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This Week (10/5) Yom Kippur, the Jewish holiday of the Day of Atonement, falls on the tenth day of the Hebrew month of Tishri, which falls on October 2 this year.
Yom Kippur is the Jewish day of repentance, considered to be the holiest and most solemn day of the year. Its central theme is atonement and reconciliation. Eating, drinking, washing, cosmetics, wearing leather shoes, and conjugal relations are prohibited. Fasting—total abstention from all food and drink—usually begins one half hour before sundown and ends after nightfall the following day. Yom Kippur is experienced in different ways in different Jewish communities. Sephardic Jews (Jews of Spanish, Portuguese and North African descent) refer to this holiday as "the White Fast." Consequently, many Jews have the custom of wearing only white clothing on this day, to symbolize their "white" purity from sin, akin to angels. As the holiest of Jewish holidays, the observance of Yom Kippur is held even among the majority of secular Jews who may not strictly observe other holidays. Many secular Jews will fast and attend synagogue on Yom Kippur, and attendance on this day can be double, triple, or even more than the usual number of worshippers. In Israel, public non-observance (such as eating or driving a motor vehicle) is taboo. Yom Kippur there has the nickname "Festival of Bicycles," referring to children's practice of freely riding their bicycles in the streets without motor vehicles presenting danger. In Israel on Yom Kippur there is no broadcast television, no public transportation, and the airports are closed. There is no commerce of any kind in the Jewish areas.
The rites for Yom Kippur are set forth in the sixteenth chapter of Leviticus (cf. Exodus 30:10; Leviticus 23:27-31, 25:9; Numbers 29:7-11). This Thursday =========== This week Karen Dean is hosting and providing snacks for us a we engage in a discussion of our group and its future. We’ll be talking about the needs of our group members, both spiritual and practical (e.g. scheduling), and how we might address these needs. Everyone’s thoughtful questions and opinions are important and welcomed! There are no special readings for this week; if you’d like to continue with a daily reading, check out next Sunday’s lectionary readings at the bottom of this e-mail. Upcoming Schedule =============== Oct 12 Karen Dean hosts and provides snacks, planning for and beginning Shelter House service project Oct 19 Nick hosts and provides snacks, LEADING OPEN
Activities, Events, and Announcements ============================= Tuesdays—Women’s Walking Group: For this fall we’ve set Tuesdays at 5:45 for our weekly walking time. All women are invited to come for some exercise and socialization. Meet inside the rec center behind Kinnick Stadium--if the weather is nice, we’ll walk outdoors; if not, we’ll walk around the track inside. For those who aren’t able to make Tuesdays but who would still like to walk on a regular basis, let me know and I’ll try to hook you up with others in the same situation. October 8 & 9—Rosemary Radford Ruether Lectures: The University of Iowa Dept. of Religious Studies and the Spalding Community Education Committee present Rosemary Radford Ruether, feminist theologian, speaking on "American Empire and the Kingdom of God" on Sun. Oct. 8th at 7:00pm at the Old Brick church (corner of Market & Clinton, Iowa City). Come join a conversation with the author of Sexism and God Talk; To Change the World; Disputed Questions: On Being a Christian; and Gaia & God: An Ecofeminist Theology of Earth Healing. Free and open to the public; reception follows. The Spalding Memorial Lecture sponsored by the UI Dept. of Religious Studies will be held Mon. Oct. 9th at 7:30pm at Shambaugh Auditorium, UI Main Library.
October 15—Shelter House service project: We have signed up to provide a meal for Shelter House on Sunday, October 15. We will be planning for and perhaps beginning to prepare the meal on Thursday, October 12, and we will be finishing the preparations on October 15. We will also need some people to help serve the meal at Shelter House that evening, and everyone is invited to stay and eat with the Shelter House guests.
October 21—Trivia Night in Blue Grass, IA: If you are a trivia buff and/or fan this is a must. Trivia, potluck, cheap drinks, door prizes, a 50/50 raffle, all in the community center of this small town of 1169 people (as of the 2000 census). Tables are reserved for teams of 8, $10 entry fee per person. If you’re interested in getting in on the action for the next game on October 21, please let me know by Monday, October 9. If you can read this, thank a teacher =========================== World Teachers' Day is an annual event celebrated in over 100 countries worldwide. On this day teachers carry out a range of activities, attend public meetings and meet and lobby political leaders in order to draw attention to the role of teachers and the valuable role they play in society. The theme for World Teachers' Day 2006, which will take place on October 5, is 'Quality Teachers for Quality Education'. The World Teachers' Day statements says: We, teachers of the world: * Expect that education authorities worldwide will implement the 1966 Recommendation on the Status of Teachers, as well as the 1997 Recommendation on the Status of Higher Education Personnel in order to bring the working conditions of teachers and the learning environment of students up to the required standards. * Demand that the right of every child to free quality publicly-funded education be guaranteed all over the world. * Urge intergovernmental organisations and their member states to fulfill their commitment to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, including Education For All, and to consider education as a public service and not a commodity. * Call upon governments to plan for the adequate supply of quality teachers to meet future needs and upon the international donor community to give their full support to this. * Appeal for the voices of teachers and their unions to be heard in the debate on quality education, as full professional partners in decision making processes and for constructive social dialogue practises to be developed in every nation and at all levels.* Take a pledge to work with a high degree of professionalism to assure quality education for all children in the world; Insist that quality education can only be achieved with qualified teachers who have received high-level initial training, have access to adequate in-service training and have at their disposal pedagogical means to enable them to act as professionals in education. * Oblige governments to take seriously their commitments to ensure equal pay and equal rights for women and to ensure their empowerment in the education setting, in decision making and in the workplace. * Note the role that we, the teachers of the world, have to play in securing a quality education of all children - a mission which cannot be achieved without the full support of national, regional and world communities. Thank you, teachers! Karen Directions to Karen Dean’s ==================== From town: Starting from Burlington going east, turn right on Summit, then your first left on Court St. Follow Court St all the way to its end at the edge of town (~0.5 miles past Scott Blvd). About 200 feet before it ends, take your last possible right on Huntington Drive, and then your first left on Cardigan Lane. There are three identical 4-plexes. I live in the first building, last unit (4817 Cardigan Ln). Park anywhere on the street out front (tons of room).
From I80: Take the Dodge St exit and turn R onto Dodge St (you'll go past the Travelodge). At the first light, turn left onto Scott Blvd. Stay on Scott until you come to Court St, then turn left on Court St. Follow Court St all the way to its end at the edge of town (~0.5 miles past Scott Blvd). About 200 feet before it ends, take your last possible right on Huntington Drive, and then your first left on Cardigan Lane. There are three identical 4-plexes. I live in the first building, last unit (4817 Cardigan Ln). Park anywhere on the street out front (tons of room). Call 319-351-1937 if you get lost.
Lectionary readings for Sunday, October 8 =============================== Job 1:1; 2:1-10 Psalm 26 Hebrews 1:1-4; 2:5-12 Mark 10:2-16
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Last updated on
Sept. 12, 2006 |
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