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Buy Fair Trade Coffee and Help
Be part of Congregation Beth Am’s fundraising effort to help “grow” our Jewish community in
The Mirembe Kawomera Coffee project is a Ugandan cooperative of Jewish, Muslim and Christian coffee farmers working together to build a sustainable industry. The coffee is certified organic, Fair Trade and Kosher. One dollar of every sale goes directly to the co-op who are working towards peace, tolerance and economic justice in the region. You can buy coffee at the March 4 Purim celebration. The cost is $12 for a 12-ounce bag of either light, dark, decaf or espresso. Orders can be placed with Debbie Lundahl at (650)321-1671 or by printing and returning the order form. Profits go directly to the Poltava Fund. The History of Congregation Beth Am of Poltava
How do you support a fledgling yet viable, Progressive Jewish congregation in the former Soviet Union? You “twin” with one, providing financial, spiritual and emotional support. As part of a joint project between the World Union for Progressive Judaism and the Jewish Agency’s Hesed Program, Beth Am of Los Altos Hills did just that in 2001. We twinned with a young congregation located in Poltava, Ukraine --- a congregation that named itself Beth Am of Poltava. Our sister congregation began with a small group of university and high school students gathering to celebrate Shabbat and other holidays. The leadership was young with extraordinary vision, enthusiasm and determination. In its short life the congregation has undergone extraordinary changes, Beth Am of Poltava now has education programs on the history of modern Israel and the philosophy of the Jewish family, interfaith dialogues, weekly Torah portion readings and discussions, a youth club, and a women’s club that holds monthly Rosh Chodesh meetings. There are English language classes, weekly Shabbat services and havdalah, Passover Seders, and other holiday celebrations. Their spiritual leader is 21-year old university student Alla Mahas, shown here at Tashlikh. Alla studied Hebrew, Jewish studies, and leadership in Moscow under the auspices of the Machon Program, a two-year course conducted by the World Union for Progressive Judaism to teach students to be para-rabbinics. Cherie Half, chair of the Poltava Twinning Committee, traveled to Poltava and met with the leadership of Beth Am of Poltava. She wrote of her visit: “I witnessed the rebirth of Judaism in Poltava. It is a miracle, considering the years of repression, neglect and anti-Semitism. Each time a holiday is celebrated, a blessing is shared and tzedakah is given, Jewish memory is being created. Congregation Beth Am should be proud of the task we have undertaken on behalf of our friends thousands of miles away.” Our continuous support takes many forms, not the least of which are fundraisers. World Union for Progressive Judaism Newsletter Highlights Poltava TWINNED CONGREGATIONS CELEBRATE SHABBATON IN
The Progressive movement in
According to Rabbi Mikhail Kapustin, one of the two World Union rabbis in
Founded primarily by college and high school students seeking a meaningful and egalitarian way to express their Judaism, Beth Am now has some 200 members of all ages. It offers weekly Shabbat and havdallah services, education programs, a youth group and a sisterhood. Each year it holds a Passover seder and other holiday celebrations. It is led by Alla Mahas, a graduate of the World Union's Institute for Modern Jewish Studies (Machon), which trains community workers for Progressive congregations throughout the former
During services on Friday evening, the congregation received a new Torah donated by Project Kesher, the largest Jewish women's organization in the FSU. Says Kapustin, "The scroll was brought into the room and symbolically passed from Rima Novikova, who represents Project Kesher in
The next morning, five young people became b'nei mitzvah while wearing tallitot donated by Congregation Beth Am in
"The shabbaton was very successful," says Kapustin. "I'd like to thank Alla Mahas and her team of madrichim for their hard work and enthusiasm. I'd also like to express my gratitude to Beth Am in Los Altos Hills, and to Cherie Half, chairperson of the congregation's twinning committee, for enabling us to develop Jewish life in
Progress is being made on the education front. There are now seven students studying for their B’nai Mitzvah with Alla Mahas and Rabbi Misha Kaputin from
Each Shabbat a young family program has also been instituted that teaches youngsters about Judaism while their parents are celebrating Shabbat with the larger community. A big thank you to all those who supported
Youth are seeing visions in
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sometimes on the verge of collapse, but miraculously becoming a full-fledged congregation of 200 members. It is a stable and visible Jewish community in a place that was bereft of one previously. And it is thriving with our help and the encouragement of Rabbi Alex Dukhovny, Chief Rabbi of the Progressive Congregations of Ukraine.
Shabbat and Torah, and was highlighted by a b'nei mitzvah ceremony and the reception of a newly donated Torah.
“How do you build an ark? If we can,
