Sunday, January 11
Finance Committee Meeting 9:30 a.m.
Wednesday, January 14
Board of Trustees Meeting 7:00 p.m.
Friday, January 16
Jewish Study Group 10:30 a.m.
Torah Study 12:00 noon
Pre-Oneg 7:00 p.m.
Shabbat Evening Prayers 7:30 p.m. (installation of board members)
Saturday, January 17
Torah Study 8:45 a.m.
Shabbat Morning Prayers 10:00 a.m.
On Sunday, January 11th at 11:00am the JCRC and the UJA-Federation of New York, in cooperation with the Conference of Presidents and Council of Young Jewish Presidents (www.cyjp.org), will be sponsoring a community-wide rally in support of Israel. The rally will take place near the Israeli Consulate at 42nd street at 2nd Avenue.
Tuesday, January 13
5:30 - 7:00pm
Union Station
1 Union Plaza, Hartford
Join us for the release of our proposal for quality, affordable health care for everyone.
The healthcare4every1 Campaign will unveil a road map to health care that all of Connecticut's residents can count on. The approach, developed over the past two years with input from key stakeholders and the support of the nation's leading health care researchers, offers the state a historic opportunity to be on the cutting edge of state and national reform.
Join your neighbors, faith leaders, doctors, small business owners and others to learn about how we are working together to get quality, affordable health care for everyone.
Connecticut can have health care that
(* at the United Jewish Center in Danbury - Friday, January 30 through Sunday, February 1 - Price includes Saturday lunch and Sunday brunch)
Featuring world renowned Israeli Guide and Teacher, Walter Zanger
Friday Evening services 7:30 PM
Topic: The Miracle of Israel: Coping with Lebanon, Syria, Iran and the Palestinians
Without Having a Government that Works
Saturday 12:30 PM
Topic: The Arabs of Israel: Who Are They? Where Are They? What Is Their History?
Kosher Deli lunch catered
Sponsored by the R.S. Young Foundation for Jewish Culture
Sunday 10 AM
Topic: Treasures from the Holy Land: Art and the Soul of a People
Brunch, co-sponsored by the UJC Brotherhood and Sisterhood
Please note: If you would like to participate in the weekend events, you must make a reservation no later than Wednesday, January 28, 2009. We will need your reservation to know how many meals to order! Also note: no charge for any children under 13 who attend.
The entire weekend sponsored by Robert E. Shure, Inc., Funeral Home
Jimmy Shure, President
For further information, or to make a reservation, contact
United Jewish Center
141 Deer Hill Avenue
Danbury, CT 06810
203-748-3355
email: office@unitedjewishcenter.org
Our very own celebrities will be serving home-made pancakes, fruit, juice and coffee directly to your table.
DATE: Sunday, February 8, 2009
TIME: 8 a.m. (before Sunday Religious School)
PRICE: $6.00 per person, or a total of $18 per family.
R.S.V.P. TO: Stacey Spilka at staceyspilka@sbcglobal.net
Thank you Stacey Spilka and Karen Steiner co-chairpersons of this event
Isaiah 58: 6-8: Is this not the fast which I have chosen...
Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring your homeless poor into your house?
If you can volunteer or would like more information, please contact Denise Maleh @ ndmaleh@sbcglobal.net
Sandy Brenner and Nancy Marcus, Social Action Co-Chairpersons
Buy your Scrip cards today and plan for the upcoming events in your life; Mother's Day, Father's Day, Graduation, Confirmation, etc. Scrip cards make the perfect gift!
Go to www.glscrip.com and send a list of what cards (business name, denomination and how many) along with a check to the UJC. This is a great (and 'painless') way to help the UJC fundraise!
Drop your order off the next time you're at services, Religious School or in the building for any reason.
Any questions, contact Bonnie Wunsch at ujcscrip@aol.com or 313-0578.
The UJC and IGive.com have teamed up to make it easy for you to support the UJC -- and it doesn't cost you a penny!
IGive.com's stated mission is "to enable the economic power of individuals to benefit their chosen communities"; their goal is to have a portion of every online transaction benefit causes close to home. IGive has created a shopping portal that allows you to shop at your favorite online sites and stores as you always do; when you make a purchase through IGive's portal, the store donates a percentage of your transaction to the benefit of your choice. It's simple and easy -- you don't have to do anything special, and donations are made in your name.
The list of vendors on IGive's portal is 700 strong and growing; you'll find that all the most popular shopping sites (Amazon, Zappos, Barnes & Noble) are represented, plus a long list of more specialized sites. Most anywhere you shop now, you can shop through IGive.
The UJC is now a registered cause on IGive's portal; all you need to do is register as a user on IGive (it's free!) and identify the UJC as your chosen cause. Then, go about your normal online activities; IGive provides you a regular tally of the donations that have resulted in your transactions, so you can watch your support grow.
Go to www.igive.com to get started -- it's a fast, simple and zero-cost way to raise money for the UJC.
Learn to do good, devote yourself to justice; aid the wronged, uphold the rights of the orphan, defend the cause of the widow. (Isaiah 1:17)
In the name of United Jewish Center membership, with your contributions to our Tikvah Fund, the Social Action Committee is sponsoring three needy local students in the Dress for Success Program providing funds for back to school clothes and supplies.
Hunger does not go on vacation. Don't forget to contribute 3% of the cost of food for your family celebrations and our synagogue events to Mazon so we can continue to support our efforts at the Dorothy Day Hospitality House and elsewhere in the community.
Remember those less fortunate!
Please don’t forget to drop off person care items for the Interfaith AIDS Ministry and old cell phones for the Women’s Center on the bin in the synagogue in the downstairs hallway.
The Jewish Federation's Website
Visit http://www.thejf.org to see
Israel News, Community Calendar, Local Jewish Resources, Worldwide
Jewish News, Jewish Life Resource, Jewish Federation news, Federation
Campaign e-Giving, registration for the Learning Exchange, reservations
for Jewish Federation events AND MORE!!
The news will be an automatic feed with frequent updates. Our goal is for the site to be your destination for all Jewish information including links to many local and worldwide Jewish resources. All area synagogues and local Jewish organizations are encouraged to check the new website's Community Calendar prior to scheduling any events that are open to the community to prevent conflicts. Area synagogues and local Jewish organizations are encouraged to submit upcoming events to be posted on the community calendar and to submit news items, photos and announcements for posting on the website. Please submit your items to info@thejf.org.
If you or a loved one is ailing - at home or in the hospital - and you would like a phone call or visit, please call and leave a message on our clergy’s voicemail(s). Danbury Hospital’s security concerns mean that we may not find out in a timely manner.
Parashat Vayechi (Genesis 47:28 - 50:26) will be read on Saturday, January 10, 2009
Chapter 50:22-26
22 So Joseph and his father's household remained in Egypt. Joseph lived one hundred and ten years. 23 Joseph lived to see children of the third generation of Ephraim; the children of Machir son of Manasseh were likewise born upon Joseph's knees. 24 At length, Joseph said to his brothers, "I am about to die. God will surely take notice of you and bring you up from this land to the land that He promised on oath to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob." 25 So Joseph made the sons of Israel swear, saying, "When God has taken notice of you, you shall carry up my bones from here."
26 Joseph died at the age of one hundred and ten years; and he was embalmed and placed in a coffin in Egypt.
Friends,
I am writing the following during my sabbatical absence in the hope that it will spur discussion and help offer guidance during this very nasty situation. Because this was sent out without the forwarded posting from iTorah (the NFTY e-blog), I have asked Diana to include it in today's UJC's weekly email. Please feel to respond or react.
There are many news media, internet blog and Jewish leadership points of view on Israels "Operation Cast Lead" Gaza campaign. Although you periodically hear some voices from the lunatic fringes that appear to rejoice in or black-and-white condemn Israel's actions, most Jewish leaders take the position that, sadly enough, sometimes war is necessary to protect a nation's citizens. Other than jingoists and Marx Brothers comedies, no one initiates war gleefully. At some point a country must say enough is enough and must respond, especially when its people are being bombed each day.
Some voices declare a moral relativism between Hamas' bombing incursions into Israel and Israel's response. Some have insisted that Israel should be delivering a "proportional response." Some imply that if only Israel were to do this or that, then Hamas, Hezbollah and her other avowed enemies would go away quietly. I disagree with all these positions. There is NO moral relativism between (a) Hamas' deliberately bombing Israeli citizens and (b) Israel's both deliberately targeting military installations and sending warning notices beforehand. There is NO moral relativism between the stated goals of the main players: Hamas wants to destroy Israel, and Israel wants to protect its citizens. Israel walked away from Gaza lock, stock and barrel - leaving an economic infrastructure for the new Gazan regime, which immediately *destroyed* everything Israel had left for it. If Israel were to respond proportionally, her military would have lobbed bombs into Gaza specifically targeting schools, hospitals, civilian centers.
One of my colleagues - for whom Israeli self-defense is frequently wrong, rarely right - wrote recently, " I constantly hear the argument that the US would never tolerate Mexico hurling projectiles into San Diego. But would Mexico tolerate a complete and total physical and economic blockade of all it's border crossings and ports? I think not, and according to my understanding of international law, such a blockade would be considered an act of war and might even justify a military response."
My response:
If the United States from the north or Guatemala or Belize from the south were smuggling weapons and terrorists into Mexico, if the US or Guatemala or Belize were firing rockets every day at Mexican civilians, if the US or Guatemala or Belize had declared that Mexico as a sovereign nation was an illegitimate enterprise deserving of total destruction ... then Mexico would not - nor should not be expected to - tolerate "a complete and total physical and economic blockade of all it's border crossings and ports." A glance at today's New York Times suggests that none of the above is happening.
I believe that everything Israel does is not right; Israel is not perfect and has made some serious blunders in her day - as have all countries. Should Israel's government be taken to task for wrongs committed? Yes. And I believe this: What makes Israel extraordinary is - for one thing - that she has a Supreme Court that periodically takes on the role of Nathan excoriating David, of speaking truth to power, and - for another thing - her willingness to open herself up to criticism from her own citizens and the outside world. And I also believe this: Israel has the right to defend herself beyond picking herself up and disappearing. Israel has the right to struggle with her imperfections.
I urge you to read - in addition to the post below that offers a unique perspective from a young teacher, guide and mentor to American high school students studying in Israel - the public statements of URJ President Rabbi Eric Yoffie (see Reform Jewish Movement Responds to Gaza Violence and On Gaza, Sense and Centrism).
Sh'alu sh'lom Yerushalyim - pray for the peace of Jerusalem - Shabbat Shalom ...
Cantor Penny Kessler