PURIM

becky — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 04:38:21 +0000

becky — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 18:46:48 +0000

Announcing Camp B’nai Emet (Summer 2012!!!)

dsbogard — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 16:16:46 +0000

We are very, very excited to announce Congregation Anshai Emeth’s brand new day camp, Camp B’nai Emet! For summer 2012, our dates will be June 4th-8th, 9am-3pm. Camp will feature:

Jewish cooking
Arts+Crafts
Sports
Music
and lots of informal Jewish education!

Rabbis Karen and Daniel Bogard will be there everyday, and we are pleased to announce that Lynn Seitzman has agreed to be our camp director! We are looking at a cost of $150 for the week, and we have scholarship available. This should be an amazing week filled with Jewish values, learning, and a ton of fun!

Please email Lynn at Camp@AnshaiEmeth.org if you have a potential camper. If there are enough people interested, we will also have before/after care available (please let Lynn know). More details will follow soon, but we are all just SO excited about this amazing opportunity. Just 130 more days until camp begins!

Campership Deadline Approaching!

becky — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 04:46:47 +0000

The Temple is once again offering camperships for OSRUI for the summer of 2012. Interested parents should email Julie Luner at luner@sbcglobal.net for an application. Applications are due on February 1, 2012.

Jewish Life Cycle Classes with Rabbi Daniel

becky — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 20:42:52 +0000

STARTING TUESDAY JANUARY 24, 6:30 – 8:00 PM IN THE TEMPLE LIBRARY

From Birth to Death and Everything In Between

Come join Rabbi Daniel for an informative and inspiring look into the Jewish life cycle. This five-week adult education program (open to the entire Peoria community) will help bring new meaning and vitality to the ways in which our people mark our movement through life. Join us for all five sessions or come for just one! All classes will run from 6:30-8 PM.

1/24 — Birth — This session will explore Jewish views on pregnancy, birth and early childhood. We will look at ancient rituals such as Brit Milah (ritual circumcision), modern innovations like naming ceremonies for little girls, and even rituals that are widely ignored in the Reform world, such as Pidyon HaBen (the redemption of the first born / a ‘ritual’ human sacrifice). Together we will explore how these rituals developed, the meanings that we can take from them, and what they say about how we should approach childhood

1/31 — Coming of Age — All peoples and religions have ways of marking puberty and the coming of adulthood, and Judaism is no different. This session will focus on the meaning of Bar/Bat Mitzvah in both its traditional (the moment when a young adult becomes responsible for his/her own religious obligations) and its contemporary interpretations. We will also take a look at how Bat Mitzvah came to be, and look at the idea of ‘confirmation’ in the Jewish context. Although this session is of interest to us all, it is great for families who are going through a Bar/Bat Mitzvah soon, as a way to bring new meaning and understanding to this big event.

2/7 — Engagement, Weddings, Marriage and Divorce — Come join us as we explore how Judaism brings two souls together to form a family. We will cover both the engagement / wedding ceremonies themselves, as well as explore Jewish views on the obligations that one partner owes another. In addition, we will approach how the different movements in Judaism view intermarriage between a Jewish and non-Jewish partner. This is a fantastic education for couples thinking of getting married, as well as an opportunity to bring a new spiritual depth to existing relationships.

2/14—NO CLASS

2/21 — The Jewish Way of Dying — Here we will learn and discuss Jewish thinking about how to prepare for death. How should we treat someone who is dying? When are we allowed to withhold life-support? The experience of dying is one of the few universals in this world, and Judaism has much to say about it. In this session we will look at Jewish prayers for healing, the final ‘confession’ (vidui), and more.

2/28—NO CLASS

3/6– Funerals and Mourning — One of the greatest strengths of Judaism is its approach to mourning. There is recognition of the various stages and degrees of mourning, as well as all sorts of rituals that require us to come to terms with reality. Whereas the previous session was about dying, this session will look at the Jewish approach to dealing with death. What exactly happens at a funeral? What are the different periods of mourning (shiva, shloshim, yartzeit)? To anyone who has lost somebody, recently or not, this should be a moving and informative session.

ADULT EDUCATION WITH GAL ABOUT ISRAEL

becky — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 04:36:55 +0000

Wednesday January 25 at 7 PM

Shaliach Gal Israeli is planning an interactive program about some of the big picture political questions that face Israel today. You’ll be up and out of your seats in this session as we learn about the pros and cons of the issues and start to consider our own views. Refreshments will be served. Please show your support for Gal as he presents his first program for us! (He is an amazingly knowledgeable speaker!)

Scenes from an early Chanukah Festival

Steven Marx — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 15:36:31 +0000

The Religious School had our annual Chanukah Festival yesterday. Here are a few pictures and a few short videos to come soon. A big Thank You to all the parents who came out to help with the cooking and cleaning. Without you, there would be no Chanukah Festival. And another big Thank You to Marcy Lowe for buying the food and keeping everything running smoothly in the kitchen.

Rabbi Yoffie’s Last Biennial

kkbogard — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 00:24:22 +0000

At Shabbat morning services today Rabbi Eric Yoffie, President of the Union for Reform Judaism, gave his final address after serving for 16 years. Here is a link to his beautiful sermon:

http://blogs.rj.org/blog/2011/12/17/2011-urj-biennial-presidential-shabbat-sermon/

The Peoria Contingent at the Biennial

kkbogard — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 23:58:39 +0000

We had an amazing group from Peoria at the 2011 Biennial in Washington, D.C. This picture is from our Shabbat dinner table.

Back row, left to right: Natalie Seitzman, Josh Simon, Paul Beiersdorf, Sarah Garfinkel, and Rabbi Karen Kriger Bogard (and Gavi!)

Front, center: Gloria Miller

The only people missing were Fran and Ron Moss! They were also part of the Peoria group!

President Obama at the Biennial

kkbogard — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 22:31:18 +0000

Today we had the honor of having President Obama address over 6000 Reform Jewish leaders at the Biennial. Within his “sermon” President Obama spoke about Tikkun Olam (repairing the world), this week’s Torah portion and the meaning of Hineni (here I am), and quoted Pirkei Avot!

Paul, Sarah, Natalie, and Josh eagerly await President Obama’s “sermon!”

President Obama speaks to Biennial Participants!