certifed Professional Midwife through the Birthwise Midwifery School. Abby Halpern is a graduate of the Jewish Theological Seminarys Joint Program with Columbia University and earned a masters degree at the Siegal College of Judaic Studies in Cleveland, Ohio. In addition to teaching and learning, she likes to read, sing, and hike. Originally from Cincinnati, she lived in Cleveland, Ohio and Haifa, Israel before moving to Portland. She and her husband have two sons, Raf (5) and Ezra (1). Margaret Hathaway has facilitated Mothers Circle groups for the past four years. She lives with her family on Ten Apple Farm, a homestead in Southern Maine, where they raise dairy goats and poultry, tend a large garden and small orchard, make cheese, and give occasional workshops on basic homesteading skills. A graduate of Wellesley College and recipient of a Fullbright to Tanisia, she is the author of Year of the Goat, Living With Goats, Food Lovers Guide to Maine and Portland,Maine Chefs Table.Orly Kahn is a sabra (Israeli Jew born in Israel) and a fuent Hebrew speaker. Shes lived in Maine for the past 17 years with her family, and has taught Hebrew and Judaica at Levey Day School. Shes an active member of Shaarey Tphiloh synagogue and excited about teaching Hebrew to adults this year!Jon D. Levenson is an American Hebrew Bible scholar who is the Albert A. List Professor of Jewish Studies at the Harvard Divinity School and author of the award winning book, Resurrection and the Restoration of Israel: The Ultimate Victory of the God of Life (Yale University Press, 2006). Much of his work centers on the relationship of Judaism and Christianity, both in antiquity and in modernity, and he has long been active in Jewish-Christian dialogue. Ellie Milleris the JCAs Interim Executive and has been teaching with the Melton School for the past fve years. Prior to this, she retired from directing the Levey Day School, and served as Assistant Director of Pine Tree Legal for 28 years. She holds a B.A. in English from Colby College, an M.A. in Jewish Studies from Hebrew College, and a Certifcate from the Harvard University Graduate School of Education. She has prepared numerous bar and bat mitzvah students, taught Hebrew School, Hebrew High School, and adult learning groups.Joanne Rosenthal is a licensed social worker living and practicingin Maine since 1987. She facilitates a housing networking group in Brunswick and is the current Co-Chair of the New Hampshire World Fellowship Center. She is the owner of Aging Consultation Services in Brunswick and has worked at CHANS Hospice, JFS, Spectrum Generations, Midcoast Senior Health Center and The People Plus Center. She served on the Maine Legislative working group on senior housing and has served on the Boards of Beth Israel Congregation, Tedford Housing, and the Brunswick School Board. Joanne Turnbull is a certifed Life Legacies Facilitator, licensed clinical social worker and Abromson Award winner. She received her MFA from the University of Southern Maines Stonecoast Creative Writing Program and has worked as a family therapist, teacher, researcher, and administrator. Currently, Joanne serves on the board of the Maine Hospice Council, is Executive Director Emerita of the National Patient Safety Foundation and founder of Your Write Mind.Rosie Wohl, Communal Jewish Chaplain at Maine Medical Center, Mercy Hospital and other locations in the Southern Maine region is pleased to be working with Karli Efron, Director of Jewish Family Services, coordinating the Senior Luncheon Program sponsored by the JCA.In addition to visiting with patients in the hospital and nursing homes, Rosie has co-led healing services at Cedars and each year sponsors a Passover Seder and a Chanukah party at the Veterans Home in Scarborough.Anna Bat-Chai Wrobel is an American historian, Holocaust Studies educator, published poet and historical essayist. Born in a Brooklyn slum to survivor refugees (partisan mother, Soviet soldier father), she grew up in New York City, lived in the woods of British Columbia and Maine, kibbutz villages in the Galilee, and now resides in Westbrook. Retired after 30 years of teaching, Anna ofers freelance Holocaust studies and lectures, also curates a poetry series. Poems from her manuscript Sparrow Feathers from which her signature presentation, Second Generation/First Person: History, Memory and Poetry, is derived, are in use by teachers in several U.S. states, Israel, Poland and Germany. All classes are ofered to everyone at subsidized rates underwritten by the JCA. Courses with Food Vegetarian/dairy/fsh dinner entrees are available for evening classes in Portland at a cost of $5/night for the full package. The menu is catered by Sadie Sirois and viewable at www.mainejewish.org. Inclement weather cancellation policy JCA follows USM Portland Campus, call 780-4800; Brunswick follows BIW 3rd shift, call 442-3311 x2.Make-up days are scheduled at the end of scheduled classes, or determined by class. Insufcient Enrollment A minimum number of students may be required for classes to be held. If a class is canceled due to insufcient enrollment, students who have enrolled will receive a full refund or the opportunity to transfer to another class. Re-taking a class is an option for students who have previously been enrolled in a particular course and already have the student reader, $100. New student readers are available for the Crossroads course for $75Refund Fees The last day to withdraw and receive a refund of all but $75 is by the frst Friday after class starts.For More Information and Event RSVPCenter Day CampDirector, Eli Small, [email protected] Events, Adult Education and MeltonPrograms and Melton School Director: Fae [email protected] Family Services ProgramsDirector: Karli Efron, [email protected] Library and Volunteer InformationPJ Library and Volunteer Coordinator: Andrea Kasker [email protected], [email protected], Mary Lilly, [email protected] Maine HillelSouthern Maine Hillel Director: Ariel Bernstein, [email protected] Community Alliance57 Ashmont Street, Portland ME 04103Phone: 207-772-1959Fax: 207-772-2234Email: [email protected] ADDITIONAL INFORMATION REGISTRATION FORM 2015-2016/5775-5776Name AddressCity ZipHome PhoneCell PhoneEmailMr./Ms./Other:I would like my contact information shared in a class directory AllSome:COURSE TITLE DAY & TIME COSTJPS Tanakh (Jewish Bible) $35Additional copy of any Melton reader $75 (specify)2015 or 2016 MJ Card, $8/$9 standard/large printLate Registration Fee $25 (less than 2-weeks prior to start of class)Tax-deductible donation to support subsidies & scholarshipsTotal DueAmount Enclosed (Full payment OR deposit*) *Deposit is $75 and I am requesting a payment plan with an added $36 processing fee OR deposit is $25 and I am applying for a scholarship.SignaturePAYMENT METHOD (Check Preferred) Check (payable to: JCA, memo: Adult Ed)Mastercard/Visa/DiscoverCard # Expiration DateName on card3 Digit CVV # Billing zipcode Please return this form along with payment to: Jewish Community Alliance57 Ashmont Street, Portland ME 04103Phone: 207-772-1959Fax: 207-772-2234Email: jca@mainejewish.orgwww.mainejewish.org------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Jewish Community Allianceof Southern Maine57 Ashmont Street, Portland, Maine 04103Tel. (207) 772-1959www.mainejewish.orgWWW.MAINEJEWISH.ORGREGISTER TODAY!Non-Profit Org.U.S. PostageP A I DPermit #928Portland, ME04101