ASL SHABBAT COALITION

eNews

Thursday, July 11, 2024 - 5 Tamuz 5784

Click on the link above. When making a donation,

select ASL Shabbat Coalition from the drop down menu.

Shabbat Shalom from the ASL Shabbat Coalition!

Visual description: Dr. Stephen F. Weiner, a white male with brown short hair, grey mustache, and glasses, is seated in front of the camera. He is wearing a grey short sleeved button down shirt. He is also wearing a black watch.

We thank Dr. Steven F. Weiner for sharing the vlog of his sermon based on "Parshat Chukat" and Haftorah portion for this Shabbos.

Francis Salvador, born into a distinguished Sephardic family in London in 1747, was the first Jew to perish in the American Revolutionary War. Emigrating to Charleston, South Carolina in 1773, Salvador left behind his family in pursuit of prosperity as a planter. Upon his arrival, he purchased 30 enslaved individuals, whose labor propelled him to prominence in the region and facilitated his engagement with the revolutionary cause. Despite prevailing legal barriers that prevented Jews from voting or holding public office, Salvador achieved a significant milestone by becoming the first Jewish member of the South Carolina General Assembly. His life and burgeoning political career were tragically cut short when he was killed by British forces during a skirmish on the South Carolina frontier on August 1, 1776.

Captain America, an iconic American superhero decked out in red, white, and blue, was created by Jack Kirby and Joe Simon in the 1940s. Both creators were Jewish. The character made a dramatic debut in his first comic by punching Hitler, reflecting the wartime sentiment and the creators' stance against Nazism. During World War II, Captain America became a symbol of Allied strength, fighting the Axis powers with his distinctive stars-and-stripes shield.

To learn more about Francis Salvador and Captain America, visit this page.

Are you looking for suggestions of books to read during the summer months? We have a few suggestions of some enjoyable reads which offer insights into Jewish life and culture, each with its own unique twist of humor and levity. We recommend checking your local library for an available copy:

Chabon, Michael. The Yiddish Policemen's Union

This novel is a blend of detective fiction and alternative history, where the Jewish homeland is situated in Alaska, not Israel. The story follows Detective Meyer Landsman as he investigates a murder in this temporary Jewish settlement. Chabon's book is filled with witty dialogue and a clever plot that delves into Jewish identity and culture with a humorous twist.

Chast, Roz. Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant?

This graphic memoir by New Yorker cartoonist Roz Chast explores the challenges of aging and caring for elderly parents. Chast uses her sharp wit and distinctive drawing style to portray the quirks and complexities of her Eastern European Jewish parents as they navigate the realities of old age. The book is both funny and poignant, offering a deeply personal glimpse into family life and Jewish cultural nuances.

Mirvis, Tova. The Ladies Auxiliary

Set in a tight-knit Orthodox Jewish community in Memphis, Tennessee, this novel tells the story of a single mother, Batsheva, who moves into the community and stirs up controversy with her unconventional ways. Told from the perspective of the community's women, the story mixes humor with questions about faith and tradition, examining the bonds of community and the outsider perspective through a charming and light narrative.

We have a few updates:

1. The ASL Shabbat Coalition will take a pause from coordinating ASL Shabbat services over the summer months and will resume in September. to keep you connected, we will email you ASL Shabbat eNews that will contain sermons in ASL and other items of interest.
2. If your group is interested in hosting an ASL Shabbat service in the coming Fall months, please get in touch with us at aslshabbatcoalition@gmail.com. 
3. JDRC is compiling a list of High Holy Day services that will have ASL interpreters and/or captioning. If your organization or synagogue is planning to have interpreters or captioning, please get in touch with JDRC at jdrclearning@gmail.com.

Look for the next issue in your email on August 9, 2024.

Chabad Centers of Northern Virginia

Valo Park

Tysons Corner, Virginia

In person, ASL Interpreted

An Evening of Song & Inspiration

Marking the 30th Yahrzeit anniversary of the passing of The Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson of righteous memory.

Sunday, July 14, 2024  

6:30 PM EST

Live Concert featuring Shulem Lemmer, a Broadway singer

For more information and to register, visit this link:

https://www.chabadnova.org/templates/articlecco_cdo/aid/6460505/jewish/30-Years-Gimmel-Taamuz-with-Shulem-Lemmer.htm

Congregation B'nai Tzedek 

10621 S. Glen Rd

Potomac, Maryland 20854

Two Worlds: Jill and Amnon

(ASL Interpreted)

Sunday, July 21, 2024

3:00 - 5:00 PM EST

Jill Feingold Damti and Amnon Damti, a Deaf - Hearing Israeli dancer duo will give a performance. Check out their website: https://en.jillandamnon.com/

For more information and to register, visit this link.

Congregation Bene Shalom

4435 Oakton Street

Skokie, IL 60076-3222

Welcoming the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Community

Friday Night Shabbat Services

ASL Interpreted

Save the High Holy Day Dates:

Selichot: September 28, 2024

Rosh Hashanah: October 2-4, 2024

Yom Kippur: October 11 - 12, 2024

For more information, contact Congregation Bene Shalom at congbeneshalom@gmail.com

Union for Reform Judaism (Zoom)

A Taste of Judaism (a three session course)

Sundays, August 11, 18, & 25, 2024

8:00 - 9:30 PM EST

Faculty: Rabbi Julie Zupan

This course will be captioned and URJ will make every effort to meet any request for accommodations. Contact: Learning@urj.org.

For more information and to register, visit this page.

JDRC/Melton Learning in ASL (Zoom, captioned, voice interpreted)

It's a Date: Marking Time the Jewish Way (a 6 week course)

Sundays: August 18, 25, September 8, 15, 22 and 29, 2024 (no class 9/1)

7:00 - 8:30 PM EST

Faculty: Rabbi Rebecca L. Dubowe

This course, supported through JDRC's grant from UJA Federation of New York, will be captioned and voice interpreted.

To register, go to: www.meltonschool.org/jdrc

Kehilat Pardes (ASL Interpreted)

13300 Arctic Ave 

Rockville, MD

Saturday, August 17, 2024

9:00 AM

The Torah service begins at 9:45 AM. 

Kehilat Pardes will celebrate the anniversary of the adult Bar mitzvah of one of their Deaf members, G'daliah Levinson. G'daliah will be reading from the Torah.

In Israel, Jews go to rites of passage events to support the person celebrating it regardless of whether they know the person. Once there is a call for a community to come together, Israelis go in droves. Why not our community, the Deaf Jewish community? 

Rabbi Uri Topolosky of Kehilat Pardes just issued a call for community members to come. If you are in Maryland, and in that area, please go to show support.

May all hostages come home now! Am Yisroel Chai!

MONTH OF JULY: Happy birthday to our celebrants!

• Amy Cohen Efron
• Michael Goldberg
• Jimmy Libman
• Lynn Sien
• Sam Sonnenstrahl
• Cory Summers
• Jonathan Summers
• Stephanie Summers

In the next issue, we will list August birthdays, anniversaries, or a celebration you want to share. Email us the name of the celebrants you would like to acknowledge, no later than August 5, 2024. Our email address is aslshabbatcoalition@gmail.com.

Donations help support voice interpreting services, video editing, Zoom related costs, and other incidental expenses related to monthly ASL Shabbat services.  This month, we thank these donors for their support.

• Roxanne Baker, in memory of her beloved parents, Bubbe, Herb Rosen, and Ruth Stern
• Nona Balk
• June McMahon

As you honor birthdays, anniversaries, special occasions, or the memory of loved ones through yahrzeit, consider placing a donation with ASL Shabbat Coalition.

Donate no later than 12:00 p.m., August 5, 2024, so that we can list honorees names in the July edition of the ASL Shabbat eNews.

To donate, go to https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/JDRC.

Under the "I want my donation dedicated to:" box, you will be given two options: ASL Shabbat and JDRC. Select "ASL Shabbat Coalition."

Special thanks go to Caption Anywhere for their captioning and video editing services.

This event is made possible through a collaborative effort of three organizations that comprise the ASL Shabbat Coalition (ASC): Hillel at Gallaudet (Hillel Goldberg, representative), Jewish Deaf Congress (Roxanne Baker, representative), and the Jewish Deaf Resource Center (Susan F. Cohen, representative). Volunteers who support the work of the ASL Shabbat Coalition include Janie Golightly, Toby Silver, and Chris Wagner.

Hillel @ Gallaudet promotes inclusive Jewish educational, religious, social, cultural, and communal activities at Gallaudet University by creating opportunities for diverse expressions of Jewish life among students.

Jewish Deaf Congress (JDC) is an inclusive and accessible Jewish Deaf national organization, network and resource center, rooted in Judaism and Deaf experiences, cultures and values of lifelong Jewish learning to discover, connect and flourish.

The Jewish Deaf Resource Center (JDRC) is a 501(c)3 national non-profit organization that builds communication access bridges through an allyship of Jewish Deaf and Hard of Hearing individuals and the individuals and organizations in the wider Jewish community. We aim to do this through advocacy, sharing communication access solutions, collaborating on educational opportunities, providing guidance on inclusive public policy and practices, forming partnerships, sharing resources, and presenting training sessions.

The Jewish Deaf Resource Center thanks UJA Federation of New York for partnering with JDRC through their operating grant.