Did you know? Adult Education 25 years and counting at Lakeside!

Missed my article in ARJE Achshav?  Read it here:

For over 25 years a group of dedicated, devoted, and enthusiastic adults meet every Sunday morning at Lakeside Congregation for Adult Enrichment. We begin the morning with a small group for weekday t’filah. We also host a lox and bagel brunch and then we get down to business as we meet for 90 minutes; we have about 30 speakers over any school year. Sometimes we have a theme that takes us through a whole year and occasionally we just have monthly topics.

The weekend before Thanksgiving, we hosted Jim Kenney from Common Ground in Deerfield, Illinois, who spoke about “Reflections on the 2016 Election.” We had over 100 people in attendance and for our small congregation of 300 families that is a great turnout. How did this adult education solidify and continue to grow over the years? This is not an easy question but one I can attempt to answer.

• We call our Sunday morning lectures “Adult Enrichment” which we hope will signal to our congregants and community attendees that these lectures are not meant to be a class. You can come one week and miss the next 3 weeks because our classes do not build one upon the other. Occasionally we have a series of 2 or 3 sessions on one topic but all Sunday mornings can stand on their own.

• We depend on dynamic speakers and if they are enjoyed one year we bring them back, if not the next year, perhaps in a few years.

• We set the calendar for Adult Enrichment 8-10 months in advance. Speakers are sometimes surprised that we are full for the year in September.

• We plan our topics and speakers by September and then have a bookmark with all of our speakers ready to pass out at the High Holy Days.

• We budget for the speakers.

• We ask our participants to help defray the cost of the lox and bagel brunch by being a “sponsor” once or twice a year.

I am very proud of our program and excited every Sunday morning to see so many adults coming into the building to participate in this program. Both my rabbi and I do one or two Sunday mornings and then we find exciting speakers in our community. This adult study has fostered friendships, spearheaded social action projects and helped us to move forward many different agendas including ritual or even taking a trip to Israel.

 One of our upcoming Adult Enrichment Sunday programs is “the Plight of the Refugee; how you can make a difference in the refugee crisis.” We are planning on sponsoring a refugee and working with HIAS and what a great way to start this campaign. I am getting ready even now to plan more Adult Enrichment programs as I look forward to 2017-2018.

If you have not tired Adult Enrichment out at Lakeside please stop by this Sunday at 10:30 am to meet Rabbi Michael Balinsky from the Chicago Board of Rabbis:


 Come for the lecture and brunch; stay for the friends!

November 9, 2016

I make "to do" lists and nothing makes me feel better than crossing off tasks from my list.  Wednesday morning I put many items on my to do list which may not be crossed off for the next 2-4 years.  I was deeply stunned by the result of the election on Tuesday. I am still not sure why so many people were stunned by the outcome. How did the pollsters get it wrong?  Why didn't we read the country better?

12 year old Vanessa

I grew up in Crystal Lake, Illinois and I was the only Jewish student in my school besides my sister.  We were the "other" and we routinely talked about being Jewish, visiting Israel (which we did in 1973) and disagreeing with the war in Vietnam.  I don't know if I changed any minds, never mind votes but I do know that there are 100's of fellow students many of whom still live in Crystal Lake, a republican bastion, who remember the funny Jewish kid they knew in grade and high school.

My sister and I in the Old City, 1972

I loved public speaking and took every chance I could to bring up Jewish history and cultural references.  In my American history class when the teacher began in 1492 Columbus discovered America, I promptly and loudly pointed out that this was also the beginning of the Spanish Inquisition where thousands of Jews died and were tortured because they were Jewish.  High Five to my Religious school studies at Congregation Knesset Israel in Elgin who taught me that factoid.

I had an English teacher who when teaching us Shakespeare used the phrase "to Jew someone down" and I immediately told my parents, who called the High School's administration and had me transferred into another class.  (The teacher denied saying it by the way).  I mention all of these incidents to bring to light how being Jewish in a small town can affect other people.

I chose to live in Deerfield, send my children to day school and live in the beautiful bubble of the north shore.  I know from my travels and professional growth opportunities that Jews are leaving small towns by the droves.  As the big box stores come in the Jewish owners of the small personal dry good stores are no longer there.  We no longer have dialogue with the "other". I think that as we go forward for the next 2 to 4 years we must not only work for our candidate, read just OUR facebook feed but we must look to engage with the "other" so we can empathize and hope they can empathize with us.  It is not as easy task to put this dialogue on our to do list but it is going on mine. 

Attending an educator meeting on Wednesday November 9 many of my younger colleagues were wondering how to talk to their young children and tell them about the election; how could they explain to their children when they were very sad themselves.  I was thinking about what to tell my children, all in their 20's and especially to the one who was working for someone who did not get elected and he does not have a job now.  I think my husband put it best when he wrote/texted them the following:

My kids, helping right before Pesach

Good Morning,

 It is OK to be sad and a little depressed, but do not let it control you.  Life always has its ups and downs, and I do think (after first going through my own internal rants and vents and worries about the world and country being doomed.   OK, got that out of the way now), that really,  that life always goes on.  

 . . . So, DON’T EVER LET GO OF YOUR IDEALISM.  Lital, I think your principal is correct and I see you guys and all your friends as the future.

You  must be ready to move forward with your goals and convictions intact.  Mom and I thought the country was lost when a previous candidate prevailed back when we were in college.  We are all still here and the pendulum swung to get President Obama.  We love you, Dad

My Kids

I am looking forward to praying together this weekend and coming together for Religious school and talking to friends and family as together we move on. 

#Blogelul 26 Create (the State of Israel)

Shimon Peres, Z"L (Zikron L'vracha, may his memory be a blessing) died this week in Israel.  He was instrumental in creating the state of Israel, preserving it and making sure it exists through 5777.  With his death we witness the end of an era which includes the founding generation of chalutzim, pioneers in Israel.  He was a warrior for peace and served his county selflessly.  It is to his credit that President Obama, former President Clinton, Secretary of State John Kerry are traveling to his funeral in Jerusalem on Har Herzl, Friday September 30, the 27th of Elul.  Also in attendance they have announced President Mahmoud Abbas, President of the Palestinian Authority will be in attendance as well.  President Obama has also ordered that flags fly at half mast at government buildings this week in the United States.  That is quite a statement.  It shows us not just the importance of Shimon Peres on the world stage but also that he was very well liked.

Here is a very short bio:

Born Szymon Perski; (August 2, 1923 – September 28, 2016) was an Israeli statesman and the 9th President of Israel, serving from 2007 to 2014. Peres served twice as the Prime Minister of Israel and twice as Interim Prime Minister, and he was a member of twelve cabinets in a political career spanning nearly 70 years. Peres was elected to the Knesset in November 1959 and, except for a three-month-long hiatus in early 2006, served continuously until 2007, when he became President, serving in the role for another seven years. At the time of his retirement in 2014, he was the world's oldest head of state. He was considered the last link to Israel's founding generation.
 
This is a youtube video made only 2 years ago after Peres retired from the Presidency, which is mostly ceremonial as opposed to being the Prime Minister who runs the government.  It is Peres retiring and then looking for a job.  It is very funny and there are sub titles and if you think of all the peace conferences and all of the government jobs Peres has done over the years it makes it even funnier.  

There are many articles, pictures and quotes on line about Peres and I am sure there will be more this weekend.  Take a read, pick just one.  I admire Peres' generation for what they did for the Jewish people in Israel and all over the world.  He will be missed.  Shana Tova.  

Kickoff 5777-2016 School Year; What do I understand?

We are now in the month of Elul, which precedes the month of Tishri; the month of the High Holy days.  During Elul we are to prepare ourselves for the upcoming holiday season.  There are many different ways to get ready and as usual I am personally preparing for the High Holy days by preparing our educational program at Lakeside Congregation. School this year will look a little different and a little like it has in the past.

On the first day of school we will have a Kickoff for Lakeside which will feature a Firetruck bouncy house, a police car, an opportunity to say and write thank you notes to our local first responders.  music, making s'mores, and information tables by our Lakeside affiliates.  It will be a fun morning for the whole family and for prospective new members. I hope to see all of you at our opening program.

We are also very excited to launch our new Lakeside Academy for grades 5-10.  Students will be able to chose from a list of electives for the 2nd half of class.  Students will have a core curriculum from 10:30-11:15am and from 11:15am-Noon they will be able to chose an elective.  Here is a video with some of the electives we will be offering. Lakeside Academy Electives

Other ways to get ready during the month of Elul is to #BlogElul.  I hope to start blogging shortly and here are the topics that I will participate in Rabbi Phyllis Sommer of Am Shalom.


It is daunting to try and blog every day and I have never been very successful.  It does push me to think, prepare and get ready in many different ways.  Today's blog is understand.  I think to understand you must first know what you don't know.  After opening school for over 30 years (27 here at Lakeside) I almost always have butterflys the night before.  I have come to understand that I can't always anticpate everything that will happen or 100% accurately predict how the day will turn out.  I can do all the hard work before hand over the summer to insure there will be a modicum of success and continue to build on my understanding to make next year even better.  I look forward to blogging Elul and preparing for the High Holy days. 

Mikvah before the wedding

I have always regretted not going to the Mikvah before I got married in 1984.  At the time I was preparing for the wedding in Crystal Lake, Il with my parents. The only mikvah I knew about was on Touhy in Chicago; the one we use today, especially for conversions and for other Lakeside members is located at Beth Hillel in Wilmette and called the Community Mikvah; it had not been built. As Lital's wedding approached I asked her if she was interested in going to the Mikvah before she got married and I was happy that she did indeed want to go.  To best explain about Mikvah I want to share an explanation of  Mikvah from their website:

The word “mikvah” means “a gathering of waters”. A mikvah is built according to precise rules of location, dimension and source of its natural water. The mikvah looks like a small pool, is about four feet deep, and is filled with warm (92 degree) water. This “mayim chaim” – “living waters” – reminds us of the pure waters of the Garden of Eden. The ritual of immersion in a mikvah is a means of spiritual purification, helping us to prepare ourselves for events in our lives of great spiritual importance. In the times of the Temple in Jerusalem, the high priest immersed himself in the mikvah five separate times during the services for Yom Kippur. According to the Talmud, if a new Jewish community is established, it is incumbent upon the community to build the mikvah first, even before building the synagogue. Performing the rite of circumcision and immersion in a mikvah are the two oldest rituals in any religion, having been performed continuously for almost 3,500 years.

Before we went to the mikvah Lital had a list of preparations which included bringing a new tooth brush, taking a shower before she came and taking off all nail polish.  You must take another shower at the mikveh as well.  When you submerge nothing is to come between your body and the waters.  Your hair must be combed and you examine yourself to make sure you have nothing else on your body.  You submerge one person at a time.  There are wooden shutters which allow friends to hear as the person in the Mikvah says their Hebrew prayers out loud.  Wedding mikvah visits in Wilmette are done at night in a more private time.  Mikvah is a personal decision and I did ask Lital first if I could write about her visit and she gave permission.  It was beautiful moment for her and I wanted to share and teach about this sacred moment. 

Traditional Blessing:
Baruch ata adonai eloheinu melech ha-olam asher kid-shanu b'mitzvo-tav v'tzi-vanu al ha-tevilah.

Blessed are You, Adonai, Ruler of the Universe, Who has sanctified us with the mitzvot and commanded us concerning immersion.

She-he-che-yanu:

Baruch ata adonai eloheinu melech ha-olam she-heche-yanu, ve-ki-y'manu, ve-higi-yanu la-z'man ha-zeh.

Blessed are You, Source of all Life, Who has kept us alive and sustained us, and enabled us to reach this day.

Carol our mikvah attendant explained that the water from the shower symbolized the past and the water from the mikvah was the future.  I am not sure what the water from my tears symbolized as I listened to Lital immerse in the water.  Lital was presented afterwards from her friends present with thoughtful gifts including a WATER bottle. After this Jewish ritual of Mikvah we were prepared to enter the Wedding weekend. 
 

I am thinking about Mikvah for myself to celebrate the change of life.  I would like to feel the waters around me as you dunk and jump up at the same time so the water touches every part of you.  Men use the mikvah too before they get married, Shabbat and on Chagim. 

I think Mikvah is a meaningful ritual and one which I encourage you to research and if you have any questions please feel free to ask.  For more on the wedding weekend stay tuned.

          

Camp Life: Being in the Bubble

Being at OSRUI for 2 weeks is like living in a bubble.  I don't watch television nor read a newspaper; I don't really have that much free time.  I do peruse Facebook and twitter but this year our internet connection was not strong and some days I did not see what was going on in the world.  I have to say that it was a good 2 weeks not to be "in the know".

It was disturbing to come back to so many hateful and brutal stories.  I came home on Sunday July 17 and couldn't really believe that another shooting was happening in Baton Rouge as I hadn't processed the tragedy of the previous week.  As the world keeps spinning and I am back in the "real"
 world with access to television and newspapers I long to be back at camp in our bubble.  I was working with a younger eidah, unit, Tzofim.  I did not bring up the current events that filtered through to me.  There was no reason not to keep my chanichim, campers in the bubble of camp.

Actual OSRUI Camper in Actual Bubble

I know that kids feel comfortable at camp and can relax and let their hair down so to say.  They make new friends, try out new activities and sometimes reinvent themselves.  I am glad that no one, including our Madrichim, counselors asked me about the news while I was at camp.  Sometimes they wanted to know the sports news, the baseball statistics or news about the world cup but other than that chanichim, madrichim and even other faculty were happy to live without word from the outer world.

Coming home and listening to the news was not unlike coming out of a fog and being conditioned to once again hear bad news from sun up to sun down.  Although I know we need to address current events and everything that is happening in the news I don't even know where to begin: Race, violence, derech eretz (treating each other kindly) or just peace.  National and world events seem to explode before our very eyes.  When CNN first became  a 24 hour news station in June of 1980 who could have predicted the escalation of the news cycle, cell phone videos and making the world seem small would keep this news station afloat. 

I know that my colleagues at camp now are probably also happy for their respite of not being bombarded by news, twitter feeds or even newspapers.  I hope that as I ease back into life at home I will find a happy medium of keeping up with current events,  continued reading all of the books on my To Read list  and not getting too worked up over  news; political and otherwise.  When I find that happy medium by the way I will let you know and for now I am already thinking about OSRUI 2017. 

How to succeed at bringing camp values back to your home without even trying.

From my time at OSRUI this summer. 

How to succeed at bringing camp values back to your home without even trying.

We have been in Kibbutz HaTzofim Bet for over a week and the chanichim (campers) and Madrichim (counselors) are settling into their groove.  When your chanichim come home happy and tired this Sunday here are few things we think you can incorporate into your family discussion:

• Helping out in our community:  In Tzofim we helped each other out all day every day.  Your child has been on Meal prep: setting the tables and doing some easy food prep, clean up: cleaning our eating areas and doing dishes as well as Nikayon (general clean up).  Most days, except Shabbat, we give Nikayon scores to every Ohel, tent.  Chanichim work very hard to earn top scores by organizing their belongings and making their beds!

• D’bar Ivrit: Speak Hebrew every day: Your child will come home with dozens of new Hebrew vocabulary words.  Ask them their favorite words and write them on note cards to post around the house.

• Enhancing spirituality:  Our chanichim have all prepared daily t’filot, services, for our community.  Through their beautiful words and images they lead us in prayer.  They also began every meal with the Motzi prayer and end every meal with the Birkat Hamazon, grace after meals. Try adding  the blessing over the bread on Fridays to make Shabbat a little more special.  

• Being kind to animals and tending the garden: Our chanichim take care of all of the animals in our refet, farm.  They feed them, pet them and as they answered when we asked, “we hang out with them”.  Chanichim also tend our garden by watering, weeding, and hoeing the ground.  They attend to these duties every day except on Shabbat.

• Trying something new:  Our limud, leaning activities has revolved around heroes and we encouraged our chanichim to try something new every day.  They climbed Etgar our high ropes course and were challenged on our low ropes course where they had to spot one another as the ropes were about one-foot off the ground.  We have more surprises for the end of our week and be sure to ask your chanich about what super power they chose for their cape. Try to keep the challenge going at home and plan something small for you and your child to try that is different from your everyday routine. 
  

• Ending the day: Every Ohel, tent (and in other eidot, units, this happens as well) our Madrichim create a special experience for our chanichim.  Every night “lights out” is different.  It could be “meet the Madrich”, story time, music or just about anything that will calm chanichim and bring them together as a chevre, friend group. Most of the girls Ohelim sing the moon song (ask them about it!) and all of the Ohelim end the day with singing Shema together.  We know that when your child gets home they will miss their friends, their madrichim and saying good night in this special way.

We are so proud of everything that we have taught, learned and experienced over these past two weeks.  Don’t be afraid to ask your child to clean up their room, do the dishes, set the table or try out something new.  They may be ready for a new pet or to help out in your garden.  They have been all doing these activities and so many more and we hope they will continue their quest for enriching their Jewish identity, friendship connections and independence.

Vanessa M. Ehrlich is the Director of Lifelong Learning at Lakeside Congregation in Highland Park, Illinois. Nicole A. Jahr is Director of Lifelong Learning at Temple Beth El Madison, Wisconsin. Together, they proudly serve as Segel for Tzofim Bet.

Looking Backward: Looking forward

This last week has not been an easy one.  Beginning with the terrorist explosion in a Tel Aviv cafe and then the horrific tragedy of Orlando.  It is hard to heap more words on those that have been spoken already.  From the URJ to Lakeside Congregation we have spoken out about Orlando and gun control in the United States.  Last week I got a text from a friend who was worried about sending her daughter to Israel for the summer after the Cafe bombing.  I told her not to worry, that all Israel trips for youth, synagogues or any tourists are very carefully controlled.  True they may alter an itinerary after a security alert but I have never felt safer when living and visiting in Israel.

After the tragedy in Orlando what do we do?  Can we warn our children to alter their behavior in going to clubs?  Israel was in solidarity with Orlando and many buildings in Tel Aviv showed their rainbow colors.

Yes we can protest gun violence and in fact there is a protest this Friday:

What: Demonstration at assault weapons manufacturer

Date: Friday, June 17, 2016

Time: 12 noon until 1:00 pm

Where: DS Arms, 27996 W. Industrial Avenue, Lake Barrington, IL

Contact: Lee Goodman 847-559-9525 Lee@PeacefulCommunities.org

In response to the the recent mass-shooting in Orlando, Florida, Peaceful Communities will hold a demonstration at a company that manufactures assault rifles and sells them to the public.

“Companies are making money manufacturing assault weapons and selling them to the public. These companies and the entire gun industry should be held accountable for the damage that their products cause,” said Lee Goodman, organizer of Peaceful Communities. “The gun industry has escaped liability for the shootings, whether mass-shootings like the recent one in Orlando or the daily shootings all across America. It is time that industry started acted responsibly.”

The demonstration is the ninth in a campaign called the Merchants of Death Protest Tour, which will continue to visit gun industry locations throughout the summer.

Peaceful Communities is a volunteer organization working for the reduction of violence.

  

We can write and call our representatives, we can say prayers for the families who are still hurting from the aftermath of this attack.  This is looking backward.

Planning Limudim 2015

Looking forward I will be at OSRUI tomorrow to participate in Staff training, Shavuah Hachanah, (week of preparation).  I am working in Kibbutz Hatzofim this summer, an Ohel (tent) eidah (unit) and I can't wait.  When I come up for the day I get to meet all of the madrichim (counselors) I will be working with in a few weeks and help them prepare for a wonderful summer.  

Sometimes we do an art project together to remember how it feels to be 9 years old and away at camp; other times we study some Torah and see what Jewish values we find together.  I see these staff members as the future.  They will be able to outlaw assault rifles, they will be able to make this world better than how we are leaving it.  They have hope and when I work with them I have hope too.

I need to get ready for tomorrow and pick up some good snacks, including a Gluten Free option and I know that I will be inspired by my tzvet, (staff) tomorrow.