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Looking Ahead
July 5th, 10 AM
Leyv Ha-Ir's Annual Shabbat Morning
Service in New Jersey
Held at the lovely home of Myrna Schlanger
and such a treat to see the many ducks that
abound on her property - try to make it. Her
number is 856-795-6956.
Marking Life Cycle Events
Making a financial contribution to
Congregation Leyv
Ha-Ir is a great way to mark special life events,
simchas, yahrzeits, etc. We are happy to send an
acknowledgement of your contribution to a
designee
of your choice. Contributions can be sent to our
regular P.O. Box address, or contact Evy
Simon, at
215-561-7474 or evylhi@hotmail.com, if you'd
like to
have an acknowledgement card sent.
Thank you.
Newsletter Design and eMail Marketing:
Ilene
Hass
Creative Solutions
for Business
Marketing
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Dear Friends and Members of Leyv Ha-Ir ~ Heart of the City,
Among the rites which mark the change from
spring to summer in synagogue life are
Shavuot, the holiday which marks revelation
at Sinai, and the Annual Meeting. Today we
had our annual meeting. I would like to
thank the nominating committee for nominating
me and the congregation for electing me for
an extension of my term as president.
Our biggest initiative this year is an
expansion of our membership outreach. If you
are interested in deepening your relationship
with our congregation, we would like to talk
to you. Please e-mail me at
info@leyvhair.org and one of our members will
make contact with you and answer any
questions you have about us.
By the way, Shavuot is next Monday
evening. Please stop by.
Michael Meketon, President
Leyv Ha-Ir ~ Heart of the City
The Executive Board of Leyv Ha-Ir
Council, Iris Newman, Evy Simon, Michael
Meketon & Rabbi Julie Greenberg, honoring
outgoing Vice President, Bobbi Cohen (third
from left).
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June 2008 Activities
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June 1 SUNDAY
Leyv Ha-Ir Annual
Meeting
11:00
Kennedy House Community
Room
1901 JFK Blvd
Brunch served
June 1 SUNDAY
Choir
Rehearsal
6:30PM
Beverly
June 7 SATURDAY
Shabbat
Morning Service
Ethical Society
10:00
AM
Lay Led
June 9 MONDAY
Shavuot
Service
Ethical Society
7:30 PM
June 21 SATURDAY
Shabbat
Morning Service
Ethical Society
10:00
AM
Lay Led
June 25 WEDNESDAY
Spirituality
Group
Joan Goldberg
7:00PM
June 28 SATURDAY
Shabbat
Morning Service
Home of Iris,
215.561.0228
10:00 AM
Lay Led
As part of the Kehillah of Center City we
are invited to attend all of the events that are
sponsored by the Kehillah and our larger
community. To learn more about these events,
check
out the link to Center
City Kehillah.
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Click here for a complete look at Congregation Leyv Ha-Ir activities for the upcoming two months. |
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| Try It - You'll Like It! Special Saturday Morning Services |
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Many readers of this Newsletter have not
attended one of our "lay-led" Shabbat morning
services. Are you one? For the month of
June, we extend a special invitation to
newcomers to come to one of these services:
June 7 & 21 at the Ethical Society and June
28 at one of our homes. We will explain the
parts of the service and the meanings of
particular prayers, and answer questions.
If you're curious, here's what we're about:
Every month, we have three Shabbat morning
services that are led by congregants, taking
turns. The five of us all have our own
styles, but we all run a participatory
service in both Hebrew and English.
Explanations of the prayers are offered as
needed. We spend about half an hour
discussing, sometimes heatedly, the Torah
portion of the week. After the service, we
have a pleasant veggie/dairy potluck lunch,
and sit around and shmooze. Services start at
10 AM and are usually over a little after noon.
EVERYONE is welcome. You don't have to
know Hebrew, you don't have to be a member of
the congregation, and you don't have to have
had a Bar/Bat Mitzvah ceremony. Try it -
you'll like it!
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| Rabbi's Message: Rabbi Julie Greenberg |
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Dear Chevre, This is the season,
between Passover and Shavuot, when it is
traditional to study the section of Mishna
called Pirke Avot, Wisdom of the Ancestors.
I’d like to share with you the words of
Hillel from this text, pointing us toward
what is important.
More flesh, more worms.
More things, more anxiety.
More lovers, more illusion.
More maids, more exploitation.
More servants, more robbery.
But...
More Torah, more Life.
More learning, more wisdom.
More counsel, more insight.
More charity, more peace.
II. 8 Translated by Rabbi Rami Shapiro
The journey of this season is to move
from
exhilaration about our freedom from slavery
to the joy of freedom to be our best human
selves. We escaped from the terrors of Egypt
and made our way to Mount Sinai where,
eventually, we accepted the responsibility of
Torah’s call to be a holy people.
Of course it is easy to talk about being
our best human selves, being a holy people.
It’s much harder to walk that path in real
life. And that’s where congregational life
can help.
I just returned from B’not Esh, a Jewish
feminist gathering that has met for five days
every Memorial Day weekend for 27 years. I
have been there most of those years. During
that time I’ve experienced ecstasy, boredom,
revelation, frustration, ambivalence,
insight….the whole range of feeling. Each
time I’ve questioned whether to continue,
I’ve practiced a spiritual path of
commitment. What does it mean to stay in? to
belong? To commit? From past experiences in
groups and in relationships, I know what it
means to leave, to break up. But I’ve been
curious about what happens after you don’t leave.
I’m excited about walking with you fellow
Leyv Ha-Ir~Heart of the City travelers on our
path of spiritual commitment: who knows what
we will discover by staying in relationship
with one another, by staying in relationship
with God?
We’ll celebrate the journey together at
Shavuot on Monday night, June 9. I’m looking
forward to seeing you there.
All the best,
Rabbi Julie
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| Kehillah Center City Phone-a-thon |
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June 11, 2008
6 - 8 p.m.
2100 Arch Street
Join the Center City Kehillah as we raise
money to support our Jewish community. Dinner
will be served.
If you have questions or to RSVP, please
contact Susan
Stanek.
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| Race for the Cure: Team Heart of the City |
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On Mother's Day, May 11, 2008, our LHI team
joined with 40,000 others in walking 5K for a
breast cancer cure. Walkers were Sandy Brown,
Susan Berger, Evy Simon, Barbara Pomerantz
and daughter, and friend Joanne Nutter and
daughter, Jeannie. We may not have been the
largest team, but were huge in spirit and
fun...and fund-raising! Totals are not
in, but it appears that we have met our goal
of $2,000. and possibly exceeded it. Many
heartfelt thanks to those of you who
supported us
with your wishes and pledges.
Will give your our final totals next month.
--Karen Zeitz
Some members of our team celebrating at
Little Pete's after the race.
Toasting our team spirit with Samosas and
Bloody Marys are from left:
Jeannie Nutter, Karen Zeitz, Evy Simon, Susan
Berger, and Joanne Nutter.
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| Congregant Profile: Bobbi Cohen |
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Barbara "Bobbi" Cohen grew up in the Mount
Airy section of Philadelphia; "I
lived in many different parts of the area,"
she recalls, "and I've lived in
Center City now for about seven years. Four
years ago I spent six months
living in Shanghai (China). I was brought up
as a Reform Jew, and went all
through Hebrew school, was Bat Mitzvahed and
confirmed, and went to Gratz
Hebrew High School. So we were reform, and I
was educated through the Reform
movement. At home, we celebrated major
holidays, but we didn't do much in
the way of Shabbat celebration."
Bobbi went to college, first at Penn
State, then to Philadelphia College of
Textiles and Science (now Philadelphia
University) where she earned her
Bachelor's Degree. She is a product manager
for Ceridian Corporation, which
provides different human resource programs to
companies and other
institutions; "I manage a website," she adds,
"that helps employees with
health, wellness, everyday issues, worklife
balance, etc."
What drew Bobbi to Reconstructionism? "A
friend of mine, who's a member of
the congregation, invited me to come. Knowing
me, she thought I might like
it. This was when Rayzel (Raphael) was still
our rabbi." Bobbi continued to
attend services and other functions, "and I
found that I really liked it. It
held more meaning for me than other
synagogues I tried in the past several
years prior to that." She is now finishing up
her term as Vice-president of
the congregation.
--Interview by John Oliver Mason
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| New Feature: Ways to Save Money |
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With gas going for $4 a gallon, ways to save
money are always desirable. Here are some tips:
Have any tips? Send them to the Editor.
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