Dear Friends:
Shabbat Shalom!
This past week I, along with almost two dozen others from our community, had the pleasure of attending the Jewish Federations of North America’s first virtual General Assembly. We joined more than 10,000 others from around the world to gather online over the course of three days to celebrate our achievements from this past year. We also had the opportunity to learn from experts in the field on topics such as community development, strategic and scenario planning, Israel and overseas, fundraising, and finding a middle ground in communities divided by political and social economic strife. It was an enriching and enlightening experience chock full of content. I invite you to check out recorded sessions available here. After watching, I encourage you to share with others. I would also be happy to set up a time for discussion should you find nuggets and ideas you would like to see implemented locally.
I am thrilled to share with you some exciting news from the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC)! JCRC has launched the Community Impact Microgrant Initiative. This initiative seeks to cultivate relationships and build bridges of understanding between the Jewish community and minority communities in the greater Birmingham area.
These micro-grants are available to any individual, community agency, or organization for programs, projects, or initiatives that work to create powerful experiences and ignite long-term systemic change and social good for our communities. Grants of up to $1,000 will be given and funds will be awarded on a rolling basis. To access the microgrant overview and online application click here.
As we all know next Tuesday is election day. Each election day I think of my ancestors who settled in Wyoming as homesteaders and how it must have felt for the women in my family, who previously had no voting rights, to live in the first state to give women the vote. I am sure there was immense pride as they cast their first ballot as an American citizen. My first time voting in a presidential election was 1996 and I have voted in every election since that time. As Americans it is our right, our privilege and our duty to elect officials as a representative government of the people. To that end, the Federation offices will be closed on November 3rd to ensure that our employees have the opportunity to vote. We appreciate your patience on any matters that day.
As we head into this Shabbat, we know that no matter the outcome of this coming week, America will be a different place next Shabbat. Not better, not worse, just different. I ask you, as I have many times before, to please be kind to one another.
B’shalom,
Danny
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In your mailbox soon!
The Birmingham Jewish Foundation’s 40th anniversary annual report is on its way to you. We highlight some of the over $30 million in grants we have made in these 40 years. Please check out some of the ways we have “moved the needle” in our community, Israel and the Jewish world.
Thank you to all our generous donors over the years who have helped us make such a difference. The report is dedicated to three of our past presidents of blessed memory, Harold Apolinsky, Melba Epsman and Marvin Engel.
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PJ Library's Hanukkah: It's in the bag! |
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*This program is for families with children 0-8 years old* |
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IsraAID: Over One Million Reached in the USA |
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-IsraAID is a non profit Israeli organization that provides humanitarian assistance all over the world to overcome extreme crises. It has provided millions with the vital support needed to move from destruction to reconstruction, and eventually, to sustainable living. IsraAid is one of a dozen or so organizations supported by Birmingham's Jewish community through BJF's Israel World Jewry Bureau, our overseas allocations process. -
Throughout the pandemic, many vulnerable people have been affected by food insecurity. In Southern California, the Bay Area and New Jersey, IsraAID volunteers joined forces with community food banks to sort, pack, and distribute food for vulnerable populations at a time of major need.
In partnership with the Merage Institute, IsraAID U.S. volunteers have spent over 5,300 hours helping food banks distribute packages to more than 1,150,000 people. Only as a team working together have we been able to have such a great impact.
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The Secrets of the Great Synagogue of Vilna
November 1, 2020 at 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM
The Great Synagogue of Vilna, the spiritual and physical home of the Lithuanian Jews, was one of the oldest and most significant religious and cultural sites of Eastern European Jewry. It was ransacked during WWII and then destroyed by the Soviets in 1956. An elementary school was built on top of the remains.
Be among the first to see a sneak peek of “The Secrets of the Synagogue,” a film that chronicles the process to uncover, document, and preserve this grand religious institution in Vilna. Then on November 1, you are invited to a riveting discussion with part of the team that made this amazing discovery possible:
- Dr. Richard Freund, US Archaeologist
- Loic Salfati, Lithuanian Film Project Director
- Dr. Harry Jol, Geoscientist and GPR (ground penetrating radar) Expert
- Dr. Phil Reeder, Lead Cartographer
Prayers for America
November 2 @ 7:00 pm - 7:30 pm
Join us as we pray for the peace and well being of The United States and all its inhabitants. Local rabbis will lead us in psalms and various prayers along with words of inspiration. Register here.
“The New Jewish Canon”:
A Conversation about Contemporary Judaism
November 3 @ 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
The late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries have been a period of mass production and proliferation of Jewish ideas, and have witnessed major changes in Jewish life and stimulated major debates. Join this class to talk about the book, “The New Jewish Canon,” which came out this year in July. This book offers a conceptual roadmap to make sense of some of this rapid change. The New Jewish Canon is an entry point for the Jewish intellectual and communal zeitgeist of the contemporary period and the recent past, canonizing our most important ideas and debates of the past two generations; and just as importantly, stimulating debate and scholarship about what is yet to come. Join Rebbetzin Bethany with your lunch on zoom to talk about some of these debates. Register here for the zoom link.
JewCurious?
NOVEMBER 4 @ 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM | Recurring Event (See all) $25
Are you JewCurious? Have you heard that Judaism is about asking questions? Questions are the start of a great conversation. I would say, Judaism is about a great conversation. Come learn more about what that conversation sounds like by joining this JewCurious Class. This class is for everyone looking to get a broad overview of Judaism. This 101 class lasts for 20 weeks and is open to anyone who is curious. We’ll explore the major narratives, history, practices, theology and values of Judaism. You can expect that the learning will happen with curiosity and open-mindedness and respect for one another’s boundaries and beliefs. Taught by Bethany Slater from Temple Beth El. To register: https://templebethel.nirsham.com/form/jewcurious2020
Kol Tzedek: A Virtual Conference on
Racial Justice with USCJ
November 8 @ 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Join the Beth El congregants and the USCJ for an engaging conference on racial justice and community organizing for synagogues and lay professionals and lay-leaders. Interact with experts, hear success stories from synagogues doing important justice work, and gain tools to initiate and build on social justice work in your community. This is the opening panel for a three-day workshop on this topic. See more about the panelists and the program and to register at this link.
November 8 @ 2:00 pm - 5:00 pm
Join us for an engaging presentation on Reform Jewish music. Cantor Jamie Marx will walk us through how we went from classical reform choral music in the early 20th Century to the folk/pop worship tunes we sing today, using musical examples and socio-historical context to show the progression. Click here to register.
The Holocaust in Focus: Who Took The Pictures?
November 12 @ 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM
Photographs of Holocaust events and places have become some of our lasting memories. But do we really appreciate what those photographs have to tell us?
This series, “The Holocaust in Focus,” will narrow the focus on iconic Holocaust photographs and critically examine what we know and how we know it. In this first session, Amy McDonald will examine photographs from across the historical timeline of the Holocaust, looking at “Who Took the Pictures” and how that informs our historical knowledge.
Financial Assistance Available
for Jewish Community Members
Thanks to a grant from the Greatest Needs Fund of the Birmingham Jewish Federation’s COVID Relief Campaign, Collat Jewish Family Services is offering financial assistance to Jewish community members who are facing financial insecurity because of job loss, caring for family or other issues. Confidential assistance is available to members of the Birmingham Jewish community who need help with rent or mortgage payments, utilities, prescription costs or other needs. To learn more, please email CJFS Clinical Director Marcy Morgenbesser LICSW, marcy@cjfsbham.org or call 205.879.3438.
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Visit the community calendar for more details!
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The Birmingham Jewish Federation
@jewishbirmingham
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