CU Jewish Weekly Announcements
Friday, January 22, 2021
Candlelighting 1/22 at 4:42 pm • Shabbat ends 1/23 at 5:45 pm
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Holocaust Education Center of CUJF - What does it do? by Brian Kahn, Center Chairman |
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The Holocaust Education Center of CUJF brings together a small group of local educators and Jewish community members, whose mission it is to provide resources, speakers, and professional development opportunities for local teachers as they strive to meet the Illinois State Mandate for teaching the Holocaust and contemporary genocide (please click here for full text of the 1990 and revised 2006 mandate). In addition to our Holocaust Trunk Project (free loan of classroom materials for area teachers), we also provide professional development opportunities for all teachers in ROE 9 and 54, including funding for conferences and presentations, online learning experiences, local speakers sharing stories of family involvement during the Holocaust, and opportunities to share student work online and in person. Over the past twenty years, this group has organized and presented numerous workshops in Champaign and Urbana schools utilizing our local experts, as well as inviting national organizations to present including the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), the Jewish Partisans Education Foundation (JPEF), and the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM).
Who's involved?
Presently, the members of the HEC include area teachers Bob Lehmann, Rebecca Lawson, Valerie Prescott along with Jewish community members William Gingold, Robin Goettel, Yael Gertner, Katherine Coyle, and Don Francisco. I have served as the chair for this group since the late 1990’s and am a retired teacher/professor of social studies education. I have recently completed my training to serve as a mentor/facilitator for the ADL’s Echoes and Reflections Holocaust and Genocide education programs. While the lineup of committee members has changed a little over the past twenty years, the group remains committed to providing services to the community that will enhance the quality of meaningful instruction as teachers address the difficult task of teaching and learning about the Holocaust and contemporary genocide.
What are the benefits to our Jewish Community?
Over the years, we have served dozens of area teachers by providing guidance, free use of classroom materials, and numerous opportunities to enhance their own learning by way of online coursework, seminars, and interactive workshops. Currently, one of our members (Bob) organized and is still co-conducting a three-session Zoom conference addressing the needs of meeting the state mandate for teaching the Holocaust and genocide. The Zoom conferences began in August and will conclude later in January. Fifteen area teachers will have spent fifteen hours participating in these sessions, as presenters from Gratz College and USHMM share their expertise. In addition, all participants are required to complete a lesson or unit plan based on their new learning, which will be shared on the HEC website. In this way, the HEC has made resources available to all community members in the hopes of advancing the cause of Holocaust education. Our continued hope is that more members of the Jewish community will use the resources of the HEC to spark their own interests and understanding of the Holocaust. We are currently working to connect the Jewish community with a wide array of resources addressing the current state of antisemitism in the United States and the world at large.
Has Holocaust Education changed over the years?
The initial state mandate (1991) only addressed the teaching of the Holocaust. Few guidelines were given and there was no local or national curriculum to follow. The mandate was expanded in 2006 to include other examples of genocide such as Cambodia, Rwanda, Armenia, and Bosnia. Still, there has been no additional guidance from the state; teachers largely depend on organizations such as the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, the Illinois Holocaust Museum, the Anti-Defamation League, and Yad Vashem for guidance in planning and preparation of meaningful classroom learning experiences. It has been our experience that many teachers are driven by their own passion and resourcefulness as they approach this difficult topic. As stated previously, the primary goal of the HEC continues to be providing resources and guidance for local educators, parents, and students. The knowledge of these events continues to grow as time passes and the real challenge for educators remains to attempt to keep current on new information being published. Today, there is a much greater emphasis on using primary source documents/materials in the classroom, including a vast amount of first-hand accounts available on the USHMM website and through the Shoah Foundation’s program I Witness.
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Commemorate the Holocaust
January 27 @ 4-5:30pm via Zoom
Tune in on Zoom to hear from Champaign-Urbana community members, Nina Raab, Max Libman, and Linda Bauer, as they each share the stories of their family in the Holocaust.
This program has been kindly cosponsored by: Allan and Karen Zarembski in memory of the Goldberg and Zarembski family members killed in the Holocaust; the Initiative in Holocaust, Genocide, and Memory Studies; the Program in Jewish Culture & Society; Sinai Temple; Champaign-Urbana Jewish Federation
This program is supported by allocations from CUJF.
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"It Never Was You - Jazz by Jewish Composers"
Shabbat Shirah is the Sabbath of Singing. Many congregations highlight this Shabbat by creating services brimming with extraordinary music to celebrate Moses and Miriam leading the Israelites across the Sea of Reeds (The Red Sea) and out of Egypt.
On January 30th at 6:30 pm CMT NYC-based vocalist Hadar, and her all-star NYC-based band of Jewish musicians, are performing a LIVE FULL BAND virtual concert of songs from the Great American Songbook, and the funny, fascinating, and heart wrenching stories of the Jewish composers who wrote the vast majority of it.
This intimate and innovative evening gives participants from around the country the opportunity to interact live with one another and the artist, as she breathes new life into some of the most iconic songs in history using unique arrangements and cutting edge video technology. After the performance there will also be a Q & A.
Hadar hails from TLV and since graduating from the Berklee College of Music has gone on to perform for such audiences as Barack Obama, George W Bush, Bill Clinton, and Ehud Barack, to name a few. In December of 2019 Hadar released her album "It Never Was You - Jazz by Jewish composers" to critical acclaim to honor the enormous contribution made by Jewish composers to the distinctly american art form of jazz. To listen to the music and learn more please click HERE.
Grab a bottle of wine, order some takeout and cozy up on your favorite couch for a night you won't soon forget! A private link to the show will be provided on 1/28 for privacy purposes.
No registration required. A private link to the show will be emailed to everyone on January 28.
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Illini Chabad Upcoming Course:
Journey of the Soul
February 3 - March 10
6:30 pm - 8:00 pm
Who hasn’t wondered what happens when we die? We know what happens to the body. But what happens to the soul at birth and again at death? Is there really a “better” place after this one? Do our loved ones continue to connect with us? Can I relate to an afterlife if I’m not spiritual?
At once practical and powerful, reflective and relatable, Journey of the Soul teaches a Jewish perspective on life that begins before birth and lasts well after a person’s passing. It’s a journey we all take, and it’s yours to explore this winter.
We thank the CUJF for their financial partnership in making this possible!
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Who said there are no kosher eateries in Champaign-Urbana? Yes, we have that!
Did you ever feel like you want to go out for a full gourmet dinner, and kosher too? How about meeting someone over lunch? Or take either to go? Yes, CU does have restaurant style Kosher meals. Hot and fresh daily.
Chabad, in partnership with the University of Illinois, has a full Kosher Meal Program open to all. Each day it's a all you can eat buffet:
Lunch served Monday-Thursday @ 11:00-1:30 pm
Dinner served Sunday-Thursday @ 4:45-6:15 pm
You can pay for your all-you-can-eat buffet at the door. While sit in dining is not permitted due to covid, you can then come in make a take out meal.
Under the strict supervision of Rabbi Dovid Tiechtel of Illini Chabad.
Would you like to cater your next event, and fully kosher? Yes, we can do that as well. Reach out for more info.
Part of the Illini Chabad programing to expand Kosher options in CU.
Kosher meals are served in Allen Hall dining room in the Lincoln Avenue Dining Hall (LAR), 1005 W. Gregory Dr., Urbana Monday through Thursday for lunch from 11 a.m to 1:30 p.m. and dinner from 4:45 to 6:15 p.m. during the academic year while the dining halls are in operation. These Kosher meals are under the certification of Rabbi Dovid Tiechtel of Illini Chabad and is in partnership with Illini Chabad. In addition, Kosher shelf-stable or frozen meals are available upon request in all dining halls. Kosher shelf-stable meals as well as other kosher products are available for purchase in the dining retail locations 57-North in the SDRP, Chomps at ISR, and Penn Station in PAR. Packaged kosher meals that were prepared in the Kosher Kitchen are also available for purchase in the Illini Union Quad Shop.
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Monday at 10:00 am and Thursday at 12:00 pm
For the week of January 25, we will continue our exploration of Jewish comedians with a look at the work of Elaine May and Mike Nichols on Monday, January 25 at 10 AM.
We maintain an archive of all Adult Education sessions for those who are unable to attend them live. They can be found by clicking here:
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Hope and Dignity:
Ray Spooner’s End of Life Story
By Rae Spooner
January 28, 2021 12:00 PM - 1:30 PM CT
"My husband, Ray, who died from ALS in 2016, exemplified how to live while dying. Ray was first diagnosed with ALS in December 2014. At an early appointment with his neurologist, he knew what was on his bucket list. His list included a Bar Mitzvah, spending more time with family, and a bike ride across the United States to raise money and build awareness for ALS. In fact, my husband’s story made national headlines in October of 2015 when he set out to ride across the nation from San Diego, CA, to St. Augustine, FL.
My husband kicked off the 3,095-mile cycling trip by dipping the rear wheel of his bike into the Pacific Ocean on October 18, 2015. Unfortunately, Ray fell on the fifth day of his journey and could not continue his ride due to multiple injuries. Through his blog (Rayslittleride.com), he encouraged people around the world to complete the miles he was unable to ride. People took up the call by donating enough ridden miles to “go to the moon” and raised over $57,000 for research for a cure of ALS. Back home, in hospice, we planned for Ray’s last day. We were able to invite family to say goodbye and express their love for Ray. The hospice team kept Ray comfortable at home in his last moments of life and ensured he had the calm death he hoped for. Ray died peacefully on August 8, 2016, surrounded by his family. Ray’s story helps us all to think about issues that we will face at the end of our lives. Ray allowed me and our family to face the challenges of a terminal illness with grace and acceptance. Ray taught all of us how to live while dying.
Faced with the prospect of our own mortality because of COVID-19, this is a good time to revisit Ray’s story. Please join me in watching a short documentary about Ray’s life and death."
Rae Spooner is a retired special education teacher from who lives in Urbana, Illinois, and continues to tell Ray’s story.
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You are invited to join a special virtual reading of excerpts from 18 young writers' diaries from the Holocaust to commemorate International Holocaust Remembrance Day and the 76th anniversary of the Liberation of Auschwitz.
Narrated by Liev Schreiber, and featuring readings from Mayim Bialik, Mandy Gonzalez, Daniel Kahn, Adam Kantor, Telly Leung, Caissie Levy, Stephanie Lynn Mason, Zalmen Mlotek, Amit Rahav, Eleanor Reissa, Yelena Schmulenson, Alexandra Silber, Abby Stein, Danny Strong, and Michael Zegen. The program was curated and scripted by Alexandra Zapruder, the author of Salvaged Pages, a pioneering work on young diarists of the Holocaust. By giving a voice to the written words of some of the Nazis' youngest victims, we will honor their memories and learn from their courageous and resilient spirits.
All event contributions support the Museum's mission of Holocaust education and remembrance, ensuring the lessons from the past are never forgotten.
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Social Justice Film Series
January 24-February 6
This January, the JCC Chicago Jewish Film Festival is back with our second virtual Social Justice Film Series. Our kickoff to 2021 is comprised of six highly compelling films, most with pre-recorded Q&As available following the film to view at your leisure. This series focuses on antisemitism, human rights, the Holocaust, and issues impacting people who are differently abled to explore, educate, inform and ignite important conversation.
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Free Chair Yoga Class
RESTORE: Chair Yoga and Mindfulness with Robin
Robin is a certified Lakshmi Voelker Chair Yoga instructor and has practiced and studied a variety of styles of yoga for 40 years. She also participated in the UI Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy course. She has a passion for promoting health and wellness and teaches chair yoga throughout the CU area.
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Champaign-Urbana Jewish Federation seeks to represent a variety of views and opinions on subjects of interest to the extremely diverse and well-educated community of which it is a part. The events announced and the views presented do not necessarily represent the opinion of CUJF, its officers, board, or members of the Champaign-Urbana Jewish community.
Your support helps us continue our mission to serve the Jewish Community! Please send donations and land mail to CUJF's mailing address: Champaign-Urbana Jewish Federation, 503 E. John St., Champaign, IL 61820.
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. . . and remember - together we do extraordinary things! |
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