Preparing for the New Year

Hey friends.  As we gear up for the new Jewish year of 5772, we have the privilege of reflecting back on a year filled with new connections, good times, and meaningful memories created together. I want to take this opportunity to express thanks to everyone in the havurah. Each of you has helped us improve and grow in a significant way, and I hope we continue to cultivate that positive energy as we move forward into the new year.

Thank you to everyone who has reached out and welcomed new members into our community; to all who have opened up their living space to host a gathering; to everyone who has actively pursued local volunteering opportunities; to everyone who has participated in planning meetings--in short, we are immensely grateful to each of you for your active participation.

May the new year present us with even more opportunities to celebrate each others' triumphs together as a community.

Our first two events of the new Jewish year will be taking place on Thursday, September 29.  At 4:30pm, we will gather for Tashlikh by Lake of the Isles, over on the grassy area between the street and Lake of the Isles, at the intersection of W 27th St. & Lake of the Isles Parkway E.
You don't need to RSVP for Tashlikh, but just be sure to arrive promptly at 4:30pm, as it's a very short service/ritual, and we will head over to Joyce shortly thereafter to begin setting up for dinner. We're doing this mostly BYOB (=bring your own breadcrumbs), but I might have some extra (but hey, I have a load of sins to deal with, so you might want to bring your own).


Which brings us to [drumroll, please]...2nd Night Rosh Hashanah Dinner. For this event, we are asking you do RSVP here and/or to uptownhavurah@gmail.com as soon as you can, indicating both how many people are in your party and what you'll be bringing. We'll keep updating the list below for your reference. Also feel free to add to the comments section below. You can also RSVP on facebook.


Here's everything you need to know:
What:  The Uptown Havurah Rosh HaShanah Dinner
When: 6:30pm, Thursday, September 29th
Where: In the parlor room of the Joyce United Methodist Church, 1219 W. 31st Street, Minneapolis MN 55408
What to bring:
1) something to share for the vegetarian potluck,
2) a non-perishable item for the food shelf collection, and
3) (either before or after the holiday), we encourage all attendees to contribute towards Joyce's building repair fund, as their roof recently sustained serious damage after lightening hit their chimney this summer. Joyce is being very generous by allowing us to share their space, and we would like to gratefully acknowledge their kindness.
RSVP with # of attendees and what you're bringing to uptownhavurah@gmail.com

Everyone is welcome and we hope you can join us!


Shanah tovah u'mitukah,
Raysh






(Quick note: if you're thinking of ideas for what to bring, here are some traditional foods:

*apples and honey
*pomegranates
*'new' (usu. rare) fruits
*round challah
*kosher wine
*anything sweet!

We're thinking of doing a few 'blind taste tests,' so let us know if you might want to bring a couple of one thing (such as honey, ice cream, salsa, hummus, etc))

What people are bringing so far: 

Food:

Kosher Wine________ (Raysh)
Grape Juice________(Katy)
Challah (at least 2)_______(Yehonathan; Ryan and Daffy)
Rare fruits_______(Ryan, Daffy, Naomi and Rafi; Erika and a guest are bringing rare fruit and pomegranates; Nick is bringing pomegranates)
Soup_________(Cara's bringing borsht)
Salad_________(Abigail and Lynsey are bring a beet salad; maybe Madeline)
Drinks (water, soda, juice etc.)________
Side dish_________(Camber's bringing a vegan dish; Raysh's bringing an apple kugel; Ryan's bringing a dairy noodle kugel)
'Taste test' foods_____(Raysh's bringing a few different kinds of honey)
Main course___________(Joel; Abigail and Lynsey are bringing a veggie/couscous dish; Sascha's bringing a risotto dish)
Dessert____________ (Rachael's bringing apple pie; Mila's bringing sticky toffee pudding; Steve's bringing something amazing TBA; Cheylenna's bringing fruit breads)


General stuff:

Tea-lights (will provide 24 hr candle for transfer)________(Raysh)
Paper or plastic cutlery: Cups_______(Naomi)   Plates_______ (Monica)  Utensils_______(Monica; Ben F.'s bringing spoons)
Napkins_______(Monica)
Games________
Transliterated Rosh HaShanah blessing sheets______ (Raysh)
Extra kippot:_____ (Raysh is bringing)
Cards and stickers for the taste test_____(Raysh)
Other:_____________

Uptown Havurah Event Calendar, Through January 2012

Hey folks! Be sure to mark your calendars for the great Uptown Havurah events right around the corner (below). With the high holidays approaching, we encourage you to seriously consider contributing to local charities and pursuing volunteer opportunities that speak to you:

Tikkun Olam Corner--help us repair the world!

If you'd like ideas, we have a bunch!
First off, we want to acknowledge gratefully Joyce Church's generosity in welcoming us into their space for our Rosh Hashanah dinner. This past summer, their chimney was struck by lightning, damaging their roof significantly. Right now they are faced with unexpected repair expenses, and we can help out. We urge you to contribute to their building repair fund here (or contact Raysh or Katy).

Additionally, here are some inter/national organisations that do great work--check 'em out:
Mazon, the Jewish Family and Children Service of Minneapolis, American Jewish World Service, and Oxfam.

And remember, "Charity, Prayer, and Repentance keep you out of 'bad places'" ;-)

Now, the schedule:

6:00PM, Monday September 19th [FAITH ORGANIZING FOR MARRIAGE EQUALITY CAMPAIGN KICKOFF] @ Hennepin Ave. United Methodist Church


4:30PM, Thursday September 29th [TASHLIKH] We'll be meeting We'll meet near the intersection of W 27th St &  Lake of the Isles Pkwy E


6:30PM, Thursday September 29th [ROSH HASHANAH DINNER] Potluck vegetarian dinner; @ Joyce United Methodist Church's parlor room (1219 W. 31st Street)


7:30PM, Tuesday, October 18th [SUKKAH PARTY] Potluck dessert and drinks @ Jon and Chaya's (in their backyard,  in the Uptown Havurah sukkah, unless there's supremely yucky weather)


Friday PM,  October 28th  [KABBALAT SHABBAT/POTLUCK DINNER] ISO host


8:30PM, Saturday November 5th [HAVDALAH + SATURDAY NIGHT MOVIE PARTY] @ Nick's


6:30PM, Friday November 18th [KABBALAT SHABBAT/POTLUCK DINNER] @ Madeline's

 
Friday PM, December 9th [KABBALAT SHABBAT/POTLUCK DINNER] ISO host


10:30 AM, Monday December 12th [PROJECT HOMELESS CONNECT] @ the Minneapolis Convention Center.  We'll volunteer in shifts throughout the day.


Thursday PM, December 22nd [HANUKKAH PARTY] ISO host


Friday PM, January 13th [KABBALAT SHABBAT/POTLUCK DINNER] ISO host

Planning Meeting this Sunday

Hello everyone!  This is a friendly reminder about our fall planning meeting, happening 7:30pm this Sunday (09/11) at Darbar Indian Grill.  As always, all are welcome and encouraged to attend and share new ideas/input.  If you cannot make the meeting but still wish to share your two shekels, please feel free to email me or include your thoughts in the comments section below.

Important: if you are involved in other Jewish local groups of similar demographic range, please let us know about any upcoming 'fixed' event dates, so we don't overlap when we plan out programming for the next few months. On that same note, a calendar or personal planner would be a good thing to bring along, as we will be planning out several months in advance.

We look forward to meeting with you soon!


l'shalom,
Raysh