Shabbat Shalom!
It was wonderful to see more than 115 households on zoom Thursday night to hear from The Son of Hamas: Mosab Hassan Yousef. Mosab’s story was fascinating as it took us on his journey and the aftermath of becoming an asset for the Shin Bet, Israel’s internal security service. Mr. Yousef is a modern-day hero who was instrumental in saving the lives of many Israeli citizens. I am so pleased that The Birmingham Jewish Federation was able to bring this program to our community. For those of you who may have missed it or would like to view it again, you may do so by clicking here. You may also want to check out his documentary, The Green Prince, to hear his whole story.
This week’s Torah portion Is Vayakhel-Pekudei (Exodus 35:1-40:38). During the first part of the portion Moses teaches the Israelites the rules of Shabbat:
“Moses then convoked the whole Israelite community and said to them: These are the things that the Eternal has commanded you to do: On six days work may be done, but on the seventh day you shall have a sabbath of complete rest, holy to the Eternal; whoever does any work shall be put to death. You shall kindle no fire throughout your settlements on the sabbath day”.
I bring up the Torah portion this week, not only because we are about to bring in Shabbat, but also because this parsha may be one of the first references in the Torah (albeit subtle) to taking care of one’s mental and physical health.
To me, the beauty of Judaism is the room for interpretation. I read that passage and it says to me – “Danny work hard all week and pour yourself into your commitments, then take a day for yourself. Turn off the smartphone, the email, and the television and recharge, if not it could be detrimental to your health. Oh, and it might be a good idea to order take- out”!
I don’t write this to you as a joke, in fact, I am quite serious about the lessons of mental and physical health that lie in the subtext. Over the last year, Shabbat has come every 7th day as usual, but our lives have been far from normal. In an age of the pandemic where the buzz words were “Zoom”, “Grubhub or Door Dash” and “Amazon Delivery”, did any of us get any real rest, or did we become slaves to technology and fear? I think only we can answer those questions for ourselves.
With the vaccines rolling out it is my hope that we can celebrate Shabbat as we have in the past, surrounded by family and friends around the dinner table and in our synagogues. With that, I said I also have two wishes to make. I wish that the Zoom fatigue of meetings becomes happy gatherings of old and new friends. I wish that one day when our children hear the word Amazon they will think of the Amazon rainforest rather than Amazon Delivery that brought things to our home without human contact to help keep us safe!
On this day where G-d commanded us to celebrate Shabbat and make it holy, I ask you to consider what you want to reassess or renew to make it the day of rest we all know each of us needs. If you don’t know, that’s cool – you have this Shabbat to figure it out!
Campaign season is underway! I hope you’ve had the opportunity to make your 2021 campaign commitment. (Click here to make a gift).
Our entire community is grateful for your support.
Wishing you a restful Shabbat full of renewal and a week of peace.
B’Shalom,
Danny
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See your Federation dollars at work! |
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Myron Radwin, a Birmingham
Jewish community leader,
turns 100 on April 6!
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Myron Radwin, former President of Temple Beth El in Birmingham and founder of its Men's Club, will be 100 years old on April 6.
Temple Beth El and the Temple Beth-El Foundation are t
teaming up to place a commemorative stone on the Tree of Life in the Kimerling Chapel and to benefit the Jill Radwin Confirmation Trip Fund. Payment can be made online here, and enter "Myron Radwin's 100th" in the Notes section.
Or send check, payable to Temple Beth El, PO Box 550220, Birmingham, AL 35255.
Learn more about Myron here
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YBIB Top Golf Night and Passover Bags! |
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JCRC Lunch and Learn Program |
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On Wednesday, March 24th, join us for a frank look at the challenges and issues facing our prison system and what our state government is doing to address over incarceration
in our state.
The JCRC Lunch & Learn series are an effort to raise awareness in our Jewish community about area organizations and people who are working to repair our world. This program is being offered in conjunction with Temple Beth El’s Tirdof series. Tirdof programs provide opportunity for reflection, conversation and action.
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Jewish Summer Camp:
Scholarships Available
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There is great hope that the Summer of 2021 will see Jewish summer camps once again be filled with fellowship, fun and great learning experiences. Most Jewish camps cancelled their 2020 sessions due to COVID-19 but are gearing up to welcome campers back in 2021. Collat Jewish Family Services, with support from the Birmingham Jewish Foundation, is ready to help families apply for both local and regional scholarships.
Although many Jewish camp scholarships are awarded based on financial need, campers currently in grades 1 through 9 who will be experiencing their FIRST Jewish sleepaway camp experience are also eligible for a one-time $1,500 grant with no financial need requirement. This special funding is offered through the Goldring Jewish Summer Camp Experience Incentive Grant Program.
In addition, need-based scholarships are available for campers of all ages, regardless of camp experience, through the Birmingham Jewish Foundation, Jewish Children’s Regional Services, many synagogues and many of the camps themselves. Application deadlines are SOON so begin your application process today.
In past years, scholarship funds have been used to help Birmingham families send their children to an array of Jewish camps, including:
To learn more about Jewish camp scholarships and how to apply, contact Lynn Rathmell,
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Nosh and Learn Takeout Tour: Jewish Birmingham and Civil Rights
March 14 @ 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Temple Beth-El
Please join us for our 2021 Annual Fundraiser—a COVID-safe, family-friendly progressive driving supper throughout Birmingham. The driving dinner and history tour will take place on Sunday, March 14, 2021 from 1:00-4:00pm. The tour route and historical content is being developed in partnership with the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute and a portion of the funds raised for this event will be donated to the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute. The event, “Intersections of Judaism and Civil Rights in Birmingham,” is our first ever “Nosh & Learn” takeout tour. Along the tour route, participants will learn about civil rights and Jewish history in the comfort of your car with food stops along the way. Your tour will be guided by a podcast narrated by community leaders as well as a tour booklet which will explain the nuances of the Jewish story in conversation with the civil rights movement in Birmingham, Alabama.
This driving tour is a sneak peek into the development of the Beth El Civil Rights Experience; a multimedia project focused on this underexplored history, coming to Birmingham Fall 2021. The Beth El Civil Rights Experience includes the implementation of a visitor’s site, creation of a short documentary film and app-based audio tour, and public-facing programming on Civil Rights past and present. Each car rider must have a dinner ticket. Each ticket includes a tour booklet, snacks, and dinner on-the-go.
Prayers for a Year of COVID-19 with
Southside Faith Communities
March 15th 6:30PM
Southside Faith Communities
Including Temple Beth-El and Temple Emanu-El
As we approach a year of living with the COVID-19 pandemic, let's gather as a community to grieve, hope and pray. This virtual program will allow us to gather in interfaith community, and there will be a chance to offer up the names of loved ones who are sick or who have been lost to COVID-19, as well as to prayer for other types of loss had during this year, and to foster hope together. This program will bring together members of the Southside Faith Community, and will include words of welcome from Mayor Randall Woodfin.
"The New Jewish Canon”:
A Conversation about Contemporary Judaism
March 16 @ 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
Temple Beth-El
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?
March 17 @ 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM
Temple Beth-El
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: Click here to register!
Podcast Dinner Club: Political theology, Messianism and Zionism with The Jewish Story
March 18 @ 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM
Temple Beth-El
A new series of Podcast Dinner Clubs are ideal for busy people who love learning! Structured like a book club, we’ll meet each session with a different host and listen together to segments of a podcast, pausing for discussion. Podcast dinner clubs come with free snack drop-offs for those who register in advance, so that we can nosh and socialize!
For our second session we will be listening to an episode of The Jewish Story: A Wandering Jewish History Podcast, titled, “The re-emergence of political theology and messianism in 1948.” You don’t need to listen ahead of time, or know anything about these subjects to participate. Just come ready to discuss, learn and have fun! Register here.
Mensch Adventures
March 21 @ 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Temple Beth-El
Sunday afternoon, in-person, socially-distant, outdoor adventures for the sake of building empathy, integrity, kindness, and civic-mindedness. During our monthly adventures, we will focus on building our awareness of contemporary social challenges and Torah’s power to help us be better thinkers, feelers, and doers. Students will need to wear masks at all times and we ask that you bring your own kosher-style snacks and water bottles. This is a program organized out of Beth El for 4th-8th graders.
It is open to all children in the community. Contact Margaret if you are interested in participating or would like more information (mnorman@templebet-el.net).
PJ Library’s : Passover, Its in the Bag!
– Its Crunch Time!
March 21 @ 3:30 PM - 4:30 PM
PJ Library
Its in the Bag monthly programs from PJ Library.
Your Bag has ingredients for Passover friendly granola. Zoom in to make it together. Register here!
Introduction to Judaism with
Rabbi Adam Wright
March 23 @ 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Temple Emanu-El
Join us for an engaging 12-session course for anyone interested in exploring Jewish life. Open to all, this course is perfect for interfaith couples, those rearing Jewish children, spiritual seekers, individuals considering a “return” – (conversion), and Jews who want a meaningful adult Jewish learning experience. Our programs welcome people from all backgrounds. Topics include holidays, life cycle celebrations, theology and core beliefs, prayer, Torah, history, antisemitism, and the Holocaust, Zionism, and Israel, the North American Jewish experience, and the tapestry of the Jewish people today. Register here.
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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The Birmingham Jewish Federation
@jewishbirmingham
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