Kahal B'raira - Congregation for Humanistic Judaism

2009-2010 Calendar

We welcome you to Kahal B'raira! Visitors are welcome to attend most programs and services. For information about our adult programs, click here; for Sunday School info, click here. A very few events are for KB members only, and are noted below with this symbol .

If you would like your children to visit the Sunday School, please send email at least three days ahead of time to our Sunday School Principal, Sandra Mayo.

Key

Sunday School and Adult Programs

Holiday Services

Congregation Activities

Committee Meetings

Special Events

September

October

November

December

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

July 2009

Date

Time

Location

Program Information

Saturday
July 18
(rain date: July 19)

12-4

the Lofchie's house in Hull

KB Day at the Beach and Pot Luck

Join us for a sun-filled day at the Lofchie's house, which is situated right on the beach. Bring food to share, bathing suit, towel, beach toys. Please RSVP to Bernie at blofchie@gmail.com.

August 2009

Date

Time

Location

Program Information

September 2009

Date	Time	Location	Program Information
Sunday September 13	9:15 am	765 Concord Ave Cambridge [get map or directions]	Adult Program #1/Sunday School We will begin with Sunday School opening ceremonies, and will take time to welcome new members and welcome back returning members. Palestinian olive oil will also be available for purchase. Click here for details. Visitors welcome
Friday September 18	7:30 pm	First Parish UU Church 630 Mass Ave, Arlington	Rosh Hashana Evening Adult/Teen Service Visitors welcome Donations requested
Saturday September 19	10:00 am	First Parish UU Church 630 Mass Ave, Arlington	Rosh Hashana Morning Family Service Visitors welcome Donations requested
Sunday September 27	7:30 pm	First Parish UU Church 630 Mass Ave, Arlington	Yom Kippur Evening Adult/Teen Service Visitors welcome Donations requested
Monday September 28	10:00 am	First Parish UU Church 630 Mass Ave, Arlington	Yom Kippur Morning Family Service Visitors welcome Donations requested
Monday September 28	2:30 pm	At the home of Carol Higgins, Lunenburg	Yom Kippur Adult/Teen Break-Fast The event is open only to members of KB. Due to the limited parking space, it is recommended that car pools be utilized as much as possible. We look forward to seeing adults and your teenage children. A pot-luck dinner will follow the service. Please RSVP to Linda Brion-Meisels (or sign up at KB), and indicate how many are coming and what food you are bringing. Members only
Monday September 28	2:30 pm	At the home of Ellen Richstone in Weston	Yom Kippur Family Break-Fast There will be a short family service followed by a pot-luck dinner. All are invited, including non-members. This is a great way for guests of all ages to meet other KB members in an informal setting. It is especially nice for families with children too young to sit through a more structured service. Please RSVP to Ellen Richstone (or sign up at KB), and indicate how many people are attending and what food you are bringing. Visitors welcome

October 2009

Date	Time	Location	Program Information
Saturday October 3	6-8 pm	765 Concord Ave Cambridge [get map or directions]	KB Youth Havdallah Gala This is an evening for teenagers, which includes a Shabat/Havdallah and social. All teens welcome, newcomers too. Bring a friend if you like. $10/person. Click here for details. RSVP to Youth Coordinator Miriam Rubin.
Sunday October 4	9:15 am	765 Concord Ave Cambridge [get map or directions]	Adult Program #2/Sunday School Today's topic is "Bringing Humanistic Judaism Into Your Home". Hillary and Steve Pizer will lead a discussion on the pleasures and pitfalls of integrating traditions from different backgrounds. Stan Eichner and Gladys Maged will provide materials from other Humanistic Judaism congregations and help us to think about how we can celebrate in our home. Visitors welcome
Sunday October 4	12:30pm, following the Sunday morning activities	The back yard of our meeting place, 765 Concord Ave	Sukkot Celebration Bring your lunch and picnic in a Sukkah that you help to construct and decorate. KB will provide beverages and dessert so that we will all have the opportunity to follow the holiday tradition of eating in a Sukkah. There will be crafts, music, story telling and a short service explaining the Sukkot tradition. Visitors welcome
Tuesday October 6	7:30-10 pm	765 Concord Ave Cambridge [get map or directions]	Executive Committee Meeting All KB members are welcome to attend.
Sunday October 18	9-noon	765 Concord Ave Cambridge [get map or directions]	Sunday School Open House Children from pre-school to 7th grade and their parents are invited to an open house. Visit children's classes and the adult program. Meet the principal and teachers. Learn about our bar/bat mitzvah program and teen activities. For more information and to RSVP, please call 617-969-4596.
Sunday October 18	9:15 am	765 Concord Ave Cambridge [get map or directions]	Adult Program #3/Sunday School Our presenter is Elana Rosenbaum, author of Here for Now: Living Well with Cancer through Mindfulness. Her talk looks at ways to cope with very difficult life situations from a Jewish and spiritual perspective. Visitors welcome
Sunday October 18	12 noon	765 Concord Ave Cambridge [get map or directions]	Film and Discussion The KB middle east working group invites us to view Palestine Blues -- a film about the farmers in Jayyuss, and their experiences with the construction of the Separation Wall. The film was made by a US citizen of Palestinian descent, and focuses on the families of Jayyuss, inclusing Abu Azam, the farmer who has hosted Linda and Steven Brion-Meisels on their trips. It explores the question of access to water in the West Bank. The film lasts 45 minutes and will be followed by a discussion. Please bring your own lunch; drinks will be provided. RSVP to Shari Gelber if you will be attending. If you need child care, please indicate this by Sunday October 11.
Saturday October 24	7 pm	the home of Amy Schneider and Ed Sciore in Newton	Adult Pot Luck Dinner Join us for adult conversation and socializing. Please email Amy to RSVP and for directions.
Wednesday October 28	7:30 pm	765 Concord Ave Cambridge [get map or directions]	Meet Kahal B'raira Humanistic Judaism is a philosophy that combines rational thinking with a celebration of Jewish culture and identity. Please join us for this evening of presentation and discussion to learn more about Humanistic Judaism and Congregation Kahal B'raira. Please RSVP to Shari Gelber.

November 2009

Date	Time	Location	Program Information
Tuesday November 3	7:30-10 pm	765 Concord Ave Cambridge [get map or directions]	Executive Committee Meeting All KB members are welcome to attend.
Saturday November 7	7 pm	the home of Susan and Roger Zimmerman in Wellesley	Adult Pot Luck Dinner Join us for adult conversation and socializing. Please email Susan to RSVP and for directions.
Sunday November 8	9:15 am	765 Concord Ave Cambridge [get map or directions]	Adult Program #4/Sunday School Opportunities for engagement in Israel/Palestine peacemaking: One year into the Obama Presidency. During the day there will be a collection of items for donation to homeless families. You are invited to bring diapers (sizes 3, 4, 5), baby wipes, unopened toiletries, pyrex containers or can openers, and winter clothing (in good condition, clean, washable, with no holes or stains). Visitors welcome
Sunday November 8	12-2 pm	The music room of 765 Concord Ave Cambridge [get map or directions]	Bar/Bat Mitzvah Class This class is loosely designed for parents and kids in 4-6 grade, but is open to anyone, regardless of ages or grades. Even if you attended the class last year, you are more than welcome to attend again. This is an interactive class; part of the time parents and kids will be together and part of the time they will be split into their own groupings. Parents are welcome to attend with or without their children. The purpose of the class is to learn more about a bar-bat mitzvah process in general, and to learn more about a KB-style bar-bat mitzvah in particular. We will look at ways of making a bar-bat mitzvah personal and relevant to the child and the family, and of making it something that is manageable/not too overwhelming. In addition to looking at the beginning stages of bar-bat mitzvah planning, this class will help families decide if they feel that a bar-bat mitzvah is something they feel is right for them. There is no charge for the class, but pre-registration is required; email Renee Lubowich. Lunch will be provided. We will arrange childcare for younger children upon request.
Friday November 20	7:30 pm	765 Concord Ave Cambridge [get map or directions]	Shabbat Service led by Rabbi Adam Chalom The topic is "Balancing Continuity and Integrity". Some say Jewish words and perform Jewish rituals that do not reflect what they truly believe; they value continuity with their religious tradition more than clear integrity and consistency of beliefs and actions. Others are willing to lose some Jewish continuity to gain a clear and complete identity between what they think and what they say and do, between their Jewish and their human identities, between holidays and every day. That, too, is a Jewish tradition: Judaism has always changed in response to new challenges and new beliefs, trying to harmonize what Jews now believe with how they celebrate their Jewish identity. Visitors welcome
Saturday-Sunday November 21-22		765 Concord Ave Cambridge [get map or directions]	Whose Judaism Is It? A seminar on Jewish Inheritance and Modern Judaism led by Rabbi Adam Chalom. Saturday 9-noon: The Importance of Words: Literature, Song, and Celebration 1-4pm: The Importance of Deeds: Ethics, Symbol and Ceremony Sunday 9-11am: The Importance of Ideas: Belief, Traditon, and Truth. For details, see the seminar description. There is a small fee for each session. See the registration form. This seminar was made possible by a grant from the Society for Humanistic Judaism and private donations. Visitors Welcome
Saturday November 21	6-9pm	765 Concord Ave Cambridge [get map or directions]	Family Havdallah Service and Pot Luck Join fellow KBers and seminar participants in a fun, weloming atmosphere. Please RSVP for the pot luck with Jon Levine. Visitors Welcome
Sunday November 22	9:15 am	765 Concord Ave Cambridge [get map or directions]	Adult Program #5/Sunday School Herding Katz’s (Katzes?): Creating Jewish Community from Jewish Diversity The familiar proverb claims “2 Jews, 3 Opinions” – how can they create one community? And if that is the case for Jews in general, how much more so for Humanistic Jewish families who come from many backgrounds and whose autonomy is much valued? The truth is that what could drive us apart can also bring us together. Our presenter at 11am is Rabbi Adam Chalom, North American Dean of the International Institute for Secular Humanistic Judaism. This presentation is part of the IISHJ weekend seminar "Whose Judaism Is It?". Visitors welcome

December 2009

Date	Time	Location	Program Information
Tuesday December 1	7:30-10 pm	765 Concord Ave Cambridge [get map or directions]	Executive Committee Meeting All KB members are welcome to attend.
Friday December 4	7:30 pm	765 Concord Ave Cambridge [get map or directions]	Shabbat Service Celebrate Shabbat with KB. We have a lovely Humanistic service which will be followed by a Shabbat activity/discussion and refreshments. End the week and start Shabbat in a relaxed atmosphere. Take a pause and enjoy a moment to reflect. No RSVP required. For questions, contact Jerry Rubin or Carol Steinberg.
Sunday December 6	9:15 am	765 Concord Ave Cambridge [get map or directions]	Adult Program #6/Sunday School Our music director, Becky Wexler, will lead a program on how the Yiddish and klezmer music movement encourages social justice and political activism. Messages expressed in songs range from GLBT rights, to laborist and socialist anthems. This music-filled presentation will explore the zeitgeist of the klezmer world in America and in post-Holocaust Germany and the former Soviet Union. Guest musicians and social activists David Symmons (accordion/vocals) and Jonathan Cannon (violin) will bring color—and hopefully inspiration--to the morning! Visitors welcome
Sunday December 13	3:30-6 pm	765 Concord Ave Cambridge [get map or directions]	Hanukkah Celebration A family-oriented celebration for children and adults, including service, holiday meal with plenty of latkes, great craft projects, music, and lots of fun! Bring a menorah. Visitors welcome
Saturday December 19	4-6 pm	765 Concord Ave Cambridge [get map or directions]	Singing Workshop Have you ever wished that you could sing KB songs with your family at home? Have you ever wished that you had the confidence to sing in a public setting like KB? Did anyone ever tell you that the only place you should be singing is in your shower? Do you have trouble singing in rounds? Do you want to learn new, Humanistic Jewish songs? Focus will be on singing technique and getting over our fear of singing, practicing KB standards, including the blessings, and learning new songs. Led by Becky Wexler, our music director. After the workshop, we will enjoy a potluck dinner. Childcare will be provided upon request and there will be an opportunity for children to join in the singing briefly during the last part of our time together and of course, be part of the dinner. RSVP to Gladys Maged. Please include in your RSVP what you would like to bring for dinner.

January 2010

Date	Time	Location	Program Information
Tuesday January 5	7:30-10 pm	765 Concord Ave Cambridge [get map or directions]	Executive Committee Meeting All KB members are welcome to attend.
Friday - Sunday January 8-10		Purity Spring Resort/Ski Area East Madison, NH [get resort info or ski info]	KB Weekend Getaway An informal, fun, and popular weekend for both adults and families. Only a limited number of slots are available, so please reserve a space as early as possible.
Sunday January 17	9:15 am	765 Concord Ave Cambridge [get map or directions]	Adult Program #7/Sunday School In honor of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday (King would have been 80 this year) our January program will be an abridged, staged reading of *Inescapable Mutuality, written by Lexington playwright Merrill Meadow. A talk-back with the playwright and actors will follow the performance. The play’s title is drawn from Dr. King’s eloquent Letter from Birmingham Jail* written in April, 1963. Penned in response to fellow clergymen’s objection to “outside agitators” for civil rights, the Letter expressed King’s philosophy that, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” Set in April 1984 in the heart of Camden, NJ – one of the poorest and most violent cities in the nation – the play is put in motion by a well-intentioned political protest that triggers a deeper confrontation among four characters whose lives harbor unseen “mutualities.” It is a confrontation rooted in the frustrated promise of Black/Jewish relations since the Freedom Rides of 1961. In revealing the complex and painful connections among its four fragile yet determined characters, *Inescapable Mutuality* explores the way we recall, interpret, value, and share the past. – perhaps, most notably, “How do we balance ‘never forgetting’ and not constantly remembering the injuries done us as individuals and communities?”
Friday January 22	8 pm	765 Concord Ave Cambridge [get map or directions]	Shabbat Service Celebrate Shabbat with KB. We have a lovely Humanistic service which will be followed by a Shabbat activity/discussion and refreshments. End the week and start Shabbat in a relaxed atmosphere. Take a pause and enjoy a moment to reflect. No RSVP required. For questions, contact Jerry Rubin or Carol Steinberg.
Sunday January 31	9:15 am	765 Concord Ave Cambridge [get map or directions]	Adult Program #8/Sunday School Tu B'Shvat celebration Visitors welcome

February 2010

Date	Time	Location	Program Information
Tuesday February 2	7:30-10 pm	765 Concord Ave Cambridge [get map or directions]	Executive Committee Meeting All KB members are welcome to attend.
Saturday February 13	6:30 pm	the home of Dick and Roberta Bauer in Somerville	Adult Pot Luck Dinner Join us for adult conversation and socializing. Please email Roberta to RSVP and for directions.
Sunday February 28	9:15 am	765 Concord Ave Cambridge [get map or directions]	Adult Program #9/Sunday School The annual "KB book club". The congregation will break into small groups to discuss the book Hope Not Fear: A Path to a Jewish Renaissance by Edgar Bronfman and Beth Zasloff. The book will be on sale at KB during the preceding Sundays. Visitors welcome
Sunday February 28	Noon - 1pm	765 Concord Ave Cambridge [get map or directions]	!! Annual KB Purim Carnival !! Plan to stick around after Sunday School for the annual KB Purim festivities. This event is always lots of fun for everybody. Food, games, and prizes. Hope you can make it!! Visitors welcome

March 2010

Date	Time	Location	Program Information
Tuesday March 2	7:30-10 pm	765 Concord Ave Cambridge [get map or directions]	Executive Committee Meeting All KB members are welcome to attend.
Sunday March 14	9:15 am	765 Concord Ave Cambridge [get map or directions]	Adult Program #10/Sunday School Please join us for our annual All Congregation Morning. Instead of Sunday school, the children and adults will share a festive morning of activities, including a combined family service, a singing workshop led by KB's musical director, Becky Wexler, and lively Israeli folk dancing led by Marcie Van Cleave. Marcie runs the Folk Arts Center of New England and has been teaching and leading traditional dances in the New England area since the mid-1980's. There will also be delicious food to munch on and a silent auction. Visitors welcome
Saturday March 20	5:30 pm	The Common House of the Cornerstone Cohousing Community, Cambridge	Family Pot Luck Dinner Join us for a relaxed and fun social event, hosted by Cornerstone Cohousing members Judy Adler and Jane Eisenstark. Please RSVP to Jane.
Sunday March 28	9:15 am	765 Concord Ave Cambridge [get map or directions]	Adult Program #11/Sunday School Our program will be a very special film presentation titled, “Jews and Jazz” by renowned jazz film archivist and historian, Mark Cantor. This program will explore the involvement and contribution of Jews to this unique American art form. Using rare film clips from a wide variety of sources, Mr. Cantor will share exciting musical performances by such notable Jewish jazz performers as Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw, Buddy Rich, Mel Torme, Stan Getz and others. Mr. Cantor, who lives in California, has been active as a researcher and preservationist in the area of music on film for the past thirty years. During that time he has assembled one of the largest and most comprehensive collections of popular music on film in the United States. He has presented a widely acclaimed series of public jazz-film clip presentations throughout California and elsewhere. Visitors welcome
Sunday March 28	9 - noon	765 Concord Ave Cambridge [get map or directions]	Blood Drive KB and the American Red Cross will be sponsoring a blood drive and bone marrow registration. Appointments may be made online 4 weeks prior at www.givelife.org. Enter sponsor code 8055.

April 2010

Date	Time	Location	Program Information
Saturday April 3	5:30 pm (sharp!)	765 Concord Ave Cambridge [get map or directions]	KB Seder Our traditional congregation seder. We'll have our Humanistic haggadah, a catered meal, good conversation, and fun for all. Guests are welcome. Please go to this page to sign up.
Tuesday April 6	7:30-10 pm	765 Concord Ave Cambridge [get map or directions]	Executive Committee Meeting All KB members are welcome to attend.
Sunday April 11	9:15 am	765 Concord Ave Cambridge [get map or directions]	Adult Program #12/Sunday School Yom HaShoah Holocaust memorial service. This beautiful and moving ceremony honors the victims of the Holocaust and rekindles our commitment to Never Again. This year’s Yom Hashoah speaker, Julie Cederbaum Goschalk, will present "Bridging the Abyss: When Children of the Holocaust Speak to Children of Nazis." Between 1987 and 2000, Julie was a member of the Boston area German/Jewish Dialogue group of which she was the co-facilitator for 9 years. In 1992 Julie became involved with TRT, To Reflect And Trust, an international group of Jewish children of Holocaust survivors and children of Nazi perpetrators. The participants met yearly for 10 years in Germany, Israel, and the US and were featured in the BBC documentary “Children of the Third Reich.” A second BBC documentary, “Out of the Ashes,” shows Julie, her family and two other TRT members. Ms. Goschalk, born and raised in post-war Germany, is the daughter of two Holocaust survivors. Her parents, Polish Jews, survived World War II in the Lodz ghetto, Auschwitz, Bergen-Belsen and other concentration and labor camps. They were liberated in Germany where they remained after the war. Julie left Germany at the age of 16 to attend school in England where she lived for ten years. In 1978 Julie moved to Boston. Visitors welcome

May 2010

Date	Time	Location	Program Information
Saturday May 1	7 pm	the home of Paula Wolk and P.A.M. Spierings in Newton	Adult Pot Luck Dinner Join us for adult conversation and socializing. Please email Paula to RSVP and for directions.
Sunday May 2	9:15 am	765 Concord Ave Cambridge [get map or directions]	Adult Program #13/Sunday School Prof. Sol Gittleman (Tufts University) will speak. Visitors welcome
Sunday May 2	1 pm	80 Broadway Rd Dracut	Family Farm Day and Potluck Picnic The afternoon will start with a potluck picnic at Veteran’s Memorial Park 80 Broadway Road (Rt. 113) Dracut. Later, adults, teens and older supervised children will have the opportunity to clear the new Ogonowski Memorial Field (about 2 miles away) for the New Entry Sustainable Farming Project . Alternatively, young children and members may stay at the park for organized activities. NESFP staff will supervise the work at the field and provide a brief presentation about the project. Field volunteers should wear long pants, long-sleeve shirts, hats and work boots, and they should bring sunscreen, bug repellent and 2 bottles of water. The rain date is May 9. RSVP to Russ Ruthen .
Tuesday May 4	7:30-10 pm	765 Concord Ave Cambridge [get map or directions]	Executive Committee Meeting All KB members are welcome to attend.
Tuesday May 11	7:30 pm	765 Concord Ave Cambridge [get map or directions]	New and Prospective Member Evening An opportunity to learn about Kahal B'raira and our Sunday School. We will also discuss the philosophy of Humanistic Judaism. Please RSVP to Shari Gelber.
Sunday May 16	9:15 am	765 Concord Ave Cambridge [get map or directions]	Adult Program #14/Sunday School Following the service we will hold our annual business meeting. Visitors welcome
Sunday May 16	12-2 pm	The music room of 765 Concord Ave Cambridge [get map or directions]	Bar/Bat Mitzvah Class This class is loosely designed for parents and kids in 4-6 grade, but is open to anyone, regardless of ages or grades. Even if you attended the class last year, you are more than welcome to attend again. This is an interactive class; part of the time parents and kids will be together and part of the time they will be split into their own groupings. Parents are welcome to attend with or without their children. The purpose of the class is to learn more about a bar-bat mitzvah process in general, and to learn more about a KB-style bar-bat mitzvah in particular. We will look at ways of making a bar-bat mitzvah personal and relevant to the child and the family, and of making it something that is manageable/not too overwhelming. In addition to looking at the beginning stages of bar-bat mitzvah planning, this class will help families decide if they feel that a bar-bat mitzvah is something they feel is right for them. There is no charge for the class, but pre-registration is required; email Renee Lubowich. Lunch will be provided. We will arrange childcare for younger children upon request.
Sunday May 23	9:15 am	765 Concord Ave Cambridge [get map or directions]	Adult Program/Sunday School Makeup Day This day is reserved if we need to make up a day cancelled due to snow. Visitors welcome

June 2010

Date	Time	Location	Program Information
Tuesday June 1	7:30-10 pm	765 Concord Ave Cambridge [get map or directions]	Executive Committee Meeting All KB members are welcome to attend.
Sunday June 6	9:15 am (until 12:30pm)	765 Concord Ave Cambridge [get map or directions]	Adult Program #15/Sunday School Following the service will be the 7th grade graduation and the end-of-year Sunday School activities. Visitors welcome
Saturday June 12	7pm	The home of Phyllis and Barry Jaffee in Westborough	Adult Pot Luck Dinner Join us for adult conversation and socializing. Please email Phyllis to RSVP and for directions.

July 2009

Date	Time	Location	Program Information