JUNE 2009
News from Jewish Milestones
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We need your support.
You can even...
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New Arrivals!
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An extraordinary new "chuppah"(wedding canopy) designed by Torah scribe Jen Taylor Friedman. Learn more...
The Kariv family purchased a stunning silver "yad" (Torah pointer) in Israel and donated it to our Ritual Resource Lending Library in honor of board member, Amy Mezey.
Master shofar maker, Maurice Kamins, of SF and a participant in our recent mikveh guide training, donated an unusual shofar to our collection.
Find out more...
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SPOTLIGHT ON E&R
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Our "Education & Referral" services connect Bay Area Jews with the resources -human and material- they need to prepare for and celebrate a wide variety of milestones, from the arrival of a baby or commitment to a life partner, to rituals for healing or loss, among others. We call this work "Education and Referral" rather than "Information and Referral" because our focus is on guiding people through the myriad resources available to them and helping them make well-informed decisions. Making referrals is not treated as simply a matter of matching needs to qualifications, it's also an art. Much like the role of a traditional shadchan, our E&R Specialist, Deb Fink, is a matchmaker. Her goal is to get to know the client personally, and using what she knows about their personality, style, presence and approach to Judaism, to connect them with someone who would be a good match for their ritual. In Deb's words:
"We are fulfilling a real need in the community, our clients tell me that all of the time. For me, it's such a privilege to have this window into someone's Jewish journey, and to have the opportunity to help them find a guide to walk with them along this part of their path." |
Let's Be Friends!
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RITE IN YOSEMITE |
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It is difficult to describe the beauty of the scene as our guests began to meander along the path, lined with pine cones collected by our daughter, to a site next to a tranquil portion of the Merced River. The Jewish Milestones Lending Torah was safely ensconced in the ark as the service began. It was one of those "you had to be there" events, but when we reflect
on the Jewish Milestones mission of providing "authentic, accessible,
meaningful Jewish lifecycle rituals," this Yosemite Bar Mitzvah was an
object lesson. In the fall of 2007, our family embarked on a unique and very personal journey that came to fruition in May of this year (2009) at  the foot of El Capitan in Yosemite Valley. Jewish Milestones enabled our first steps and provided sensitive support and guidance along the way. Our first contact was with Deb Fink, an Education and Referral Specialist. She outlined the essential elements we needed (and did NOT need) for a bar mitzvah, and together we developed an initial plan of action. The first action item was... |
HEY HEY - It's JM at the SF Jewish Film Festival!
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Jewish Milestones is delighted
to be a co-presenter of
Hey Hey It's Esther Blueburger Esther
Blueberger has thick glasses, parents who don't understand her, a pet
duck, and no friends at her hoity-toity school. She and her twin brother are approaching their bar/bat mitzvah, when Esther discovers that her inner self would enjoy making the entry into adolescence a lot wilder.... View the trailer Featuring Keisha Castle-Hughes (Whale Rider) and Toni Collette (Little
Miss Sunshine), the Bay Area premiere of this off-beat Australian
coming-of-age comedy kicks off this summer's San Francisco Jewish Film Festival. For more information and show times in SF, Berkeley, Palo Alto and San Rafael, go to www.sfjff.org. To learn more about making a bar or bat mitzvah celebration an authentic reflection of your family's Jewish values and an experience even Esther Blueburger would stick around for, contact Julie@JewishMilestones.org. |
INTERN, IN TURN
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Hila Peretz is our JVS Kohn Intern for the summer. She is excited to work at Jewish
Milestones because of her "love for Judaism and sincere interest in
making Judaism accessible and meaningful to ALL who seek it." 
She
brings experience as a Hebrew school teacher and student leader at UCLA
where she has planned Shabbat programs and events for First Year
Students of Hillel (FYSH) over the past two years.
Hila will
be a third year Bruin majoring in psychology with a minor in
anthropology or Jewish Studies - yet to be decided! Hila hails from
Haifa and grew up in El Cerrito, CA. She is a proud Tehiyah Day School and
Jewish Community High School of the Bay alumna. During her down time
she likes to knit, play sports and have fun with her dog, Belle.
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If you're excited by the work we do,
please help us do more of it!
You can:
SPREAD THE WORD
Tell others about the services we offer. And did you know that our highly personalized referral service is free of charge? It is. Thanks to the support of our generous benefactors. Come spend it with us! We've got a wide range of projects and an awesome staff.
EXPAND OUR LIBRARY DONATE MONEY Mail a check or use a credit card online...
We hope you enjoy the summer!
Rachel, Julie, Deb, Jenni, Jen and Hila
Jewish Milestones
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YOU,
(yes, YOU)
Could Help
Save a Life!
Felicia Kramarz (Marin resident and wife of Jewish Milestones board member Ken Kramarz) joined the bone marrow registry in 2005.
Three years later, not even remembering that she had registered, she was notified that she was a match for a man with cancer almost 3,000 miles away.
She has since donated to him by giving blood. "It was nice to feel I was doing something to potentially save someone's life," Felicia said.
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A Bay Area family needs your help.
The Galinson Family is looking for a stem cell donor for Jon, loving husband and father of two young girls, who has been battling leukemia for the past 16 months. An article in an L.A. Jewish paper tells more of their story...
The Galinson family:
The process to join the "Be the Match" registry is very simple and involves a medical questionnaire and a cheek swab with a Q-tip. You can read more about it and join at: www.bethematch.com. Enter promo code "JonGalinson" for a reduced online registration rate of $25 (fully tax-deductible).
You can also show your support (and "meet" Jon and Yael) by joining their Facebook group.
Please help us find a match for Jon and for thousands like him. The more people that register, the better the chances. For more information on this important mitzvah, contact
Deb Fink at Jewish Milestones.
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Please forward this information to your friends and family, and encourage them to join the registry. Thank you for helping us spread the word as far and wide as possible!
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