The Shoreshim Board is planning a lifelong learning series for 2010 - 2011.  If you are interested or have any special topics you would like to discuss, please email the board and let them know your thoughts.

We are very fortunate that such a warm, energetic and experienced school principal has accepted our invitation to lead our active Hebrew School of 30+ students.  Ita Zoberman Mandel is already developing a dynamic curriculum and getting our wonderful cadre of teachers ready for an exciting school year.  We are still accepting applications for new students for all grades.  School starts on September 14.

Congratulations to all Shoreshim Teens who spent the Spring of 2010 involved with JYPI in the grant-making process.  Your work and participation received a special thanks from JYPI's top brass for your wonderful tzedakah contributions.

May 25, 2010

Greetings Shoreshim and Friends of Shoreshim,

We are pleased to offer a free adult education course with Rabbi Gilah Langner on Jewish Mysticism

This class will cover: Judaism through the eyes of the Mystics– fundamentals of Kabbalah and Jewish mysticism. How do Jewish mystics read the Torah? How do the 10 sefirot map onto everyday reality (and do they correspond to the chakras?)? How are the Four Worlds used in Jewish prayer services to come closer to God? What are the types of Jewish mysticism, and what does Madonna see in Kabbalah?

The class will meet on the following dates on Sundays from 11 to 12:15, followed by a light nosh:

May 16th, at a Member's Home
June 13th at a Member's Home
June 19th at a Member's Home

This class is free to all Shoreshim members and open to non-members for a small fee.

If you are interested in attending or would like more information, please contact us for more information.

Thanks to all the members who showed up on Sunday for our annual meeting. After a lively community discussion, we were treated to a delicious dinner catered by Cookie and were all moved by the stirring violin performance and inspirational story of Alexey Kochetkov. If you missed the meeting, the minutes and budget are posted in the Member's Only section.

Coming up, please note these dates for May:

May 14th. Shoreshim will celebrate Shavuot Come join us for a dairy meal and community gathering. Evite to follow.

May 21st. Hebrew School Graduation. Parents and Community members, please join us for a Friday Night Shabbat Service run by the children of Shoreshim. Evite to follow.

If you have any questions about these upcoming events or have not been receiving our eVites, please let us know.

Hello Shoreshim and Friends of Shoreshim.

Spring has sprung and Shoreshim's calendar is in full bloom.

Please join us this weekend:

April 10th: Saturday morning service, led by Rabbi Gilah Langnor to be held at a member's home. Please see Evite for more information.

April 11th: Sunday, April 11th at 3:30 pm is the last adult education class on death and dying. All are welcome. These classes are free for Shoreshim members, a nominal fee for non-members. 

April 23rd: Friday night service and potluck dinner. Please watch your email for more information.

May 2nd: Shoreshim's Annual Meeting. Members Only. There are special plans in the works for this year's gathering. Evite to follow.

Shoreshim's Torah Study Group and Teen Classes are ongoing. 

We hope to see you and your families at one or more of these events.

Thank you, Wendi Kaufman and Nikki Hass

March comes in like a lion, and goes out like a lamb shank-bone-- Passover is around the corner, right?

Shoreshim & St. Anne's are co-sponsoring a concert on March 13 to benefit the Haiti Earthquake Victims.  For details, please see the concert flyer.  Donations will benefit Partners in Health.

February may be the shortest--and snowiest!--month, but Shoreshim still has plenty of events on the calendar. Don't miss our special gatherings, holiday and educational opportunities this month, including TWO teen/'tween events, beginning this friday night: 

Friday, January 8th: Help Feed the Homless. Shoreshim hosts a sandwich-making Friday night Shabbat gathering in support of the Embry Rucker Community Shelter. Family, older kids and teens, all are needed to step up and help out--this is a good opportunity for teens looking for community service hours! Sandwich making will be followed by a community potluck dinner. Please see the Evite or contact us for more information. 

The next Torah Study Group meeting will take place on Wednesday, January 6 at a private home in Reston.  If you are interested, please contact us for more details.

CamperQuest 2009: CamperQuest, sponsored by The United Jewish Endowment Fund, has just partnered with the Foundation for Jewish Camp to expand the program. First time campers attending a Jewish educational overnight camp for 2 weeks will receive an incentive for $250 and those attending for 3 weeks or more will receive $1000. Grants will be awarded to public or secular private school students. The Jewish Federation supports students in Jewish day schools with annual allocations directed to their school to offset tuition. Please direct families to www.shalomdc.org/camperquestto find out more information and to fill out the application. If you would like to publicize this program in your synagogue bulletin, please be in touch and we will send you a camera ready ad. To download the CamperQuest flyer, click here: http://www.shalomdc.org/local_includes/downloads/37435.pdf.

JIFFY: Jewish Information For Families and You. Jconnect has compiled all the community listings for Hanukkah throughout the Greater Washington Jewish Community for your families. Here is the link to JIFFY: http://shalomdc.org/local_includes/downloads/37753.pdf. You are welcome to include this link on your website to help your families connect with the entire Greater Washington Jewish community!

Bai Mitzvah Project Matching: Jconnect is here to help your congregants select a meaningful Bar/Bat Mitzvah project. Whether they are looking for community service or somewhere to direct tzedakah, we have ideas and resources that can match up their Parsha with their interests and talents. They may want to participate in one of many ongoing worthwhile projects in the community or even start their own. Whatever they choose, we encourage the family to get involved as well. For more information, click here http://www.shalomdc.org/page.aspx?id=203140 and to download a flyer to give out to your Bai Mitzvah students, click here: http://shalomdc.org/local_includes/downloads/37746.pdf .

Hanukkah Volunteer Opportunities: There are many volunteer opportunities around the community this holiday season! As always, Jconnect is here to connect your congregants or groups from your congregation to a volunteer project that fits their interests or needs. All they need to do it contact Jconnect and we are happy to help! For more information about specific projects, click here: http://www.shalomdc.org/page.aspx?id=196523. To download a flyer of volunteer activities for Hanukkah, click here: http://shalomdc.org/local_includes/downloads/37743.pdf .

Mark your calendars: December is a busy month at Shoreshim. 

Please join us for a Havdalah Shabbat Service and Dinner put on by our Kindergarden and 1st Grade Families.  Please call or email for details.

Don't miss guitar-wielding Rabbi David Shneyer, as we sing, dance, celebrate the annual cycle of Torah readings from last word to first. Visitors and members welcome. This is a family-friendly event from 4 to 7pm with a pot luck dinner.  Please call or email for details.

Visitors and members are invited to come and celebrate the harvest in our brilliantly engineered PVC Sukkah! We will be decorating the Sukkah starting at 3:30 PM. Havdalah and Sukkot Services will begin at 5 PM. Please bring chairs. A potluck dinner will follow the service, so please bring a dish to share for at least 10 people. Stick around for S'mores at the campfire, as well as a special treat created by the Sukkot committee. And, for the first time that evening, all are welcome to sleep in the sukkah, under the stars.   Call or email for details.

Shoreshim will be holding High Holy Day Services on:

Attention parents:  Hebrew School starts on September 14.  If you have not already registered for Hebrew School, please do so immediately.  You can send an email to info@restonshoreshim.org for more information.

Please join us for the BBQ Shabbat on Saturday Evening, August 22, 2009 at 5pm. 

Shoreshim members can sign up to help this Sunday, August 16, 2009 as part of the Annual Works Sunday events in Reston. 

 We are in the process of planning a wonderfully wild and crazy Shoreshim Retreat for the weekend of November 6 – 8, 2009. We would like to get a tentative count as to who is planning on coming.  Please email retreat@restonshoreshim.orgif you are planning on coming.