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Mishpachah Matters Mishpachah Matters Issue 76.3 and 76.4 Mishpachah Matters Cheshvan-Kislev-Tevet 5776 The Newsletter of Bet Mishpachah, Founded in 1975 November and December 2015 by Members of the Washington, DC, Gay Community God, Help Me Believe Transgender Day of Remembrance What I Believe: on November 20 Why Does What We Believe Matter? Join us on Friday, November 20 at 6:00 pm for Shabbat Dinner By Rabbi Laurie Green at Commissary, followed by Shabbat Services at 8:00 pm Every bad study of religion involves a survey with vague featuring Transgender Activist and nationally recognized speaker Ruby Corado of Casa Ruby. Casa Ruby is the only questions like “Do you believe in the bible?” My mother- bilingual, multicultural, LGBTQ organization providing life- in-law and I would both say, “yes, I believe in the Bible,” but what I believe about the Bible is profoundly different saving services and programs to the most vulnerable in the than my mother-in-law’s beliefs. Our society is based on a LGBTQ community in DC—through their Community Center certain Protestant notion of belief and religion, and it and their newly acquired home for homeless LGBTQ youth. doesn’t make much sense to Jews or lots of other people. Chanuka Party on December 11 So just to be clear, no, I do not believe in a sky wizard. I do believe that a power far greater than I created the Join us on Friday, December 11, at 6:30 pm in the new library universe with a purpose, and created me with a purpose, (formally the first floor children’s classroom) for Latkes and and created you with a purpose. I don’t believe that a man Sufganiyot as we celebrate the festival of lights! Then attend will ride on a donkey into Jerusalem to declare the end 8:00 pm Shabbat Services with us featuring Rabbi Ben Shalva times. I do believe that human beings, inspired by the hope on guitar. of a loving God, can transform the world as it is, into the world as it should be. Annual Meeting on December 13 Why do our beliefs matter? Don’t Jews care only about actions. Yes! And no! It is true that we value deeds over The congregation’s annual meeting will occur on Sunday, creeds. But Judaism never said that belief doesn’t matter. December 13, at 10:00 am at the DCJCC. The social portion of the program will begin with a buffet brunch. The business We are a community where doubt can be an act of faith. portion of the program will include reports from President Stuart We believe in questions and we reject easy answers. I’m Sotsky, Treasurer Bob Hollis and Rabbi Laurie Green. The really not trying to radically change your beliefs. I’m congregation will also vote for the 2016-17 Board of Directors. trying to get you to think about what your beliefs mean, and why they matter. So I’ll start with my own beliefs. Table of Contents: November and December Birthdays and Anniversaries I know that our Torah is the product of multiple authors Page 3: Jewish Holidays 5776 and editors working over centuries and finalizing the letters Changing Hearts and Minds Mazal Tov over 2000 years ago, and finalizing the vowels a mere 1000 Page 4: Page 12: Thank You Everyone Who Thanks to Our September and (Continued on page 7) Made HHD An Unforgettable October Oneg Shabbat and Experience Kiddush Sponsors www.betmish.org Page 5-6: Thanks to Our September and November and December October Service Leaders Calendars Page 13: Washington DC’s Page 8: Rabbi’s Green Fall Class Are You Up To The Bet Mishpachah Cemetery Egalitarian Synagogue Challenge? Monument Dedication Page 10: Thank You for Your Generous Embracing a Diversity 2015 Year End Donation Form Page 14: Page 11: Donations of Sexual Great News from your Vice Page 15-18:: President of Membership, Member Yartzeits and Gender Identities Eileen Greenberg Page 19: Directory Mishpachah Matters—Cheshvan-Kislev-Tevet 5776/November and December 2015 Page 2 Bet Mishpachah Communications Electronic Newsletter Subscription This newsletter is published bimonthly by Bet Mishpachah, Do you want to receive Mishpachah Matters electronically and P.O. Box 1410, Washington, DC 20013. Articles must be in living color, while saving the synagogue money? Send an received by the first Tuesday of the month prior to publication email to [email protected]. Include all the email and should be sent to [email protected]. The addresses where you would like to receive the electronic newsletter is sent to members, donors, and various newsletter and your mailing address, as you will no longer organizations. For a three-month trial subscription, write to need the paper version. [email protected]. To advertise in our newsletter, contact Address, Phone, Email Changes [email protected]. Send your name and old and new information to The congregation also publishes ATCBM, the electronic [email protected]. bulletin board of Bet Mishpachah, which contains late- ATCBM Subscription breaking congregational news, as well as other Jewish and/or LGBT news that cannot be printed in this newsletter. We If you wish to receive ATCBM, our electronic announcements maintain a website at www.betmish.org with synagogue about events at Bet Mishpachah and of interest to the Jewish information and links to other websites of interest. LGBT community, please send an email to Information contained in any of our publications may be [email protected] with “ATCBM” in the subject line and reprinted without permission, but acknowledgment of the the email address where you would like to receive mail. source is required. Direct any questions about our editorial or advertising policies to [email protected]. ATCBM Item Submission Email your item in the body of an email (no attachments) for Shabbat Services ATCBM Submissions to [email protected]. Bet Mishpachah holds Shabbat services every Friday at 8:00 Bikur Cholim — We Care About You pm and the second and fourth Saturdays of every month at 10:00 am at the District of Columbia Jewish Community Become a partner in the mitzva of Bikur Cholim—visiting the Center (DCJCC), 16 and Q Streets, NW. Sign Language sick—by advising our Bikur Cholim Committee, rabbi, or interpretation is available by request to [email protected] with president when you or a relative is hospitalized. We can stay a minimum of two weeks notice. Any changes to this regular informed ONLY if we receive the information. Please email us schedule will appear on our website (www.betmish.org), in the at [email protected]. month’s printed calendar, and/or in our electronic bulletin Death Notices, Bereavement Services board ATCBM. If you are in need of bereavement services or to announce a Enter the DCJCC building on Friday nights through the Q death in your family, email [email protected]. Street door. You will be buzzed in by our shammas. Shabbat worship will be in the DCJCC Kay Community Hall, on the Donations right as you enter. A parking lot is available behind the To make a donation to our congregation, please send it to Bet DCJCC and may be entered from Q Street. It has Mishpachah, Department 0520,Washington, D.C. 20073-0520. approximately 20 spaces, including one designated for disabled Or you can donate via PayPal from the “Donations” page on drivers. our web site, www.betmish.org. Parking: Additional free parking for Friday night services is To Schedule a Bet Mishpachah Event available at the surface lot at the Scottish Rite Temple starting at 7:30 pm. The lot will be closed and locked and all cars must Email the date, space needs, and number of expected attendees be removed by 10:30 pm. Parking is at your own risk. The to [email protected]. Temple is at 16th and S Streets NW; entrance to the lot is from To Sponsor an Oneg Shabbat or Kiddush the alley that connects 15th and 16th in the block between R and S Streets. Send an email to [email protected], with the date you’d like to sponsor, and the occasion. Mishpachah Matters Staff Newsletter Coordinator — Amy Heffernan Bet Mishpachah’s Affiliations Design/Layout — Amy Heffernan Bet Mishpachah is a member of: Network of Independent Proofreaders — Eytan Apelberg, Alex Carter, Jewish Communities and Havurot; Jewish Community Council Mindy Gasthalter, Elke Martin, and Martin Robinson of Greater Washington; World Congress of GLBT Jews: Transliteration Consultant — Scott Reiter Keshet Ga’avah; Jewish Funeral Practices Committee of Greater Washington; and Celebration of the Spirit Coalition. Mishpachah Matters—Cheshvan-Kislev-Tevet 5776/November and December 2015 Page 3 Changing Hearts and Minds including ordination of LGBT clergy and sanction of same- By Stuart Sotsky, President sex relationships. In the history of Bet Mishpachah two notable examples were our inclusion in the Jewish The human concept of justice is embodied in our religious Community Council, with strong support by the larger Jewish precepts, legal codes and political ideologies. Despite community, after years of opposition by Orthodox admirable efforts to reach international consensus on congregations, as well as the outreach by the DC JCC to universal human rights, adherence to them has failed make our home in the heart of the Washington Jewish miserably in too many societies in which self-determination, community, after many years outside the gates in a series of freedom of belief, expression, and identity, and personal welcoming churches. These changes have also been security, have fallen prey to corrupt and oppressive manifest, of course, in a series of major Supreme Court authoritarian power, sometimes justified by religious decisions over the past years that abolished laws prohibiting ideology.
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