URJ Jacobs Camp -- New Destination for Micah!

Please note that we have a new URJ regional camp – Jacobs Camp in Utica, MS. If you are already a GUCI family, of course you will not be required to switch camps, but over the course of the next few years our youth group, MiTY, will become based out of Jacobs Camp instead of GUCI. That said, if you are new to considering sleep-away Jewish camping or are ready to explore your options, please visit the Jacobs Camp website to learn more about this amazing community: http://jacobs.urjcamps.org

We are looking forward to hosting Jacobs Camp’s Assistant Director, Gary Brandt, on Sunday, November 24 both during and after our Family Service, so that he can share important information and answer any questions you may have. Please plan to join us at 9:30 AM for the service and then remain for our special parents-only session with Gary at 10:30 AM. Current Jacobs parents Debbie McCormick and Jodi Stout will also be available to discuss their positive experiences.

Jacobs is offering a $1,000 incentive grant to any first-time Jacobs campers. Additionally, families considering a 3.5 week session may be eligible for another $1,000 discount through the OneHappyCamper grants offered here: http://www.jewishcamp.org/one-happy-camper/

The OneHappyCamper grants apply to many other camps, including the URJ’s 6 Points Sports Academy in Greensboro, NC for children entering grades 4 to 11 http://sports.urjcamps.org/index.cfm?. 

The Rabbis and Julie Greenberg are happy to help families navigate the exploration and application processes for whichever camp may be the best fit for your family. Regardless of where your children may attend, we are certain of the long-lasting impact that sleep-away camping has on forming and strengthening positive Jewish identities for students of all ages.

Shabbat Evening of Conversation & Song

October's Big Question -- Your Answers!

We asked and you answered!

I will....

answers coming!

Sunday at the Movies - Fall 2013

During Religious School
10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Join us as we screen a movie with discussion following. Choose just one or come for all three! Light snacks will be served.

October 6 - Live & Become
Shlomo, an Ethiopian boy, is placed by his Christian mother with an Ethiopian Jewish woman whose child has died. This woman, who will become his adoptive mother, is about to be airlifted from a Sudanese refugee camp to Israel during Operation Moses in 1984. His birth mother, who hopes for a better life for him, tells him "Go, live, and become," as he leaves her to board the plane. The film tells of his growing up in Israel and how he deals with the secrets he carries.

October 20- No Place on Earth
Filmmaker Janet Tobias traces the harrowing tale of 38 Ukranian Jews who survived the Holocaust by fleeing into caves for 18 months. Scavenging for food and water while constructing escape routes, the desperate survivors bide their time in the unforgiving environment, awaiting liberation.

November 3 - Half the Kingdom (documentary / special speaker)
Seven women from Canada, Israel, and the US strive to find common ground between religious and cultural tradition and contemporary feminist principles. Focusing on the movement of women from observers to active participants - including when a group of women came together to pray at the Western Wall in 1988 - the film addresses issues of feminism, religious pluralism, civil rights, and the struggle for self-definition.

Big Question September -- Your Answers!

We asked and you answered!

I will....

 

Write

 

Listen

 

Get outdoors

 

Be good to my parents and my sister

 

Be respectful to others

 

Be awesome

 

Practice the piano with a smile!

 

Clean my room

 

Do my singing

 

Be a better listener

 

Eat healthy

 

Be caring

 

Share my toys

 

Be good at school

 

 

 

Get A's and B's on TCAP

 

Save more money!

 

Be there, no matter what happens, with open arms

 

Work hard on MiTY's Youth Board & in NFTY-OV

 

Be kind. Be me.

 

Eat more cookies

 

Make better art

 

 

 

Focus on what's important

 

Be a better sister

 

Learn how to cook

-Agreed

 

Be nicer to my brother / brothers

 

Work hard in school 

 

Be awesome and do good at my Bar Mitzvah

 

Be happier

 

 

Learn more Hebrew and make more friends

 

Be more patient

 

Be nicer to everyone!

 

Not argue with my parents!!

 

Try to be a better person

 

Be nicer to my siblings

 

Dedicate more time to school

 

Make a goal of holistic health

 

Have a forgiving heart

 

Make sure I listen to my parents

 

Be neater

 

Improve my handwriting

 

Stick to my resolutions

 

Be more organized

 

 

 

Non-dairy Potluck

It's a Non-Dairy Potluck!
What do I bring?

Many times, when we host a potluck, our members get stuck on what they should bring and the quickest answer is always a salad. But while a potluck of one main dish and 20 salads will be good, it lacks variety. So we decided to make a list of viable options! Typically, the main dish for a non-dairy potluck is chicken or beef.

What you could bring:
Traditional House Salad
Pasta Salad
Fruit
Fruit Salad
Cucumber Salad
Asian Noodle Salad
Green Beans
Corn
Peas
Blackeyed Peas
Kale Salad
Turnip Greens
Carrots
Brussel Sprouts
Roasted potatoes
Roasted veggies
Steamed veggies
Sweet potato casserole
Dinner rolls
Italian Bread (any bread)
Rice
Coleslaw
Potato Salad
Beans

Dessert Ideas: 
Cookies
Sorbet
Fruit Salad
Carmel Popcorn
Macaroons
Biscotti
Applesauce

Have suggestions to add to our list?? Leave us a comment and we will update it!

Rabbis Rice: We Will Not Forget

“We Jews suffer from many diseases, but amnesia is not one of them.”                                                                                                 – Isaac Bashevis Singer      Today our nation remembers the events of September 11. Those who lost precious members of their family on that fateful day in 2001, do not need such commemorations as we do; their loss is with them every day. And although we are far from New York City, we too recall all those who perished in the World Trade Center, in the four hijacked planes, and in the Pentagon – all victims of fanaticism and hate.      The Jewish people are a people of memory. We deliberately, intentionally, in a formal and structured way, built memory into our tradition. From Yizkor (our memorial prayers for the dead) to yahrzeits (remembering our loved ones by lighting a candle on the anniversary of their death) we recall with reverence those who came before us. The Torah also instructs us to remember an evil that was done to us long ago, when our people wandered in the wilderness: “Remember what the Amalekites did to you along the way when you came out of Egypt. When you were famished and weary, they met you on your journey and attacked those who were lagging behind… so you shall blot out the name of Amalek from under heaven. Do not forget [Deut. 25: 17-19].”      How is it that we be commanded both to “blot out the name of Amalek” and to “remember” and “not forget”? One interpretation is that we obliterate the names of those who do evil, who commit terrible crimes against humanity. When some Jews pronounce the name of Adolf Hitler, for instance, they often add the phrase “y’mach sh’mo – may his name be erased.” We do not make celebrities out of criminals; we do not give their names to our children; we do nothing to perpetuate their continued remembrance on earth. But we do remember what Amalek did. We remember acts of atrocity and keep alive the recollection of evil. No matter how painful it is, we force ourselves to contemplate such deeds year after year; we set aside ritual moments to bring them back to our consciousness. Why? Because whenever tyrants crush their opponents by force, whenever bullies prey on the weak, whenever bigotry bursts forth in violence, Amalek lives again. It would be nice to pretend otherwise. It would be nice to forget that such dreadful deeds are done. But if we do forget, Amalek will reign supreme.      The boys and girls who are celebrating their B’nai Mitzvah this year were just babies when the September 11 attacks occurred. They have no direct memories of that day. But we will teach them about what Amalek did because that story awakens us to the work we have to do in this world.      We will tell our children that Jews are here to stand up against cruelty and hate. We are here to follow a different way: the way of justice and love. We are here to create a society that protects the vulnerable and cares for the weak and honors the dignity of every person. So we show our children that the purpose of memory is to teach us to live better lives; lives of purpose; lives that matter. We combat evil by devoting ourselves to the good. We resist the darkness by remembering to hold fast to the light. We look forward to seeing you on Kol Nidrei.