Shalom chavareem,

We have the following tidbits to share with you:

Looking Back, Looking ahead: As we continue a time of reflection and introspection in preparation for the high holy days, we think about how we want to change for the better. In this issue, Amy Cohen Efron presents a vlog of her sermon on the benefits of taking risks.

Are You Looking for a High Holy Day Service? The Jewish Deaf Resource Center compiled a list of congregations and organizations that will offer ASL interpreters and/or captioning services during the High Holy Days. These services are available either in person and/or will be livestreamed through Zoom. This list will be updated, as needed, at the JDRC's website, www.jdrc.org, It is available at this link: https://conta.cc/3YPXQWB.

JDRC will reshare any new announcements from congregations offering ASL interpreters and/or captioning services on its Facebook page, which can be found by typing the "Jewish Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Resource Center" name in the search field.

Register for ASL High Holy Day services hosted by the ASL Shabbat Coalition in collaboration with the Washington Society of Jewish Deaf. Registration for these services is also on the JDRC's list of congregations and organizations.

Yizkor Memorial Listing: ASC is accepting donations for the Yizkor Memorial listing. Information on how to list and donate to the ASL Shabbat Coalition is available in this issue.

Prayer Leaders Needed: The ASL Shabbat Coalition continues to accept names of individuals available to do prayers or readings during the High Holy Days. If you are interested, email the Spiritual Service Team at aslshabbatcoalition@gmail.com.

Share away! Please share this eNews with your family and friends. If you are not already a subscriber of ASL Shabbat Coalition's email list, email us your full name and email address at aslshabbatcoalition@gmail.com.

We warmly wish you a meaningful time of reflection and introspection.

See you at the ASL High Holy Days!

Shabbat shalom!

Members of the ASL Shabbat Coalition and friends,

Hillel at Gallaudet, JDC, and JDRC

Visual description: Amy Cohen Efron, a white female with short reddish hair with bangs brushed to the side, is wearing a black short sleeved v-neck lined blouse and glasses. She is a wearing a necklace of green stones. She is seated in front of a green background. The video is captioned. To see the transcript of the signed message, visit this link.

TRUE OR FALSE: Which is true? What is not? In the last issue, we shared High Holy Day resources. The holidays that follow the high holy days include Sukkot, Simchat Torah, and Shemini Atzeret.

Sukkot begins Friday evening, September 29, and continues until Friday, October 6, 2023. Shemini Atzeret begins on Friday, October 6, and continues until Sunday, October 8. Simchat Torah is on Saturday, October 7 - Sunday, October 8.

Learn more about these holidays. Find the answers in the articles listed in the sources section below.

1. ____The Jewish holidays that follow Yom Kippur are Simchat Torah and Shemini Atzeret.
2. ____Shemini Atzeret means the “Eighth Day of Assembly,” while Simchat Torah means “Rejoicing in Torah.”
3. ____The significance of Shemini Atzeret is not clear.
4. ____At Simchat Torah, we participate in the Torah service where we read the final portion of the Torah.
5. ____As a custom, before we begin the Torah service, selected congregants are invited to take the Torah scrolls from the ark and parade them around the synagogue. In celebration, there is dancing, drinking, and singing.
6. ____Sukkot is a biblical harvest holiday.
7. ____Sukkahs are built to resemble the houses the Israelites used as shelter while wandering the desert for 40 years!
8. ____Eating and sleeping in the sukkah is required for adult males. Women, children, and those who are not well are exempt.
9. ____It takes nearly an entire year for a very specialized scribe to create a Torah!
10. ____The entire process of writing a Torah takes about one year and can range in price from $1,000 to $ 5,000. The scroll itself is made from parchment - which means that the skin is taken from a kosher animal and is sown together in panels.

SOURCES:

Shemeni Atzeret/Simchat Torah 101 (My Jewish Learning)

https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/shemini-atzeretsimchat-torah-101/

7 Facts About Sukkot That Are Cause for Celebration (Kveller)

https://www.kveller.com/7-facts-about-sukkot-that-are-cause-for-celebration/

7 Joyous Facts about Torah (Kveller)

https://www.kveller.com/7-joyous-facts-about-the-torah/

Happy birthday to our celebrants!

• Brianne Burger
• Susan F. Cohen
• Kitty Fischer
• Lance Fischer
• Hillel Goldberg
• Fred Hartman
• Andrea Kurs

• Steve Lovi
• Ann Meehan
• Michael Pilson
• Dr. Steven Rattner
• Jaime Recht
• Doug Ridloff

Happy Anniversary to our celebrants!

• Susan and Jeff Cohen - (9/1) - 43 years
• David Birnbaum and Joan Raciti - (9/7) - 38 years

Condolences

• Sarah Steele, mother of Bob Steele. May her life be for a blessing.

For the next issue, let us know if you are celebrating a birthday, anniversary or a milestone. Email us at aslshabbatcoalition@gmail.com.

JDC - Havurah Circle Chat for Women: The Spiritual Meaning of Mikveh (online)

Lecturer: Larisa Aranbayeva

Tuesday, September 12, 2023

7:30 - 9:00 PM EST

Register for Zoom link at www.jewishdeafcongress.org

Members - Free

Non-members - $25.00

ASL Shabbat Coalition - Virtual ASL High Holidays

• Virtual ASL Rosh Hashanah

Friday, September 15, 2023, 7:00 PM EST

Register for a Zoom meeting link: https://tinyurl.com/ASCErevRH

• Virtual ASL Yom Kippur Closing Service

Monday, September 25, 2023, 5:30 PM EST

Register for a Zoom meeting link: https://tinyurl.com/ASCClosingYK

For more information, email ASL Shabbat Coalition, aslshabbatcoalition@gmail.com.

JDC - L'Chaim Learning: Creating a Jewish Life That Matters (online)

Lecturer: Marina Fanshteyn

Thursday, September 21, 2023

7:00 - 8:30 PM EST

Register for a Zoom link at www.jewishdeafcongress.org

Members - Free

Non-members - $25.00

JDC: A Bar/B'nai Mitzvah Journey Program in ASL (for families)

Coordinator and Instructor: Hillel Goldberg

October 8, 2023 - April 7, 2024

1:00 - 2:00 PM EST

Register at www.jewishdeafcongress.org

Melton in ASL/JDRC- Love, Loss, and Wisdom (online)

Faculty - Rabbi Rebecca L. Dubowe

Wednesdays, October 11, 18, 25, and Nov. 1, 8, 15, 2023 (6 weeks)

7:00 - 8:30 PM EST

For more info and to RSVP: www.meltonschool.org/jdrc

Fee: $75.00 (partially funded by JDRC's operating grant from UJA Federation of New York)

WSJD - WSJD's 50th Anniversary (In Person)

Sunday, October 15, 2023

1:00 - 4:00 PM EST

Black Rock Arts Center

Germantown, Maryland

Ticket fee: $75.00 (Individuals), $25.00 (Children), $175 (Family with at least one child)

Register at wsjdeaf.com/events/50th-anniversary-celebration

JDRC/Union for Reform Judaism - Introduction to Judaism taught in ASL (online)

Faculty - Rabbi Rebecca L. Dubowe

Mondays, October 16, 2023 - March 25, 2024 (20 weeks)

8:00 - 9:30 PM EST

RSVP: https://tinyurl.com/4aznbvmw

Fee:  $180.00 (partially funded by JDRC's operating grant from UJA Federation of New York)

The ASL Shabbat Coalition is compiling a list of names of individuals you want to remember during the Yizkor memorial service that will take place on Yom Kippur.

To list your loved ones, donate a minimum of $18.00 or in chai multiples. We will list names on a slide that will be shown during the closing Yom Kippur service.

Donate no later than 12:00 p.m., September 20, 2023.

To donate, go to https://donatenow.networkforgood.org/JDRC.

When you fill out the form, please note that under the "I want my donation dedicated to:" box, you will be given two options: ASL Shabbat and JDRC. Select "ASL Shabbat Coalition."

Example:

Under "I want my donation to be dedicated in memory of ____________, father of ____________ or remembered by ________family.

Questions? Email us at aslshabbatcoalition@gmail.com.

Special thanks go to Caption Anywhere for their captioning and video editing services.

Special thanks go to JDRC's grant through UJA-Federation of New York for partially funding ASL Shabbat.

This event is made possible through a collaborative effort of three organizations that comprise the ASL Shabbat Coalition (ASC): Hillel at Gallaudet, Jewish Deaf Congress, and the Jewish Deaf Resource Center.

Hillel @ Gallaudet promotes inclusive Jewish educational, religious, social, cultural, and communal activities at Gallaudet University by creating opportunities for diverse expressions of Jewish life among students.

Jewish Deaf Congress (JDC) is an inclusive and accessible Jewish Deaf national organization, network and resource center, rooted in Judaism and Deaf experiences, cultures and values of lifelong Jewish learning to discover, connect and flourish.

Jewish Deaf Resource Center, a pluralistic national 501(C3) nonprofit organization, builds bridges between Jews who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing and the individuals and organizations which serve the wider Jewish community. We do this through advocacy, providing guidance on communication access solutions, collaborating on accessible educational opportunities, advising on inclusive public policy and practices, forming partnerships, sharing resources, and presenting training sessions.