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WUPJ News # 432
Issue 432 15 March 2012 / 21 Adar 5772
Megillah, Music and Merriment – Purim celebrations around the FSU
Roswell Seminar on Social Justice
Mercaz Shimshon-Beit Shmuel’s Courses department springs into spring semester
TaMaR Olami delegates visit sites around Israel during successful 15th annual conference
Presidential Reflections on… A Very Special Shabbat
News in brief
Keren B’Kavod launches annual Pesach campaign – Kimcha D'Pischa
Heroes & Heroines, Masks & Fun – at Beit Shmuel’s “Children Create Shabbat” special Purim workshop
Pack Your Sneakers and Tallit: It’s Almost Time for Camp
The World Zionist Organization: Mobilizing for Southern Israel!
Congratulations
Upcoming events
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Megillah, Music and Merriment – Purim celebrations around the FSU
Our congregations throughout the FSU celebrated Purim in style this year, with elaborate and creative carnivals, Purimshpiels, performances and of course – wine, delicious meals and hamentaschen.
At Le Dor Va Dor – the Moscow Center for Progressive Judaism, some 90 people including 26 children, came together for an evening of music and fun. The evening was run like a Pesach Seder, with the Megillah reading led by Rabbis Sasha Lyskovoy and Leonid Bimbat followed by musical illustrations, creative performances and a humorous slideshow, with a lottery was held for all those who bought a drink.
Rabbi Leonid Bimbat reading from the Megillah
This year’s carnival theme was Soviet-style proletarian and included pioneers, Komsomol members, sailors and members of the Red Army and Soviet bourgeoisie. Soviet propaganda posters, characters and lifestyles were converted to Jewish themes.
Left: “Sailor” meets “Pioneer”; right: Classic Soviet-style propaganda poster declaring a special holiday in honor of Queen Esther on March 8
Students prepared a video Purimshpiel, while the Sunday School children sang the more traditional Purim classics like “Chag Purim” and “Ani Purim.”
(More photos can be found here and here.)
In St. Petersburg, Purim started with the younger generation performing the story of Purim for their parents at the Shatil kindergarten. Rabbi Helena Rubinstein, spiritual leader of the Shaarei Shalom congregation, taught a Purim class for the JDC providing a Reform perspective on the holiday.
Children performing the story of Purim
The main celebration at Shaarei Shalom was a community event where everybody prepared something and took part. The evening began with an exciting and enthusiastic traditional reading of Megillat Esther followed by a Purimshpiel and a delicious feast.
Rabbi Rubinstein reading the Megillah; sign reads: WOW
Scene from St. Petersburg’s Purimshpeil
(Click here for a video showing highlights of the event. More photos can be found here and here).
Purim in the Beit Simcha Center, Minsk, was celebrated with 270 guests, ages 6 months to 91 years old. On Purim eve, 135 people from the three Beit Simcha congregations – Simcha, Sheket and Tamar – gathered to celebrate together. The event was honored by special guests: the first secretary of the Israel Embassy, the head of the JDC, and chairs of the Minsk Jewish men and women clubs. Delicious Hamentaschen were made by Efim Zhivov, chair of the Simcha Congregation, together with several Holocaust survivors. While Rabbi Grisha Abramovich read from the ancient Hebrew scroll, members of the Sheket Congregations who are deaf or hearing impaired, prepared Purim mask presentations with Ludmila Chertova.
Megillah reading, from left: this year’s Bat Mitsvah Elizaveta Kemerov (Daughter of Michael Kemerov, Director of the Union for Progressive Movement in Belarus); Rabbi Grisha Abramovich; Arina Shapiro, conversion class student; and this year’s Bar Mitsvah Mark Volfson, grandson of Alla Volfson, Minsk Jewish kindergarten coordinator.(Photo: Trenton Talbot)
The morning Services were organized by the Minsk Jewish Kindergarten; forty children, helped by their teachers and parents, unrolled the Scroll and recited the blessings together with the Rabbi’s wife, Irina Abramovich, and Education Coordinator Irina Belaskaya. Arina Shapiro, a student in the Conversion class, took part in reading the scroll. A representative from the Jewish Federation of Greater Atlanta was the guest of honor. This was followed the Purim Beit Midrash with lectures for the parents given by Rabbi Abramovich and Executive Director Michael Kemerov, and Purim activities for the children by the Kindergarten staff, headed by Alla Volfson. One of the parents sponsored the Purim meal for all the children, while photographer Trenton Talbot volunteered his services.
Rabbi Abramovich helps children to unroll the scroll (Photo: Trenton Talbot)
Mincha Purim services were organized by 25 Bar mitzvah school children and their parents; the head of the 132 Jewish schools in Minsk and representative of ORT in Belarus was the guest of honor. The students, together with Rabbi Abramovich, also met with the chair of the Tamar congregation, Dasha Subbotko, Cantor of the congregation Zhe Baranchik, and other members who discussed the Purimshpiel.
Just “clowning around” at Beit Simcha (Photo: Trenton Talbot)
Our Ukranian communities celebrated Purim from March 7–10, with over 1,500 people, including children from seven Jewish groups, pre-schools, 8 family Sunday schools, and 6 Netzer youth groups, who gathered to celebrate together.
Evgenia Burgina and Naum Urisman leading the community toast, at Ha-Tikvah congregation
Ha-Tikvah congregation in Kiev put on their interpretation of "The Stag King" based on the fairy tale by Italian playwright Count Carlo Gozzi. This colorful fairytale was chosen due to its similarities to the story of Purim and resulted in many associations with the Megillah. Festivities continued with a Purim costume competition, and children's holiday greetings to their community.
Masks and costumes in Kiev
Rabbi Alex Duhovny read Megillat Esther and Netzer youth prepared and decorated the holiday table with traditional hamentaschen, wine and food. A pleasant surprise was a video of holiday blessings prepared by the women of the community and produced by Cantor Mikhail Urisman.
In the cozy synagogue hall of the Ner Tamid congregation in Simferopol, Crimea, the community gathered to celebrate Purim. Chairman of the Association of the Jewish Organizations and Communities in the Crimea, Anatoly Gendin, greeted the participants and Rabbi Mikhail Kapustin talking about the Purim holiday traditions.
Anatoly Gendin and Rabbi Kapustin at Megillah reading
Participants in elaborate costume gathered around festive tables and were treated to delicious Hamentaschen (called here gomentashi). And all made sure to follow the Talmudic decree to drink! Rabbi Mikhail Kapustin read Megillat Esther, where everyone joined in making noise when the name Haman was mentioned, and cheering on for Esther and Mordechai, followed by special Purim games, quizzes, raffles and an auction. Anatoly Gendin remarks that they are “proud to note that the income from the participants reached closed to 90% of the celebration expenses which is a good parameter of our activity.”
Community dinner at Simferopol
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Roswell Seminar on Social Justice
Judaism is a religion of action. While belief, study, prayer and spirituality are certainly central components of Jewish life, they can be viewed as a call to action and that their meaning is found in their impact on interaction with others, with our world, and with that which is holy.
The professional staff of the Anita Saltz International Education Center of the World Union for Progressive Judaism has created the Roswell Seminar for Social Justice to answer this call to action.
The Roswell Social Justice Seminar is an intensive 10-day program in which participants explore issues of religion and state in Israel, as well as socioeconomic issues, and engage in social action projects.
This a unique opportunity for Progressive/Liberal/Reform Jewish Educators from across the globe to join together with some of the most accomplished scholars and educators in the world. The international makeup of our participants adds perspective and insight. Past participants represent communities including: Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Israel, Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Russia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden and the United States.
Prof. Paul Liptz and Saltz seminar participants
The seminar is designed with a three-stage approach. First, we delve into the texts and sources for our Jewish concern for a just society. We will explore what our tradition has to say about each of the issues addressed in the seminar. We will look through the Bible, Talmud and other texts to glean the inspired values they contain to guide us in our own struggle with the moral issues we face.
Next, we will head out into the streets of Jerusalem and Israel to meet individuals and organizations working to address these particular issues in meaningful ways. We’ll hear their challenges and success as we roll up our sleeves to help them turn their vision into a reality. We will meet leaders from across Israeli society – and the Israel Movement for Progressive Judaism – who are actively involved in the struggle to create a more just society in Israel.
Dancing up a storm
Finally, keeping in mind that study and prayer are not enough, we will work on our own action plans incorporating what we’ve learned. The program is designed to have a meaningful impact on our work using what we have gleaned from our tradition and our encounters with Israeli activists. We will explore how to better address the issues covered in seminar in our own communities.
The Roswell Social Justice Seminar is sponsored by Betty and Arthur Roswell, longtime supporters of Progressive Jewish causes.
The Roswell Social Justice Seminar is scheduled for July 22 - August 1 2012. For more information contact Rabbi Steve Burnstein, saltz@wupj.org.il.
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Mercaz Shimshon-Beit Shmuel’s courses department springs into spring semester
Mercaz Shimshon-Beit Shmuel’s courses department opened its spring semester for some 250 participants in seven courses, centered on Jewish and Israeli learning with Reform local input. The courses include our flagship course with author Dr. Haim Shapira, an expert on mathematical genetics and science, “A Journey Through Philosophy in the Bible” (this course attracted over 100 participants and will be held in the Hirsch Theater – the only room that is large enough for this size crowd); “Who Wrote the Bible”, which focuses on the authors of the bible, when it was written, and what social and political agendas affected its contents; “Sefer HaBahir”, which discusses one of the most fascinating Kabbalah books; “Medicinal Herbs of the Land of Israel”, which will cover a small portion of the 2500 herbs that are indigenous to this area, and their healing properties; and two creative writing courses given by leading Israeli authors.
A class in the Hirsch Theatre
The Mercaz Shimshon-Beit Shmuel courses department shows solid and stable activities, a remarkable achievement considering the economic environment and the competition from nearby institutions offering heavily subsidized activities. The total number of participants in our courses steadily rises over the years – our participants come from all walks of life, ranging from young, post-army students through as well as many in the 50+ age group. We have many returning students – some who have been with us from our first semester.
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TaMaR Olami delegates visit sites around Israel during successful 15th annual conference
Twenty members of TaMaR Olami, the international Progressive Zionist movement for young adults, held their 15th annual conference in Israel from March 1–6, 2012. The delegates came from 14 countries: U.K, Australia, Germany, Czech Republic, Russia, Ukraine, France, Costa Rica, South Africa, Hungary, Belarus, Latvia, Israel and the U.S.
Participants in Tel Aviv
TaMaR Olami is a framework for Progressive Jewish young adults, enabling them to connect in different ways: spending holidays together, Shabbat, or a weekend seminar discussing the Movement’s ideology or current events in Israel. The annual conference held in Israel brings these young adults together where they discuss important issues in the Progressive world, learn about ways they can each be active in the Movement, hear about what is happening around the world, and look for the best ways to make TaMaR a real viable framework. This year the seminar’s theme was “Repair the world. Repair the earth" and focused on Tikun Olam from a social and ecological perspective. According to TaMaR coordinator Yuval Nemirovsky, “the main goal was to show the participants the connection between social justice and ecology, showing different angles from relevant issues in Israel like the water, the Beduin population, the Kibbutz, the big cities and cooperation between Israel, The Palestinian Authority and Jordan.”
Checking out the desert
The conference was a “roaming” conference, with delegates moving from Jerusalem (Beit Shmuel), to Kibbutz Lotan – one of the Arava kibbutzim affiliated with the Israeli Progressive movement, a Beduin town, Mitzpe Ramon, Eilat, and Jaffa. Along the way they visited important historical and Zionist sites, and engaged in meaningful discussions about Israel and Zionism, Progressive Judaism, ecology and desert life, and Tikun Olam. Kibbutz Lotan – a recognized global leader in Jewish environmental education, nature conservation, green technology development and sustainable community development – hosted the delegates for a meaningful and spiritual Kabbalat Shabbat service.
Of the many discussions held during the conference, one of the most touching was that of the delegate from Hungary who spoke about the problems and issues that Progressive Judaism is having there. The other delegates unanimously decided to combine forces and see what can be done to help the situation in Hungary.
“We are proud of our young adults, and proud of their achievements throughout the year. This framework enables them to connect with other branches around the world and inspire and be inspired by others,” says Netzer and TaMaR director Maoz Haviv.
In a Bedouin tent
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Presidential Reflections on… A Very Special Shabbat
Rabbi Stephen Lewis Fuchs
One of the nicest things about my extensive travel schedule has been the joy of welcoming Shabbat in different communities around the world and since September discussing my passion for the mission of the World Union in Jerusalem, Berlin, Cologne, Hannover, Kiev, Jerusalem again, Mevasseret Zion, Modi'in, Haifa, Budapest, Buenos Aires, Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. These communities have all extended Vickie and me the warmest of welcomes.
Between Budapest and Buenos Aires, though, we stopped for 24 hours in West Hartford, Connecticut to worship at congregation Beth Israel, which I served as Senior Rabbi for the past 14 years. The occasion was to share the joy of the installation of Michael Pincus and his junior colleague Dena Shaffer as the rabbis of the congregation.
Rabbi Pincus and I worked together for the past seven years! During that time I came to regard him not just as my junior colleague but as a trusted advisor and friend. After 14 years at Beth Israel I felt (as Judah described the relationship between Jacob and his youngest son Benjamin) that my soul was connected to the soul of the congregation. To see its future entrusted to someone that I respect and trust completely is one of the greatest satisfactions a rabbi can have.
And so as I proceed with passion and all the energy the Almighty will grant me to pursue the mission of the WUPJ to connect Jews around the world to one another and to Israel in every possible way, I do so with the comfort of knowing my congregation of 14 years is in very good hands indeed!
As for me, I look forward to connecting directly with more of our WUPJ communities in the weeks and months ahead. God willing, and with your help, they shall forge closer connections to one another, to the land of Israel and with Jews around the world!
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News in brief
Keren B’Kavod launches annual Pesach campaign – Kimcha D'Pischa
Keren B'Kavod, the humanitarian aid program of the Israel Religious Action Center (IRAC) leads a food and clothing drive to help individuals and families celebrate the springtime holidays of the major religions in Israel: Passover, Easter, and prophet Jethro (celebration of the Druze community). Keren B’Kavod focuses on individuals and families, bringing joy to hundreds of families who would otherwise go without.
The Israel Movement for Progressive Judaism (IMPJ) mobilizes its communities, and, together with dozens of volunteers prepare food parcels, care packages, and clothing vouchers. These packages make their way to some 30 communities across the country, to people of all sectors, faiths and cultures in Israel.
In order to continue our activity throughout the year and especially at holidays time, we need your help: click here to help us create a new social reality.
If everyone could celebrate the holiday with dignity - dayenu (we did enough)!
Heroes & Heroines, Masks & Fun – at Beit Shmuel’s “Children Create Shabbat” special Purim workshop
Mercaz Shimshon – Beit Shmuel’s successful monthly “Children Create Shabbat” family series continues to attract dozens of families each month (see also WUPJnews #429). Each month’s workshop focuses on a different topic such as Chagim, environment and Tikkun Olam, based on unique Progressive Jewish content and ideas. Being one of the few programs offered to families in Jerusalem on Shabbat, it has become a focal Shabbat activity for many families.
This month, excited parents and children gathered for a relaxed and inspiring morning dedicated to Purim and focusing on Super-heroes & heroines. Together, they learned about the holiday and its customs, and about the art of telling a story and portraying the unique attributes of each person – just as we learn in Megillat Esther (The Book of Esther). This was followed by an arts and crafts session where the participants learned how to create comics and how to tell their very own “story” using recycled and natural materials. Youngsters and parents alike are waiting eagerly for the next event.
Pack Your Sneakers and Tallit: It’s Almost Time for Camp
The Netzer summer camping program in the FSU will start soon – providing a fun and rich learning environment for our youth, many first-timers to a Jewish environment. Campers participate in diverse experiential activities that teach modern Jewish identity, the Jewish life cycle, connection to Israel and how to remain a part of the Jewish community in a predominantly non-Jewish society.
Last summer, thanks to the generous support of World Union donors, 941 children attended 12 Reform summer camps in the FSU (click here to read our report). Our 2012 goal is to send over 1,000 children to camp. A gift of $75 per month, or a one-time gift of $900, covers the cost of sending one child to summer camp. Your contribution makes it possible for the World Union to strengthen Jewish life and values in the former Soviet Union by engaging the next generation of Reform Jews.
Click here to fill out the form and return to our office in New York with your gift.
Campers in the FSU thanking you for your generous support!
The World Zionist Organization: Mobilizing for Southern Israel!
Following the escalation in rocket attacks on southern Israel, the WZO's Department for Activities in Israel and the Department for Diaspora Activities are mobilizing on behalf of the residents of southern Israel by sending performing artists to southern communities to help relieve some of the burden residents experience waiting in bomb shelters and inviting children and residents of the south to a tour in Jerusalem. Activities include a visit to the Herzl Museum and a guided tour of Mount Herzl. Head of the Department for Diaspora Activities, Gusti Yehoshua-Braverman, says: “We are happy to host the south's residents and children at the Herzl Center and hope that these activities will be significant, even a little calming and happy.”
To read more, click here.
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Congratulations
The leadership and staff of the World Union offer a hearty Mazal Tov to our Vice President Operations and COO, Shai Pinto, his wife Orly and daughter Ella, on the birth of a son and brother.
Upcoming events
March 15-18, 2012 – Biennial Conference of the European Union for Progressive Judaism, Amsterdam
April 20-22, 2012 – Liberal Judaism UKBiennial Conference, Bristol, England
June 1-2, 2012 – Biennial Conference of the Israel Movement for Progressive Judaism (IMPJ), Israel
June 8-10, 2012 – 80th Anniversary and Biennial conference of the South African Union for Progressive Judaism (SAUPJ), Johannesburg
June 22-24, 2012 – Movement for Reform Judaism (UK) Biennial Conference, Daventry, England
July 5-15, 2012 – The Bergman Seminar for Jewish Educators, Anita Saltz Educational Center, Jerusalem, Israel
July 19-22, 2012 – UPJ Annual Conference, Spandau, Germany
July 22 - August 1, 2012 – The Roswell Seminar for Social Justice, Anita Saltz Educational Center, Jerusalem, Israel
August 8-12, 2012 – World Union for Progressive Judaism-Latin America (WUPJ-LA)'s 4th Conference of Jewish Communities, Buenos Aires
October 25-28, 2012 – UPJ Biennial Conference, Sydney, Australia
April 28-30, 2013 – WUPJ Executive Board Seminar and International Assembly Meeting, Jerusalem, Israel
May 1-5, 2013 – WUPJ "Connections 2013", Jerusalem, Israel
