Developing Menuhah

Sunday, July 28, 2013

Day 49-43 Sefirat HaBinyan/Building the Realm and Counting Up

Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalom (Reb Zalman) wrote:

“People who have worked on their awareness have pointed out that there are 49 days from the end of Tish’ah b-Av / the fast of the 9th of Av, to the day before Rosh HaShannah. In counting S’feerah between Pesach andShavu’ot, we make our way downward from Chesed ofChesed to Malchut of Malchut. During the Elul season, we make our way upward from Malchut of Malchut toChesed of Chesed.” (A Guide for Starting Your New Incarnation, 2001, ALEPH: Alliance for Jewish Renewal, p. 1)

I will use this way of counting up through the days between Tisha b'Av and Rosh HaShannah to cleansing spirit and soul, using the sefirot as a spark for personal daily meditations to map out and reflect on the journey. Below are my kavanot or intentions for climbing up from 5773 to 5774.

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BUILDING THE REALM-Day 49

I have spent the day of Tisha b’Av sitting in the roots of the tree, fasting, mourning the loss of the Temple, and that each of us holds in our own roots a piece of the baseless hatred the rabbis say caused the destruction. If I look up I know I will see the leaves in the top of the tree and celebrate but I won’t do it for the present. That time I know will come however this week will be spent mourning in the many ways one can mourn and this day I will look at the root of where all things begin.

RIBBONO SHEL OLAM:

I hereby prepare myself for Sefirat HaBinyan / a counting for building God’s realm during the time between Tisha B’av and erev Rosh HaShannah.

Today there are 49 days left until erev Rosh HaShannah, which is 7 weeks, Malchut Sheb’Malchut.

Dear God: Please let me be a vessel for Your light and help to align me with Your will. May this period of Sefirat HaBinyan and the New Year be for good, for peace and for blessing for all of Israel, for all inhabitants of the earth and let us say Amen.

(Day kavanah by Menuhah Peters/prayer by Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi & Gabbi Seth Fishman)

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BUILDING THE REALM-Day 48

Today marked the last shiva minyan for a friend whose father died. Unable to go I thought about my own father’s death. Mourning the loss of a parent, part of one’s foundation, is a unique thing. After my father died I saw myself as a member of a club; the dead parents club. I knew that unless you had experienced this pain you could not understand what had happened to me and the only ones I discussed it with were other “members”. Tonight I mourn anyone’s loss of such a relationship.

RIBBONO SHEL OLAM:

I hereby prepare myself for Sefirat HaBinyan / a counting for building God’s realm during the time between Tisha B’av and erev Rosh HaShannah.

Today there are 48 days left until erev Rosh HaShannah, which is 6 weeks and 6 days, Yesod Sheb’Malchut.

(Day kavanah by Menuhah Peters/prayer by Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi & Gabbi Seth Fishman)

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BUILDING THE REALM-Day 47

Tonight I mourn those murdered for race, for politics, for opportunity, and for no reason at all. I did not know these people but their passing touches me. It could be Trayvon Martin. It could be the 500,000 people in the Indonesian killings of 1965-66, the subject of a recent documentary “The Act of Killing”. In the film I was Sickened at the murderers eagerness to retell their crimes. I was Outraged by how they continue to thrive. I was Humbled by the film maker's journey to justice.

RIBBONO SHEL OLAM:

I hereby prepare myself for Sefirat HaBinyan / a counting for building God’s realm during the time between Tisha B’av and erev Rosh HaShannah.

Today there are 47 days left until erev Rosh HaShannah, which is 6 weeks and 5 days, Hod Sheb’Malchut.

(Day kavanah by Menuhah Peters/prayer by Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi & Gabbi Seth Fishman)

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BUILDING THE REALM-Day 46

The Jewish Shabbat is coming with the setting of the sun. On it one does not mourn but celebrate God’s holy day of rest. So before the candles are lit I will mourn the missed chances to become a parent, to become a wife. In every corner of my heart I grieve that “I love you mommy” and “I love you dearest” will never be mine, for eternity. The sadness will not consume me but it will be recognized, at least, for this second in time.

RIBBONO SHEL OLAM:

I hereby prepare myself for Sefirat HaBinyan / a counting for building God’s realm during the time between Tisha B’av and erev Rosh HaShannah.

Today there are 46 days left until erev Rosh HaShannah, which is 6 weeks and 4 days, Netzach Sheb’Malchut.

(Day kavanah by Menuhah Peters/prayer by Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi & Gabbi Seth Fishman)

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BUILDING THE REALM-Day 45

In the midst of mourning comes "Shabbos Nachamu," the Sabbath of Consolation. in the midst of the Haftorah reading God tells the prophets to "console, console My nation". It is a prophecy that Jerusalem will one day be rebuilt. I will not wait to begin consoling myself. Today’s sefira of Tiferet or compassion calls me to make an allowance. In the cycle of darkness to light this little "Nachamu" (console) is the first word of the portion and the first light.

RIBBONO SHEL OLAM:

I hereby prepare myself for Sefirat HaBinyan / a counting for building God’s realm during the time between Tisha B’av and erev Rosh HaShannah.

Today there are 45 days left until erev Rosh HaShannah, which is 6 weeks and 3 days, Tiferet Sheb’Malchut.

(Day kavanah by Menuhah Peters/prayer by Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi & Gabbi Seth Fishman)

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BUILDING THE REALM-Day 44

Not everyone realizes Moses did not get to go into the promised land of Israel. He disobeyed God and had to stand on the mountain only looking at the object of his desire, turning leadership over to Joshua. Tonight mourning the things we never get to complete because of our choices and lack of discipline. Who can say how this changes our life path.

RIBBONO SHEL OLAM:

I hereby prepare myself for Sefirat HaBinyan / a counting for building God’s realm during the time between Tisha B’av and erev Rosh HaShannah.

Today there are 44 days left until erev Rosh HaShannah, which is 6 weeks and 2 days, Gevurah Sheb’Malchut.

(Day kavanah by Menuhah Peters/prayer by Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi & Gabbi Seth Fishman)

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BUILDING THE REALM-Day 43

Another day of consolation comes with the arrival of Tu b’Av, the 15^th of the Hebrew month of Av, a day of loving-kindness. In the Mishna Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel is alleged to say that on this day “…the daughters of Jerusalem go out dressed in white and dance in the vineyards. What they were saying: Young man, consider who you choose (to be your wife).” (Taanit 4:8). Today if “you can’t be with the one you love, then love the one you’re with.” For after all “love is all you need”.

RIBBONO SHEL OLAM:

I hereby prepare myself for Sefirat HaBinyan / a counting for building God’s realm during the time between Tisha B’av and erev Rosh HaShannah.

Today there are 43 days left until erev Rosh HaShannah, which is 6 weeks and 1 days, Chesed Sheb’Malchut.

(Day kavanah by Menuhah Peters/prayer by Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi & Gabbi Seth Fishman)

Sunday, July 21, 2013

Eating Vegan for the Nine Days...it is all done now why?

Tisha b’Av is over and so is my nine days cleansing diet. I survived without much problem and it has given me lots to think about both in the short and long term. Some people do fruit fasts and some do colonics but I wanted to shake up and wake myself up to how I nurture this temple, this body and see if there is a better way. The vegan part of the diet was not new, I followed it last year so my system had little to adjust to for day to day meals. I planned better this year eating up the animal products in my fridge before the nine days started. It felt a bit like preparing for Pesach in this way of using up forbidden food. I gave up any food item that came from an animal and/or animal products were used in making it. No meat, chicken, fish, dairy, eggs, milk, cheese, honey, and white & brown sugar (cow bones are used to refine it, yes really!). This diet goes further than the Jewish tradition of giving up meat and wine for the nine days. I also decided to simplify. Instead of replacing my dairy latte during the nine days with a soy latte I would switch to tea. Then realizing a yogi diet wouldn’t allow for stimulants like coffee and tea I just switched to herbal tea.

My vegan/yoga breakfast of oatmeal, soy milk, apples, nuts and herbal tea.

Which brings me to the totally new Bhakti Yoga piece of my cleanse. Staying for a week at an ashram in the Bahamas in June I was exposed to and fed really good food, mostly vegan meals without garlic, onions, mushrooms and light spices. The chef told me the food is supposed to be good for the daily meditation, devotional prayer and yoga sessions. I started reading lots of different articles to find out more of the "why" of the yoga diet. My limited knowledge of one kind of a yoga diet is the belief that you are what you eat and the energies of life including food energy can provide clarity or dullness. The kind of food, the manner in which it is cooked and the way it is consumed all contribute to helping reach enlightenment or darkness. I read a lot of information but in just nine days it would be impossible to have become an expert. but I did learn that according to Ayurveda, the Vedic science of medicine, all food is seen to have a influence on mental and physical health and is classified into three groups.

My vegan/yoga lunch of rice, avocado slices, nuts, lentils, watermelon and grapes.

Sattvic food (promotes clarity and serenity of mind and helps for spiritual growth) is lightly cooked with minimal spices and includes most fruits, nuts, seeds, vegetables, whole grains, honey, pure water and milk. Rajasic food (feeds the body, but promotes restlessness in the mind) is most spicy foods, stimulants like coffee and tea, eggs, garlic, onion, meat, fish and chocolate, most processed food and eating too fast. Tamasic food (induces heaviness of the body and dullness of the mind) is alcohol, meat, stale or overripe food, processed, canned or frozen food as well as overeating. All food is seen as made by God and worthy of eating but Sattvic food and the manner in which Sattvic food should be made is seen as what will better assist you to devotion and enlightenment. I gave up onions, garlic, mushrooms, stimulants (coffee, tea, chocolate, chicory), liquor, fermented foods, vinegars, most processed, highly spiced, fast and canned foods, and microwaving. As noted above most of these items fall into the categories of foods that don’t promote clarity. Canned foods, frozen foods and left overs are seen as having their energy changed and no longer alive. Microwaving is seen as a method of cooking which doesn’t cook everything and so again the spirit of the food is out of order.

My vegan/yoga dinner of corn, roll, cucumber, peppers, lentils, blueberries and watermelon.

Changing one’s diet for a short amount of time is a double edged sword. In one way it narrows the foods you have to think about. In another way you spend more time figuring out what to eat and planning meals that are nutritious and pleasing. I learned I can live without a lot of the foods I regularly eat. I didn’t have any short term issues with the food items I ate for my meals. It wasn’t that I didn’t miss foods but I was able to do without. Maybe that is because I eat a lot of fruits and veggies anyway. What is amazing to me is how easy it is for me to give up all these foods. I won’t do it to lose weight but I will do it for spiritual reasons. What is with that? I mean I adore lattes, ice cream and anything made with eggs. I love sitting on the fire escape with a margarita and chips and salsa. There is nothing I like better than some kosher bar-b-que chicken with the sauce all sloppy on your lips. I like to eat out and I like to eat and drink with friends. All gone. For the moment. What have I got instead? Thoughtful planning of meals. Quiet eating of meals. A tummy that hasn’t felt overwhelmed except for one bout of eating a whole can of cashews. Could I stay on this path? I don't know about but I am going to eat less dairy and less meat. I also will try and eat less processed food. l am using up the white sugar on my shelf and won't buy any more. Small steps.

Thursday, July 4, 2013

Once More Eating Vegan for the Nine Days (and more)

Last year for the nine days leading up to Tisha b'Av I decided to go on a strictly vegan diet. Tisha b'Av, the ninth day of the Hebrew month of Av, is a day of mourning that commemorates the destruction of the first and second Temples and other calamities in Jewish history. Tisha b'Av is one of the fast days in the Jewish calendar and the nine days that precede it are days of mourning and preparation. There are restrictions about activities of pleasure, laundering your clothes, and it is traditional to not eat meat nor drink wine. It seemed to me that a strictly vegan diet would be a physical act that would be as if I was cleansing the temple. The physical ritual would lead me in a mental state of cleansing too. One of the things I learned in the process what how much my diet depended on dairy. Only my early morning meal did not have any dairy not counting the skim latte I was either buying on the way to work or at work was really part of breakfast.

Eating up all of the onions, garlic, eggs, white sugar and milk before the start of the nine days.

This year in June I spent a week at an ashram where they practice bhakti yoga or yoga of devotion. Bhakti is a Sanskrit word whose root "bhaj" means "to adore or worship God". The meals served at the ashram followed yoga diet principles both in when they were served, how they were served and what was served. There were only two meals, the first at 10am after morning yoga and the second at 6pm after late afternoon yoga. The food was served in a meditative setting. You could eat alone or with others from the ashram surrounded by beach, water and jungle plants. I missed my morning latte and did go to a nearby Starbucks several times that week for one but I did not miss meat or chicken. The typical yoga diet is lacto-vegetarian but I never saw eggs or cheese and milk only in the morning meal to go with cereal. More surprising I didn't miss the absence of garlic, onions and mushrooms the base of my evening meals. At the end of the week and I decided to try and combine the vegan and yoga diet for my nine day cleanse this year.

One of many of my meals at the ashram sitting at a picnic table in the back area watching the waves.

I will need to eliminate some additional foods from what the list of things I normally eat that would be allowed on a vegan diet. The harder part will be to make sure I am not rushing my meals and to eat in as beautiful and restful a setting as possible. If I was going to be on vacation it would be simpler but most of the nine days will be regular work days. Meanwhile today is Thursday and the nine days starts Sunday evening so that means I have four days to fry the onions and garlic, drink the milk and cook the eggs. Next step is to think about the slowing down and meal places. I can't produce an ocean but I am creative. Last year I needed to really focus on the foods but I have more of a comfort level in that regard now. Instead of the "what" it will be the "where and the "when" that I focus on. Let's see what I learn this time. I learn.

Thursday, May 2, 2013

52 Weeks=52 Actions: Week 9, 10, 11 & 12

Here are the 3rd set of four weeks. Websites and contact information are here for where I volunteer or donate in case you are interested.

Week 9/March 20, 2013

Research/Monetary contributions

On Sunday of this week I returned home from my Inter-faith trip to Israel in which I met with Palestinians and toured in the West Bank. In addition to doing research I wanted to make a contribution to someone working on peace relations in Israel. Rabbis for Human Rights I have known about for some time and when I received the recent email about Palestinian farmers having problems accessing their lands it hit a nerve. I could hear the Palestinian in Faqu'a talking about how the security fence had divided his farm land and how he was no longer able to cultivate a great part of it. I am not naive and read an email from someone in my group, a note that he had a Jewish friend who had lived in Israel on the other side of the same land and told simiIar stories but from another point of view. We need to listen to both stories and then somehow move on. I decided to send RHR a $36.00 contribution.

Rabbis for Human Rights

Rehov HaRekhavim 9
Jerusalem, Israel 93462
Tel: +972.2.648.2757 | Fax: +972.2.678.3611
e-mail: info@rhr.israel.net

http://rhr.org.il/eng/

Week 10/March 27, 2013

Monetary contributions

I wasn't gone for Pesach/Passover this year so I needed to sell my chametz to someone. Well of course I didn't NEED to sell it I can hear some of my friends saying so perhaps I choose to do so. I could have sold it to my shul or to many other places however Chabad happens to be right down the street from my house and I have gone to their services once in a while and their events so I let them take care of this issue this year. The custom is to then contribute a small sum for getting this service and even if they are not where I go all the time I was happy to contribute. It was in honor of all the outreach they do bringing many Jews back into Judaism because of their approach.

American Friends of Lubavitch (Chabad)

2110 Leroy Place Northwest
Washington, DC 20008 USA

202-332-5600

http://www..afldc.org

Week 11/April 3, 2013

Hands On/Monetary contributions

The Adas Israel monthly email arrived in my inbox as a reminder to make food for the homeless shelter Luther Place:

We need food for 25-30 people. Due to Passover, you may not want to bring certain items. That's fine. Only offer to bring whatever you are comfortable doing.

I was one of those who didn't want to buy any chametz (grains) so instead of offering to get rolls I looked for something else in the email to get/make.

Here is what we need this month: Entree – 3 people to bring an entree for 8-10.

Salad and dressing or veggie (broccoli, green beans, etc.) for 25-30

Macaroni/potatoes – offer to make part or all!

Bread – whole grain rolls or loaf of french/italian-type bread

Fruit – e.g., 30 clementines, melon, berries, or another fruit

Dessert – 2 cakes, 30 brownies, 60 cookies, etc.

I decided to offer to make the salad and dressing. I offered, got it and after inquiring about more detail found out that several containers of pre-washed lettuce was desired along with several bottles of salad dressing. This is such an easy way to contribute that I am really going to try and give something each month. We shall see.

N Street Village

1333 N Street, NW, Washington, DC

Tel: 202-939-2076 Fax: 202-319-1508

http://www.lutherplace.org/ministries/social-justice/n-street-village

Week 12/April 10, 2013

Monetary contributions

I was reading the Facebook message of a rabbi friend of mine visiting in Israel with her family. She was planning on going into the West Bank with a group I had never heard of. Immediately I went to the website and read about them. In their mission statement it said "Encounter is dedicated to strengthening the capacity of the Jewish people to be constructive agents of change in transforming the Israeli-Palestinian conflict." That was great and hooked me in and so I continued to read about what they see as the problem and how they are going about trying to solve or perhaps help. I liked everything I read and while I can't take part in any of their trips for the moment who knows about the future. In any case I can certainly contribute and so I did.

Encounter
25 Broadway, Suite 1700
New York, NY 10004

http://www.encounterprograms.org/donate

Saturday, March 23, 2013

52 Weeks=52 Actions: Week 5, 6, 7 & 8

My blog post for the 2nd set of four weeks of my 52 Weeks=52 Actions year . Websites and contact information are here for where I volunteer or donate in case you are interested.

Week 5 /February 20, 2013

Research/Monetary contributions

If I sort my helping weeks into series of four I now see the first week as a planning, research and re-focusing week. It is important not just to look forward but also to look back at what I have done. I want to think about the help I am providing in my volunteering and see where my help seems to do the most good. I continue to look around at websites as well as ask friends for ideas for helping.

 The Jewish holiday of Purim was this week so I looked to see how I could find a way to give within the holiday. There are two customs which fall right into what I am doing. One custom is to give tzedakah or money to the poor. The other custom is to give gifts of food to friends. it is traditional at our synagogue for some people to stand at the main entrance and ask people to make contributions. One table sells boxes of macaroni that you purchase, use for the evening as a noisemaker and then give to the food bank. The other table was for regular monetary contributions. I decided to give to both. In Jewish tradition monetary contributions are often given in amounts of 18 as this number symbolizes life so that is the minimum amount I have decided to use as my contribution number. I bought three boxes of macaroni and then what was left of my $18 I gave to the second table. Later when the evening was done I went into the coat room where shelves are provided for people to leave food contributions to the Ezra pantry which then gives what it gets to the Capitol Food Bank.

 Instead of receiving a food gift from one friend I got an email telling me that this friend had made a contribution to Leket Israel which is Israel's National Food Bank. I am providing their web site in case you want to contribute money but also consider if you are planning a trip to Israel to volunteer for one of their many projects such as gleaning in the fields, making sandwiches for school children or even helping to deliver meals.

Leket Israel, Israel's National Food Bank

In the United States contributions in U.S. dollars should be made payable to American Friends of Leket Israel and the contribution mailed to:

American Friends of Leket Israel

P.O. Box 2090

Teaneck, NJ 07666-1490

For questions please contact elena @leket.us or (201)331-0070

http://leket.org.il/English/

Week 6 /February 27, 2013

Hands On

One of my friends sent me an email about the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS). They do all kinds of great work with and for immigrants and in my neighborhood have partnered up with the Central American Resource Center (CARECEN). HIAS was looking for english speakers to volunteer an hour of their time to help out Spanish speakers who come on Wednesday evenings to CARECEN for a class on passing the U.S. citizenship test. We would work, one on one, with the students, helping them with their English written and speaking skills. I immediately sent an email to volunteer.

 On Wednesday I walked up to CARECEN and met with the HIAS people in charge. There was about 15 people who came to volunteer their time and some had been doing this for several years. Most of the people were in their twenties and it was suggested that if anyone wanted to go for a meal or drink afterwards we could meet back at this spot to do so. Then it was time to go into the classroom. I was partnered up with a woman from El Salvador I would say in her sixties. Her English was very poor but she was very enthusiastic. During the class the students were given a list of fill in the blank questions about U.S. civics. I had her read the questions out loud for me, correcting her when necessary. She would have me say those words slowly right into her ear about 5 times. Then she would look in her workbook for the right answers to fill in the blanks. Most of these questions involved usage of "in" and "on". At the end of the hour we were both tired but I really felt like I had been useful and told the HIAS people I would certainly sign up again for this task.

 Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society

Tel: (212) 967-4100

http://www.hias.org

Central American Resource Center (CARECEN)

1460 Columbia Road NW, Suite C-1, Washington, D.C. 20009

Tel: (202) 328-9799

http://www.carecendc.org/

Week 7 /March 6, 2013

Hands On/Monetary contributions

One of my friends let me know about our synagogue's monthly meal contribution to feed 25-30 people at Luther Place, a local homeless shelter. Each month an email is sent out to anyone who signs up. The email has a list of food needed, the date it needs to be supplied and where it should be delivered. If you are able to contribute you send a reply email with a note about which item you want to supply. The food is supposed to be delivered in disposable containers because no one gets them back. You have the choice to make homemade items if you want or to purchase the food however if you purchase food it is supposed to be the quality of what you would serve in your own home.

Here the last list that went out: Entree-3 people to bring an entree for 8-10. Salad and dressing or veggie (broccoli, beans, etc) for 25-30. Macaroni/potatoes-offer to make part or all. Bread-whole grain rolls or loaf of french/italian type bread. Fruit-e.g. 30 clementines, melon, berries, or another fruit. Dessert-2 cakes, 30 brownies, 60 cookies, etc. I sent an email to supply the clementines but someone had already signed up for those so instead I signed up for the bread. I went up to the local Safeway to purchase the rolls and then next day delivered them. Once before I helped a meal at Luther Place which requires a contribution of time. Being on this list requires a contribution of money and time to buy the food and/or cook up something. It was such an easy thing to do to help feed the hungry that I am planning on supplying something every month unless I am away.

N Street Village

1333 N Street, NW Washington, DC

Tel: (202) 939-2076 Fax: (202) 319-1508

http://www.lutherplace.org/ministries/social-justice/n-street-village

Week 8 /March 13, 2013

Monetary contributions

Before leaving on my trip to Israel I asked friends if they wanted to give me money for tzedakah to take to the Holy Land. There is a custom to give someone going to Israel a dollar or more to make them a messenger of a mitzvah or commandment and thus ensuring their safe travel. My school director, my class of children, some of the other teachers and some members of the morning minyan gave me money. I put each contribution into a plastic bag with a 3x5 card intending to write on the card where I gave the contribution. During my trip i freely gave out the money to different places. Some went to help sick children, some for upkeep of synagogues, mosques and churches, some to help Waldorf schools, some for upkeep of Yad VaShem the holocaust memorial in Jerusalem and some for the Patriarchs & Matriarchs tomb memorial in Hebron.

During our visit to the Jewish/Arab kindergarten of Ein Bustan, hilf, near Kiryat Tivon we had a listening circle with all the grown-ups. When the listening stick came into my hands I spoke briefly about the money I had brought with me and in particular the money from my class of four and five year olds and how I had decided to give this portion to the school. It seemed right to give the money from the children of a Jewish school in the United States to a children's school in Israel trying to bridge together Jewish and Arab children.

reGeneration

an interfaith non-profit seeding the Middle East with an educational philosophy that embraces life, learning, the arts, the earth and all the children.

 http://regenerationeducation.org/get-involved/donate

Sunday, February 17, 2013

52 Weeks=52 Actions: Week 1, 2, 3 & 4

As I said previously I plan on writing a blog post after each four weeks of my 52 Weeks=52 Actions year to report on what I have done so here is Week 1, 2, 3 and 4. In addition I am going to give the website and contact information either for where I volunteer or where I might volunteer in the future.

Week 1/January 23, 2013

Research

My first week and my first action. I am a big believer in preparation so I figured this should be a research and planning week. I took all the information sheets collected at the synagogue talk, spread them out on the floor, read through them and looked for email addresses. At the web sites I clicked on the “volunteer” tab to see what kind of help was requested. Different amounts of time are required for volunteering depending on the task. For some you have to commit to only one time while other volunteer tasks may require a multiple week commitment. Due to my schedule I am looking for volunteer opportunities requiring only a single commitment so I eliminated mentoring or teaching children after school which asked for a multiple weeks.

Community Council for the Homeless at Friendship Place

4713 Wisconsin Ave., NW Washington, DC 20016

(202)-364-1419 www.cchfp.org

Week 2/January 30, 2013

Hands On

This second week I spent several hours making and baking spinach lasagnas along with two of my favorite children, Talia and Nathan, and their nanny. A mutual friend’s child was diagnosed with cancer and the community has pulled together to make dinners for the family. Talia and Nathan’s mother, Pam, asked if I might want to cook some dinners with her kids and of course I said yes. Pam bought the supplies for the lasagnas including tomato sauce, cheeses, eggs, spinach and pans. Then after Talia and Nathan got out of school their nanny brought them to my school. Together we mixed eggs with ricotta and cottage cheese, poured spaghetti sauce into a large bowl and rinsed spinach leaves. In baking pans we layered sauce, noodles, cheese mixture and spinach making four lasagnas. The very last layer was shredded mozzarella cheese. Pam came and picked up the children while I waited for the lasagnas to bake. Several days earlier the father of another friend died and I was going that same evening to his house for shiva so I took one of the lasagnas for the family to have for Shabbat.

S.O.M.E. So Others Might Eat

71 O Street NW Washington, DC 20001

(202)-787-8806 www.some.org

Week 3/February 6, 2013

Advocacy

In addition to just increasing my social actions I am determined to get out of my comfort box for the 52 weeks and one of the things I tend to avoid is going to meetings and advocacy work. One reason I don’t do this is that I am shy and uncomfortable networking in groups of people I don’t know. So this week I picked to go to the Jews United for Justice Community Meeting. The email notice I received said the night would be filled with campaign and program updates, vegan fried chicken, a wonderful host Mitch Crispell and discussion on where participants would like to see JUFJ in the future. I went and there were lots of people mostly younger than myself but no one I knew. There were ice breakers so people would get to know each other and then some presentations on what had been accomplished in the past year, what the costs are for the organization and what special cause was being focused on right now. I really enjoyed learning about where the donations are spent and how much is needed to get things done. I also was interesting in learning about getting paid sick leave for everyone especially for restaurant workers who mostly don’t have it. I left when the time came for us to break up into small groups to talk about what we wanted JUFJ to focus on. I debated about staying but just wasn’t ready or comfortable to do so. Maybe next time.

Jews United for Justice

1633 Connecticut Ave NW, 3rd Floor, Washington, DC 20009

(202)-408-1423 http://www.jufj.org/

Week 4/February 13, 2013

Monetary Contributions

This week many friends got ready to celebrate Valentine’s Day. I decided I would look at the requests I had received for monetary help, open my heart and contribute to two. I don’t know about you but daily I have organizations asking for money. Some are for local causes, some are for causes in Israel and some are more global. Usually I try to give half of my contributions to local organizations and the other half to some place that extends outside of local. The first cause that caught my eye was JWI (Jewish Women International) ‘s National Library Initiative (NLI). For every $7 donated in February JWI will send a new book to a child in one of JWI’s 43 libraries at domestic abuse shelters across the country. It takes two, one to give and one to receive, in a Valentine’s expression so I decided to give $14 and give 2 books. The second cause was mentioned to me by two friends concerning an acquaintance, Adina Shapiro, who has been struggling with an undiagnosed illness that has left her exhausted and unable to work. To make it easier for friends to help Adina a third friend created a weekly goggle list with specific tasks friends could sign up to do such as shopping as well as a site where you could contribute money to give Adina financial assistance for medical or other bills. Using the same “it takes two” approach I gave the Jewish double chai amount of $36. I am hoping that in the future I can take on a task for Adina.

JWI (Jewish Women International)

1129 20^th Street, NW Suite 801, Washington, DC 20036

(800)-343-2823 (202)-857-1300 www.jwi.org

Helping Adina Shapiro

www.gofundme.com

48 Weeks left.