August 2008

Tammuz/AV 5768

SHIR HAYAM EVENTS

See member’s calendar
or call 206-855-7924 for event details.

IMPORTANT – Torah History Misplaced
The framed historical document that accompanies our Torah has been missing for the last year. Please, please, please check to see if you have it at your house. We think it would be in a plastic rubber-maid-like container with a white lid that also contains the yamukas. If you have it, please contact Sharon Rutzick.

BAR MITZVAHS
Shir Hayam is warmly invited to attend Mitchell Stahl’s Bar Mitzvah. It will be held Saturday, August 16, 2008 10:00 in the morning at Boundy Farm. Please RSVP if you are planning to celebrate with us. Robyn and Eric Stahl – 842-6761

Come celebrate with Sam Jabloner’s family and friends as he becomes a Bar Mitzvah on August 30th at 10:30 AM at Island Center Hall. A lunch to honor Sam will follow services.
If you can join us, please let me know by phone, 780-7894, or email, ellenkbrown@comcast.net.

COMMUNITY NEWS

Tax deductible donations can be made to the General Fund, School, Education Fund, or other fund of your choice to honor an event or as a remembrance. Make checks payable to Chavurat Shir Hayam and send to PO Box 11142, Bainbridge Island, WA 98110

Mazel Tov to Mitchell Stahl & Sam Jabloner and their families on the occasion of their Bar Mitzvahs.

Our Mishabeirach prayers are offered for Arlene Rosenblatt, Julie’s mother, Arthur Soltar, Steve’s father and to Zann’s father. And also to Bainbridge Island’s Harui Family. In a recent article about their labor of love in building and then restoring Bainbridge Gardens, Junkoh Harui mentioned now having cancer. Our chavurah extends to Junkoh, Chris, and their family our concern and deep prayers and hopes for his recovery, as well as thanks for the many blessings they have given to our island community.

AUGUST 23 “SHABBAT ON THE BEACH” SHABBAT BEACH PICNIC: bringing Peninsula Jewish communities together. PLEASE MARK YOUR CALENDARS!

Members of 7 Jewish Peninsula communities will gather Shabbat afternoon at the beach for festive 3rd meal potluck picnic, music, storytelling, and beach time. Carpooling is encouraged.

When: Saturday August 23, 2008 from 1 to 4 p.m.
Location: North Beach County Park, Port Townsend.

Covered picnic shelter, lawns, views of the straits plus Mt. Baker, and great beaches for long strolls, tidepooling, beachcombing, sunbathing, and swimming.

Food: Bring potluck dish to share. With intention for Conscious Consumption and inclusivity for various types of Kashrut observance and food allergies, we request 1) ingredient lists for prepared foods, and 2) vegetarian, vegan, or fish dishes (no fowl or mammal meat please).

To bring: Family & friends, lawn chairs / picnic blanket, musical instruments / Shabbat songs to share, Jewish stories to share, and beach attire (weather variable – dressing in layers is recommended).

Co-sponsors: Bet Shira of Port Townsend, Olympic B’nai Shalom Havurah of Sequim, Cong. Kol Shalom of Bainbridge Island, Cong. Beth Hatikvah of Bremerton, Shir Hayam of Bainbridge Island, Whidbey Island Jewish Community and Cong E Shalom of Vashon Island.

Event leaders: Perry Pinchas Spring – Coordinator (Bet Shira), Emily Katcher (Kol Shalom), Aliza Balk (Beth Hatikvah), Rolland Pfaff (Olympic Shalom), Sharon Rutzick (Shir Hayam), Aaron Coates (Whidbey Island), and others. Carpooling: Prospective drivers and riders, please consult your local community leadership for arrangements. Bet Shira will work to provide pickup and drop-off for ferry passengers from Whidbey.

Directions: On Hwy 20 N Port Townsend city limits follow downhill past stoplight Safeway (1.8 miles). Take Left turn at next stoplight – Kearney St (follow signs for Jefferson County Fairgrounds). Go past Food Coop on your right 5 blocks to T stop. Take Left turn onto Blaine Street and go down the hill. Take first Right turn onto San Juan Ave (toward Co. Fairgrounds). Follow North on San Juan Avenue (1.5 miles), till road bends left and becomes 49th St. Then take 1st Right turn onto Kuhn St (just before fairgrounds). Follow Kuhn 9 blocks to end @ 58th & Kuhn.

For more info: Perry Pinchas Spring at 360-385-6334 or director@sacrednature.net

HIGH HOLIDAYS:
Rabbi Hanna Tiferet Siegel will help lead our services this year and would like to work with members of our community. We already have a machzor, and Shir Hayam people have worked closely in the past with guest rabbis, such as Larry Gerstenhaber. It is an opportunity for both Hanna and our community. If you have any particular writings, music, or poetry that you would like to offer for the services, suggestions, or would like to work with Hanna on a part of the services, please contact either Julie Rosenblatt (842.5013) or Sharon Rutzick (842.8453). With participation, our lay leadership learns, gains confidence, and is strengthened.

NCJW Seattle Section offers you a sweet way to send Rosh Hashanah greetings to friends and family. We will send a festively wrapped 12-ounce bottle of honey, along with a special New Year’s greeting and explanation of the significance of this tradition to anyone you want in the United States. NCJW Honey

TIKKUN OLAM CORNER
If you have a favorite charity that you would like to profile here – please let me know.

This year the Tikkun Olam Committee dispersed our budget to the following organizations. Five percent of the Shir Hayam budget is earmarked for Tikkun Olam donations. Please contact the committee with suggestions for organizations you would like to see us support.

The Council for the Child
Established in 1980, the National Council for the Child is the oldest and largest organization of its kind in Israel. Representing the rights of all Israeli children, including Jews and Arabs, religious and secular, sick and healthy, immigrants and “Sabras”, the NCC operates on several complementary fronts as it seeks change in legislation, policy, and practice.

Dealing with a enormous spectrum of issues concerning education, health, children at risk, abuse, delinquency, legislation, media and consumerism, the NCC has succeeded in making real changes in the lives of thousands of children of all walks of life.

Jewish Publication Society Lost Bible/Title Sponsorship
“Lost Bible: Ancient Jewish Writings Relating to Scripture – Help us recover the lost library of ancient Israel. This 2-million word volume will bring together over 100 texts written by Jews during the period of the Second Temple (from the Apocrypha, Pseudepigrapha, the writings of Philo and others), translated into English and accompanied, for the first time, by a Jewish commentary. This monumental anthology, the product of an international team of over 70 scholars, sheds new light on the history of both Judaism and Christianity.

American Jewish World Services
Sudan Relief and Advocacy Fund
The brutal violence and forced displacement in Darfur, Sudan, directly affects more than four million people who are in dire need of humanitarian assistance. Over 450,000 people have been killed as a result of violence, hunger and disease.

The Jewish community has a particular moral responsibility to speak out and take action against ethnic cleansing and genocide. We must respond while there is still time, and save as many lives as we can.

Low Income Housing Institute in support of the recent closing of Serenity House on the island. Many of the residents transferred to the Frank Chopp Place in Bremerton.

Bainbridge CROP Hunger Walk, Save the Date

Please save Sunday afternoon, September 28, to join islanders of all faith traditions in our 13th annual CROP Hunger Walk. The walk benefits the Helpline House food bank, Fishline, and the hunger fighting projects in the U.S. and overseas. The Walk will begin and end at Eagle Harbor Church this year. Registration starts a 1:30 followed by the Walk at 2:00 p.m.

Over the last 12 years our community has raised $368,920 through our Walk, including $81,706 for Helpline House and Fishline. All donations this year will be matched, for the fifth time, by our anonymous donor. Please watch for the list of restaurants participating in CROP Restaurant Day on September 25th. They have agreed to share their profits that day with the Walk.

Denise Brown and Rachel Kerbrat will be available to answer questions. Walkers may also register on-line at Crop Walk Online.

What are CROP Hunger Walks?
They are neighbors from different faiths, cultures, and ages, walking together to take a stand against hunger in our world. Together we raise awareness and funds for international relief and development, as well as local hunger-fighting agencies. Some 2,000 communities across the country take part each year.

What does CROP mean?
Communities Responding to Overcome Poverty

What’s the point of walking?
Hungry people in developing countries typically walk as much as six miles a day to get food, water, and fuel, ant to take their goods to market. We walk to be in solidarity with their struggle for existence. We walk because they walk.

Where does the money go?
CROP Hunger Walks help fight hunger and poverty around the world, including the United States. In the last 20 years, Walks have raised over $264 million to assist those struggling to feed their families.

What makes CROP Hunger Walks special?
They are community-based and interfaith. They assist locally and globally. And Walk donors may designate their gifts to other approved international hunger-fighting agencies. No one else does that.

What difference does it make?
Funds raised in a CROP Hunger Walk assist people in need around the world. For example:
$72 can provide emergency food supplies for a family of five for a month.
$120 can enable three women to attend a literacy class for a year and change their lives forever.
$200 can provide a struggling farm family with a water buffalo to significantly increase their food production, as well as a strong back to carry produce to market.
$350 can enable the eldest in a child-headed household of AIDS orphans to receive vocational training so that they can support their siblings and themselves.
$1,050 can support community-based health, hygiene, and sanitation training for an entire community.

For more information about CROP Hunger Walks click on Crop Hunger Walk.

ANNUAL MEETING MINUTES 6/29/08

COMMUNITY REPORTS
—Community Presence: Has been helping to raise Shir Hayam’s visibility by our Adopt-a-Road sign on 305, by the availability of our newsletter, and by an ad in the Worship Directory of the Review until the end of December. Flyers have gone to the Chamber of Commerce and island realtors. We are on the Chamber’s website as well. From September 1 until the High Holidays, we will have an online auction and an article for the newspaper. Jeff Brown will also be writing an article for “Interfaith Reflections” in the Review as fall approaches.

Online Auction: Lisa Weiss will write an article for our newsletter describing the auction to members of the Shir Hayam community who will donate items along with photos of those items. There will probably be an August 15 deadline. Lisa will gather donations.

There have been problems with the Community Forums. The purposes of the Forums are to post meeting minutes, have on-line meetings, and enable good recordkeeping. Folks are having trouble logging on, so members are encouraged to use the Forums AND email as a backup. To log on, put in your first name, space, last name, and then choose your own password. There are more detailed instructions in every newsletter on how to do this. Contact Lisa Weiss if you have problems (780.0268).

—Adult Ed: Adult Ed events this year have included the weekly Torah Study, JLC morning adult meetings viewing “Jews in America” as well as book discussions, and the talk about Emanuel Levinas. We discussed trying to return to our original concept of a Jewish Learning Center – meaning our whole chavurah’s education in the broadest sense. The childrens’ school on Sunday could be referred to as the “school” portion of that Center. We want our children to know that we are a community of learners. To this end, when people meet to plan the year’s calendar of activities, Ruach, the School, and Adult Ed will all meet to plan and discuss where activities might mesh.

—Ruach: we discussed upcoming High Holiday plans with Rabbi Hanna Tiferet Siegel coming to help lead services. Since we already have the machzors, the services themselves are in place, and we are asking for members who might like to work on services with Hanna to contact Sharon Rutzick (842.8453).

—Tikkun Olam: This year, Denise Brown has been our participant in Super Supper for
Helpline, we have cleaned 305 in Adopt-a-Road, and we have distributed funds to a variety of local, national, and international worthy causes. Five percent of our dues go
to Tikkun Olam as well as contributions made to the Tikkun Olam fund. This year we gave out $680. In addition, the Kugelettes paid the year’s high school tuition for Rosario, a student Miriam Shakow met in Bolivia.

—Jewish Learning Center School: This year the school had 24 students, 4 teen teacher aides, and 4 adult teachers. Next year the school will be moving to a new location in Rolling Bay, and in September, there will be a moving party. Teaches for next year are in place and there will be 2 new families. Many thanks to Robin Simons and Hallie for hosting the school for many years in their home.

—Mitzvah Corps: Is anyone interested in serving as a point person for the Mitzvah Corps? This is an important need in the chavurah. A calendar program exists that we could and should use to schedule members’ assistance for families or individuals in need. We also want to encourage folks to call on the Mitzvah Corps when they could use help.
If you are willing to serve as point person, contact Sue Steindorf (842.8674).

BUDGET
Denise Brown reported that we still have $800 in the General Fund that has not been spent this year. The Coordinating Committee asked each committee for their line item requests for next year. They were: Community Presence $250 Adult Education $600 Ruach $7000 Tikkun Olam 5% of total membership dues pledged Jewish Learning Center School $2500 Administrative $2900
The largest jump was in the request from Ruach for $7000 for this year’s budget. Last year’s $2300 Ruach budget was supplemented by $4500 additional funds raised from members to bring Hanna and Daniel and Arik as guest leaders. Since there was such a
positive response to these guest rabbis, Ruach wants to have them return, and to build in to our actual budget the funds to do this. This large budget request from Ruach would necessitate raising Shir Hayam dues.

ISSUE: SHOULD WE RAISE DUES TO MEET RUACH’S BUDGET REQUEST?
After a lengthy discussion, those in attendance agreed that we should raise the suggested dues per household to $475. This is important because 1) dues have not been raised in six years, and 2) it institutionalizes what we want to do based on community input. Even with this raise in suggested member contributions, Ruach understands that to bring guests, we may still have to do additional fundraising. Ruach also understands that if members’ contributions fall short, Ruach will not be fully funded, with its budget cut first before those of the other committees (listed above).

VISIONING MEETING
It was felt that we should have a yearly Visioning Meeting. Paul Travis suggested that in the future, we combine our Annual Meeting with Visioning, and that perhaps this meeting should happen before school ends, and have children be an integral part of Visioning. It would be lovely to have this at a park, beginning with a family gathering and breaking for the meeting. Those present agreed with this idea.

COORDINATING COMMITTEE
Welcome to new members Robin Simons and Paul Travis who will be joining Jeff Brown, David Cowan, and Cay Vandervelde as Coordinators. Yesher Koach!

HAPPENING IN SEATTLE

Jewish Community Day – Sunday, August 24
Athletics vs. Mariners – 1:10 PM

Gather your friends and family members and celebrate Jewish Community Day at Safeco Field! Special discounted seating has been reserved and is available for you to purchase online. The deadline to purchase tickets through this special online offer is August 21 at 5:00 pm.

Pricing:
• $17 View Reserved Seats (normally $20)
• $32 Field Seats (normally $40)

Highlights:
• Receive a free Jewish Community Day t-shirt when you purchase tickets through this special offer! Pick up your gift by presenting your ticket at the table located outside either Section 144 or Section 335 by the end of the 4th inning.
• All kids in attendance are invited to run around the bases post-game!

To order tickets: Click Here

ON-GOING
Do you know or are you a Jewish student in financial need who is attending or planning to attend the UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON? If so, applications for the BEROL-SHINDELL SCHOLARSHIP are available from Hillel at the University of Washington or at your counselor’s office. The deadline for this scholarship’s application is May 3, 2008. Hillel Foundation for jewish Life at the university of Washington 206.527.1997 Hillel UW

Aug 3, 10:20 AM