News & Events - May 28 / June 4, 2024

NEWS & EVENTS

May 28 & June 4, 2024

Next issue: Week of June 10

HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY?

Scroll down or CLICK HERE to read.

This year's

ANNUAL MEETING

will take place

TUESDAY, JUNE 18, 2024

6PM Potluck Dinner

7PM Meeting

Please watch your email for ballots, budgets and other documents.

✦ May 31, 7PM

▶︎ RABBI FALICK WILL SPEAK & LEAD A DISCUSSION...

HAVE YOU EVER CHANGED YOUR MIND ABOUT SOMETHING SIGNIFICANT?

Rabbi Falick will talk about the significance to Humanism about keeping an open mind, even about things that are very significant. He'll share some personal examples and then open up the program to anyone who wants to share their own examples of times they've changed their minds about something important.

IN PERSON OR ON YOUTUBE:

Click HERE or on the graphic for YouTube (live & recorded).

SHAVUOT / SHABBAT HOLIDAY DAIRY DINNER

✦ Friday, June 7, 6PM

CELEBRATE SHAVUOT!

WITH...

▶︎ A DELICIOUS DAIRY DINNER

▶︎ A SING-ALONG WITH JOSEPH

▶︎ WONDERFUL COMPANY!

ALL AGES - ONLY $5 - RSVP BY JUNE 4!

✦ June 14, 7PM

PRIDE SHABBAT WITH GUEST SPEAKER:

PROF. TIM RETZLOFF, MSU

"DRAG IS HARDLY NEW!"

How Female Impersonation and Drag Were a Rich Part of the LGBTQ+ World for DECADES!

MSU's Dr. Tim Retzloff draws on research for his book-in-progress Metro Gay to explore how female impersonation and drag have been a rich part of the local LGBTQ+ world for decades. From performances at Club Frontenac in the 1930s to popular Black drag balls of the 1940s and ‘50s to regular shows at such bars as the Diplomat, the Gold Dollar, Morey’s, Bookie’s, and the Iron Hinge in the 1960s and ‘70s to longstanding pageants to the spread of Drag Queen Bingo and Drag Queen Story Hours in more recent years, drag has been a vital part of history deserving of attention.

ONEG SHABBAT SPONSORED BY:

Barbara Logan & Fran Shor

In memory of Marilyn Anne & Jerome Logan

Wed., June 26, Noon

Join us to discuss...

The 2024 Pulitzer Prize Winner in General Nonfiction

Five-year-old Milad Salama is excited for a school trip to a theme park on the outskirts of Jerusalem. On the way, his bus collides with a semitrailer. His father, Abed, gets word of the crash and rushes to the site. The scene is chaos—the children have been taken to different hospitals in Jerusalem and the West Bank; some are missing, others cannot be identified. Abed sets off on an odyssey to learn Milad’s fate. It is every parent’s worst nightmare, but for Abed it is compounded by the maze of physical, emotional, and bureaucratic obstacles he must navigate because he is Palestinian. He is on the wrong side of the separation wall, holds the wrong ID to pass the military checkpoints, and has the wrong papers to enter the city of Jerusalem. Abed’s quest to find Milad is interwoven with the stories of a cast of Jewish and Palestinian characters whose lives and histories unexpectedly converge.

JUNE OUTING

WED., JUNE 5, 10:30AM

Meeting at CHJ to carpool to...

The Detroit Historical Museum

to see the temporary exhibit:

Presenting Detroit Jewish lifestyles between 1880-1930, including settlement in the Black Bottom and Paradise Valley areas.

$10 Admission / $9 Parking

Lunch following at Babo.

For more info contact Suzanne Paul at suzanne@crpaul.com

To learn more about the exhibit CLICK HERE.

NEW PROGRAM!

Begins Sunday, June 2

10:30 - Noon

First Topic:

"A Congregational Discussion on the Future of Israel and its Neighbors"

Contact Bruce Hillenberg, drhillenberg@gmail.com or 248.892.4364 with questions or ideas for future forums.

OPEN TO CHJ MEMBERS ONLY.

SUNDAY, JUNE 30, 12:30-2PM

The Social Justice Committee invites you to a luncheon, presentation, and discussion with

SARAH TOWLE

author of...

"Sarah Towle has obliterated today's dead end arguments about immigration and transformed them into riveting, human stories. We forget that ideas—good and bad—have always crossed our borderlines; only human beings need a piece of paper. We all deserve a narrative with clarity, and Towle's has delivered. Spectacular!" - KEN BURNS, filmmaker

CANASTA CLASS

& PLAY!

Thursdays, 1-3PM

Lessons for novices and games for seasoned players!

For more information, please contact Debbie Lopas at 248.331.3480 / debbielopas@gmail.com or Cathy Radner at ‭248.229.8954‬ / radner210@gmail.com.

HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY?

As long as we're still seeing advertisements for "HUGE MEMORIAL DAY SAVINGS STILL GOING ON!" I assume that it's still okay to talk about the holiday even though it has passed.

Among all these huge Memorial Day savings, sales, and other odd American traditions, I was especially taken aback by the large number of people on social media wishing me a "Happy Memorial Day." Clearly, when it comes to the day that Americans have set aside to remember those who died in service to our nation's defense, we have definitely lost the plot. Like many other American holidays, Memorial Day is in desperate need of some reconsideration.

Though I did not seek a "Happy Memorial Day," I did take advantage of the three-day weekend so generously provided by the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, enacted by Congress in 1968, to watch some afternoon baseball. At precisely 3:00 P.M., I was jolted back into an appreciation for the sanctity of the day when the umpires suddenly stopped the game and the stadium announcer asked everyone in Camden Yards to rise as Taps was played in memory of our fallen soldiers. Afterward, I learned that all major and minor league teams whose pregame workouts or live games were active at that hour paused in this way.

Their acknowledgment of Memorial Day reminded me very much of the practice in Israel on their Memorial Day of sounding sirens throughout the country to summon a moment of silence. In Israel's case (and this is also done for Holocaust Remembrance Day), everything in the nation comes to a complete halt. No matter where the siren sounds—whether you're on the freeway, in a grocery store, at home, or in school—the custom is to stand as one while the blare continues.

Certainly, many Americans devoted themselves yesterday to remembering the fallen and embracing their families. Parades and ceremonies took place. Veterans and others gathered. But for most Americans, Memorial Day has become what it has been for many years: a day for pools, barbecues, sales, and baseball—the first unofficial day of summer.

There's no denying that we need a little break to kick off summer, but perhaps we should be asking ourselves whether Memorial Day should be the excuse for that. Even if you're not inclined toward gratitude for the sacrifices made by our soldiers, general decency and sensitivity heavily suggest that something's gone awry when we're wishing each other a happy holiday on the day set aside to remember them.

If I've learned anything from the Humanistic Jewish principle of saying what we mean and meaning what we say—including about our holidays!—I'd like to suggest a rethink of Memorial Day. Perhaps we could observe it as they do in Israel, on the day before we celebrate independence? Or maybe we could relocate it to the former Armistice Day on November 11 (now rebranded as Veterans Day), which already serves a secondary role of remembering those who fell before they could ever become veterans. That's when our World War allies in the United Kingdom and Canada observe it.

And, in the U.K. at least, they still launch summer with a Monday holiday in late May. If we can't think of something more suited to our own late spring three-day weekend, we could always follow their example and call it the Spring Bank Holiday. If we wanted to have sales in its honor or wish someone a Happy Spring Bank Holiday, no one could possibly consider us unfeeling or thoughtless.

More to the point, a different day would draw more and better attention to the solemn meaning of Memorial Day—a reminder that freedom is never free and that each and every one of us owes a great deal of gratitude to those who paid the ultimate price for our sales, our pools, our barbecues, or even our right to protest war itself.

THANK YOU!

...to all who attended Saturday's Concert for Charity.

It was a lovely evening of wonderful music and support for two great organizations, Alternatives for Girls and Freedom House Detroit!

NEXT COMMITTEE MEETING

Saturday, June 15, 11:30 to 12:30

Zoom Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82417709465

ALL ARE WELCOME TO ATTEND!

COLLECTIONS UNDERWAY

Help us to clothe and supply those in need...

...with toiletries, new or gently used spring clothing, toys, children's items for other needs, household items, etc. Drop off in lobby.

If donating items from other categories or larger items, please first contact Audrey Pleasant (audreypleasant@gmail.com) for more information.

KNIT / CROCHET / CRAFT FOR A CAUSE

Next Session: Sat., June 15, 2-4PM

All welcome; no skill needed. Will include a beginners' lesson in crocheting!

An array of recent warm hats knitted by our group!

Contact Audrey Pleasant: audreypleasant@gmail.com to be on the reminder list.

JEWS FOR A SECULAR DEMOCRACY

A SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM KATIE REITER, NATIONAL PROGRAM DIRECTOR

We are thrilled to invite you to our upcoming webinar, “Connecting the Dots: Religious Freedom, Reproductive Rights, and Public Policy,” the inaugural event for our “Jewish Women and Religious Freedom in Pittsburgh” project! This insightful and timely webinar will take place on Monday, June 10th at 7:30 pm EDT.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER!

In this crucial conversation, we will explore the intricate relationship between religious freedom and reproductive rights, focusing on the impact on Jewish women and those of other marginalized genders. Our distinguished panel, including Professor Greer Donley, Dr. Rachel Kranson, Rabbi Emily Meyer, and storyteller and organizer Alliyson Feldman, will provide deep insights and share personal stories that highlight the ongoing struggle for these fundamental interwoven freedoms.

You will gain invaluable knowledge on how religious freedom, reproductive rights, and public policy intersect, and learn how you can advocate for inclusive and equitable policies at all levels. This webinar is not just an opportunity to learn, but a call to action to make a difference through grassroots activism, community organizing, and legislative engagement.

Don't miss this chance to be part of a transformative discussion that aims to empower and equip you with the tools to champion true religious freedom and reproductive rights.

We want to thank our grant sponsor, the Jewish Women's Foundation of Greater Pittsburgh. This grant was underwritten by JWF Trustee Nancy Weissman, in memory of her beloved mother-in-law, JWF Trustee Jacquelin Wechsler.

If you have any questions or need help with registration, please contact me at Katie@jfasd.org.