Dear all (Dutch text below),

Spread the word:

In the weekend of the 18 - 20 December a group of Jewish LGBTQ people from London (age 20-40) will come to Amsterdam to celebrate shabbat and have great fun!

In doing this, they would like to invite gay Jews from other countries. You (or your friends)!

Are you interested in being part of this weekend (or a part of it, like: Candlelight kosher dinner on Friday Night, Shabbat celebration, clubbing, lectures, staying over in the hotel), please email Alan Aziz at alan@brijnet.org. He will give you more details about the program and costs. Attached the English invitation.

Hope to see you there!

–
Beste allemaal,

In het weekend van 18 t/m 20 december komt er een groep Joodse homo’s en lesbiennes (leeftijd tussen de 20 en 40, als ik het goed begrijp) van Londen naar Amsterdam. Zij zullen hier shabbat vieren en de stad onveilig maken. Om dit zo goed mogelijk te doen, zijn ze op zoek naar gelijkgestemden uit Europa, Israel en Amerika, jullie dus!

Bij deze, attached, de Engelse aankondiging voor het weekend. Ben je geinteresseerd in het bijwonen van dit hele weekend, of een onderdeel daarvan (shabbatviering, diner, uitgaan, hotelovernachting, museumbezoek), email dan organisator Alan Aziz op alan@brijnet.org
Hij kan je verdere details en prijzen geven.

Groeten,

*´¨)
¸.·´¸.·*´¨) ¸.·*¨)
(¸.·´ (¸.·´

Gideon Querido van Frank

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Dear friends-

I’m writing to invite you to join me on one or both unique tours I’ve planned for May 2010:  A Jewish tour of Tunisia and a culinary tour of Israel.  I’ve attached a pdf of the brochure for the tours and you can also click here to learn more online.  Whether or not you can join me I hope you’ll pass along this email to friends or colleagues of yours who might be interested.

We’re going to Tunisia to see the country generally and learn about the 2000-year-old Jewish community.  We picked May in order to witness and participate in the unusual Lag B’Omer celebrations on the Tunisian island of Djerba.  Among the Jews of North Africa, particularly Tunisia, Lag B’Omer is a time to pay homage to prominent Jewish scholars in North African Jewish history and a festival with some 4,000 Jews from Tunisia, France, Israel and elsewhere marks the occasion.  Tunisia and its Jewish Communities: Past and Present is a six-night tour of Tunisia with general and Jewish site visits, including the unique Lag B’Omer celebrations.

If you’re a foodie, interested in an extraordinarily unique tour of Israel, or both, Sip, Savor and Celebrate: A Culinary Adventure in Israel, a four-night tour, is for you. Gil Hovav, leading Israeli culinary journalist and television personality, has planned an exclusive itinerary that’ll have your five senses working overtime. See, hear, touch, smell and, of course, taste your way through the incredible ethnic diversity of Israeli cuisine. Gil will be our guide and several BGU faculty members will join the tour to share their culinary-related research.

I’ve just come back from Tunisia and Israel doing some prep work for the tours and am incredibly excited for the adventures that await.  I hope you can join me and encourage others to do so.

With warm regards,
Gabe Most

P.S.  The hotels and domestic airline in Tunisia are holding our group reservations until mid-December.  We’ll of course be taking registrations afterwards, but it’ll be a on a space-available basis, so we’re encouraging people to sign up sooner than later.

_____________________________________
Gabe Most
Director of Programs and Special Events
American Associates
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (AABGU)
1430 Broadway, 8th Floor
New York, NY 10018
212-687-7721 x109
gmost@aabgu.org
www.aabgu.org

This is an email from Nehirim.  It covers it all very well so rather than rewrite all the info, here’s a good solid update on what’s happening:

Shalom Nehirim -

As I’m sure all of you know by now, our community was again the victim of a violent attack, again in Israel, and again in the context of incendiary rhetoric and expressions of intolerance, particularly from religious leaders.

So, how are you responding? How are you feeling? What are you thinking?

Personally, I hope that you are finding time and space in your heart to commemorate this tragedy in your home communities — perhaps by reciting Tehilim, perhaps by attending a vigil or memorial service, or perhaps simply by connecting with your friends and family.

Now is also a crucial time to reconnect with your Nehirim community. I want to encourage you to reach out, either to Nehirim staff or faculty, or to friends or acquaintances you made at a Nehirim retreat. There’s no need to be dramatic; just check in — just say hello. When we are targeted by hate, the best response is more love, which is the source of strength and of healing.

In addition, Nehirim is cosponsoring a New York community-wide vigil taking place tomorrow (Wednesday) night.nbsp; Here is the information for that vigil:

Community-Wide Prayer Vigil for the Victims of the Attack on Tel Aviv Gay Youth

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Congregation Beth Simchat Torah, 57 Bethune Street, New York, NY

Last Saturday night, an unknown assailant opened fire on a meeting of a gay and lesbian youth group in Tel Aviv, killing three people and injuring fifteen. This Wednesday, New York responds. Please join us for a community-wide memorial service as we stand in solidarity with the victims of this vicious attack and demand equality for LGBT people everywhere. Speakers include Congressman Jerrold Nadler, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum, Nehirim director Jay Michaelson, and others. The service will also include the traditional reading of tehillim (psalms) and a candlelight vigil. Sponsors (still in formation) include Congregation Beth Simchat Torah, the New Israel Fund, Nehirim: GLBT Jewish Culture & Spirituality, JQYouth, the JCC in Manhattan, and Keshet.

—

Other vigils have taken place around the country, with Nehirim’s involvement.;

Tomorrow night, in Boston, please join the Greater Boston Jewish Community tomorrow -  Wednesday, August 5th  - as we mourn for the victims, pray for the injured, and express our outrage.
 
We will gather at Temple Israel of Boston, 77 Longwood Avenue (on the steps of the Riverway)
Wednesday, August 5, 6:30 pm, rain or or shine
For updates: www.keshetonline.org.

—

Last night, vigils took place in Washington, D.C., co-coordinated by Nehirim’s Engagement Officer, Zvi Bellin, and in San Francisco, by our partners at the Jewish Community Federation of San Francisco. Here are media reports:

http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1249275684243&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

http://haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1105154.html

http://jta.org/news/article/2009/08/04/1007018/dc-san-francisco-hold-vigils-to-mourn-israelis-lgbt-kilings

http://www.washblade.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=26596

More events are also scheduled for Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.

Please join us at CBST or in Boston tomorrow night — we look forward to having a strong Nehirim contingent at each event.

In the meantime, our lives go on. At Nehirim, Queer Shabbaton registration is now open, and you can take advantage of early bird registration by clicking here. In addition, we’ve got a nice minyan of people for our informal East Coast camping trip, taking place August 14-16. Details are below, and the signup is on Facebook. Please RSVP right away if you’d like to come, as we’ll be buying food soon. Finally, Nehirim is cosponsoring Easton Mountain’s “Gay Spirit Camp” program August 17-23, and those under 30 can attend for only $100 for the entire week; see below for details. (Please also note that the remainder of this email was composed prior to Saturday night’s events.)

I look forward to seeing many of you tomorrow night at CBST, and, of course, all our prayers are with the injured — may they have a speedy recovery.

Jay Michaelson
Executive Director

Nehirim just sent out a newsletter with info on a slew of upcoming events.  You’ll be seeing more info on the Calendar.

Register Now for Nehirim’s First Annual Women’s Retreat.  Slated for March 20-22, 2009 at Isabella Freedman Retreat Center in Falls Village, CT, the Women’s Retreat welcomes all self-identified women to build a vibrant, diverse community in a beautiful natural setting.  Also, children’s programming will be available, so bring along those smaller members of the family.

Also, Super-Early Bird Registration is now open for this year’s Nehirim West and Nehirim East retreats.  Register by March 1 (by clicking here for Nehirim West and here for Nehirim East) to get a double discount!  Nehirim West will be held at Walker Creek Ranch, in Petaluma, CA, on May 8-10, 2009.  Nehirim East will take place at Isabella Freedman Retreat Center in Falls Village, CT, on May 15-17, 2009.

We also have some exciting upcoming local events in the New York City metro area:
We hope to see you at Ma’agal, our monthly Nehirim women’s group, facilitated by Chani Getter, or at Social Networking for Couples, Parents, & Prospective Parents, an event for LGBT Jews who are considering marriage, parenting, and other forms of family-building, run by Marlene Rachelle, whom you may have met at Queer Shabbaton New York or the Nehirim Gathering.

nehirim, gay, jewish, events

Visit http://jointheimpact.wetpaint.com/

Protests are happening around the country tomorrow.  This is important.  Be a part of it.  Use the above link to get more info for your area.

Together we can secure our rights and gain equality!

Visit http://jointheimpact.wetpaint.com/

Stand Up.  Fight for your Rights.  The measure may have passed, but it’s the wrong change in state law.  Good must prevail and the promise of equality restored.

Here’s a list of protest happening this weekend in California care of Towleroad.com

What:   Celebrate Me Home: The NYGMC 2009 Holiday Spectacular.  The concert includes tunes in English, Latin, Zulu, and Basque from genres including country (Kenny Loggins), pop (Moriah Carey, Paul Simon), spirituals, 16th century English carols, 15th century French plain song, South African folk, Basque carols, and some traditional American Christmas fare (Irving Berlin), and more.  As always, they’ll be some dance numbers, surprises and plenty of good cheer.

When:  Tuesday, December 9 – 8:00 pm

Where: Carnegie Hall, New York City

Tickets:  Reduced price tickets are available through members of the chorus until Sunday, November 2. After the November 2 deadline, tickets can be purchased via the Carnegie Hall website:  http://www.carnegiehall.org/SiteCode/Events/MonthCalendar.aspx

Section:   Regular price  /  Advance purchase reduced price until November 2
Prime Parquet:    $88 / $79
1st Tier Box:    $88 / $79
Parquet:    $66 / $60
2nd Tier Box:    $66 / $60
Dress Circle:    $50 / $45
Front Balcony:    $39 / $35

A diagram of Carnegie Hall can be found on the Carnegie Hall website.
Please disregard the rest of the pdf including the erroneous order deadline in October.

There is not really much news here, but we thought this article was nice.  Congregation Bet Haverim in Atlanta got some coverage in Southern Voice, Atlanata’s LGBTQ Magazine, for its upcoming high holiday services. 

Shana Tova everyone!

If you’re in Atlanta for Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, perhaps you’ll visit…

Erev Rosh Hashanah, Sept. 29 — 8 p.m.

Rosh Hashanah, Sept. 30 — 10 a.m.

Rosh Hashanah, second day, Oct. 1— 10 a.m.

Kol Nidre, Oct. 8 — 8 p.m.

Yom Kippur, Oct. 9 —10 a.m.



While High Holy Day services at Congregation Bet Haverim are free to
attend, the congregation asks visitors and members to RSVP to cbhevents@gmail.com so leaders can plan accordingly.

See the article here.

Atlanta, Gay, Shuls, High Holidays, Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur

I had a meeting this morning with a woman from Young Judea that’s working on their upcoming “Pride In Israel” program. I have to say, the trip sounds great. It’s a quickie (10 days) full of a lot of the usual stuff (Climbing Massada, visiting a Bedouin tent, Jerusalem, etc.) but also lots of LGBTQ specific events, including meeting activists, discussing LGBTQ issues with members of the Knesset, and partying in Tel Aviv. And it’s all in four star hotels. It sounds like more of a packed organized vacation package.

There’s some info at their site.

Here’s their FaceBook page.

And here are the two events on the GayGevalt calendar: June 16th, 2008 and August 11th, 2008

If you’re thinking of going, tell us why. And if not, why not?

In less than TWO WEEKS, on February 8-10, Columbia University is hosting the annual NUJLS (National Union of Jewish LGBTQQI Students) Conference. The NUJLS conference is an amazing weekend for LGBTQQI Jewish students from around the world to gather in New York City in what has proven to be a breakthrough year in the Queer and American Jewish Community!

NUJLS, the only North American organization dedicated to LGBTQQI Jewish students, holds an annual conference bringing together gay Jews from all segments of the Jewish community & around the world for a weekend of good times. It is open to all LGBTQQI Jewish students and young Jews of all stripes!

The world around us is changing and its effects in our political, religious, and personal lives are far-reaching. This year’s NUJLS conference seeks to explore the changes in our world- both globally and within ourselves.

This year, more than any in recent memory, serves as an opportunity to confront what these changes mean to each one of us no matter how we identify in either the LGBTQQI or the Jewish community. NUJLS 2008: A Time of Change, seeks to put forth a relevant, vibrant, and contemporary conference in which participants will embrace and explore, personally and communally, the changes our world has presented us and the changes we choose to present to our world.

Cost: $60 with large amounts of scholarship funding available!

The conference is strictly kosher and respects diverse observances of Shabbat and davening (prayer services).
Shomer Shabbat options and traditional davening will be celebrated throughout the weekend.
GO TO NUJLSONLINE.org for more info & to register or email Ira Stup: ira.stup@gmail.com !