Rel Ed Packet

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My Dear Rel/Eds,

Congratulations! You are officially part of the CRUSY Religion/Education team. Us Rel/Eds, here in this room, are the coaches. When it comes to all things Jewish, we are responsible for making sure CRUSY is up on the fundamentals, has its head in the game, and has spirit for our team. If we send our players into a game without teaching them how to play, showing them why it’s awesome, or making them care about their team, they won’t get anything out of it. In order for USYers to get something out of prayer, Jewish learning, Jewish tradition, and ruach, we need to put in a few things first. CRUSY needs to know how to lead/participate in services, what our laws are, what our traditions are, and where they come from. CRUSYites need to learn these things, as well as have Jewish experiences so we can begin to answer why we should bother being Jewish. The feeling you get during a crazy ruach session or at a cozy shabbos dinner, or when you read a mishneh from Pirkei Avot that’s so wise you wish you’d read it sooner, or when you sing a Kabbalat Shabbat tune so passionately that you didn’t even realize your eyes were closed. These are only a few of the kinds of feelings that keep us coming back to Judaism. As Rel/Eds, our goal is to give each CRUSYite those I-love-being-Jewish feelings. In light of this goal, I feel there are 6 ways on the chapter level that this will most effectively be accomplished. These are my expectations for the chapter Rel/Eds. I will check in on you monthly to see how it’s going. I know it’s a lot, but the more effectively you complete them, the more your chapters, USY, and Judaism will benefit. The table of contents on the next page lists each expectation in bold. For each one, there are resources in this packet to help you. USE THEM!

Table of Contents

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pg 3-4: Make sure members know prayers, songs, and how to lead services. • So You Think You Can Daven? • So You Think You Can Daven sample questionnaire pg 5: Create opportunities for Jewish learning. • Topic Ideas pg 6-7: Celebrate holidays with the chapter. • Month-by-month programming breakdown pg 8: Integrate Rel/Ed into other events. • Helpful Hints • Event ideas pg 9-11: Create a Shabbos routine. • Shabbos dinners • USY services o Sample service assignment schedule o Step-by-step how to assign services • •

Shabbos-friendly event ideas Quick list of what is/isn’t allowed on Shabbos pg 12: Prepare your chapter to combat Holocaust denial. • Event ideas pg 13-14: Regional Stuff • Regional Goals • Regional General Board • Convention Dates Pg 14: Resources

Make sure members know prayers, songs, and how to lead services. 24/10/2009 20:16:00 Going to conventions can be intimidating, especially for first-timers who don’t know ruach songs. Make it tradition to “initiate” them beforehand by teaching them some songs before their first convention. Also, every single Jew should (at minimum) know how to do Shema and the Amida, since these are the minimum requirements for a service.

So You Think You Can Daven? This year, I am trying to start a new project called So You Think You Can Daven?. It means that USYers and Kadimanicks will group together to learn anything from leading shacharit, to reading Torah, to davening the silent amidah. USYers will have the option of learning or teaching. In order to get this started in the chapters, I will need the help of YOU, the chapter Rel/Eds! Here are some great reasons why you should participate. • This can be a great opportunity to get Kadimanicks integrated into USY. • It will give USYers and Kadimanicks a chance to learn things that • • •

they might not otherwise take time to learn. If you know how to participate in services, you are less likely to be bored and more likely to actually pray. It’s a way for your USY chapter to give back to your synagogue. When congregants see your USY chapter giving back to your synagogue, they will appreciate it and support USY.

How to set it up at your shul: 1. If your shul has an education coordinator or Hebrew School principal, speak to him/her about it. 2. Pick a time and place. If your shul has Sunday school, chipping in to get kosher pizza and having So You Think You Can Daven for an hour right after is a good time to schedule it. 3. Decide on the date of your first session. 4. For several weeks before that, recruit people to participate. Speak in the Hebrew School to get Kadimanicks. Mail out flyers. 5. Have them fill out the attached questionnaire. (There is also an online version that you can set up on your chapter’s website. Contact me if you’re interested.)

6. Based on their responses, divide the participants into study groups (only 1 teacher per group.) If possible, pick one teacher for each topic people want to learn and split people from there. Only have people focus on learning/teaching one thing at a time. If there is more than one teacher for the same topic, then split into different levels or see if one can teach a different topic that no one else is teaching. 7. At the first meeting, everyone should already be assigned to a group. If someone new shows up, put them in a group based on what they want to learn. 8. If you have a chapter general board, this could be a great job for them to help you out with! So You Think You Can Daven Questionnaire: Part of Service I can teach How to do the amida Reading Torah Haftorah Shabbos Shacharit Kabbalat Shabbat Weekday Maariv RUACH 101 Pseukei D’zimra The WHOLE shema Shabbos Mincha Birkat Musaf Weekday Shacharit Hallel Anything you can think of: [_______________]

I want to learn

Create Opportunities for Jewish Learning. 24/10/2009 20:16:00 Invite educated people, like your rabbi or other scholars, to come and learn with your chapter. Try to make it a regular event. Topic Ideas: • •

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Lying: when is it okay? Prayer: o Why do we have to do it? o How did the rabbis decide all these requirements about how often we have to pray and at what time? o Who has to pray? o What do we have to wear when we pray? Why? o Who can lead services? Why? Why do we observe holidays the way we do? How is the Conservative movement different than other movements? What does it believe? Why? Israeli politics through a Jewish lens Magic and the Supernatural in Judaism (do it around Halloween!) Bioethics (abortion, stem cell research, organ donation) Jewish law o Kashrut: how did the laws in the Torah get to be how they are practiced now? o Shabbos: how did the laws in the Torah get to be how they are practiced now? How are they viewed in the Conservative movement? What defines a Jew?

Use these sessions as a way to help your chapter gain understanding of Judaism, not just as a time to discuss the same exhausted topics and say “what do you think?”. The goal is not to share preexisting opinions on Jewish practices, but to learn about the reasons behind those Jewish practices. Then, we can either strengthen our opinions or change our minds with our new base of knowledge to back us up.

Celebrate holidays with the chapter. 20:16:00

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For every Jewish holiday, USYers should be aware and practice it in some way. Encourage your chapter to skip school for shul on Yom Tov. Make sure that your chapter knows what holiday it is, what we do to practice it, and why we practice it in that way, and how the holiday is significant for us as Jews. In addition to teaching your chapter about the holiday, provide an EXPERIENCE! Here is a month-by-month breakdown of holiday programming. USE IT throughout the year when planning the calendar with your board. November: • Rosh Chodesh Kislev. Tuesday the 17th and Wednesday the 18th. Use it as an opportunity for a girls bonding event! December: • Chanukah. Friday night the 11th to Saturday night the 19th. Have a Chanukah party, do a dreidel tournament and take bets for SA/TO, make candles, sell Chanukah candles to congregants to raise money… etc. This is NOT a Yom Tov, so electricity and money and all that is fine. January: • Rosh Chodesh Sh’vat. Saturday the 16th. • Tu B’Shvat. Saturday the 30th. Not Yontif. This is the perfect opportunity for a joint Rel/Ed and SA/TO event. After shul, stay for lunch and have a Tu B’shvat Seder. After the seder, have a discussion or do an activity about the environment. You could also do something Saturday night, like putting together care packages of non-perishable foods (like dried fruit!) to send to impoverished people. You might also consider a joint Rel/Ed and I/A event. February: • Rosh Chodesh Adar. Sunday the 14th and Monday the 15th.

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March: • •

Purim. Sunday the 28th. Not Yom Tov. DO NOT just help out at the JCC Carnival and call it a day. It’s good to help at those things, but Purim can be the most fun Jewish holiday, so take advantage of it! Have a masquerade ball, even interchapter if you can. Have a hamentaschen bake-off. Have a “Mystery Mordechai” instead of Secret Santa and assign everyone someone to give a shalach monot to. Make shalach monot and give them out at an old age home. Have a dance party. Have your own USY Purim Carnival. Consider including 8th graders. Remember: It’s a mitzvah to be happy on this holiday! Rosh Chodesh Nisan. Tuesday the 16th. Pesach. Monday night the 29th to Tuesday night April 6th. First 2 days and last 2 days are Yom Tov. Most people only travel on the first 2 days, so have an event on the last 2 days that encourages people to skip school for shul. Have a 10 Plages Survivor event. During Chol Hamoed (non-yontif days), have a Red Sea Relay. Use a USYer’s pool or rent the one at the JCC. For one event, ask Pesach trivia questions and allow them to advance by answering correctly.

April: • • •

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Yom Hashoah. Sunday the 11th. See Yom Hashoah section. Rosh Chodesh Iyyar. Wednesday the 14th and Thursday the 15th. (It’s Emily’s Hebrew birthday!) Yom Hazikaron. Monday the 19th. Not a Yom Tov. This day commemorates Israel’s fallen soldiers. Don’t plan upbeat programs for this day. Yom Haatzmaut. Tuesday the 20th. Not a Yom Tov. This is Israel’s Independence Day. Your I/A will be more on top of this one, but don’t forget to include ruach songs about Israel 

May: •

Lag B’omer. Sunday the 2nd. Not a Yom Tov. This day is a break in the mourning period of the Omer. It’s the only day from Pesach to Shavuot that weddings are permitted, so have a mock wedding. Have a bonfire. Have a picnic. If it’s hot enough out, have a water fight to commemorate the battles of Rabbi Akiva’s students.

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Shavuot. Wednesday the 19th and Thursday the 20th. This is Yom Tov. Do a Tikkun Leil Shavuot, which means staying up all night together as a chapter and studying Torah. Eat cheesecake and other dairy products. Encourage your chapter to skip school for shul.

Integrate Rel/Ed Into Other Events 20:16:00

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Religion and education should not be limited to specifically rel/ed events. Try to sneak in some Judaism to every event.

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Say blessings before and after eating. Say T’filat Haderech when traveling long distances. Do havdalah before Saturday night events. Do the service that is appropriate for the time of your event. Weekday mincha or maariv take 10 minutes. If you’re at shul, help make a minyan. Play Jewish music. Yeshiva Boys Choir, Matisyahu, the CRUSY HAS RUACH CD… lots of great options here.

Event Ideas: • • • • • •

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Jewish movie night Jewish Iron Chef Donate chametz to a food bank Learn to be a Maccabee: Self Defense Class Zoo Scavenger Hunt: What is kosher? Make a Jewish art project, like challah covers, kippot, Kiddush cups, etc. You can sell them after for SA/TO, or donate them to an impoverished Jewish community. Learn to make Challah Harry Potter: Watch one of the movies, play Quidditch, and discuss Jewish views on sorcery. Did you know that the term in Talmud for the laws against sorcery is Harry Potter (pronounced Harei Potair)? Picture Scavenger Hunt: Make sure some of the items are Jewish, such as a video doing hava negila in a drugstore or take a picture of Rashi. Jewish Oscars: Get dressed up, have a fancy dinner, and watch clips from movies. Beforehand, the board will pick nominees for categories such as Best Jewish Mother Performance, The Nice Jewish Boy Award, The Nice Jewish Girl Award, Best Jewish Soundtrack, Best Jewish Comedy, etc. For each category, everyone will watch clips for each of the nominees and vote. Between rounds, results will be announced.

Create a Shabbos routine.

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This may be the most important one on the list, both for the sake of active Jews and active members. To remember the Shabbos day and keep it holy is in the 10 commandments. On Shabbos, your chapter should have an opportunity to spend it with their Jewish community and make it a special part of their week. Hang out together on Shabbos. There are plenty of Shabbos-friendly activities, like walking, talking, napping, ruach, Frisbee, eating, etc. Official event or not, it is important that USYers have the chance to experience Shabbat with the community, even after services. Shabbos-Friendly Event Ideas: • Frisbee League • Board Game Tournaments • Capture the Flag • Nosh and Nap (Make it a regular event!) • Open Lounge • Seuda Shlishit and Slow Ruach Have Shabbat dinners with your chapter on a regular basis. These should include a traditional Kiddush, handwashing, motzi, kosher meal, and birkat. Do ruach if your chapter is up for it. Have USY services regularly. They don’t have to be for the whole congregation. I recommend a mix, for example, monthly USY services, every 3rd one being in the main service. A smaller USY-only service can be nice because people feel less intimidated to lead and you have more freedom to do your own thing. Still, congregants like to see USYers lead, so getting your members on the bima even outside of a USY service is a good idea. For the USY-only service, if you don’t have enough Torah readers, do a creative Torah service instead. Many USYers don’t go to shul every week, so having this service convinces them to go for the same one and help build your chapter’s community.

10 Steps to Plan a USY Service: 1. Pick the date. 2. Check a Hebrew calendar (www.hebcal.org is good) to see if it is Rosh Chodesh, a special haftorah or torah portion, etc. Hebcal will specify those things. You may have to assign someone to announce the new month, or even do hallel, depending on how things fall. 3. Make a chart. I use Excel for this, so if you have that I recommend it. Down the first column, write down every single part of the service that you will need to assign, from P’seukei D’zimra down to Musaf. In the second column, write the verses for the Torah readings. In the third column, write the person’s name. Here is a sample chart:

4. Check if your shul is on a triennial Torah reading schedule. Go to www.hebcal.org to check which verses each aliyah is that week. Enter them straight into the spreadsheet so you don’t have to keep checking. 5. Contact people in your chapter to assign things. Assign Torah readings and Haftorah first. Send Torah readers the link to their verses on the online tikkun. http://scrollscraper.adatshalom.net. You enter the verses and it takes you to the reading. It also includes audio, which sometimes works. It’s an awesome site that saves you lots of time on copying from a tikkun that is just slightly too big for the copier. Start assigning Torah readings 3 to 4 weeks in advance, and finish 2 weeks before. 6. Assign the big things, like Pseukei, Shacharit, and Torah service. 7. For smaller things that don’t take so much preparation, like aliyot or hagbah/gelila, you can assign them closer to the event. Just be sure not to get stuck without a Cohen or without anyone who knows how to do Hagbah.

8. Having a d’var torah or a shabbos story makes t’fillot more meaningful. Assign this a week or more in advance. Try to get a new perspective rather than always hearing from the same person. 9. Each time you assign something, fill it in on the chart. This will help you to stay organized. 10. Follow up with the Torah readers a couple days before to make sure they’ve got their parts under control. Now relax and enjoy shabbos with your chapter!

Asur B’Shabbat! (Prohibited on Shabbos) • Cell phones • Movies, TV, etc • Driving (except directly to and from the shul of your community) • Writing, drawing, painting, etc. • Using money • Cooking • Picking fruit/vegetables, farming, etc. • Digging into the ground, building • Electricity • A bunch more If you are not sure, ask. I know this is not the way that most USYers observe Shabbat, but these are the standards of United Synagogue Conservative Judaism so we need to uphold them at USY events.

You can still have a great time though! Here are some fun things that ARE allowed on Shabbos (according to the USCJ): • • • • • • • • •

Napping Hanging out with friends Going to shul  Taking a walk Reading Talking Reflecting on your week Ruach Playing sports (careful of automatic scoreboards)

I’m horrified that this is an issue we even have to address. The fact is, Holocaust deniers are slowly gaining support. We are the last generation that can hear firsthand accounts of the Holocaust; after we’re gone, Holocaust deniers will have much more support. It is up to us to ensure that future generations know what really happened. It is entirely possible that you or your fellow USYers might go into college to find themselves in classrooms with professors who claim that the number 6 million is an exaggeration, or that the precise history of the Holocaust is a disputed issue of which the truth is not known. Make sure your chapter does not forget what happened to not only the six million Jews and 5 million gentiles who were killed, but also the countless others who were forced to escape their homes, who lost their rights, and who lost their families. Yom Hashoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day) is the perfect time to take a serious note with your chapter. This year, it starts at sundown on Saturday April 10th and ends at sundown on Sunday April 11th.

Here are some event ideas: • •

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Have a Holocaust survivor speak to your chapter (highly recommended) Watch a Holocaust movie, like The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. This year, especially, is good for that because Yom Hashoah starts on a Saturday night. Afterwards, discuss the movie. Sit in a dark room and light a few candles. Read stories of accounts of Holocaust victims. Do an activism event to stop the genocide in Sudan. Start the event with a historical overview of the Holocaust, and then do the same for Darfur. Then proceed with your event (sell t-shirts that say “Never Again”, put together care packages to send to the refugee camps, write letters to the government, etc.)

Regional Stuff 2009-2010 Goals: Improve shiurim • I want to give CRUSY valuable learning experiences at conventions that really explore practical applications of Conservative Judaism. Improve services • I want CRUSY to have a more powerful experience in services. By spicing up services and sometimes offering alternate ones, I’ll try my best to help everyone connect. • So You Think You Can Daven? (see page 3) Develop useful, fun Rel/Ed page • My goal is for this page to be a useful resource for all of you and USYers who have questions about Judaism. Also, I want to have fun things on there for anyone to enjoy. I want to include a Frequently Asked Questions page, simple guides for observing Shabbat and holidays, and hopefully games and quizzes as well. • My Life is Jewish. There was FML, there was My Life is Average, and now, CRUSY has created My Life is Jewish. o Send entries to me! Any time you’re having a MLIJ moment, facebook it, text it, or send it to [email protected]. Continue Heschel, increase membership • Are you a member? Sign up! Heschel members get special privileges, such as attending our wonderful Heschel late nights and the option to go to International Heschel Convention. In return, they agree to meet a higher standard of commitment to their Jewish communities through Torah, Avodah, and G’milut Chasadim. The membership forms, which you will receive, list the specific standards. Continue Pirkei Avot Mondays • Join the H.E.S.C.H.E.L. Facebook group and receive weekly Pirkei Avot. This brightens CRUSY’s Mondays with Talmudic insight. Continue using listserv for shabbos and holidays • If you are not a member of the CRUSY listserv, JOIN IT. Emails for Shabbat and holidays take advantage of technology and allow us to teach in a fun, informal way.

Regional General Board 2009-2010 Online Coordinator: Dorit Adams This daring diva is responsible for sending out weekly divrei torah, informing CRUSY of upcoming holidays, and sending out weekly Pirkei Avot. She is also assisting me in revamping the Rel/Ed section of the website, including the My Life is Jewish page. Co-Service Coordinators: Becca Sigal and Eli Kaufmann This determined duo is responsible for assigning services, Torah readings, and Haftorah for conventions. Heschel Chairperson: Ben Hutchinson This cheery chap is responsible for organizing one Heschel discussion group at every convention. He will choose a study topic for each convention and find discussion materials, such as relevant sections of Talmud, Conservative tshuvot, etc. He will also encourage membership of the Heschel Honors Soceity and raise awareness and attendance of the International Heschel Kinnus. Ruach Chairpeople: Tal Benatar and Joel Mackler These fiery fellows are in charge of leading ruach at conventions.

Convention Dates: •

November 13-15 Fall Kinnus in Pittsburgh

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December 23-31 International Convention in Chicago

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February 28-21 Specialty Kinnus in Cincinnati

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Kadima Kinnus/Nachshon TBA

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April 15-18 Regional Convention in Cleveland

Resources: •

YOUR RABBI

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www.hebcal.com it has a Jewish calendar, candle lighting times, tells you when to do what Torah readings, and more.

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www.usy.org check out the rel/ed page and program bank. www.myjewishlearning.com. Answers to EVERYTHING, with a wide range of perspectives.

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www.chabad.org great for candle lighting times, tanach in Hebrew and English, parsha in a nutshell, holiday explanations, and printable coloring book pages 

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Me! I LOVE it when people call me with questions. My cell is 412-535-2888, email is [email protected], aim is emmilemmilemily, and facebook works too.