Gratz College Hanukkah Party
Thursday
December 17
3:30 - 5 pm
Gratz College**
** All online students are encouraged to send a photo of their family (lighting candles or otherwise celebrating) so you can be part of our celebration. All students who send photos will be entered into our gift certificate drawing.
send photos to:
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Don't miss it!
Spring Orientation
for all
on campus students
Sunday, Jan. 10
12:30 - 4 p.m.
Food, networking,
program meetings, key information for new and returning students!
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No, we can't yet feed you virtually but we're improving things for you too!
Spring Orientation
for online students Wednesday,
January 13
watch for more details...
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Did You Know? Hanukkah Bimuelous or fried honey puffs are a traditional Hanukkah food for Sephardic Jews from the Mediterranean region, particularly Spain, Greece, and Turkey. They are so good, you will want to make them year-round. Honey puffs are best eaten as soon as they are made. This is a yeast bread, so plan ahead for rising time.
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Mazel Tov! |
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| A warm mazel tov to senior cantorial students:
Manel
Frau-Cortes &
Harold Messinger
on their recent cantorial recital.
The evening of Israeli, Sephardi popular, liturgical and folk music which featured numerous instruments and languages, and entertained and educated a packed audience was a night to remember!
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Have you seen the film
The Tribe?
At a recent on campus showing, this highly engaging 18 minute film generated a lot of discussion about Jewish identity in the 21st century.
Participants agreed this is a great educational tool for those working with teens and young adults.
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Rededicating Our Connections
Ma Hadash is back! While those of you who have are long time students or alumni will remember this newsletter, others, like me, are new to it. Welcome one and all.
Ma Hadash is a vehicle for keeping in touch.
One of the unique things about Gratz College is how spread out our students are - all over the continent and even more than that, all over the globe. While it is exciting to be part of a study body that spans the globe, it can also be difficult to feel connected. Also, the fact that many of us have very full lives and jobs outside of our roles as students can add to the challenge of feeling and staying connected.
Ma Hadash aims to address these challenges and more by serving as a link between each of you - students, alumni, supporters and other members of the Gratz community. It also aims to help you - by informing you about upcoming events and opportunities, sharing with off campus students some of what is happening on campus, and by distributing employment information, musings on upcoming Jewish holidays, and the words and ideas of some of our treasured faculty and diverse student body. Please share with us your ideas for what you would like to see included in Ma Hadash. Also, send us updates about your lives and your work so we can deepen our connections with one another.
May this Hanukkah be a time of true light and joy for all of you!
Kol tuv, Tamara Cohen*, Associate Dean of Students
*Who? See below... |
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New Hanukkah Tradition Links Holiday with Environmental Justice
For some years now, Jewish environmentalists have been urging the community to make connections between the holiday's focus on a little oil going a long way, and our own very contemporary need to reduce our oil consumption. This year with the Hanukkah arriving as the world's leaders are gathered in Copenhagen, Hadassah has created a new ritual to encourage us to link our own actions and carbon footprint with the mitzvah of lighting candles. An Exceprt from the ceremony follows. For more info click to see the hadassah website. Also, see Upcoming Events below for a Philadelphia area Chanukkah and Climate Change event this Saturday night in Center City! After you recite the prayers please read aloud one way (one for each night) that you will make a difference for the environment and conservation.
First Night
Change a light
Replacing one regular light bulb with a compact fluorescent light bulb will save 150 pounds of carbon dioxide a year. I can and will do this for the environment!
Second Night
Drive less
Walk, bike, carpool or take mass transit more often. Save one pound of carbon dioxide for every mile I don't drive! I can and will do this for the environment!
Third Night
Recycle more
I can save 2,400 pounds of carbon dioxide per year by recycling just half of my household waste. I can and will do this for the environment!
Fourth Night
Check your tires
Keeping my car's tires inflated properly can improve gas mileage by more than 3%. Every gallon of gasoline saved keeps 20 pounds of carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere! I can and will do this for the environment!
Fifth Night
Use less hot water
It takes a lot of energy to heat water. Use less hot water by installing a low flow showerhead (350 pounds of carbon dioxide saved per year) and washing clothes in cold or warm water (500 pounds saved per year). I can and will do this for the environment!
Sixth Night
Adjust your thermostat
Moving the thermostat down just 2 degrees in winter and up 2 degrees in summer saves about 2,000 pounds of carbon dioxide a year. I can and will do this for the environment!
Seventh Night
Turn off electronic devices
Simply turning off the television, DVD player, stereo and computer when not using them will save thousands of pounds of carbon dioxide a year. I can and will do this for the environment!
Eighth Night
Contact your elected officials
Whether it's on the local, state or national level, let the people who represent me in government know what I think - and what I expect - concerning issues that are important to me. Write, phone and e-mail the mayor, governor and state and national legislative representatives to let them know I am watching - and that I vote. I can and will do this for the environment!
reprinted from http://www.hadassah.org/hanukkah/macabee.html
For more on Hanukkah and the enviromental crises see http://www.theshalomcenter.org/
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The People in Our Neighborhood
This column will be an opportunity to get to know various staff, faculty, students, alumni and board members at Gratz. For this first issue, we introduce Tamara Co.hen, Associate Dean of Students, a new part-time position charged with working with student life both on and off campus at Gratz College.
Hi all! I am excited to be joining the Gratz community an d have already been enjoying getting to know the unique students, faculty and staff on campus and off. I come to Gratz with experience and passion for working with students from diverse backgrounds, stages of life, and experiences, and with a sincere commitment to Jewish education and leadership. I have most recently worked as the Assistant Dean of Students and Director of Multicultural and Diversity Affairs at the University of Florida. Before my five years at UF, I worked in the Jewish community for many years, as Program Director for Ma'yan: The Jewish Women's Project at the JCC on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, as a Spiritual Leader of a non-denominational community in Litchfield County, Connecticut, as an informal Jewish educator with Project Kesher in Russia and the Ukraine, and as a freelance writer on issues of Jewish women and spirituality. I recently moved to the Philadelphia area with my partner Gwynn Kessler, who is a professor in the Religion Department at Swarthmore College, and our three-and-a-half year old son, Tobias. I am looking forward to working with all of you, whether in person or virtually, to enhance your experience at Gratz. Please drop by the office if you are on campus, or email me, find me on FB, chat with me on Windows Messenger or give me a call.
Looking forward to meeting you,
Tamara trcohen@gratz.edu
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It's Always Mitzvah Time...
Harbouview Towers in NorthEast Philadelphia is home to many Jews in their 80s, 90s and even some centenarians many of whom look forward every week to their Shabbat get together. Recently, they lost one of the members who used to lead Friday night services and discussion. They are looking for a volunteer who will bring some of the joy and meaning of Shabbes into their lives every other week. Services are generally held at 2:30 pm and could be held earlier so this does not have to conflict with your own Shabbat observance. Spend an hour with these wonderful folks and you will find that the giving goes both ways. Interested students or others can contact Tamara Cohen for more details or directly call Marybeth Copola at Harbourview Towers at 215-82404200.
Andorra Woods Health Center is looking for individuals to visit Jewish residents - especially around Hanukkah. For more information, please call Yvette McLaughlin, Recreation Director at 267-257-2943.
No matter where you live, consider spending the evening of December 24 or part of the day on December 25th serving others at a local food kitchen or shelter. Sure, one American Jewish tradition is to spend Christmas eating (kosher) Chinese Food and watching movies, and some of us are part of mixed families where the day does involve family obligations and celebrations but another great tradition, in which you can involve your whole family is to make this a day to volunteer to serve Xmas dinner to others.
Can't decide what to get for someone who has everything? Consider making a contribution in their honor and creating a certificate to give them. This year, American Jewish World Service will send a beautiful certificate to anyone you donate for. A great way to give... |
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Upcoming Events Of Interest
Climate Action Vigil & Hanukkah Celebration. As climate negotiators gather in Copenhagen, Philadelphia residents will hold a candlelight vigil at People's Plaza opposite Independence Hall on Saturday evening December 12 at 6:15 to demonstrate public support for an agreement strong enough to actually slow climate change. This local action will join thousands of coordinated vigils organized by 350.org happening in more than 100 countries as part of "The World Wants a Real Deal" campaign to demand a fair, ambitious and binding climate agreement. The Vigil will also celebrate the second night of Hanukah highlighting the oil conservation message of this holiday. It is being organized by a group of faith and environmental groups in Philadelphia.http://sites.google.com/site/350philly/candlelight
Hazon Food Conference. December 24th, - 27th. On the Monterey Coast, CA. To Register: www.hazon.org
Join the thinkers and doers of the New Jewish Food Movement - where contemporary food conversations meet ancient Jewish traditions. The fourth annual Hazon Food Conference is the only place in the world where farmers and rabbis, nutritionists and chefs, vegans and omnivores, come together to explore the dynamic interplay of food, Jewish tradition and contemporary life.The Hazon Food Conference is at the forefront of a national movement that explores the intersection of Jewish life and contemporary food issues. Conference themes focused on Jewish food culture, cutting edge food law and policy, food justice, kosher meat issues, health and nutrition, cooking and gardening, and Israeli food and agriculture.
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Employment Opportunities
Part Time
Professor Michael Steinlauf is looking for a student to compile a list of Holocaust centers and institutions throughout the world. This work can be done from home anywhere. Requires familiarity with Excel. Pay is $14/hr. Email msteinlau@earthlink.net
RAJE (Russian American Jewish Experience) announces "high paying" internship opportunities for the winter in Philadelphia and New York. To apply see: http://www.rajeusa.com/apply_intern_Phila.php
Full Time
Rodef Shalom, a Center City Philadelphia synagogue has immediate opening for aspiring professional to work on education and programming administration. Required competencies include written and oral skills, spreadsheet and data management, and general office skills. Qualification: Equivalent of graduate of four-year college or six years of recent and relevant experience. Apply by e-mail only to: tperloff@rodephshalom.org
J Street U is seeking a Director for its office in Washington, DC. The position reports To the J Street Chief of Staff. The position is available February 1.
J Street U, a project of the J Street Education Fund, Inc. is a national network of student activists. J Street U is a pro-Israel organization that supports Israel as a democratic Jewish homeland, full and equal rights of Arab and other non-Jewish citizens of Israel and the right of the Palestinian people to a state of their own. J Street U provides support, education, training, and resources to students who seek to impart a progressive voice into the campus debate on Israel. Positions also open in Northern and Southern California.
For detailed position descriptions see: http://www.jstreet.org/page/jobs-with-j-street
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