Author: KHadmin

Community Passover Seder 2022 with Kol Haverim

Saturday, April 16, 4:30PM at Lifelong in Ithaca (119 W. Court Street – map)

Dear Kol Haverim Members and Friends,

Covid has prevented us from holding our Seder (and many other events) in person the past two years, but with the reduction in cases and the easing of restrictions we are hoping to see everyone this spring for Passover.  We hope you will be able to join us for our Community Passover Seder on Saturday, April 16, starting at 4:30 pm, at Lifelong in Ithaca (119 W Court St) .

We are looking forward to bringing back all of our favorite Passover traditions for what will be Kol Haverim’s final event as a formal organization (*). There will be celebratory music by our long-time musicians Will Fudeman and David Frumkin (AKA Mel & Sol), Roger Hecht’s famous vegetarian matzo ball soup, and a catered meal featuring brisket, vegan Middle-eastern vegetable stew, roasted potatoes and rice pilaf (by Word of Mouth catering).  We will also have wine, juice, gefilte fish, matzo, charoset and hard boiled eggs.  We ask members to contribute a side-dish, salad or dessert.

Because of the catering logistics, reservations are required for this event, and you must RSVP by 4/7/22.  To cover the cost of catering, there will be $30 fee for for non-members 13 or older, children aged 12 and under are free.  The event is free for KH members (including those from 2020-2021).

To reserve a place for your family, please email rsvp@kolhaverim.net.  Checks may be sent to Kol Haverim, Passover Seder, P.O. Box 4972, Ithaca, N.Y. 14852-4972. If you have Passover questions (other than the usual four), please email holidays@kolhaverim.net. Please make your reservations by Thursday, April 7.

We hope everyone can attend. Please spread the word!  Thanks.

Kol Haverim board

(*) It is with regret that the Kol Haverim board announces that at the end of our 2021-22 membership year, Kol Haverim will be dissolved as a formal organization.  We plan to maintain the Kol Haverim mailing list, and hope KH members past and present will stay in touch and continue to get together for informal events.

Sukkot 2021

Sunday, Sept 26 / 11AM / Taughannock Falls State Park, Creekside Shelter (map)

Dear Kol Haverim Friends,

Please join us for a short service, brown bag picnic, and walk at Taughannock Falls in celebration of Sukkot.

We will make the creekside shelter at Taughannock Falls state park our Sukkah.  Please bring your own lunch and join us for a picnic and celebration of Sukkot.
After lunch, we will go for a  walk in the gorge.

Please RSVP to rsvp@kolhaverim.net

* please note that there is an $9 per vehicle parking fee at the park

Rosh Hashana Celebration 2021

Kol Haverim Rosh Hashanah
Monday / Sep 6th @ 5:30PM / Stewart Park Small Pavilion / Masks Mandatory

What: Rosh Hashanah Celebration – Humanistic celebration with live music followed by time for schmoozing. Will Fudeman and David Frumkin (aka Mel and Sol) will be providing live music.

When: Monday evening, September 6, at 5:30pm
(arrive early to enjoy live music while we set up)

Where: Stewart Park Small Pavilion, Ithaca
(masks mandatory)

RSVP to rsvp@kolhaverim.net

Cost: Free for members. Non-member donations gladly accepted.

Dear Kol Haverim community,

Happy September everyone.  We hope everyone has had a good summer.  For a hot minute towards the end of July, we really thought we were finally emerging from the pandemic – at least here in the Northeast US where vaccination rates are high.  But here we are again with new cases on the rise :-(.

Still, we are very much looking forward to celebrating Rosh Hashanah together in person this year.  But to make sure we have a safe event at which we can all feel comfortable, we have made some changes from our past in-person events.

– This year’s event will be held outdoors at the Small Pavillion at Stewart Park.
– Face masks will be required for everyone in attendance regardless of vaccination status (our musicians may be lowering their masks for singing)
– We should be able to accommodate social distancing of family units as desired.
– We will not be having a pot-luck reception following the event this year (but attendees are welcome to stay and schmooze)
– KH will prepare individual plates with apples/challah/honey instead of having a communal tray.

If these accommodations are not enough for your comfort level, we understand and hope there will soon be a time where we can see you in person.

We hope you can join us, and please feel free to invite your friends. *Please note that Monday, September 6 is also Labor Day.

Please email to rsvp@kolhaverim.net for the zoom link. We look forward to seeing you at our Rosh Hashanah celebration!

Kol Haverim Board 

Virtual Community Passover Seder 2021 with Kol Haverim

Kol Haverim Passover

Sunday, March 28  / Zoom Meeting (rsvp for Zoom Link) / 4-7pm

Dear Kol Haverim members and friends,

For the second year in a row, Kol Haverim will be holding our community Passover Seder virtually over zoom.   Last year around this time everything was thrown into chaos as schools and businesses closed to battle the COVID pandemic, and Kol Haverim canceled our Purim spiel and moved our Seder online.  It’s been a long and difficult year since then, but with cases now dropping and over 20% of the US population having already received one or both doses of the COVID vaccine, we are now cautiously optimistic about the future.

This year’s Passover Seder will once again take place over zoom, on Sunday, March 28 from 4 to 7pm.  The zoom meeting will begin at 4pm for schmoozing and the Seder will start at 4:30 (this will be the second night of Passover).  Our musicians Will Fudeman and David Frumkin will be joining us as usual.  When you RSVP to rsvp@kolhaverim.net you should automatically receive the link for the zoom Seder.  If you do not receive it, please check your junk (spam) folder.

You may find online resources for the Kol Haverim Seder at http://kolhaverim.net/passover/ .  Resources include the Kol Haverim Passover Haggadah and a planning document to help you prepare for the Seder, including arranging your own Seder plate (please note that some of the resources may incorrectly list last year’s date).

Thank you and we hope to *see* you for Passover (even if we can’t be with you).

A Jewish Perspective on Church-State Separation – Conversation with Paul Golin

Sunday, February 7, 11AM. Email to rsvp@kolhaverim.net for the Zoom link

Dear Kol Haverim Members and Friends,

The KH Board invites you to join us for a conversation with Paul Golin, Executive Director of the Society for Humanistic Judaism, titled A Jewish Perspective on Church – State Separation

Jews are among the many religious minorities whose American experiences have benefited immeasurably from the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. The notion of freedom of – and freedom from – religion was among our Founders’ great innovations, yet it has been battled over politically ever since. In recent years, reactionary fundamentalist ideologues have achieved unprecedented access to governmental and judicial power, seeking to turn the clock back to a time of supremacy of one religion over all others.

Join Paul Golin, executive director of the Society for Humanistic Judaism (SHJ), for a conversation about how SHJ’s Jews for a Secular Democracy initiative galvanizes the Jewish community around church-state separation issues such as abortion rights, LGBTQ+ equality, secular education in schools, and what role we can all play in defending religious freedom.

About Paul Golin

Paul Golin, SHJ Executive Director

Paul Golin is executive director of the Society for Humanistic Judaism. For nearly two decades, Paul has helped Jewish organizations and movements better understand the key trends affecting North American Jewry, including intermarriage, engagement, disaffiliation, and inclusion. Paul’s writing has appeared in the Forward, the New York Jewish Week, Tablet, and elsewhere. He co-authored the books: 20 Things for Grandparents of Interfaith Grandchildren To Do (And Not Do) To Nurture Jewish Identity In Their Grandchildren (2007) and How To Raise Jewish Children…Even When You’re Not Jewish Yourself (2010). Paul previously served as associate executive director of Big Tent Judaism/Jewish Outreach Institute where he helped pioneer and refine effective engagement techniques. Paul is the white Ashkenazi half of a “Jewpanese” (Jewish/Japanese) Jewish multiracial household. He maintains the Jewpanese page on Facebook and tweets sporadically at @paulgolin.  Click here to reach Paul by email.

Hanukkah 2020 Virtual Celebration

Sunday, Dec 13 5:30-7PM

Dear Kol Haverim Community,

While there is hope on the horizon in the new vaccines for COVID 19, right now the pandemic is worsening as we move into the winter. This is definitely not the time for in-person gatherings, but we hope you will be able to join Kol Haverim for a virtual Hanukkah celebration on Sunday, December 13th at 5:30pm.  We will have a short service, sing songs, and light candles, even as we can see a light at the end of this long Covid tunnel. There will also be a time during the event where each family that would like to participate will be invited to light a special candle on their menorah and share a sentiment with the community.  After the ceremony there will be time for socializing and enjoying the company of our community.

The event will be held over zoom.  Please reply to rsvp@kolhaverim.net to indicate your interest in the event and receive the zoom link.  Thank you.

Sukkot 2020

Sunday, October 4, 11:30AM @ member’s home

Dear Kol Haverim community,

Please join us for an outdoor, in-person, socially distanced Sukkot celebration – plus picnic lunch, and short hike in the woods (for interested parties) on Sunday, October 4  starting at 11:30 am (masks are mandatory except when appropriately distanced).

We’ll have a makeshift sukka to decorate and we’ll have a short service, during which we’ll shake our (now traditional) locally-sourced version of the Lulav and Etrog, followed by a bring-your-own picnic lunch.  We’ll also have challah, apples and (maybe hot) cider available.  After lunch, interested parties can come for a walk in our woods or around the paths in the meadow, or just hang out and chat.

The event will take place in the meadow by our house in Danby (which has cleared paths, a pond, and several cleared open spaces).  We have a picnic table and will have some chairs available, but please bring your own lawn chairs if you can.  If needed, bathroom facilities will be available at our house (a ~300 yard walk through the woods) – or in the woods if you’re not picky 😉  It will be sunny, but cool (current prediction is for a high of 59 degrees) – please dress appropriately. Masks are mandatory.

All are welcome, but please RSVP to rsvp@kolhaverim.net for address and directions. 

-Jonathan (KH holiday chair)

Rosh Hashanah Virtual Celebration 2020

Kol Haverim Rosh Hashanah
Friday, September 18  / Zoom Event / 7-9pm

Dear Kol Haverim Members and Friends,

We hope everyone is doing well (as well as they can), coping with the ups and downs of the pandemic, the hope and dread, the terrible injustice and the brave resistance. The Jewish new year marks a time of rebirth and renewal, a time to remember what is important and to refocus our efforts.

Please join us for Rosh Hashanah evening virtual celebration. The format will be similar to that of our Passover Seder in April, with families participating and sharing from their own homes. Our musicians David and Will (AKA Mel and Saul) will be joining us as well to provide live music. The zoom meeting will open at 6:45pm, with the humanistic service starting around 7pm.

The digital copy of the service as well as additional songs can be found on the resource page HERE.

Please email to rsvp@kolhaverim.net for the zoom link. We look forward to seeing you at our Rosh Hashanah celebration!

Kol Haverim Board 

Community Passover Seder 2020 with Kol Haverim

Kol Haverim Passover

Saturday, April 11  / Zoom Meeting (rsvp for Zoom Link) / 4-7pm

Dear Kol Haverim community,

Even though Kol Haverim will not be hosting our traditional community seder this year, we are planning to gather virtually to celebrate the holiday.  Families can practice physical distancing while still joining us socially to celebrate Passover using zoom.

The digital copy of our Passover Haggadah can be accessed HERE. KH will provide a digital copy of our seder and instructions for a humanistic seder plate.  This year, you will have to provide the matzo, wine, etc.  But as this is the year of Covid-19, and shopping can be scary, please feel free to make any substitutions you see fit. In this time of isolation, we have chosen “community” as the theme for this year’s seder, and instead of coming up with a few poems/songs on that theme, we are asking participating families to share a short (few minutes or less) story, poem or song with the community (if they so choose).

The zoom meeting will begin at 4pm for schmoozing and the seder will start at 4:30 (Saturday, 11 April – which is the fourth night of Passover).  Please save the date and time if you would like to participate.  We are still working out some the details and additional info will be forthcoming. Meanwhile, you can access the planning document that has most of the pertinent information HERE.  The 10-Plagues of the 2020 document can be accessed HERE. The zoom link will be given out to families when they RSVP.

Thank you and we hope to *see* you for Passover (even if we can’t be with you).

We hope everyone can attend. Please spread the word!