February 2018
Shevat 5778
Monthly E-Newsletter
Weekly Community Events
Erev Shabbat Service: Fridays at 7:00pm 
Torah Study: Saturdays at 9:00am 
Shabbat Service and B'nai Mitzvah: Saturdays at 10:00am
Shabbat Minyan Service and Oneg: Saturdays at 10:00am
Ma'ariv Evening Service: Tuesdays from 7:00-7:30pm 
Religious School Tefillah: Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4:15-4:30pm 
Choir Rehearsal: Thursdays at 7:45pm
Drop-in Open Playtime: Fridays at 9:30am
Tot Shabbat: Fridays from 9:45am-10:00am
February at a Glance
Tuesday February 6
7:30pm Adult Ed with Rabbi Weiss: Psalms (part 1 of 3)

Wednesday February 7

Friday February 9
3:30pm High School Hangout at Kafein with Rabbi Rachel
7:00pm Erev Shabbat Service with 6th grade families

Saturday February 10

Sunday February 11
10:00am Book Group: Windy City Blues by Renee Rosen 
1:00pm Leadership Retreat: A day for celebrating and collaborating

Tuesday February 13
7:30pm Adult Ed with Rabbi Weiss: Psalms (part 2 of 3)

Wednesday February 14
7:30pm Board of Directors Meeting

Teen Kallah : Friday February 16 - Sunday February 18

Sunday February 18
No Religious School: President's Day Weekend
5:30pm Vision Keeper's Dinner (Not at JRC)

Monday February 19
No Early Childhood Classes: President's Day

Tuesday February 20
7:30pm Adult Ed with Rabbi Weiss: Psalms (part 3 of 3)

Friday February 23
10:00am Hamantaschen Fest Dough Prep

Saturday February 24
9:00am Early Childhood Tot-Shabbat and Open House Brunch
4:30pm New Member Tour and Havdalah

Sunday February 25
8:30am-1:30pm Blood Drive
9:15am-12:30pm Hamantashen Fest

Tuesday February 27
7:00pm Israeli Film Night

Wednesday February 28
7:00pm Oy Vey Cafe
Looking ahead to spring

March 25-April 8: Spring Break
March 30-April 7: Passover
May 6: Brunch and Annual Meeting
May 25-27: Family Kallah
Community Updates
Shabbat Prep Hours

On Friday afternoons, the synagogue building will be closed so that we can prep for Shabbat festivities. The JRC office and building will close at 2:00pm and reopen an hour before evening programming.

It may not be possible for members to access the building during these times. If you are leading a program and need extra prep time, please let the office know in advance by calling 847-328-7678 or emailing programming coordinator Nina Litoff.
Shabbat Shalom!
Giving Stocks

Did you know that you can make donations to JRC through stock transfers? These gifts offer significant tax advantages for the donor and are easy to make. They can be donated as tzedakah or to cover commitments such as dues or tuition payments.

Instructions for how to donate stock is on our website. One of the most important steps is to notify us of the transfer or it may not be possible for us to identify the donor.
Spotlight on the Early Childhood Committee
What’s our goal?
We want everyone in the JRC Early Childhood Center to have a meaningful preschool experience, feel involved in the school, committed to growing the program, and ultimately to create long-term relationships with JRC.

What do we do?   
Plan events for ECC families and the JRC Community as a whole: You may have enjoyed a craft beer at the Fall Social, which supports the preschool’s scholarship program. Or you may have seen community-building events like our sukkah decorating party, Havdalah in pajamas with the Rabbi, or intergenerational Grand Person Day. 

Market our preschool to the surrounding community: Word-of-mouth is our best way of finding new families for our program, and we reach out to people in the wider community to let them know about everything the ECC can provide. We also help promote the preschool on social media. You can follow the Early Childhood Center on Facebook, and share our posts to help us expand our reach.

Support our preschool families: Whether it’s educating parents about their child's transition to kindergarten or how to manage holidays in an interfaith family, we advise on parenting issues that our families care about.

Guide the preschool’s program offerings: We know that families’ needs are changing every day, so we seek to be a conduit for how our program can adapt and grow to support future ECC families.

Where can you find us?   
All Early Childhood parents are automatically members of our committee, and are always encouraged to come to our monthly meetings! These meetings often have parenting resources and special guests, and anyone in the community is welcome to attend. Our next meeting is February 12 at 9:30am. For more information, contact the Early Childhood Committee Co-Chair, Michelle Farra at earlychildhood@jrc-evanston.org.
Early Childhood Tot-Shabbat and Open House Brunch
Saturday, February 24
9:00am

Learn and play with Rabbi Rachel Weiss and Cantor Howard Friedland in a 30 minute Shabbat service with stories and songs, followed by brunch and playtime in our Early Childhood Center. Meet other families and learn about our preschool and more great JRC family programs!

Everyone is welcome, and we encourage you to bring friends to spend Shabbat with us.
Parent-Tot Open Play Fridays
9:30-11:00am
Starts February 2

Every Friday morning, drop in for JRC’s Open Playtime! Parents, grandparents and caregivers can spend quality time with their toddler ages 0-2 years. Early Childhood Director, Claudia Rozenberg will lead songs, games, and art projects to help foster creative growth, learning, and fun.

Included in Open Playtime is the opportunity to attend our Tot Shabbat with Rabbi Rachel and Cantor Howard. Kids and parents will get to share Shabbat songs, a story, and challah in this 15-minute introduction to the traditions of Shabbat.

This weekly drop-in program costs $10 per child. We hope you'll join us! Email Claudia at crozenberg@jrc-evanston.org to learn more.
Help the 4th grade "Mitzvah Heroes" replace our prayerbooks!

During weekday afternoon tefillah (prayer) and at Shabbat services, we noticed that many of our siddurim (prayerbooks) are in very poor condition and some are even taped together. As JRC’s “Mitzvah Heroes,” the 4 th graders are raising money to replace the siddurim with brand new ones.

Each siddur costs $30. You can purchase one in honor of someone special, or you can make a donation in any amount and we will buy as many siddurim as possible, as a gift from the 4 th grade class to JRC!
Friday, February 9th will be the 10th anniversary of the day we moved back into our beloved green building.

Many of us vividly remember that freezing cold February morning in 2008 when we walked with our torahs from Chute Middle School (JRC's first temporary worship space) into the new sanctuary.

We continue to be proud of the accomplishment of building a platinum LEED-certified synagogue and we hope you will join us in celebrating it together at our spring gala, the JRC Birthday Bash on Saturday, April 14.
A DJ and dancing, delicious food and drinks, live and silent auctions and, of course, birthday cake are just some of the things to look forward to. If you haven't been to a JRC gala before, this is your year! Invitations and ticket information will come soon.
A new name for our national movement
Reconstructing Judaism
Reconstructing Judaism is the new name of the central organization of the Reconstructionist movement, replacing the former: Reconstructionist Rabbinical College & Jewish Reconstructionist Communities.

A long decision-making process
This new name developed in a yearlong, quintessentially Reconstructionist process that placed a high value on discussion, participation and the sharing of ideas. Members of Reconstructionist communities across North America were invited to share insights in a series of town halls and surveys that took place in-person and online. JRC hosted one of these meetings in March 2017. More than 1,000 Reconstructionist rabbis, congregants, educators, staff members and students shared their insights.

Reflects our values
Rabbi Deborah Waxman, Ph.D., president of Reconstructing Judaism, said that “our new name is so expressive of what we do and what we always aspire to do. More than ever, Judaism must be about doing, and our name is about doing.”
Reconstructing Judaism embodies the decades-long, evolving mission of all who have been a part of the Reconstructionist movement. 

A new logo
The new logo - leaves sprouting from the ground and growing into the world - is meant to reflect a vision of Judaism that is at once grounded and flourishing. It suggests a connection to tradition in its groundedness, and continuous growth and reinvention. It exemplifies the spreading of joy, innovation and resilience. The hand-drawn style of the symbol and its accompanying typography speak to the heimish (homey) and unique personality of Reconstructionist communities, rabbinical students and rabbis.

Join us to celebrate this milestone!
Rabbi Deborah Waxman will be visiting JRC during our Erev Shabbat service on Friday, March 9. We encourage you to join us to celebrate this milestone and hear directly from her about the exciting changes that are taking place in the national Reconstructionist movement.

A delegation from JRC will gather with fellow Reconstructionists from across the continent for the first Reconstructionist Convention in eight years from November 15-18, 2018 in Philadelphia. Be on the lookout for more information in the coming months.
Watch a video introduction to Reconstructing Judaism by movement president Rabbi Deborah Waxman, Ph.D.
FAQs about the new name
Why a new name?
A new name was a requirement of the merger between our seminary and congregational union. Past names that have encompassed these organizations have included the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College & Jewish Reconstructionist Communities and the Jewish Reconstructionist Federation (JRF).

What is Reconstructing Judaism?
Reconstructing Judaism is the central organization of the Reconstructionist movement. This organization runs a rabbinical seminary, serves and supports 100 congregations and havurot across North America and the world (including JRC!), and elevates youth at two Reconstructionist Jewish camps.

Why is there a verb in the name?
A verb best reflects our approach to Judaism as an active process and shifts the emphasis from “being” Jewish to “doing” Jewish.
Other organizations with verb-based names include Moving Traditions, Teaching Matters, Educators Rising, Feeding America, and Facing History and Ourselves.

What is the seminary going to be called?
The organization’s rabbinical seminary will remain the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College until later in the year, when its name will change to the College for Reconstructing Judaism.

Fun Facts
Reconstructing Judaism was the memoir title of the late Rabbi Ira Eisenstein, the first president of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College who built on the ideas of his father-in-law, Rabbi Mordecai Kaplan, and launched Reconstructionist Judaism as a movement. Rabbi Eisenstein was the founder of the havurah that eventually became JRC.

This year will mark the 50th anniversary of the seminary’s founding.
Bat Mitzvah Profile
Andrea Frankel 
February 10, 2018

What are your hobbies? I like to act, and I'm part of the professional Piven group at the Noyes Cultural Arts Center. I'm always super excited for my Piven! I also love to dance and sing and pretty much anything that has to do with performing arts. I also a huge craft person and I like to take "unusable items" and turn them into something useful, cute or fun. 

What's your mitzvah project? I am promoting LGBTQ+ awareness and I made a mini movie that I am showing at my bat mitzvah. Half of the money I raise from my bat mitzvah will go to Howard Brown Health which is a facility that helps people in the LGBTQ+ community. It helps people with therapy, going on hormones, talking to their families etc...

What's the most interesting thing you've learned about Judaism? That Jewish people are givers and that no matter "how Jewish" you are, you are a giver. You're kind to people and take their needs into consideration instead of just thinking about yourself. I also think it's interesting to think no matter how much you know about Judaism you can always learn more no matter what.
Thank you and Yasher Koach!
At the end of JRC Board meetings, the Board recognizes members who have volunteered their time and talents. We call it the Yasher Koach Corner. Below are full lists acknowledging those members who donated their time to make JRC such a wonderful place and for whose work we are truly grateful. 

Yasher Koach To: 

  • Eva Eisenstein for volunteering her time over the past eight months to keep the JRC library organized.
  • Rabbi Rachel Weiss and Cantor Howard Friedland for treating college students to an engaging discussion and lunch on January 4.
  • Michael Bloom for hosting Latkefest on December 17. Next year, forms will be available for ordering additional latkes to take home.
  • Charlene Gelber, Darlene Grossman, and the JRC Press Task Force for their great work on the current book in progress, for which 66 contributions have been received.
  • The Adult Education Committee for arranging the Islam 101 classes.
  • Linda Kaskel and Carol Goldbaum for jump-starting Rosh Chodesh programming over the past year.
  • Joel Gratch and David Tabak for leading development training as part of the Capital Campaign.
  • All committees and task forces for submitting their FY 2019 budgets.
Donations
Thank you for your generosity 

Tzedakah is a central mitzvah of Judaism, humanizing both the donor and the recipient. JRC has established a series of tzedakah funds in response to members' interests, aiming to serve three functions: 
  • To support the congregation. All are welcome to membership, to worship, to our school-even those unable to pay full dues. Your contributions make this possible.
  • To support important extra-budgetary activities.
  • Most importantly, to provide a convenient and meaningful way for JRC members and others to fulfill the traditional obligation of tzedakah as we honor, commemorate, and express gratitude.

Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation