Please remember Congregation Leyv Ha-Ir~Heart of the City when you have any occasion to send a greeting card to someone. 

While we are happy to receive contributions in any amount, for a minimum $10 contribution we will gladly send one of Marci Fleet's, z"l, lovely art cards created for this purpose to the recipient of your choice.

Sue Frank will send the card and compose a note that expresses your thoughts. She can also customize a card based on your suggestion.

Saturday, August 2, 10:00 AM, Shabbat Morning Service

Join our lay-led minyan for a Shabbat morning service, Torah discussion and pot-luck veggie/dairy lunch.  

Location: Roby Jacobs' home in the Fitler Square neighborhood of Philadelphia

Contact Roby at robyjacobs@msn.com to RSVP an let her know what you'll be bringing for lunch.

Monday, August 4, 8:00 PM, Tisha B'Av Service

All are invited to our annual commemoration of the destruction of the First and Second temples in Jerusalem and much more. Rabbi Alanna Sklover will again lead us in thoughtful prayer. As Tisha B'Av is a traditional fast day no food will be served.
Location: Iris Newman's home in center city Philadelphia. 

Contact Iris at 215-561-0228 or irisnewman@verizon.net  for exact location.  

Monday, August 11, 7:00 PM, Council Meeting

All members are invited to our monthly Council meeting.
Location: Bobbi Cohen's home in center city Philadelphia. 

Contact Bobbi at 215-236-0689 or bobbiscohen@gmail.com for exact location.

Join our lay-led minyan for a Shabbat morning service, Torah discussion and pot-luck veggie/dairy lunch.  

Location: Ethical Society, 1906 S. Rittenhouse Sq., 2nd floor

Contact: LHI at 215-629-1995 or info@leyvhair.org for additional information.

Take a complete look at Congregation Leyv Ha-Ir upcoming activities. 

The Issue: Philadelphia Schools and the Need for a 

Full, Fair Funding Formula 

Pennsylvania is one of only three states in the US without a fair funding formula, which means money is doled out based on political power not student needs. This can lead to dramatic funding crises-like the ones we have experienced in Philadelphia for the past few years-in districts that can't rely on property taxes to adequately fund their schools. 

In 2014, POWER continues to educate voters and policymakers across the state on the importance of a full, fair, transparent funding formula, with the goal of getting such a formula enacted within the first 100 days of the state legislative session in 2015. 

A fair funding policy would take factors like the number of special education students in a district or ability to raise money from property taxes into account when deciding how much to give each district. It would make it possible for districts to predict, in advance, how much they will get each year, thus reducing the likelihood of annual funding crises. The only way to win a full, fair funding formula (FFFF) is to make school funding a top issue in the 2014 Governor's race and expand this issue outside of Philadelphia, building a statewide coalition of faith communities, parents, educators, and public education advocates who will maintain pressure on legislators to make full, fair funding a reality. 

This process has begun and is in full swing. Currently, POWER Philadelphia is joining CUNA in Allentown to become FAITH in PA, under the auspices of the national PICO network. Cecily Harwitt will become the state regional coordinator of the new team. Faith-based groups in Pittsburgh will continue to work with POWER to win a FFFF. A new education coordinator has been hired for Philadelphia. 

POWER has been central to creating a table where several groups already working on winning a fair funding formula, including Education Voters PA, Pennsylvania Citizens for Children and Youth, and the Education Law Center can coordinate their efforts. 

In order to fund this statewide campaign, POWER is hosting Education is Power: A Fall Fund Raiser on Thursday, October, 23rd, 6-8 p.m. at Rodeph Shalom Synagogue. I am asking that you consider buying a ticket to this event. VIP tickets are $100; regular tickets are $60. VIP ticket holders will have private conversations with our two guest speakers, Reginald Browne (featured in Forbes and Bloomberg magazines) and City Councilman Wilson Goode, Jr. The event will also feature catering by Chef's Table, an open bar, a silent auction and musical entertainment provided by GAMP students. Tickets can be purchased at www.powerphiladelphia.org. In addition, sponsorships are available at the $250, $500 and $700 levels. Please consider supporting this worthy event by buying a ticket, becoming a sponsor or contributing to the silent auction.

Contact Susan Thompson, susandanazoe@gmail.com, for any questions.

Leyv Ha-Ir's treasure, Marci (Marsha) Fleet past away last week.  Many of our members sent along their thoughts on her passing. Below is a message from Joanne Perilstein which sums up the essence of our beloved Marci:

"I can't go to the funeral due to my need to recuperate  from my knee replacement. On this day however, my thoughts  center around her, and our loss of her. I want to share one of my most sweet and touching memories of Marci. She and I had mutually frustrating difficulties  communicating with each other. My hearing limitations and her speech problems did not permit us to communicate the complexity of ideas and feelings that we wanted to share. It was also difficult for her to provide me with some help with mobility, even though she clearly wanted to.  Undaunted, Marci both noticed something about me, and responded in a way that was unique. The same arthritic problems that is currently causing me to recover from a knee replacement also expresses itself in my having very painful hands. I don't really expect anyone else to notice this, and luckily, there are many times when the pain is not present. But good old Marci was aware of the pain in my hands. Often unsolicited, she would take one of my hands and very gently touch and massage it. It was so gentle...it was so unexpected; it was such effective communication of feelings and warmth and kindness. I think part of what was the genius of being Marci was her ability to transcend some of her communication frustrations through other means, such as her art, her gentleness, her giggle, and, as I remember, even the tilt of her head. I am so sorry that her time among us has been truncated and I hope that she may rest in peace ." 

~~~by Joanne Perilstein~~~

Long ago in a small eastern European shtetl there lived a Jew named Yankel. Month after month he eked out a meager living, earning barely enough to keep his family alive. Frustrated by his poverty, Yankel began to dream of a richer, fuller life.

So he started asking friends for suggestions on how he could find a decent occupation that would fulfill his dreams. Soon a consensus developed. Mead is not only a fine drink, claimed his friends, but a great way to make a living. After all, isn't mead served at every bar mitzvah, wedding and festive event? With such a market for spirits, who could go wrong?

So Yankel began to learn all he could about mead. He inquired of the local innkeepers, he read what he could and day after day he practiced the distilling arts. Finally he was ready to try his mead recipe on his friends.

He gathered them around, poured them each a glass and invited them to drink to his success. But to his dismay, looking around the room all he saw were strained faces showing distaste with the brew. He lifted his own mug and realized that it tasted flat, almost bitter.

Dejected, but not defeated, Yankel tried week after week to make a pleasing brew but every week he met with his friends' polite distaste. Yankel knew that in the big city of Kiev there was a great brew master whose reputation was known far and wide. Yankel decided to make the journey to the great city for a consultation.

Over the course of several days Yankel reviewed the ingredients and procedures with the brewer.

Finally the brewer said, "Well, I'm not sure what the problem is."

"Do you mean I came all this way for nothing?" Yankel cried.

"I'm sorry, " said the brewer and gave Yankel a parting gift of a small jar of honey. "You probably have this at home, but I give it to you anyway for your mead."

Immediately, Yankel realized why he had been led to Kiev. He thanked the brew master, packed his belongings and headed home. No sooner did he arrive than he began to root through his own pantry. There on a low shelf, overlooked, was a small jar of honey. Yankel scooped up the jar and rushed off to make a fresh batch of mead.

When the spirits were ready, Yankel again summoned his friends. This time smiles and approval came forth as Yankel and company drained their mugs. From that day forward Yankel's mead delighted his customers far and wide and became the livelihood for himself and his family. (Based on Brewing Spirits: A Hassidic Tale in Show Me Your Ways, Rabbi Howard Addison)

"When first hearing this Hassidic tale you might be struck by the simplicity of the message: in the midst of our need, the ingredients for fulfillment are right at hand. Sweetness is no further away than our own pantry. 

But it's interesting that Yankel had to go on a journey of discovery to find that missing ingredient. The honey was always sitting on his shelf, but Yankel had no idea of its significance until he engaged with others who helped him come full circle back home, like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz. 

Spiritual yearning brings us into community where we find the treasures that have always been ours. What is the missing ingredient, the sweet honey, that will pull it all together? 

At the end of many services here, we rise for the Aleynu prayer and I ask "What kind of world are you taking a stand for today? It is a world of ____________" and almost invariably the first word shouted out to finish that sentence is PEACE. Many of you have been with me for this prayer and you can testify, right, that the longing for peace is a primal response. 

But we are missing some ingredient for peace and it's hard to know where to look, both internally for peace of mind, and out in the world, for peace in all the troubled spots of the world. We all want to be Rodef Shalom, or Rodfay Shalom, Seekers of Peace, but getting the exact right recipe is the challenge of a lifetime. 

Last week President Obama held a conference call with Rabbis from all the denominations, from all across the United States. I joined this call to see what the President had to say. He wanted to talk with us about the Peace Talks that are underway between President Netanyahu and Prime Minister Abbas. 

The first meetings had just taken place with a constructive tone and a serious commitment to re-launching negotiations. The leaders are establishing a positive one-on-one relationship and teams of thoughtful peacemakers are providing deep back up on all sides with the United States leading the way. 

Their goal, Obama said, is to create a framework for agreement and then to move through each and every issue until there is a peace agreement. They intend to meet every two weeks for a year to accomplish this. Despite past disappointments, low expectations and huge challenges, he felt that the leaders hold a shared goal: that there be two states living side by side in peace and security. The United States is committed to playing an active and sustaining role in this. 

There are hazards at every step of the way that will test the resolve of these leaders to stay focused on that goal. 

Obama made it clear that he thinks there is the possibility of success and there is also the possibility of failure. He wanted the Rabbis to know that both leaders, Abbas and Netanyahu, have huge political pressures at home and that both will say some unfortunate things for political consumption at home. We can't allow every stupid statement or incident to defeat the process. By keeping our eyes on the prize, the goal of peace, we need to ride up over the tough spots on the way that could pull us into doubt, despair and defeat and stay aligned at all times with the vision we're working towards. 

What Obama was really doing in this phone conversation was calling on the Rabbis of the land to build a climate of support for these peace negotiations.. He wants us to continue to speak in favor of peace, knowing that because the United States will never abandon Israel's security needs, Israel is coming from a position of strength. Obama urged us to give these talks a chance. He said, "Please do not look for reasons they should fail." 

That made me think of how essential the value of Right Speech is in Judaism. It is considered one of the most important Jewish practices. The way we talk about peace in the middle east matters: do we bring a tone of suspicion and a viewpoint that looks to all the hurts and disasters of the past? Or do we emphasize glimmers of possibility, creative problem solving, small steps towards success? 

It is up to us to manifest the truth of these Holy Days, that there is reason for optimism; there is hope for new beginnings. What is the point of these religious days if we can't infuse their message into our actual lives?

So I call on you in the coming months, as the peace negotiations soar or lurch or muddle forward, to speak of them with your best selves, bringing to bear the true message of this season, change is possible, hope is worthwhile. Without hope, why would we ever try? The outcome is uncertain which is why we need faith.

There is a window of opportunity, now, for peace. We are the ones creating the climate in this country to support this opportunity. Just as with any relationship, the process of engaging to move towards peace, will test our ability to manage disappointment, to handle compromise, to listen to the Other and to truly keep the vision of peace, with all that it entails, before us. 

Each one of us has a part to play in the success of these peace talks. No, we are not at the negotiating table. We are not diplomats, most of us are not Jewish Israelis or Palestinians and we don't set their agenda. Yet, each one of us is an essential missing ingredient. Each one of us has a choice to build or detract from the momentum of these talks. Jewish voices matter a lot in United Sates politics. Be a Jewish voice for peace. Be the elusive, hidden honey that Yankel needed for his mead.

Obama ended his conversation with the Rabbis by noting that the call of the Shofar is "urgent, timeless, familiar, distinctive." He inspired us to respond to the call of the shofar by being partners in making peace, by building support for the peace talks. Will you heed the call? 

Shalom, May the Year 5771 be a year of peace for each of you and for all who dwell on earth.