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Chevrei:
This newsletter comes to as we enter the Hebrew month of Cheshvan. Cheshvan is sometimes known as "mar Cheshvan" or "bitter Cheshvan" because there are no holidays that fall in this month. For rabbis (and cantors) it has been a welcome end to the demands of Tishrei. However, Rabbi Fred and I have sometimes said, that, in fact, Cheshvan, since it is the end of the high holiday season, brings the business of life to a very active community (like ours ...) and is neither bitter nor quiet!
So, it seems fitting to announce to you here about some upcoming events which will occupy much of my time during Cheshvan. First of all on Friday night, October 24, Rabbi Sid and I will welcome members of the Adat Shalom community and the larger Washington Jewish community for our first Shabbat Slam Friday night dinner, service and celebration, or as Shelley Sadowsky and her committee are calling it, "dine, daven and dance." I am fortunate to have a group of musicians from within our community who will help make the music "sing" on these monthly Friday nights. Michael Berney, Jaime Epstein, Joyce Rizzolo, Peter Gillon, Marc Haag, and I are working now on musical arrangements of our Erev Shabbat liturgy. We look forward to sharing them with all of you.
Then, on November 11, Helen Leneman and I will offer a concert we are calling "Biblical Women" (see flier in this newsletter) showcasing four Biblical heroines as they have been portrayed in classical music. Imagine Charles Gounod’s French-speaking Miriam or Gioachino Rossini’s Italian-speaking Queen of Sheba. This program represents some of the research Helen has conducted in the area of music and Biblical women, a subject on which she has lectured and performed widely. This concert is also a farewell, of sorts, for Helen who will soon join her partner, Adat Shalom member Sima Lieberman who is making her home in England for the near future. We have been blessed to have Helen in our community, sharing her talents and enthusiasm for music, Biblical cantillation, and Rosh Chodesh gatherings.
Finally, we are planning for a wonderful concert, a major event, in honor of Chanukah, Saturday night, December 8. Yael Kane, Carol Feder, and I have been at work to organize the event. We will welcome local Chazan and musician extraordinaire, Ramon Tasat, and our own beloved Susan Gaeta for an evening of music in celebration of light, the central theme of many faith traditions in that season. If you are interested in getting involved in this happening, please contact me. Stay tuned for further information.
So, with a growing, thriving community, a religious program that is (carefully) expanding and several wonderful events to look forward to, it is hardly a bitter Cheshvan for us.
May we all go forth in peace.
B’vracha
(Cantor) Rachel
Beginning Tuesday October 16, I will offer a cantillation class for B’nai Mitzvah students and adults in the Adat Shalom community. The class runs for six weeks, from 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm. Musical ability is not a requirement, however participants should be comfortable reading Hebrew. If you are interested in joining the class, please contact Annette Feigenbaum.
Choir is open for new members. As we wind down from our high holiday preparation, the Adat Shalom choir will begin rehearsing for music they will sing as part of a Chanukah concert on December 8. There are no formal auditions for the choir, just a "placement test" for voice part. If you are interested in joining the choir, please contact Cantor Rachel.
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