Sunday, November 13, 2011

November Shabbat Shindig

Greetings, friends!  It was great fun seeing you at the Motzei Shabbat movie night party last Saturday night. We hope you're keeping warm despite the cooler temps (although still, 40 degrees in MN this time of the year is not nearly as bad as it could be!).

We look forward to hanging with you this coming Friday night, 7:30pm @ Madeline's apartment for our November "pre-Thanksgiving" Kabbalat Shabbat and potluck dinner. Wanna test-drive some of the recipes you've been thinking about for Thanksgiving? What better way than to run it by us!


Here's Who's Bringing What:


Food: Please note: if you're bringing wine and/or challah, you must arrive on time

Pre-dinner snack food (we won't be eating dinner right away: this is important)_____(Alex and Doron are bringing hummus; Dana's bringing cheese & pesto spread with crackers)


Wine________ (Raysh)

Challah (at least 2)___________(Cara)

Soup_________(Katy's bringing pumpkin soup)

Salad_________(Rory and Jory; Osnat)

Drinks (water, soda, juice etc.)________(Cara's bringing apple cider)

Side dish_________(Laura and Joel are bringing chili and cornbread muffins; Melissa and Jeff are bringing a quinoa craisin dish)

Main course___________(Mila's bringing a lemon wine risotto dish)
Dessert__________(Madeline; Nick's bringing dessert wine)



General stuff:

Plastic or Paper Cutlery__________(Monica)

Plastic or Paper Cups___________(Monica)

Plastic or Paper Plates__________(Monica)

Napkins_______________

Tea-lights________(Raysh)

Transliterated Kabbalat Shabbat song sheets______ (Raysh)

Bencher with Kiddush: (Raysh)

Extra kippot:_____ (Raysh)

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

October Shabbat Gathering: THIS Friday

Hello friends!

After a whirlwind of holiday activity, we can now look forward to kicking it regular Shabbat style, with song, wine, and women (yes, we have many females in our lofty ranks!)...aaaaand food!

The mostly arbitrary theme of this coming Shabbat shindig is "fancy shmancy." Decide for yourself what that means and we'll play along. It could be how you and/or the food you bring appears, etc. etc.

Most important is your company, so RSVP at your soonest convenience, since space is limited.  Please feel free to bring new friends, just let us know the # you're expecting and what you're bringing to share.

To that end, let's fill out this list, ja?

Food: Please note: if you're bringing wine and/or challah, you must arrive on time
Pre-dinner snack food (we won't be eating dinner right away: this is important)_____

Wine________(Madeline + 2 guests)

Challah (at least 2)___________(Madeline + 2 guests)

Soup_________(Raysh)

Salad_________

Drinks (water, soda, juice etc.)________

Side dish_________(Melissa's bringing baked brie; Sheryl's bringing something with hypoallergenic noodles)

Main course___________(Laura's bringing beet pasta; Miriam's bringing stuffed peppers)

Dessert____________(Mila's bringing a dessert--probably a pie; Katy's bringing a pear dish; Raysh's bringing a Ben & Jerry's ice cream cake)



General stuff:

Plastic or Paper Cutlery__________

Plastic or Paper Cups___________

Plastic or Paper Plates__________

Napkins_______________

Tea-lights________(Raysh)

Transliterated Kabbalat Shabbat song sheets______ (Raysh)

Bencher with Kiddush: (Raysh)

Extra kippot:_____ (Raysh)


Looking forward to welcoming in Shabbat together. Moadim l'simcha! (May we have occasion to rejoice!)
Raysh 

Saturday, October 8, 2011

Sukkah building gathering (tomorrow!) and party next week

Dear friends,

I hope everyone had a meaningful YK, and that this finds you replenished food-wise!  We have two exciting Sukkot-related events coming up, and we look forward to celebrating with you.

Tomorrow, at Jon and Chaya's house (3321 Pillsbury Ave S--in their backyard, to be precise), we'll build the UH sukkah. Please arrive by 4pm to lend a hand and then kick back and hang out afterwards. 

Then, on Tuesday, October 18, at 7:30pm, we hope you can stop by for a l'chaim and some quality dessert fare as we celebrate Sukkot. This shindig will be potluck style, so please bring some delicious nosh and/or spirited beverage to share. If you have an extra easily portable chair or two, please bring that along.  As always, new friends are welcome too!


Shavua tov and a good year to all,
Raysh

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

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:_____________

Sunday, September 18, 2011

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

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

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

Monday, August 22, 2011

Last Shabbat on the Water of Summer 2011 + Mega Birthday Bash

Hello folks! This summer has just flown right by, but don't miss the opportunity to rejoice in what's left by celebrating Shabbat and Melissa's, Laura's, Rachael's, Monica's and Elliot's August birthdays with your favourite Uptownites (and non-Uptownites).


What:
Shabbat on the Water and birthday bash
When: This Friday (Aug 26) 6:30PM
Where: On...the water. Click here for the place by the southern end of Lake Calhoun, where we'll meet
That's so awesome, I want to come! What can I do? Excellent question. You indicate what delicious something-or-other you'll be bringing to share in the comments below. Do it!!
And What if it Rains? Then we take the fun over to Madeline's new place


Who's bringing what:

Pre-Shabbat snack fare: ____________________(Laura and Joel are bringing pita and hummus)

Wine:____________________(Mike)
Challah (at least two): ________________________

Soup: __________________________

Salad: __________________________

Side Dish: _________________________(Nick's bringing quinoa)
Main Dish: _________________________(Melissa's bringing a noodle dish)

Dessert: ___________________________(Madeline + a friend)
(may we suggest birthday-appropriate fare?)

Drinks: ___________________________

Paperware and other non-food stuff:

Plates: ________________________


Cups: ________________________(Mike)

Bowls: ______________________

Cutlery: _____________________

Napkins: ____________________

Tea lights: ___________________
Lighter: _____________________

Portable chairs: _______________

Blankets:_______________(Mike)

Insect Repellent: _______________

Kabbalat Shabbat packets: ___________