Dear Friends:
Shabbat Shalom!
When we started campaign season, I zoomed with many of you and told you about my five favorite “C” words. Community, Communication, Collaboration, Creation and Convening. Today I want to talk about two more important “C” words – Calendars and Campaigns.
I am thrilled to launch our NEW Jewish Birmingham Community Calendar. A redesigned centralized resource that will allow you to go one place to find out about all our agencies and synagogues activities. This new design will enable you to see all the Jewish community events. You can do a search by organization or event type. The calendar can be viewed at www.JewishBham.org. It is our hope that this will not only be beneficial to our community to keep us informed about exciting programs taking place and help us avoid scheduling conflicts so people can attend as many events as possible. A tremendous thank you to The Birmingham Jewish Foundation for the funding of this new community wide tool.
The second item I want to talk to you about today is our 2020 BJF Annual Campaign. This year the campaign has been chaired by Barbara and Jack Aland. The Alands along with 40 community volunteers and the entire staff of The Birmingham Jewish Federation have been working tirelessly to finish our campaign. I am pleased to announce that we are only 5% away from our goal of $2 million!
And now for more good news! The Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA) has announced a $.50 on the dollar match for any new gift or increases committed to from now until December, up to $60,000. All matching dollars will be used towards agency allocations involving health and human services so that they may continue to provide the necessary support during these uncertain times.
If you have already given to the Annual Campaign this year and want to take advantage of this opportunity, JFNA will match an increase above your last years commitment. For example, in 2019 if you gave $1800 and in 2020 you pledged $1800 (or haven’t yet pledged) and now want to raise your gift to $2000, JFNA will match $100 of your $200 increase. They will also issue the match for any new gifts or lapsed giving to the campaign during this time. If you have never given or haven’t given since 2018, please consider making a gift to this year’s campaign ASAP and for sure by the end of December so that we can take advantage of the match and exceed our $2 million dollar goal. To increase your existing pledge, please feel free to call or email me directly. For new gifts or first-time givers, you may also email me or donate at www.bjf.org/donate.
When the campaign goal of $2 million dollars was set, COVID was a term most of us had never heard. Through the immense generosity of you, our donors, we are very close to reaching our goal. A testament to you and this community.
Wishing you a restful Shabbat and a week of peace.
With gratitude,
Danny
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The New Community Calendar!
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Understanding American
Jewish-Israel Relations
Join us for a special, virtual program with Rabbi, Dr. Daniel Gordis
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"Facebook bans posts
that deny or distort the Holocaust"
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Facebook said Monday that it will be banning posts that deny or distort the Holocaust and will start directing people to authoritative sources if they search for information about the Nazi genocide.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced the new policy in a post on Monday, in the latest attempt by the company to take action against conspiracy theories and misinformation ahead of the US presidential election next month.
The decision comes amid a push by Holocaust survivors around the world over the summer who lent their voices to a campaign targeting Zuckerberg, urging him to take action to remove Holocaust denial posts from the social media site.
Coordinated by the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany, the #NoDenyingIt campaign used Facebook itself to make the survivors’ entreaties to Zuckerberg heard, posting one video per day urging him to remove Holocaust-denying groups, pages and posts as hate speech.
Zuckerberg had raised the ire of the Claims Conference, based in New York, and others with comments in 2018 to the tech website Recode that posts denying the Nazi annihilation of 6 million Jews would not necessarily be removed. He said he did not think Holocaust deniers were “intentionally” getting it wrong, and that as long as posts were not calling for harm or violence, even offensive content should be protected.
After an outcry, Zuckerberg, who is Jewish, clarified that while he personally found “Holocaust denial deeply offensive” he believed that “the best way to fight offensive bad speech is with good speech.”
The Claims Conference on Monday lauded Zuckerberg’s changed approach and the company’s decision to take action.
“It’s a very important statement and it’s a building block toward ensuring that this sort of anti-Semitism is not amplified,” said Greg Schneider, the group’s executive vice president.
The Times of Israel
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Virtual Bereavement Support Group Begins Oct. 8
Begins October 8 at 1 PM
A free virtual support group for those suffering the loss of a loved one is being offered this fall by CJFS. The first meeting is at 1 pm on Thursday, Oct. 8. CJFS Social Worker Gail Schuster, LICSW, who will lead the group, will work with participants to determine the most mutually convenient schedule for subsequent meetings. Thanks to a generous grant from the Birmingham Jewish Foundation, there is no charge for this program, but registration is required. For more information, please contact Gail Schuster, [email protected]
Understanding American Jewish-Israel Relations
Sunday, October 18 at 11 AM
Virtual Presentation by; Renowned author and scholar, Rabbi Daniel Gordis (Israel). Rabbi Daniel Gordis (Israel) will be doing a virtual presentation solely for our community on the current status of Israel politics and the state of relations between the American Jewish community and Israel on the eve of the upcoming election.
"Amplifying Voices"
October 18, 2020 at 6 pm
The Levite Jewish Community Center has partnered with the Tucson JCC in Tucson, AZ to host a series, entitled "Amplifying Voices," on the intersection of Black and Jewish identities.
The first event is on Sunday, Oct. 18 at 6 pm with author Marc Dollinger.
He will discuss his book "Black Power, Jewish Politics: Reinventing the Alliance of the 1960s." In January, the LJCC, along with Birmingham activist T. Marie King, will be hosting a virtual Civil Rights Tour of important sites in Alabama.
To register for the program, please click here!
October 22 @ 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
“The Matzo Ball Diaries,” reveals the delicious secret stories of food and home. Laugh and cry and discover the power of food to nourish, heal or move us to action. You will laugh at a reminiscence of childhood obesity caused by Jewish food; hear the fascinating story of how the International House of Pancakes was started; feel the pain of a woman struggling with anorexia; and learn the secret to making the best brisket ever! These, and other funny and powerful stories will make you laugh and cry, and remember meals you ever loved. A must see for anyone who loves to eat! The play runs 65 minutes and will be followed by a Q & A with the director and cast.
How to be comfortable having uncomfortable conversations: Turn Down The Heat
America is so split that trying to speak across the divide feels impossible. Whether it is one on one, with friends, family or your community, discussions about race, politics or Israel seem to be too heated and contentious to have. How can we have these important and necessary conversations without “all the heat”? How can you practice self-care as you enter into uncomfortable conversations? How to rethink what success looks like during a difficult conversation.
Join us for this timely virtual conversation with Billy Planer of Etgar 36, an “independent, pluralistic, nonpartisan and nonprofit Jewish educational venture.” Etgar 36leads Civil Rights journeys in the Southeast, drawing on history to empower groups to take action. This is a pay-what-you can event and we will be asking participants to register ahead of time.
The Secrets of the Great Synagogue of Vilna
November 1, 2020 at 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM
The Great Synagogue of Vilna, the spiritual and physical home of the Lithuanian Jews, was one of the oldest and most significant religious and cultural sites of Eastern European Jewry. It was ransacked during WWII and then destroyed by the Soviets in 1956. An elementary school was built on top of the remains.
Be among the first to see a sneak peek of “The Secrets of the Synagogue,” a film that chronicles the process to uncover, document, and preserve this grand religious institution in Vilna. Then on November 1, you are invited to a riveting discussion with part of the team that made this amazing discovery possible:
- Dr. Richard Freund, US Archaeologist
- Loic Salfati, Lithuanian Film Project Director
- Dr. Harry Jol, Geoscientist and GPR (ground penetrating radar) Expert
- Dr. Phil Reeder, Lead Cartographer
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, [email protected] or call 205.879.3438.
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Visit the community calendar for more details!
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The Birmingham Jewish Federation
@jewishbirmingham
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