Latest news from Greater Cleveland Congregations:

“Thanks to all our core team leaders and issue action team members who participated in last week’s Delegate Assembly. [Rabbi Enid Lader and Laurie Levinson were there...] GCC unanimously ratified the action plans from our Criminal Justice and Health Care teams in an integrated campaign between now and the March 6 primary election. When GCC acts, we all act together! We will organize a County Prosecutor Candidate Accountability Action on Monday, Feb. 20 from 7-9 pm at Anshe Chesed Fairmount Temple (23737 Fairmount Blvd, Beachwood) at which the gathered GCC membership (current turnout commitments: 680) will ask the candidates to commit to improving the way the office handles crucial issues in the criminal justice system. GCC cannot and will not endorse candidates.”

Beth Israel – The West Temple is hoping to bring at least 10 people to this program on Feb. 20th. If you would like to attend — we can meet at temple at 6:15 p.m. and drive together. RSVP to Rabbi Enid (eclader@aol.com).

When GCC acts, we all act together!

A reminder from Rabbi Enid to travelers (and potential travelers) to Israel on this summer’s July 1-12 trip:  There will be a potluck lunch info meeting this Sunday, January 8th, at Beth Israel-The West Temple at 12:45p.m.

We’ll talk about the travel plans, more details about our trip, and include some “learning together” – to prepare for our Israel experience.  If you are interested in the trip, registration is still open…Please let Rabbi Enid know — we are happy to send information, etc.

The AJR planning committee is already planning a conference call for the spring so that all travelers can “meet” and hear from Dr. Ora Horn Prouser, the Dean of the Academy for Jewish Religion and the faculty representative from AJR who will be joining us for the trip.

Please let Rabbi Enid know your attendance plans  (eclader@aol.com) so she can have enough material for all, and plan for lunch.

Enid, Susan and Barbara want you to save the following dates for the interesting programs we are planning:

Wed., January 11, 2012:  Enid and Barbara will talk about their trip to Chautauqua this summer to hear Anat Hoffman, Director of the Israel Religious Action Center, which works for equality, social justice, and religious tolerance in Israel, and we will see the DVD In Her Voice about The Women of the Wall.  (If you would like to host this evening, please call Susan or Barbara.)

Wed., February 29, 2012:  To help us prepare for our Women’s Seder; we will be talking about moving along on our personal journeys.  Rhoda Rosen will be our host for the evening.

Thursday, April 12, 2012:  Our sixth annual Women’s Seder!

Wed., June 13, 2012:  Our program is called Daughters of Abraham, and we hope to have conversations with our spiritual sisters of Islamic and Christian faith.  (We have not named a location for this evening program.)

Mah Jong comes back to Circle of Friends. at the home of Holly Neumann 26349 Cook Road Olmsted Falls, OH  44138.  If you have a Mah Jong tile set, please bring it, and if it has a special history to share, all the better.  Rabbi Enid will lead our Rosh chodesh Service, and then Holly will instruct the uninitiated.  RSVP by Wed., October 26th to Holly.

Explore Jewish Spirituality, Ethics and Community.  Three Classes at Beth Israel, October 11, 18, and 25th at 7:30pm to 9:30pm.  Rabbi Enid Lader will facilitate discussion.  Classes are free, however registration is required.  Please contact Sherri Kaufman at the Jewish Education Center of Cleveland 216-371-0446.

Since late fall and this past winter, many of the members of our congregation have come together to express their concerns and visions for a better Cleveland.  We met.  We talked.  We found that you have wonderful ideas for congregational action and insightful suggestions for local concerns.  We then shared our conversations with the larger Cleveland community.

And now, on Monday evening, June 6th, at 7:30 p.m., at the Masonic Auditorium in Cleveland, the Founding Assembly of the Greater Cleveland Congregations (GCC) will convene and share our issues with the leaders of Cleveland — and formally begin our work to help make Cleveland the best it can be.

Please let me know if you can attend – we’re hoping to bring a contingent of 18 from our congregation… We can meet at temple (at 6:15 p.m.) and drive together…

Along with our Social Action committee co-chairs, Barbara Feldmar and Laurie Levenson, I thank you for your past participation and look forward to bringing our Social Action agenda to life.

For more information contact Rabbi Lader (eclader@aol.com)

Women’s Seder Reaches Year Five!

Circle of Friends held our fifth annual Women’s Seder on April 25^th, and following the trend of previous years, it was bigger and better.  We expected 49 women, but we were plagued by bad weather, keeping some away.  Never-the-less, 41 came, including some east-siders and Ellen Pill, a member of the Wooster congregation.  The planning was done this year by a group who volunteered, including Rabbi Enid Lader, who led us in the music and Miriam’s Dance, Jessica Sackett, who again coordinated all of the wonderful food, Susan Wagner, Shosh Ault, Dee Lazarus, LesleyWatilo, and Barbara Schwartz.  Planning is open to anyone who would like to help, so watch for our notice next year.

What made this night a little different from previous years, started with the creative inspiration of Rabbi Enid.  She began Circle of Friends in 1996 as a women’s Rosh Chodesh group to provide spiritual support to several members stricken with breast cancer.  Since that time, Circle of Friends has continued to provide spiritual support to the women of Beth Israel in sickness and in health.  In March, we held our regular meeting at The Gathering Place in Westlake, which provides support to individuals and families touched by cancer.  Beryl Palnik is an active volunteer there, and they have provided support to members of our congregation.  They do not charge fees, but rely on donations, and it seemed to be a meaningful choice as this year’s seder tzedakah project.  As I write this, we have collected $300 and expect it will be closer to $375 with additional donations still coming in.  To help raise money, two guests from previous years were so inspired by what we do, that they donated six lovely items of pottery of their own creation to raffle off.

Inspired by the Pink Glove Dance on YouTube, Enid suggested we create our own version, by tweaking our tradition to become the “Pink Ribbon Miriam’s Dance with the Sacred Schmattah.” We hope to have the video of this posted on Beth Israel’s web site.  While we won’t get thousands of hits on YouTube, it makes for a great Beth Israel “home movie.”Miriam\’s Dance at BIWT

What makes this a truly inspirational event is that everyone shares in its creation, everyone participates, and everyone (thank goodness) helps clean-up.  Come next year to be inspired!

Here are photos taken during the seder we hope you enjoy them.

The Power of Forgiveness, an adult education program Saturday, April 16th and Sunday, April 17th.  Using excerpts from a DVD program on the subject, Rabbi’s expertise on Jewish concepts related to forgiveness and thoughts pulled from psychological literature Rabbi Enid Lader and Dr. Laura Green-Stout will lead the discussion.  Part 1 will begin following a 10am Shabbat service and Kiddush Brunch, about 12:30pm.  Part 2 will begin at 12:30pm on Sunday.  Feel welcome to join us for one or both discussions.

How would you make Cleveland a better place to live? What issues are of concern to you? Jobs? Housing? Health care? Education? (to name a few…) But how can one voice make a difference? One voice, when joined with many others, can move governments — our congregation knows this from our historical efforts with organizing in solidarity with Soviet Jewry.

We have a very exciting opportunity to become part of a larger community-organizing effort towards tzedek (social justice) and tikkun olam (repairing the world) here in the Cleveland metropolitan area as part of the Greater Cleveland Congregations (GCC).  We are now at the stage where we open the conversation to you — and are beginning these opportunities with two “House Meetings”

One meeting will be held at the temple on Sunday morning, February 6^th from 10:00 to 11:15 a.m.; and the other one will be at Laurie Levinson’s house, 450 Glen Park Drive, Bay Village, at lunchtime for a potluck lunch and conversation onFriday, February 11^th from 12:30-2:30 p.m.

These opportunities for conversation will help us “collect” community issues that are important to you — we will then present them at the “Issues Convention” on March 31st.  We want to speak with as many people from our congregation as possible — truly, we want to get us speaking with each other.

RSVP to me with your attendance plans (by e-mail or by phone) — if these times are not convenient, please, please let me know what would work best for you — as we plan to schedule at least one other meeting between now and March 31st, and we would like to make it convenient for as many of you as possible to participate.   Rabbi Enid eclader@aol.com 216-228-9735

May we continue to go from strength to strength,
Rabbi Enid Lader