Am Kolel
Weekly News
August 26th, 2020 I 6 Elul 5780
Issue 407
Greetings!
High Holidays 5781
If you are a full dues paying Am Kolel member your “ticket” or registration for the holidays is automatic. Two days before Rosh HaShanah you will receive the Zoom invitation and login in information.

This year, we will not be meeting at the Walter Johnson High School. We will livestream our services Zoom. We have engaged Tonal Park, owned by Kehila member Charlie Pilzer, to manage the necessary technology. The musicians and I will be leading the services from Tonal Park and in a way that we are safe. Other participants in services will contribute from their homes. Services will be shorter and creative.


To see the schedule of services, click here.
For printable order form click here. Please be sure to mail form and payment to the address on the form.

Click here to go to registration page, which you can also use to register for the Children/Teen services or want to donate to Tzedakah or list the names of your beloved ones to be remembered in Yizkor.
Selichot Evening
Reb David is offering a Selichot Gathering on Zoom, Saturday evening, September 12, at 8:30pm.    

Selichot is an evening of special reflections, penitential prayers and nigunim in preparation for Rosh Hashanah and the new year.

This year, we will offer Selichot via Zoom Shul beginning with Havdalah. During the evening we will have time to share with each other the changes in our lives, personally, and in society as well.  In you would like to participate please RSVP to admin@am-Kolel.org.
Stay at Sanctuary!
Am Kolel's Sanctuary Retreat Center is available for overnight stays in the guesthouse for families (up to 8 people). Cost is $150 per night and includes amenities such as biking and kayaking/canoeing. To see availability or book your stay, please visit our listing on airbnb.

If you are a member of Am Kolel, be in touch with us directly for a complimentary stay.
Do you know of young people who would love to live at Sanctuary?
Sanctuary Retreat Center is seeking 10-15 young adults to live collectively at Sanctuary.
During this pandemic it is an ideal place for 20 somethings to live as a family, to do their studies and to be engaged with the land.  Internet access is excellent.  Each person would have their own room.   There is a modest rental of $300-350 per month depending on the numbers.   Visit the Sanctuary web site here for pictures. If interested or know of someone who is, please contact Reb David at amkolel@aol.com.
Community News
Hold the Date!
15th Annual IFC (Virtual) Unity Walk, Sunday, September 13th, 1:30pm -5:30pm
Click here to see flyer and register.
Kehila Chadasha offers Alternative Sunday School

New families with children enrolled in Pre-K, Kindergarten or first grade receive the first semester of tuition free.

For more information, contact: schoolinfo@kehilachadasha.org
Volunteer Opportunities through Montgomery County Volunteer Center
Click Here to see the various opportunities (some from home) to volunteer.
Volunteer at Manna Food Center - Click here to be directed to the Manna Food website.

Organized by Tom McDougall, of 4P Foods. 4P is a food hub with a mission of helping small farms thrive while ensuring that all people—regardless of income, race, or zip code— have access to Good Food. Follow this link to contribute.
Community Actions & Links
Send a Letter to the Board of Directors of US Postal Service
Make your voices hear. Click here to see a sample letter. Here is the email list of the Board members.
Tikkun Olam Advocacy Committee
Postcard Writing Campaigns
Get Out The Vote with Turn Pennsylvania Blue: Write and send postcards to registered Democrats in Pa. Your postcard kit will contain 50 postcards. 
Am Kolel is working with Jews United for Justice and, recently, attending an organizing meeting around these issues in MC. 
Please visit our web site for more information.
Support Silver Spring Justice Coalition
Click here for more information.
Check out:

Bend the Arc Click here.

JUFJ Click here.

Click Here! Call JPMorgan Chase to tell them you want them to join other corporations in the push to stop funding fossil fuels today.
Learning Opportunities & Spiritual Resources
ALEPH:
Alliance for Jewish Renewal is a trans-denominational approach to revitalizing Judaism.
Learn more here.
From Cherie Brown
Click here is a print friendly version of the flier for Jews and Climate Justice.
Click here so see all the workshops sponsored by Sustaining all Life.
Check out the Mussar Institute
Founded by Dr. Alan Morinis, the Mussar Institute Mussar Institute, advances the study and practice of Mussar, a Jewish path of character development and spiritual growth leading to awareness, wisdom, and transformation. Through experiential online and in-person courses based on classic and contemporary sources, The Mussar Institute inspires individuals, organizations, and communities around the world, regardless of affiliation, to align heart and mind with the highest ideals of the Jewish tradition.
Hebrew Teacher
Hanna Weissberger is a wonderful Hebrew teacher.  An Israeli, a scientist,
and a seasoned instructor in Hebrew reading skills and conversation is seeking adult students.

She is happy to teach privately or in small groups.  All learning would be done through Zoom.

Please give her a call at +1 (301) 461-0497
Important End-of-Life Conversations
A Charles E. Smith Life Communities webinar, September 10th, 1pm - 2pm
Click here to register
Check out upcoming events at Theatre J and Mosaic Theater of DC
Click the name of the theater you want to be connected to their sites.
Jewish Eco Seminars

Visit https://www.jewishecoseminars.com/learning/ to view a wealth of new Jewish environmental teachings. From food, energy and waste to consumerism, Shabbat and prayer, the materials cover eighteen topics on Judaism and ecology. The materials were developed by Canfei Nesharim in partnership with Jewcology.com and released as a “Year of Jewish Learning on the Environment.” The director of Jewish Eco Seminars, Rabbi Yonatan Neril, worked with Canfei Nesharim on a consulting basis in developing the materials on all eighteen topics.
Community Member Services
Am Kolel Pardes is our dedicated section at the Garden of Remembrance in Clarksburg, Maryland. 

The Garden of Remembrance is the region's only non-profit cemetery owned and operated by a board of Jewish community leaders. For more information about Am Kolel Pardes, please visit the Life Cycle page on our website or email the office at admin@am-kolel.org
Yahrtzeit Reminders
If you'd like a reminder, please fill and send us a Yahrtzeit reminder form. Download the form here.
Am Kolel Board of Directors 2020 - 2021
President I Anne Schwartz Delibert
Vice President I Sandy Hoffman
Secretary I Bonnie Rich
Treasurer I Frank Silberstein
Trustee, At-Large  I Janeane Marks
Trustee, At-Large I Eric Marks
Trustee, At-Large I Fran McMahon
Trustee, At-Large I Allen Rich
Trustee, At-Large I Judy Beltz
Immediate Past President I Miles Goldstein
Emeritus I Paige Jacobson
Emeritus I Fran McMahon
Director I R. David Shneyer