Michael Rosenzweig: Three down, 97 to go.

The Boulder JCC recently received a grant from Roots and Branches, an initiative of Rose Community Foundation. The purpose of this grant is to create a lighthearted, innovative, friendly network of young Jews in Boulder who are interested in, and excited about, programming for the young, Jewish Boulder crowd.  In order to accomplish this, I am having conversations with 100 young adult Jews in Boulder County over the next few months, to discuss what their background is and what they are looking for in terms of young Jewish adult programming.

After three conversations, I can already see that many more questions will arise from these one-on-one chats.  Having conversations about how people classify their connection to Judaism really allows for a full spectrum of answers.  For example, two of the three people I spoke to connect just as much if not more to Israel, rather than the religion of Judaism.

For me growing up in New Jersey, Jews were either Reform, Conservative, or Orthodox.  I  experienced Hasidic culture only on a surface level while getting Gus’s pickles on the Lower East Side of New York City.    I was exposed to the Reconstructionist movement, which was new and hip at the time, but to me felt similar to Reform Judaism, which is how I was raised.  I didn’t think Judaism could get more modern than that.  Then I came to Boulder!  There were two sects of Judaism that I had never heard of:  the Renewal and Humanistic movements, both of which fascinate me.

In determining a question that I assumed was fairly straightforward, “How do you classify your connection to Judaism?” I thought I had anticipated every possible response.  Then it happened.  In one of my interviews, someone offered a new answer to this question and called him/herself a Post-Denominational Jew.  As it was described it to me, a Post-Denominational affiliation means the person  is very connected to their Judaism in religious, cultural, and spiritual contexts, but that connection supersedes any one denomination of  Judaism.

Perhaps this is one way for  Judaism to remain relevant and modern in today’s society.  Especially in Boulder, there is ample opportunity to connect  where, when, and how you want to connect.  If you classify yourself as more of a cultural rather than religious Jew, go Humanistic.  If you want to connect spiritually and are fascinated by the mysticism of Judaism, you are in the birthplace of the Renewal movement.  All the same, if you are connected to your Judaism, the religious, cultural, and social aspects of the religion are all important to you, but you aren’t a part of one particular congregation, you could be “Post-Denominational.”  The beauty of it is that there are still so many ways to connect with other like-minded individuals and feel like you are a part of this vibrant and innovative community.

As always, if you are a Boulder Jew between the ages of 21-45, give me a shout.  I would love to take you out for coffee and talk about where you came from, what you are looking for in terms of programming for this demographic, and how we can work together to achieve this.  If you know someone that fits this age group, feel free to send them my information or shoot me a line with theirs.

Saturday night May 12th at 8:00 pm: Keshet’s Young Adult Game Night! Join the Keshet Young Adult group (20′s and 30′s) for another lively night of board and card games at the office! Since the office is moving in May, this will be our last Young Adult event in the Logan office! (1918 Logan St. Denver, CO)

Friday night, May 18th at 6:30 pm: This month we will join Minyan Na’aleh for a Carlebach style, egalitarian, traditional service and a potluck dinner afterwards! Here is the kashrut policy for Na’aleh events: “In an effort to make everyone more comfortable dining together, we ask that those who do not keep kosher homes bring uncooked dairy or vegetarian dishes (i.e., green salad or fruit salad) or packaged foods with a kosher symbol. Those who do keep kosher homes are welcome to bring uncooked or packaged food as well, or a cooked dairy or vegetarian dish.” (Minyan Na’aleh will be held at Kohelet: 428 S. Forest St. Denver, CO)

Friday night, June 15th at 6:00 pm: Join Keshet and other Jewish supporters for a Shabbat service and picnic to celebrate LGBT Pride in Denver. Please pack your own lawn chair, blanket, and dinner. This event will be held at the Cheesman Park Pavilion in Denver.

Sunday June 17th: March with Keshet in the Gay Pride Parade in Denver. We will start in Cheesman Park and finish at Civic Center Park. See www.keshetonline.org for more details or to sign up for our newsletter!!

Email rafi@keshetonline.org for any questions!

Rose Community Foundation is looking for a diverse group of individuals, including those who are involved in Jewish life and those who are not; those who identify as secular, Orthodox and everything in between; and those who are native Coloradans, as well as newcomers to the area. Applicants must live in the seven-county Denver Metro area.

Now in its sixth year, Roots & Branches Foundation members will meet every two to four weeks on Tuesday evenings between July 2012 and February 2013. The group will work with Rose Community Foundation staff to explore strategic philanthropy, identify community needs, review grant proposals and visit prospective grantees.

“Roots & Branches gave me the tools to be a better philanthropist and to be more strategic in my giving. I’m now part of a great community of smart, thoughtful Jewish people committed to making a difference,” says Ilana Simon, former Roots & Branches member.

Jews between ages 25 and 40 interested in being part of Roots & Branches Foundation can apply online at rcfdenver.org/initiatives_roots.htm.

Devon Schad, YAD Director at AJF, calling on Super Sunday

March 11^th phones across Colorado rang during Allied Jewish Federation of Colorado’s (Federation) annual phone-a-thon, Super Sunday. In addition to the traditional calling sessions, Federation offered a special bonus to the agency that closed the most donors during Super Sunday and Monday. This added incentive brought many local agencies and their devoted staff and volunteers out to the event and heightened the excitement in the room. It was with gusto and enthusiasm that the winner of this bonus, Denver Academy of Torah (DAT), closed 104 donors during the calling! Congratulations DAT!

The Denver Academy of Torah community is passionate about Jewish day school education and about Jewish community in general,” said Rachel Rabinovitch, President of Denver Academy of Torah. “We were thrilled to work together as a team on Super Sunday (and Super Monday) in support of the Allied Jewish Federation and the wider Jewish community! It was not only rewarding, but a lot of fun.”

BBYO Teens Calling On Super Sunday

More than 40 teenagers from BBYO joined the calling in the afternoon on Sunday. Their enthusiasm was infectious and really got the room charged up. Robyn Loup, Co-Chair of Super Sunday said,

Bob and I loved making calls with the BBYO teens. It was such a joy with their positive energy, sincerity and fun attitudes! Super Sunday, as a whole, had great energy and was well executed by staff and lay leadership.”

In the evening, the young adults took over and during their “Smile and Dial Happy Hour,” made an incredible amount of phone calls and assisted the Federation to meet the goals. The different organizations, passionate about their fields, were able to put a human voice behind the work Federation supports.

There were over 230 volunteers present and many represented these agencies: BBYO, DAT, Kabbalah Experience, Jewish Experience Teens, Yeshiva Toras Chaim, Hillel of Colorado students, JConnect—Hebrew Educational Alliance, Chabad of Colorado, CAJE, Denver Jewish Day School, Robert E. Loup JCC, B’nai Akiva, Allied Jewish Senior Apartments, Anti-Defamation League, Stepping Stones, Keshet—GLBT, BMH-BJ, and Colorado Hebrew Chorale.

Overall, Super Sunday was able to raise over $250,000 from over 530 donors! But Federation is not stopping there. Federation staff and dedicated volunteers will continue to contact members of our community in the hope of ending the 2012 Annual Campaign on a high note.

Super Sunday is an incredible momentum builder in the middle of the campaign year,” said Amy Toltz-Miller, Federation’s Annual Campaign Chair. “We did amazing work around the JFNA General Assembly and now we are bringing the community back together to close the Campaign with flair.”

Federation is hoping to increase donations in the non-restricted/allocable category. The Flagship Fund is the cornerstone, enabling Federation to assist local agencies to complete their fundraising goals for critical community programs and services. Additionally, it funds Federation programming like the Young Adult Department (YAD), the legislative arm of Federation – Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC), and communal events like Federation’s upcoming Israel Memorial Day event, Yom Ha’Zikaron.

Federation would like to thank all of the dedicated donors who have given in the 2012 campaign but there is still time to get your donation in! Go to AJFColorado.org for more details.

Come to Bacaro at 8:00 pm ready to party and dressed in your Persian Shore best.  Not sure what to wear?  Come dressed like you’re on the Jersey Shore, dress like you were in ancient Persia, or you can always “Jersify” a costume with enough hair gel and fake tan.  Tickets for this are available here.  You can also join the Facebook conversation here.  You must be 21+ to attend this event.

Don’t forget to save the date for our next happy hour at Conor O’Neills on March 29th starting at 5:30 pm for drinks, appetizers, and networking.   Here’s the Facebook event for the happy hour. 

If you have any questions, contact Boulder JCC Community Concierge Michael Rosenzweig at Michael@boulderjcc.org or 720-583-5522.

Oh my gawsh. Did you see what Haman was wearing? That long black robe with a pointy hat? What was he thinking? How did King Ahasuerus let him go out like that? I would never let my royal vizier go out looking that way he does. And don’t get me started on Queen Esther. She thinks she is all that, replacing Vashti as Queen. She is Queen alright, queen of GTL, gaudy, lame, and tacky.

Now Mordechai, or as I like to call him, “Mordy Hi,” he is another situation all together. I’d take him to the feast and fist pump with him all night. I love his “I don’t care, but I do” look. It’s like he doesn’t even need to use hair gel. But his tan is perfect. He must work out like every day or something. So modest, standing up for all those Jews like that. I hope he comes to the banquet later.

If any of this made sense to you (or even if it didn’t) and you are a Jew between the ages of 21-45, you should come to the “Persian Shore” Purim Party that Flatiron Tribe is throwing on March 8th at Bacaro. You can find all of the information on our Facebook event page here. There is a link there to purchase tickets. Hope to see you all there!

Sincerely,
A Former Jersian turned Boulderite

The 2012 TribeFest, nationally co-chaired by Rachel Wright of Detroit and Jason Rubinoff of Toronto, is the second event of its kind; the inaugural TribeFest, which took place last March in Las Vegas, drew more than 1,300 participants from 84 communities around the world, including 20 Colorado participants, for a groundbreaking program designed to engage and inspire young Jews. More than 46 partner organizations joined Jewish Federations to create an innovative event filled with music, learning, social service, networking and fun.

Following the overwhelming success of the first-ever TribeFest, this year’s event is expected to draw even more attendees and include participation from a greater number of partner organizations.

After returning from TribeFest last year, there was such a buzz,” said Seeb. “We couldn’t wait for registration to open for this year so we could get more local young adults involved. It’s a great event for our community to attend.”

One of the hallmarks of TribeFest is attracting new and diverse voices to the Jewish community. Nearly 60 percent of last year’s audience had never attended a JFNA function prior to TribeFest, and almost 40 percent had never even been to a program run by their local Federation.

Colorado 2011 TribeFest Participants

The 2012 TribeFest will be even more interactive for attendees, and reflective of their interests and passions. “We received so many interesting and thought-provoking program proposals,” said Rubinoff. “We are confident that this year’s TribeFest will be filled with unique sessions that challenge and engage attendees, and create dynamic conversations around Jewish life.”

The second edition of TribeFest will offer six program tracks on themes important to young Jews. The track process, which was implemented for the 2011 General Assembly in Denver for the first time, creates a more focused program, ensuring that the conference addresses issues crucial to TribeFest attendees through meaningful content.

TribeFest’s tracks include Social Justice and Global Responsibility; Culture and the Arts; Israel and the Middle East; Innovation; Faith and Spirituality; and Hot Topics. The conference will also feature a “Clergy Track,” examining how rabbis and cantors can understand the Federation mission and effect change for the global Jewish community. The “Clergy Track” will also highlight new and exciting ways to partner with other organizations to effectively engage the next generation of Jews.

“Post-TribeFest last year saw our local young adults inspired. This event is making the Jewish experience relevant and accessible for a whole new, younger audience,” said Doug Seserman, Federation’s president and CEO. “For Jews in their 20s, 30s and 40s who are looking to be inspired and invigorated, TribeFest is a party with a purpose.”

In addition to the programming and socializing, this year’s TribeFest will feature a service project. Participants will deliver backpacks filled with new, high-quality books to young children in six under-performing Las Vegas public schools. Each person will have the chance to read with a young child and share warmth, attention, and enthusiasm about books. Participants (and others) can also purchase book sets for this project to be delivered by TribeFest participants. To purchase books, visit http://jewi.sh/TFbook.

Spaces and local registration subsidies are still available. To learn more, visit www.tribefest.org or apply for a subsidy at http://jewi.sh/sub2012.