April & May at the Chavurah

[Rachael Kamel]

Spring weather, spring flowers -- and an exciting line-up of spring programs at the Tikkun Olam Chavurah.

Saturday, April 18: Havdalah/potluck on "Antisemitism and Islamophobia: Identity, Violence, and Foreign Policy" (rescheduled from February). Join us at 6:00 pm at the home of Rabbi Linda Holtzman, 635 Westview Ave. in Mt. Airy, for a potluck and discussion, followed by Havdalah. Please bring a dish to share. Details of the program are included below.

Saturday, May 2: The Chavurah's very first Bat Mitvah service will honor Zivia Bea Brown, the daughter of Lisa Jo Epstein and David Brown. Services begin at 10:00 a.m. at the home of Rabbi Linda Holtzman, 635 Westview Ave. in Mt. Airy.

Saturday, May 16: Our final Havdalah/potluck of the season will discuss the question, "what does May 15, 1948 mean to you?" This date marks the anniversary of the founding of the State of Israel --and also the anniversary of the Nakba, when some 700,000 Palestinians were displaced from their homes. It is a day of reflection, celebration, and mourning--and an opportunity for us to recognize and respect our differences. 6:00 pm at the home of Rabbi Linda Holtzman, 635 Westview Ave. in Mt. Airy, for a potluck and discussion, followed by Havdalah. Please bring a dish to share.

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Monday, April 20: We are also cosponsoring two very different programs next week, as we join our partners HIAS and JVP and other allied organizations at the events they have planned:

• HIAS (the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society) sponsors its annual fundraiser, the Golden Door Awards. This year's program, "An Evening with Sonia Nazario," will take place 5:30-8:30 pm at the Westin Philadelphia, 99 S.17th St.

• Tennis in Nablus, a reading of a new play by Ismail Khalidi, presented by Palestine Literary Project, JVP Philadelphia, and InterAct Theatre. No admission fee but donations will be accepted for payment for artists. 8:00 pm at Interact Theater, 2030 Sansom St.

Additional details about both events are available on the Chavurah's website (www.tikkunolamchavurah.org) or its Facebook page.

details on April 18 event

For the Chavurah's upcoming Havdalah/Potluck on Saturday, April 18, we thought we'd repackage our program from February that was cancelled due to a snowstorm.

In the post-Passover spirit of liberation, we'll explore what the connections are among antisemitism and Islamophobia--and how they relate to the issues of Islamism, terrorism, and counter-terrorism.

How does the nuclear deal with Iran--and the reactions of the Israeli government and the US Jewish community--reflect these intersections, and the implicit assumptions in what we are told about what is in play, in the US and in other Jewish communities around the world?

What values can provide common ground, as we find our way through a world that seems more dangerous all the time?

Is it true that antisemitism is becoming more common--and more acceptable--in Europe and elsewhere? How can we think about our own safety and security, as well as the risks faced by others?

We are sure that you, like us, have seen numerous commentaries lately on all of these issues. Most often, though, they bring one of these problems into focus by ignoring or downplaying another.

We'd like to go beyond that in order to understand how these questions relate to one another--and to understand as a community how we can find our way through the pitfalls they entail. 

Please join us for a structured discussion that will help us bring all these pieces together. The program will be facilitated by two members of the Chavurah's Steering Committee, Susan Landau and Rachael Kamel.

Hope to see you there!