September 2014 • Tishrei 5775 The Washington Congregation MACHAR for Secular Humanistic Judaism P.O. Box 42014, Washington, DC 20015 • 202-686-1881 • www.machar.org Welcome Back! Inside this issue: Dear Macharniks, welcome to our Book Club gathering 2: High Holidays on September 21, when we will begin 3: Adult Education I’m very excited to welcome you all back a series of discussions, facilitated by to another year of Machar. Michael Prival and Peter Wolfe, on and Community Rabbi Sherwin Wine’s fascinating book: Sundays We had a summer filled with activities: A Provocative People: A Secular History Rabbi Nehama hosted a family-friendly 4: Clubs and Activities of the Jews. event at Bounce U, and Kelly and Da- 5: Features vid hosted a family pool party; Rabbi Rabbi Nehama Benmosche will lead our Nehama led us in discussion at a Tisha High Holiday observances: Please join 8: The Machar Family B’av observance, and we enjoyed the us on September 25 for Rosh Hashanah hospitality of our members at potluck and October 3 and 4 for Kol Nidre and 9: Staff, Board of Havdalah and Shabbat celebrations. Yom Kippur. Rabbi Nehama’s father, Directors and Our lovely women of WITs continued Mr. Robert Benmosche, who retires this Leadership gathering over the summer to share month from his position as chief execu- 10: Information/Ads good food and life’s journeys and our tive of the American International Group active and reinvigorated Young Adult (A.I.G.) will be our speaker for Kol Havurah hosted several events that were Nidre and Machar member Akiva Liber- Machar’s members are open to all young adults in the area. man will speak on Yom Kippur. our biggest asset and our greatest resource in letting Now, we have a great year ahead of us Be sure to join us on September 28 for their friends and family and a lot of things to look forward to: our Adult Ed program with Michael Pri- know about our wonder- val, followed by our Community Sunday Jewish Cultural School and Adult Educa- ful community. If you Tashlikh observance and annual creek tion begin on September 14: I look for- recommend a member or clean-up. ward to seeing all of you on September family who joins Machar, 14 as we begin our Adult Education and And we’re just getting started! Machar will thank you Jewish Cultural School programs. We’ll with your choice of a be able to see friends, meet some new It is all of this—all of you—that make $100 gift card for dining ones, and learn about all the wonderful Machar such a special and welcoming out at Lebanese Taverna things Machar has planned for the year community. It’s going to be a great year! or Clydes, for local shop- and how you can be involved. ping at Politics and Prose Darlene Basch or Israeli Accents, or some Machar’s Book Club starts off with Machar President on-line Judaica shopping some compelling reading: Everyone is at moderntribe.com or traditionsjewishgifts.com. So please tell people Secular Humanistic Judaism We affirm the power and respon- Machar is affiliated with the about Machar; we hope embraces a human-centered phi- sibility of human beings to shape Society for Humanistic Judaism to give out lots of thank losophy that combines rational their own lives independent of and the International Federation thinking with a celebration of supernatural authority. of Secular Humanistic Jews. you cards! Jewish culture and identity. —Darlene Basch High Holidays Celebrate the High Holidays with Machar and our new rabbi! All services at Cedar Lane UU Church, 9601 Cedar Lane, Bethesda, MD 20814 Rosh Hashanah Thursday, September 25 Children’s service 9:30 a.m.; Main service 10:30 a.m. Post-service discussion groups begin at 12:30 after refreshment break. Kol Nidre Friday, October 3 at 7:30 p.m. Yom Kippur Saturday, October 4 Children’s service 9:30 a.m.; Main service 10:30 a.m. Rabbi Nehama Benmosche Special offer to local Machar members: Invite two non-member relatives to attend High Holidays free of A note from the Rabbi:charge. Request admission at least one week in advanceRosh at www.machar.org.Hashanah: Thursday, September 25 Rosh Hashanah Sermon sneak peak Children’s service 9:30 a.m.; Main service 10:30 a.m. It is hard to believe that the Hebrew month of ElulCelebrate has begun Rosh the Hashanah High post-service Holidays discussion group topics: and Rosh Hashanah is less than a month away. For those of you who may be interested in going a little deeper as we • Is the world really worse now or do we just know with Macharmore and about it?our new rabbi! descend into the holiday season, I’d like to offer some extra All services at Cedar Lane UU Church, 9601 Cedar Lane, Bethesda, MD 20814 reading. My sermon for Rosh Hashanah will be called: One • What does spirituality mean to me? of the Reasons We Keep Coming Back: MoralRosh Psychology Hashanah and Thursday, September 25 Jonathan Haidt’s Righteous Mind. My talkChildren’s will be service an attempt 9:30 a.m.; MainKol service Nidre: 10:30 Friday, a.m. October 3 at 7:30 p.m. Post-service discussion groups begin at 12:30 after refreshment break. to explore why we choose to participate in the high holidays With a talk by Robert Benmosche through the lens of moral psychology. I will draw from a book Kol Nidre Friday, October 3 at 7:30 p.m. I read this summer called The Righteous Mind: Why Good Yom Kippur: Saturday, October 4 People are Divided by Politics and Religion. Despite a decline Saturday,Children’s October service 4 9:30 a.m.; Main service 10:30 a.m. in worldwide participation in organized religion,Yom Kippur our com - Children’s service 9:30 a.m.; MainWith service a talk 10:30 by a.mAkiva. Liberman munity and many others Rabbiwill Nehamagather during the holidays and mark these days by choosingBenmosche to affiliate and associate with Attendance at High Holidays services is a privilege of like-minded members of our faith-based organizations. Haidt’s Special offer to local Machar members: Invite two non-membermembership. relatives to There attend Highis no Holidays need freefor of members to register perspective on religious charge.groups Request drew meadmission in and at hisleast writing one week in advance at www.machar.org. for services, but they can opt to register two nonmember is accessible and his research examples are entertaining. I relatives to attend free of charge. A registration link for thought some of you would be interested in putting another this purpose is available on the home page of www. book on your bedside table this fall. Looking forwardCelebrate to con- machar.org the High along with Holidays a link to our regular nonmember tinuing to build our relationships and to get to know all of you registration page. in this first year together! with Machar and our new rabbi! All services at Cedar Lane UU Church, 9601 Cedar Lane, Bethesda, MD 20814 Volunteer for Children’s ServicesRosh Hashanah Thursday, September 25 Children’s service 9:30 a.m.; Main service 10:30 a.m. Mimi Brody [email protected] discussion groups begin at 12:30 after refreshment break. Once again, we are seeking your help to make our Rosh Please let me know if your children and/or you are inter- Friday, October 3 at 7:30 p.m. Hashanah and Yom Kippur Children’s ServicesKol Nidre a success. ested in participating! Shofar-blowing also needed! First- The Children’s Services will run from 9:30 until about 10:15 come, first-served on filling the parts, though we will try to am on Sept. 25 and Oct. 4, respectively.Yom We’ll Kippur need sev - Saturday,involve October every child 4 who’d like to participate. No memoriza- eral children readers and will have actingChildren’s roles—adult service 9:30 and a.m.; Maintion serviceneeded! 10:30 I’ll a.msend. scripts out to families in advance, so Rabbi Nehama children—for the play-letsBenmosche we’ll perform during each service folks can be comfortable with what they’ll be reading aloud. Thank you, and I look forward to hearing from you soon! Special offer to local Machar members: Invite two non-member relatives to attend High Holidays free of charge. Request admission at least one week in advance at www.machar.org. 2 Adult Education and Community Sundays Sundays 10:00 a.m.–12:30 p.m. Sessions are open to all. There is parking on 16th Street and in the back. All sessions are held in the Jewish Primary Day School, 6045 16th St. NW, DC 20012 September 14 November 16 Welcoming the New Year–Introductions and Overview Rabbi Nehama Benmosche–A Journey Through the This first meeting of the year is an opportunity to meet Jewish Movements new and old members and to hear about the various Rabbi Nehama Benmosche, Machar’s rabbi since April activities community membership offers. You are invited 2014, has lived in many parts of the Jewish world. She to bring along friends or family who are interested in will help us understand the similarities and differences in finding out more about Machar. these streams of Jewish life, using examples from her per- Community Sunday: Music and Israeli Dancing sonal life, including schooling in Conservative Judaism, living in an Orthodox community in college, experienc- September 28 ing Judaism in Israeli culture, rabbinic training in the Michael Prival–The Ideas of Rabbi Sherwin T.