Due to “press deadlines,”all of what you read in The  Messenger was written approximately three weeks ago, including this. That  said, so far, we’ve had one of the mildest winters I’ve experienced in the  Midwest during the 42 years that I’ve lived here. It is my fervent hope that, I  have not just jinxed us and that we’re not pounded by severe weather just before  you read this. If we have, my apologies, s’licha! So, here we are at the  beginning of March and the harbingers of spring are upon us.
 
The rabbi’s favorite holiday, Purim, with all of its delightful insanity and  irreverence, will be celebrated in a number of ways. We will have an ‘adults only’ Purim/Oy Vey Café party on Saturday evening, March 3rd where
Temple members will show off their musical and artistic talents. The Oy Vey Café has a long history at Oak Park Temple and, if you haven’t experienced one, you haven’t lived! The Purim Carnival and service for kids of all ages will be taking place on Wednesday, March 7th. Young and not-quite-so-yo​ung, please join us for all sorts of  fun.

We will have a Megillah reading for families with young children at 4:30, 5p.m.-7p.m. carnival and dinner for all ages, including an adults’ only room and at 7 pm a Megillah reading for older kids and adults. On Thursday, March 8th, the Glasser Preschool will have its Purim party. Get the impression that we leave no stone unturned on Purim? 
 
On March 9th at 6:00 p.m., our Shabbat Kehilah Dinner and service will be sponsored by the Board of Directors,
honoring all of our volunteers. Oak Park Temple, and all of the richness that  can be found here, would not be possible without the many volunteers who give selflessly of their time and energy. More than likely, this means you!  I think that it is also safe to say that were it not for the many opportunities that we have to work side-by-side with our fellow congregants, we would not have such rich  relationships with one another. We do reap what we sow! Join us to celebrate!
 
And, finally, the clearest indicator that spring is almost upon us is the Annual Oak  Park Temple Family Retreat at Olin Sang Ruby Union Institute (“OSRUI”) in Oconomowoc, March 16-18th. The theme this year is "God: The Elephant in the Room." And no, George Burns is not scheduled to appear. Join us for a  weekend of fun, relaxation, music and community as we wrestle with God.

Oak Park Temple…never a dull  moment!

L’shalom,

Jeff Blaine

May the door to this synagogue be wide enough
to receive all who hunger for love, all who are  lonely for fellowship.

May it welcome all who have cares to unburden,
thanks to express, hopes to nurture.

May the door of this synagogue be narrow enough
to shut out pettiness and pride, envy and enmity.

May its threshold be no stumbling block
to young or straying feet.

May it be too high to admit complacency, 
selfishness and harshness.

May this synagogue be, for all who enter,
the doorway to a richer and more meaningful life.

Mishkan T’Filah,  p.124
 
 
In 2001, a little more than 10 years ago, we opened the new wing to our building and added much needed space. In the years since, we've grown in to it! Now there are times where groups have difficulty finding space anywhere in the building for their activities. Irritating, when that happens, but a great problem to have, nonetheless. Oak Park Temple is bursting with activity. We are not simply aspiring to be a vibrant Jewish community; we are a vibrant Jewish community.
 
2011 was an exciting year at Oak Park Temple. We have seen growing attendance at our worship activities on Friday evenings, Saturday and Sunday mornings. Our new worship initiatives have been well received: Shabbat Kehillah Services, with music by Tsimmis, on 2nd Fridays and Kabbalat Shabbats on 4th Fridays with Cantor Green accompanied by guitarist, Aaron Bernstein. On Sunday mornings, the Rotunda is abuzz with activity and people and our community hall has been full to over flowing for events including honoring James Crowder, the OPTY Spaghetti Dinner and Dessert Auction, as well as our recent Chanukah Menorah Lighting service. 
 
This past year, as a community, we celebrated births, mourned deaths and illnesses, rejoiced in recoveries, and supported one another in public and private ways. Members of Ozerim provided support and solace to many. We welcomed newcomers and said farewell to others.

Tsimmis, Koleinu, Kolot, Zimrei Ha'am, Mameloshn,the High Holiday choir, Cantor Green, the congregation … the "halls" were alive with the sounds of music!

In 2011, in no particular order, Oak Park Temple found itself energized, informed and sustained by:
 
A wild Purim Party celebrating Cantor Julie Green’s Bat Mitzvah Year at OPT

We held a joyous Torah Restoration celebration 

OPT’s Annual Congregational Retreat was held again at Olin Sang Ruby Union Institute (OSRUI) in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin  

Rabbi Weiss led a Congregational Tour of the Jewish Deep South

A delegation of eight of us went to the Union for Reform Judaism Biennial in Washington, D.C. where we heard the new President of URJ, Rabbi Rick Jacobs, present a vision for Reform Judaism going forward and we were addressed as a movement, for the first time in history, by the President of the United States

Jewish FAQ were answered by Rabbi Emeritus Gerson

We had regular Adult Education and study sessions with Rabbi Weiss

Ongoing Torah Study groups met weekly 

Social Action activities occurred, providing support to those in need and disseminating important information to the community

We continued to deliver shelter, one night a week through the P.A.D.S. program

An Urban Garden was created and nurtured by our Green Chaverim

Sisterhood ran another successful Annual Rummage Sale that raised funds to assist in the many activities through which they support our congregation

Bagel Boys continued to provide sustenance for our bodies in the form of bagels and schmeers

The Annual Hausman Brunch informed us

We began planning for a renovation of our Harlem entrance, the doors desperately needing replacement

We approved projects for the maintenance of our building, particularly masonry and windows

We began planning future capital needs of our congregation

We began the work of preparing for our biennial Auction, to be held on February 4th that will benefit Oak Park Temple and the Glasser Preschool

We’ve begun planning for the 150th Anniversary of our congregation in 2014

We heard from notable speakers: 
 
    JeremyBen-Ami, Founder of J-Street

    Rabbi Jonathan Greenberg, Midwest Director of AIPAC

    Authors Alex Kotlowitz, Anita Diamant and our “own” David Sokol and David Ansell

    Alex Ciselsky, a founder of Kibbutz Lotan and The Center for Creative Ecology

    Debra Shore, a Commissioner on the Board of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago who discussed threats to our precious water supply 

    Congregant Daniel Block addressed disparities in access to food in local urban settings 

    Rebetzen Emeritus Carol Gerson discussed fascinating challenges in Bioethics 

We hosted  Echad al Echad, 12 Israeli visitors from our sister congregation in Kiryat Tivon

Cantor Green led another congregational trip to Israel

We wrestled as a community with the difficult issues of achieving peace in the Middle East through the "Israel
–Can We Talk About It?" series, with speakers from: AIPAC, the IsraeliConsulate, J-Street 

We played at an OPT Summer Shindig Picnic hosted by the Membership Committee

We held a Social Action Day  

We hosted the regional NFTY Retreat 

There were regular Chevre Hiddur Mitzvah Arts group activities

Mel’s Movie Matinees entertained and informed us with films relevant to Jewish life 

We celebrated Shabbat outdoors with our Nature Shabbat

…  I'm sure that this list is incomplete. There is so much!


Prayer, study, music, social action and community... Reform Judaism is alive and well at Oak Park Temple B’nai Abraham Zion, but let's not be complacent. Together, let's maintain, support and enrich our Jewish community going forward. 
 
L'shalom,

Jeff Blaine

"Everywhere we look, there are dramatic challenges facing our
people; yet each is a phenomenal opportunity to revitalize Jewish life. Only
very rarely has Jewish history known an era of so much creativity or innovation;
no previous generation has possessed our resources and potential...This moment
in Jewish history demands bold thinking with big ideas; this is not a time for
staying the course. It's time to reinvent the architecture of Jewish life." 
Rabbi Rick Jacobs (from his acceptance  speech as the new president of the 
                                  Union for Reform Judaism, June 12,  2011)

A  few weeks ago, I participated with other congregational presidents and URJ
leaders in a webinar with Rabbi Jacobs to discuss his transition, becoming the
new URJ President. Something that he said made a strong impression on me. He
said that Reform Judaism is not "Judaism Lite." He went on to note, and
I am paraphrasing here, that ours is the most compelling form of Judaism in that
it incorporates rich philosophical, spiritual and social action values that
embrace autonomy, inclusiveness, creativity and relevance. This combination of
the best of tradition and of modernity is what makes Reform Judaism appealing to
religious seekers. But some of us, myself included, have not always appreciated
the richness. At times, particularly in matters spiritual we have looked to
other traditions. I offer a compelling example of this in the following.

At the recommendation of Rabbi Gerson on our OPT website, I have been reading the  book,
Minyan: Ten Principles For Living A Life Of Integrity by Rabbi Rami Shapiro. The book lays out a wonderful
path of Jewish spirituality. Speaking to the dynamic of Jews looking elsewhere  for spiritual fulfillment,
Rabbi Shapiro writes, “So prevalent was the presence  of Jews in Eastern religions that Swami Satchidananda once remarked to Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi: ‘How spiritual your people are! Wherever I go,
whatever temple or ashram I visit, the place is filled with  Jews.'"

We may choose to explore other traditions, but often, much of what we have been seeking has been within Reform Judaism all along.  We just have to look, pay attention and learn in order to find it.

In mid-December, more than 6,700 Reform Jews from North America descended upon our nation's capital for the Union of Reform Judaism’s Biennial. A group of eight us from Oak Park Temple heard the President of the United States addressing the largest gathering of North American Reform Jews ever assembled in one place, as
well as those who participated 'virtually' via webcasts. We also attended what may have been the largest Shabbat dinner ever,in one room, more than 4,000 Jews for a Shabbat dinner. Think our movement is stagnant?
Think again! 

These are exciting times for Reform Judaism. Be a part of it.

Happy New Year!
 
L'shalom, 
  
Jeff  Blaine

Auction 2012: "Maxwell Street to the Gold Coast, Rags to Riches". Cutesy title, right? But what does it have to do with Oak Park Temple?

Our congregation's "first building was erected on Des Plaines Street between Madison and Washington streets..." That was only 1.3 miles from the Maxwell Street Market! You'd better believe that Maxwell Street was a big part of OUR history!

Beginning in the 1880s, "Russian" (i.e., Eastern European) Jews became the dominant ethnic group in the Maxwell Street neighborhood, which remained predominantly Jewish until the 1920s. This was the heyday of the open-air pushcart market for which the neighborhood is most famous. Given the timing of the decline of Jewish prominence in the area, it should come as no surprise that it was in 1918 that our congregation purchased the land for the Washington Boulevard Temple, 6.3 miles northwest of the market. Much further away. And, with the move to our current location in Oak Park, we're now 11 miles away.

Join us in a stroll back to the old neighborhood. And, while we're there, let's raise money for Oak Park Temple and the Glasser Preschool. Let's eat, drink and have fun in a way that would make the old neighborhood proud.

And, if the word  "gribenes" doesn't make you think, "guilty pleasure" and "heartburn heaven,"  you haven't lived. You simply have to come to further your 'Jewish delicasies education!' (Gribenes is frequently mentioned in Jewish stories and parables. Gribenes = A favored food in the past among Ashkenazi Jews.)

SAVE THE DATE!                        SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2012

OAK PARK TEMPLE & GLASSER PRESCHOOL SILENT AND LIVE AUCTION!!

LIVE ENTERTAINMENT!!

COME AND BRING YOUR FRIENDS!!

THIS IS GOING TO BE "THE" FUN RAISING/FUNDRAISING EVENT OF THE YEAR!!

BE THERE OR BE SQUARE!!

L'shalom,

Jeff Blaine