Chadashot*
The latest news* of all things
youth and education
at Adat Shalom Reconstructionist Congregation

Issue 12
November 21, 2019
23 Cheshvan 5780
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Adat Shalom will be a busy place this Shabbat! Galeet Dardashti will be joining us in the Main Sanctuary to share her musical gifts that reflect her deep Persian Jewish roots and her innovative approach to the evolution of Jewish culture and spiritual life. 

Our Torah School students, and any other children who wish, can join in our celebration of the Ethiopian Jewish Holiday of Sig'd, celebrated on the 29th of Cheshvan. It is 50 days after Yom Kippur, and according to Ethiopian Jewish tradition, is the date when God was revealed to Moses. We'll learn the traditional dance, eat some special foods and parade with our special Sig'd umbrellas that we made last week (see above photo). It's also a tradition to wear white!

Look around the synagogue lobby for a sampling of Peace Doves designed by Kitah Hey. This multi-week project gave our students the chance to engage in some tactile learning while studying the early stories of the Torah -- Creation and Noah. They added some expressions of Chesed -- Kindness that you'll see on a poster on the wall near the hanging doves. We are delighted that our art program gives our students this creative opportunity to express their Jewish learning.

And as we approach this secular season of Thanksgiving, I want to express my gratitude to you for engaging in our community of learners. I've learned a great deal from our students, our teachers, the parents, and the wider Adat Shalom community. Thank you for continuing to support our efforts.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rena
Rena Milchberg
Interim Education Coordinator

PS. Chadashot is taking next week off -- we'll see you back on December 5!

Adat Shalom Fills Your Spiritual, Social and Scholarly Interests!

Galeet Dardashti joins us as part of the Allan Schwarz Musical Shabbaton. This annual Shabbaton is generously dedicated to the memory of Allan Schwarz by his family, Rabbi Sid Schwarz, Sandy Pearlstein and their children.


Chanukah Celebration -- Sunday, December 15 at 4PM -- We'll start our Chanukah celebrating a little early with a program for kids of all ages. What's your favorite latke accompaniment? Sour cream? Applesauce? Sugar? Details to follow after Thanksgiving.

More Chanukah! -- Friday, December 20 -- Shabbat Chanukah Dinner and Services with the Gay Men's Chorus of Washington and the Adat Shalom Choir . That may blow the roof off the Sanctuary.
Ice Skating for Middle Schoolers

Calling all Adat Shalomers in Grades 6-8! Grab your friends and lace up your skates -- or rent them on Saturday, November 23 at 7:30 at the Cabin John Ice Rink.

Join us for pizza at 7:30 at the rink cafeteria, followed by ice skating at 8:30. Adat Shalom will pick up the cost of pizza. Please send your kids with cash for skating and rentals. Older siblings welcome. We'll have grown up chaperones so you can drop your kids and go!

Idan is coming and he's never been on skates before! That alone will be worth the price of admission. You can count in Hebrew how many times he falls down!

RSVP here!
Off, Off, OMG SO FAR OFF Broadway

It's that time of year when the weather is getting colder and we already start looking forward to Spring - and Spring means Purim, and Purim means Purim Shpiel! And Ken Avner is the jester to impress.

This year's Shpiel will be on Sunday, March 8th (the day before it's actually Purim, so more people can participate), and the theme will be ...

We can't tell you. Not because we don't want to, but because we haven't picked one yet. If you want to be part of the team that selects the theme and builds the Shpiel, bit by bit, song by song, pun by pun and joke by joke, we will be having a planning session get-together in the Teen Lounge at Adat Shalom (go downstairs, turn left, go to the end of the hall) on Sunday, December 8th from 10am to noon. Please attend if you can help in putting the Shpiel together, writing song parodies, writing the jokes that go between them, directing scenes, stuff like that. There will be a call for cast members / actors / singers / tech crew later: this is the get-it-off-the-ground event.

If you're interested, please join us at the meeting. If you can provide any other kind of support (you're a graphics or advertising whiz, you've got mad scheduling skillz, etc) let me know about those, and we'll put you to use!

December 8 at 10am, Adat Shalom Teen Lounge. See you there!
STAY JEWISH THIS SUMMER

Okay, it's cold and nasty outside but the days will get longer and the flowers will bloom. And then school will be out and your kids will have NOTHING to do! Yikes! Send them to camp! But which camp? Many Jewish camps from across the ideological spectrum and independent ones as well, will be attending the:


Others you may want to learn more about include:

Camp Havaya. Havaya is the incredibly diverse and welcoming community where kids explore Judaism in their own ways and become the best versions of themselves. Camp Havaya is one of the Havaya Summer Programs -- proudly Reconstructionist communities open to all.


Eden Village Camp: The Innovative Jewish Farm Camp might be a great fit for your child! While not affiliated with Adat Shalom or the Reconstructionist movement, its values are closely aligned with all that Adat Shalom holds dear. Peter and Chaya Richman, parents of 2 Eden Village campers who happen to belong to Adat Shalom, invite you to an Open House to learn more about this amazing camp.