10may.htm

RABBINIC DIRECTOR'S REPORT: May 2010

Dear Friends of Jewish Renewal,

I have the privilege of living on a beautiful little island which serves as home for about a thousand people and a place of sanctuary and sanctity the other ten to fifteen thousand people who spend all or part of their summers here. Yet, in this age of high speed internet and inexpensive phone calling, we are far less isolated than we once were. Our community is blessed with many people who practice thinking globally while acting locally. We are painfully aware of the suffering of others and the environmental degradation which our human societies seem unable or unwilling to fully recognize.

In this world, our spirituality, both as personal practice and as reinforcement for our ideals, is crucial to our ability to make the transitions necessary for our survival and growth as a species on this fragile planet we call home.

As I've written you before ALEPH, like so many other organizations dedicated to human spiritual and social growth, is having its difficulties in the material world. It seems that all of us who are committed to inner development, mitigation of human suffering, and the cultural arts which nourish us in such crucial ways, are those who are considered the easiest to limit in times of economic constraint.

It has been gratifying, then, that many of you rose to the occasion during the most extreme moment of our financial worries. It is especially gratifying that the number of our chai per month donors has now grown to nineteen! Small and predictable giving is what gives us relief from having to badger you with fund-raising appeals and, more important, allows us to focus on delivering program and creating the resources which help us to practice our Judaism in a way which enhances our lives and the lives of others with whom we share this planet. So, please, consider becoming a chai/month donor if you possibly can.

And, on the subject of program, please see the announcement of our first High Holyday retreat below and through the related links, as well as a progress report on ongoing projects.

This summer I am planning to make some changes in the way my life is balanced and I look forward to sharing them with you in my next note.

In the meantime, I hope that you all are enjoying the emerging Spring as we count our way toward our annual reunion at the base of Sinai.

Rabbi Daniel Siegel

ALEPH SUSTAINABILITY CAMPAIGN A LETTER FROM DR. MELVIN PASTERNACK (OF CALGARY); VICE CHAIR OF THE ALEPH BOARD	ALEPH CANADA IN CANADA ROSH HASHANAH & YOM KIPPUR RETREAT	ALEPH CANADA & THE ALEPH BET MIDRASH
Psalm 92 says "Light is sown for the righteous and joy for the upright in heart." I want to tell you from close up that it was largely through Deb Kolodny's inspired effort that ALEPH resolved a very serious financial crisis last summer. You heard from her in October about how she and the ALEPH Board partnered to bring ALEPH back to sound financial ground. For now. But what about the future? Let me tell you about a vision of mine. In this vision, emergency appeals were a thing of the past. The Jewish Renewal movement had achieved permanent financial sustainability, liberated from the economic ups and downs that can thwart its mission and the success of its signature retreats – Kallah and Ru'ach Ha'Aretz. How, you ask? Simple. There are nearly 4,000 members on the ALEPH member list. If, without being noodged or nagged – entreated or exhorted – 2,000 ALEPH members realized that if they donated CHAI per month ($18) or $216 a year, ALEPH would raise $432,000! Every year. These Chai Donors or "ChaiNiks," had created financial sustainability! Won't you join me now in making this dream a reality? You can personally assure that ALEPH survives and thrives with just this one act! Don't assume others will do it! We are counting on you! I would not ask you to do anything that I am not already doing myself. All ALEPH Board members give or raise $1,000 per year. A few have joined with other lamed vavniks and give $5,000 or more a year. Ensure that the Kallah and Ruach HaAretz continue to be there for you and that amazing rabbis, cantors and rabbinic pastors continue to be trained and ordained. Rest easy knowing that world-class consultation services continue to be provided to community leaders, so Jewish Renewal communities continue to grow and thrive and the media continues to cover Jewish Renewal. Breathe into the remarkable truth that Jewish Renewal is represented at national Jewish events and decision-making tables and will continue to be there because of you! Remember, I am not asking for your life savings. I am asking you to become a Chai Donor, giving $18 a month to ALEPH. Eighteen dollars? The cost of a few lattes? Please join me in ensuring that ALEPH is here for our children and grandchildren. Click on the link below and leave a healthy Jewish Renewal movement as part of YOUR personal legacy! THANK YOU! To donate, click on this link and then follow the simple steps: CanadaHelps.	Wednesday-Sunday 8-12 September 2010 Friday-Sunday 17-19 September 2010 Hornby Island, BC Led by Rabbi Daniel Siegel and Noam Dolgin Join us for an intimate High Holyday experience as we combine traditional liturgy, creativity, and study to create a unique connection among the deep meaning of these special days, our people’s traditions, and our contemporary commitment to a Judaism which embodies the universal as well as the particular. Beginning with a Rosh HaShanah dinner, we will meet to share in the familiar sounds and form of the evening service. The next day, we will davven together with an emphasis on adjusting the order of the service to focus on the major themes of Rosh HaShanah, the blowing of the shofar and the three unique sections of the Musaf (additional) service, usually recited so late in the morning that many of us have already left for home. The second day of Rosh HaShanah will, G!d willing, be spent outdoors, as we take the beautiful Helliwell Part walk, stopping for prayer, for the shofar to sound, for a picnic lunch, and tashlich. On Yom Kippur, we will again begin with a shared meal, followed by a traditional Kol Nidre service. During the day, we will once again structure the service so that it guides through the process which brings us to the Holy of Holies and the feeling of having been forgiven by a loving and compassionate universe and its Creator. There will be opportunities for study, for outdoor mikveh, hikes, and bicycle rides, as well as a Shabbat program for the day after Rosh HaShanah. For those coming for Yom Kippur, there will be the added treat of the annual Hornby Island Fall Fair, which has been moved to Sunday for the very first time! For the full schedule and fees, please click here. Click here to register.	ALEPH launched a MECHINAH / PREPARATORY program of study for those who •have initiated a serious inquiry into an ALEPH Ordination Program; •might be thinking of initiating a serious inquiry into an ALEPH Ordination Program; and/or •are looking for a higher level of the study of Torah Lishma, Torah for its own sake. Three courses have already met out of a total of seven to be offered on a two year cycle. For a full description of the program, please click here. So far in 2010, two more courses have successfully been offered, one in Jewish Renewal and Reb Zalman's Thought and the other in learning to read rabbinic texts. ALEPH launched a program in Continuing Education for Klei Kodesh, the Holy Vessels who are the rabbis, rabbinic pastors, cantors, and others serving spiritual needs. The first course, taught by San Francisco Bay Area psychotherapist and Jewish teacher Estelle Frankel was called "The Wisdom of Not Knowing." Fourteen students participated in this pilot course. ALEPH began the Machzor Kol Koreh project, a new kind of High Holyday prayerbook. A full description of this project and how to participate can be found on the digital downloads page of this website. At this time, the first major upgrade is underway with the addition of acknowledgements pages and a fuller n'ilah service. Return to the ALEPH Canada Home Page

ALEPH SUSTAINABILITY CAMPAIGN A LETTER FROM DR. MELVIN PASTERNACK (OF CALGARY); VICE CHAIR OF THE ALEPH BOARD

ALEPH CANADA IN CANADA

ROSH HASHANAH & YOM KIPPUR RETREAT

ALEPH CANADA & THE ALEPH BET MIDRASH

Psalm 92 says "Light is sown for the righteous and joy for the upright in heart."

I want to tell you from close up that it was largely through Deb Kolodny's inspired effort that ALEPH resolved a very serious financial crisis last summer. You heard from her in October about how she and the ALEPH Board partnered to bring ALEPH back to sound financial ground.

For now.

But what about the future?

Let me tell you about a vision of mine. In this vision, emergency appeals were a thing of the past. The Jewish Renewal movement had achieved permanent financial sustainability, liberated from the economic ups and downs that can thwart its mission and the success of its signature retreats – Kallah and Ru'ach Ha'Aretz.

How, you ask? Simple. There are nearly 4,000 members on the ALEPH member list. If, without being noodged or nagged – entreated or exhorted – 2,000 ALEPH members realized that if they donated CHAI per month ($18) or $216 a year, ALEPH would raise $432,000! Every year.

These Chai Donors or "ChaiNiks," had created financial sustainability!

Won't you join me now in making this dream a reality? You can personally assure that ALEPH survives and thrives with just this one act! Don't assume others will do it! We are counting on you!

I would not ask you to do anything that I am not already doing myself. All ALEPH Board members give or raise $1,000 per year. A few have joined with other lamed vavniks and give $5,000 or more a year.

Ensure that the Kallah and Ruach HaAretz continue to be there for you and that amazing rabbis, cantors and rabbinic pastors continue to be trained and ordained. Rest easy knowing that world-class consultation services continue to be provided to community leaders, so Jewish Renewal communities continue to grow and thrive and the media continues to cover Jewish Renewal. Breathe into the remarkable truth that Jewish Renewal is represented at national Jewish events and decision-making tables and will continue to be there because of you!

Remember, I am not asking for your life savings. I am asking you to become a Chai Donor, giving $18 a month to ALEPH.

Eighteen dollars? The cost of a few lattes?

Please join me in ensuring that ALEPH is here for our children and grandchildren. Click on the link below and leave a healthy Jewish Renewal movement as part of YOUR personal legacy!

THANK YOU!

To donate, click on this link and then follow the simple steps: CanadaHelps.

Wednesday-Sunday 8-12 September 2010

Friday-Sunday 17-19 September 2010
Hornby Island, BC
Led by Rabbi Daniel Siegel and Noam Dolgin

Join us for an intimate High Holyday experience as we combine traditional liturgy, creativity, and study to create a unique connection among the deep meaning of these special days, our people’s traditions, and our contemporary commitment to a Judaism which embodies the universal as well as the particular.
Beginning with a Rosh HaShanah dinner, we will meet to share in the familiar sounds and form of the evening service. The next day, we will davven together with an emphasis on adjusting the order of the service to focus on the major themes of Rosh HaShanah, the blowing of the shofar and the three unique sections of the Musaf (additional) service, usually recited so late in the morning that many of us have already left for home.
The second day of Rosh HaShanah will, G!d willing, be spent outdoors, as we take the beautiful Helliwell Part walk, stopping for prayer, for the shofar to sound, for a picnic lunch, and tashlich.
On Yom Kippur, we will again begin with a shared meal, followed by a traditional Kol Nidre service. During the day, we will once again structure the service so that it guides through the process which brings us to the Holy of Holies and the feeling of having been forgiven by a loving and compassionate universe and its Creator.
There will be opportunities for study, for outdoor mikveh, hikes, and bicycle rides, as well as a Shabbat program for the day after Rosh HaShanah.
For those coming for Yom Kippur, there will be the added treat of the annual Hornby Island Fall Fair, which has been moved to Sunday for the very first time!

For the full schedule and fees, please click here. Click here to register.

ALEPH launched a MECHINAH / PREPARATORY program of study for those who

•have initiated a serious inquiry into an ALEPH Ordination Program;
•might be thinking of initiating a serious inquiry into an ALEPH Ordination Program; and/or
•are looking for a higher level of the study of Torah Lishma, Torah for its own sake.

Three courses have already met out of a total of seven to be offered on a two year cycle. For a full description of the program, please click here.

So far in 2010, two more courses have successfully been offered, one in Jewish Renewal and Reb Zalman's Thought and the other in learning to read rabbinic texts.

ALEPH launched a program in Continuing Education for Klei Kodesh, the Holy Vessels who are the rabbis, rabbinic pastors, cantors, and others serving spiritual needs.

The first course, taught by San Francisco Bay Area psychotherapist and Jewish teacher Estelle Frankel was called "The Wisdom of Not Knowing." Fourteen students participated in this pilot course.

ALEPH began the Machzor Kol Koreh project, a new kind of High Holyday prayerbook. A full description of this project and how to participate can be found on the digital downloads page of this website. At this time, the first major upgrade is underway with the addition of acknowledgements pages and a fuller n'ilah service.

Return to the ALEPH Canada Home Page