Reminder for today's meeting

Hello again! Just a quick and friendly reminder that our planning meeting is happening 2pm today at Infinitea. Drop by if you can. And if you can't attend, no sweat--we'll be sure to send minutes.

Hope to see you soon!

b'Shalom,
Raysh

Planning Meeting Information and Summer Shout-outs

Hey Khevre,

It has been decided: the upcoming planning meeting is happening this Sunday (30.05.10) at 7pm at Infinitea (2827 Hennepin Ave S). Bring your ideas, suggestions, and any interested friends. If you can't make the meeting but would like to contribute to the discussion, please shoot me an email.

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People have been up to some exciting things recently, so a quick moment to schep some collective nakhes (fig. take pride):


Mazal Tov shout-outs to...
Eddie on his engagement and on surviving 1L along with Evan, Mila, and Joline; Ben on successfully completing his MA and being elected COGs (umn's Council of Graduate Students) VP; Andrea on being awarded both the GRPP and the SSHRC Fellowships; Katy and Laura on signing leases to live in Uptown; Elliot on being awarded an OIP grant; Mandy on finishing her successful tenure as COGs president


Good luck to shout-outs to...
Deborah, Todd, Mila, and Mandy on their upcoming marathons


Have a wondeful summer, everyone!

Upcoming Events and Opportunities of Possible interest, Part III

Hey y'all. Looking forward to seeing many of you tonight. Very soon I'll be sending out the time/place for our upcoming planning meeting, so please check your email. Even if you cannot attend, please do send me anything you would like to throw into the mix as we discuss ideas for what's next.

In the meantime, a couple of things going down in town:

National Harvey Milk Day of Action
March and Rally for LGBT Equality NOW!

SATURDAY, MAY 22nd
1 pm – Gather at Loring Park (corner of 15th St and Hennepin Ave)
March downtown for a closing rally and concert
2 pm - Rally at Government Plaza in downtown Minneapolis (corner of 5th St and 4th Ave)



On May 22, 2010, celebrate gay rights hero Harvey Milk's birthday by marching for LGBT equality. Let Congress and Obama know that we are tired of waiting for our demands to be met!


- Repeal the Defense of Marriage Act
- End Don't Ask Don't Tell
- Pass the Employment Non-Discrimination Act
- Full Federal Equality for Gay, Lesbian, Bi-sexual, and Transgender people - NOW!!

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HOW YOU CAN HELP:


Come to a Sign Making Party the night before the event (Friday May 21, 2010) @ May Day Books from 6-8pm.
Show up at 12:30pm at Loring Park (30 minutes early) on Harvey Milk Day for Marshal Training to help make this event safe and successful.
Come celebrate Harvey Milk Day with us and bring all your friends!!

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About Harvey Milk
In 1977, after years of working within the gay rights movement in San Francisco, Harvey Milk became the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in California. Milk served 11 months on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors and was responsible for passing a strong ordinance that protected gay and lesbian people from being fired from their job for their sexual orientation. More than that, he helped forge a powerful alliance in San Francisco among LGBT people and allies that was an example for how to build a strong movement.

Endorsed by: Impact Twin Cities, ISO, Socialist Alternative, Unite + Fight Midwest Equality Network, and Equality Across America

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From Cong. Mount Zion :

Volunteer at the Family Shelter June 1st – 30th

What is the Emergency Shelter?
Each June, we partner with Project Home to provide safe emergency shelter for families that find themselves without a home. We set up an 18 bed shelter here and provide a snack, a place to sleep, and a bit of breakfast. Families primarily become homeless due to the lack of affordable housing and the downturn in the economy. Most of our guests are children and many of their parents have jobs but are still unable to afford housing.

What can we do to help?
VOLUNTEER: We welcome new volunteers! Shelter Orientation will be on Tuesday, May 25, 7:00 p.m. in Johnson Social Hall.
To Learn More and Sign-up click on this link: http://sites.google.com/site/2010mountzionfamilysheltersite/home

Evening Shift: 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. OR Overnight Shift: Sunday –Thursday 8:00 p.m. until 7:30 and Friday and Saturday 8:00 p.m.- 9:00 a.m.

REMINDER: As our focus is to care for the families in shelter, many of whom have small children, we ask that if you volunteer with your children that they be age six or older so that your attention is on the guests and not your own children.
For more information call Judi 651-698-3881 ext 119 or email: socialjustice@mzion.org

Help Mila Support Her Mom in Her Fight Against Leukemia

As many of you may already know, Mila recently found out her mother has been diagnosed with leukemia.

This summer, Mila will be training for the Minneapolis Duathlon, and I hope you will support her in her goal of raising money to support the Leukemia and Lymphoma Foundation.

The foundation funds research to fight blood cancers and supports patients and their families.
You can help by making a contribution online. Any amount helps:
http://pages.teamintraining.org/mn/MinnDua10/mgumin

Each donation helps accelerate finding a cure for leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma. More than 823,000 Americans are battling these blood cancers.

Please show your support to Mila and her family by supporting this worthy cause and circulating this message widely.

Upcoming Events and Opportunities of Possible Interest, Part II

From Cong. Beth Jacob (Mendota Heights):

From Rabbi Amy Eilberg and Rev. Tom Duke:

PREPARING THE GROUND FOR DIFFICULT DIALOGUES:A LEADERSHIP WORKSHOP FOR CLERGY, INTERFAITH DIALOGUE AND PEACE ACTIVISTS

Learn the state of the art on:

·Choosing and preparing participants for dialogue·

Creating the conditions for meaningful dialogue to succeed

·Crafting Communication Agreements

·Building a spirit of reflective collaboration

PRESENTER: ROBERT STAINS Senior Vice President, Public Conversations ProjectNational expert in creating constructive public conversations on the most polarized of issuesMay 17th 6:30-9:30 PMHouse of Hope Presbyterian Church797 Summit Ave., St. Paul, MN 55105 between Dale and Victoria; enter from Portland Ave. side) Snacks providedNo charge for admission; donations welcome. RSVP to Rabbi Amy Eilberg rebamy@eilberg.com Please share this invitation with other colleagues who are potential dialogue leaders and planners (and encourage them to RSVP so we can plan appropriately).Hope to see you there!

From the Interfaith Coalition on Immigration:

VISITOR TRAINEES WANTED FOR THE ICOM CIVIL IMMIGRANT DETAINEE VISITATION PROJECT
The Rev. Paula Bidle, a professional chaplain, and Julia Smith, a student at Macalester College who knows first hand what it means to have a friend detained by ICE, are ICOM's visitor training leads. For those interested, this is their announcement -- please respond directly:
Hi Everyone!On behalf of some of us that are working on the Visitation Project, we would like to invite you to join us for a training! If this is your first email about this project, the Visitation Project is a project that will, once we successfully navigate all of the red tape, bring community members to the detention center in St. Paul where detained immigrants are held. The goal of this project is to provide detained immigrants with support and someone to talk to in such an isolating environment. We are currently recruiting people who would be dedicated to this program. To be eligible to participate you must be able to make a commitment to a 6 hour training as well as visiting at least once a month for six months(we will provide transportation if that is a concern). Also, since this is a new program, we have to ask that anyone who has ever served jail time, even if it was for a civil disobedience offense, not participate. Sorry! Additionally, we want to make clear from the get-go that the purpose of the visitation is to provide support, not conversion and NO proselytizing will be permitted. Therefore, if you are receiving this email I would like to know from you...1. If you are still interested and able to participate and if so....2. On what days of the week and at what times of day are you generally free? Would you like the training to be done in one chunk, or on two separate days?
Thank you very much and we look forward to hearing from you. Julia Smith <jsmith10@macalester.edu> Paula Bidle <bidlemoore@CorazonDigno.net>

Go to Cuba with the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee:

(FROM THE JDC)

JDC INSIDE JEWISH CUBA TRIP INFORMATION

About Cuba: Cuba has a unique and compelling place in the history of Jewish life in Latin America. Most are aware that Cuba—only 90 miles south of Key West, Florida—has had extremely strained relations with the U.S. since Fidel Castro took power in 1959. What is less well known is that Cuba is home to 1,500 Jews and that this community had lost connection to Jewish culture and tradition under communism. A change in Cuban law allowing religious expression in 1991 enabled JDC to re-enter the country. Since then, JDC has provided critical humanitarian aid as well as religious and cultural support for the island’s small Jewish community. Today, Cuba is experiencing a remarkable renaissance in Jewish life. Itinerary Highlights:Visits to the island’s historic synagogues and Jewish institutionsExclusive briefings with Jewish community leaders to understand the realities of Jewish life in Communist CubaVisits to programs of the world’s largest Jewish humanitarian aid organization, the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC), to address community needs and support Jewish lifeConversations with local young leaders about their uniquely Cuban Jewish culture and way of lifeMojitos and Afro-Cuban beats in Havana’s lively night clubs, visits to museums and art galleries, and strolls through Havana’s historic neighborhoods Trip Dates: September 2-6, 2010 Cost: $2,400 The trip cost includes: Round-trip airfare from Miami to HavanaLocal transportation within CubaMealsHotel accommodations (note: the participation fee covers accommodations in double rooms; participants may elect to stay in a single room for an additional fee)Briefings, tours, and leisure activitiesMedical and emergency evacuation insurance Note that participants will be expected to submit a deposit of $850 upon notification of selection. Final payment of $1,550 will be due by Friday, August 6th. JDC Global Leadership Grants: JDC does not want the cost of the trip to prevent your participation. If you are unable to contribute the full participation fee, we encourage you to apply for a JDC Global Leadership Grant (see JDC Global Leadership Grant section of attached application). JDC will award JDC Global Leadership Grants to a select number of participants on an as-need basis. Your decision to apply for a JDC Global Leadership Grant will not impact selection decisions. Beyond applying for a JDC Global Leadership Grant, we also encourage you to fundraise to cover the cost of your participation. We are happy to provide guidance as you reach out to friends and family to seek donations for this worthwhile experience. Flight Details: The group will depart on a charter flight from Miami International Airport early in the morning on Thursday, September 2nd, and will return to Miami on Monday, September 6th. A detailed flight itinerary will be announced closer to the trip. Participants will be responsible for arranging transportation to and from Miami to meet the group flight, and should plan to arrive in Miami by the evening of Wednesday, September 1st, to ensure you are able to make the Havana, Cuba, connection. JDC will provide hotel suggestions for the night of Wednesday, September 1st. Participants will be responsible for expenses associated with a hotel stay in Miami.

To apply, visit: http://jdcnextgeneration.wufoo.com/forms/jdc-national-young-professionals-trip-to-cuba/ Questions? Contact: globalservice@jdcny.org

About the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC): For 95 years, JDC has provided rescue, relief, and renewal for Jewish communities outside of North America, helped Israel meet the needs of its most vulnerable citizens, and offered a Jewish response to natural and man-made disasters and non-sectarian development needs around the world. JDC’s work in over 70 countries is inspired by Jewish values of mutual responsibility, that kol yisrael areivim zeh l’zeh (all of Israel is responsible for one another), and tikkun olam, that Jews have an obligation to repair the world.

March for Immigrant Rights and Against SB1070

MARCH FOR IMMIGRANT RIGHTS

NO to Arizona's racist law, SB1070

SATURDAY, MAY 1ST (International Workers' Day!)

2:00PM-8:00PM

MARCH: Gather at 2pm at 1 of 3 Minneapolis meet-up points:1) 42nd and Nicollet Ave. S - International Workers' Day March for Immigrant Rights 2) Chicago Ave and Franklin Ave. S March for Immigration Reform/Marcha por la Reforma Migratoria 3) University Ave. and Central Ave. SE March for Immigration Reform/Marcha por la Reforma Migratoria Marches will meet up downtown and march on the Republican State Convention, where the 2 leading candidates for the governor nomination say they support Arizona's racist, anti-immigrant, anti-Latino law SB 1070 FOLLOWED BY A RALLY IN LORING PARK featuring music, speakers, and more
-------------Last Friday, Arizona's governor signed into law the most reactionary anti-immigrant legislation yet passed by any state in the U.S., a law that essentially legalizes racial profiling. As the NYTimes reports, "The law, which proponents and critics alike said was the broadest and strictest immigration measure in generations, would make the failure to carry immigration documents a crime and give the police broad power to detain anyone suspected of being in the country illegally. Opponents have called it an open invitation for harassment and discrimination against Hispanics regardless of their citizenship status." As Zach de la Rocha of Rage Against the Machine put it, this bill will "turn the entire state police force into sanctioned agents of racial profiling. It seeks to turn the entire state of Arizona into an island of hate, where to be brown is to be suspected of a crime."
The legislation has generated a wave of protests in Arizona and across the country, including a walkout by over 1,000 Arizona high school students on Friday. Even President Obama denounced the legislation. But only massive pressure from below can stop this racist legislation in its tracks, and win full legalization for all immigrant workers in this country!
Join us Saturday in the Twin Cities to protest Arizona's legislation and demand legalization and equal rights for all immigrants, and an end to the deportations and attacks on immigrant communities! Thousands will be march across the country as well!

Articles/videos on the Arizona legislation: Arizona Legalizes Racial Profiling - http://www.zcommunications.org/arizona-legalizes-racial-profiling-by-marjorie-cohnGOP Hopefuls in MN Say Arizona Law Step in the Right Direction - http://www.startribune.com/politics/state/92369324.htmlArizona Enacts Stringent Law on Immigration (NYTimes) - http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/24/us/politics/24immig.htmlThousands of Students Walk Out to Protest Immigration Bill - http://www.kpho.com/news/23206700/detail.htmlAlto Arizona: Zack de la Rocha speaks out against AZ's racist law: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVOZGAbEARMAlto Arizona campaign website - www.altoarizona.comRazing Arizona: Good summary of the issues involved - http://counterpunch.org/huerta04232010.html

Psoy Korolenko LIVE at Macalester

Last-minute announcement, but if you don't have plans for tonight, you should absolutely consider checking out Russia's pride and joy (or at least he should be), badass troubadour extraordinaire Psoy Korolenko. His music defies proper description, but imagine Jewish music bursting with the most colourfully obscene remarks and references to psychoanalytic theory. (And I  know what you're thinking: "not that again")

Psoy's performance will also include a screening of Abram Room's 1927 masterpiece Bed and Sofa, an NEP-era film with a wonderfully subversive feminist edge.

Again, this is happening tonight. Hope to see you next Friday night.

Until then...Shabbat shalom

Interfaith Seder

(to the left: Beckham in a kippah, apropos naught)
The following I'm pasting from a SPIN (St. Paul Interfaith Network) email. If you are available this Sunday at 4:30pm-ish, you should check it out. They say registration is due today, but they're very welcoming, even to procrastinators (like yours truly):

March 16th is the deadline for pre-registration for the SPIN Interfaith Seder. This note is going out to everybody on our list, including new registrants and people who have let us know that you cannot attend. For you guys, please be patient with us. For everybody else: PLEASE PRE-REGISTER to ensure your place at this very special event. You may pre-pay at www.spacc.org/spin by tomorrow, March 16. We cannot accept an increasing registration count after that unless you make special arrangements. If you are definitely intending to come but need to pay at the door, please email Rabbi Amy at rebamy@eilberg.com (and she will include you in the count). Our Interfaith Passover Seder is held this year at Temple of Aaron Congregation, 616 South Mississippi River Boulevard, Saint Paul, 55116.It takes place on March 21st, 2010, with doors opening at 4:30 PM, and the Seder beginning sharply at 5:00 PM and going until 8:00 PM. A fine vegetarian meal will be served well into our third hour together, so be sure to munch a little in the afternoon to tide you through joy and celebration and artistic expression until actual food is served. Here are directions to the Temple of Aaron Synagogue in Highland Park, Saint Paul. From the east end of the Ford Bridge, drive north on Mississippi River Boulevard just two blocks and turn right onto Hartford to the parking lot. From I-94 at the Cretin Avenue Exit in Saint Paul, drive south on Cretin across St Clair Avenue, across Randolph Avenue, and several more blocks, turn right onto Hartford for some four blocks. The parking lot will be on your left.