Northwestern Conservative Minyan

A unique national Shabbat experience…in our own backyard!

Lia Lehrer — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 07:02:39 +0000

Meet new people…
Experience Shabbat with 150 college-age Jews…
Enjoy a night out in Chicago…
Participate in amazing community service opportunities…

…right in our own backyard!!

This year, we are fortunate that the KOACH Kallah will be held at our own Northwestern University!

KOACH, the Conservative Movement’s national organization for college students, hosts a convention (“kallah”) every year for students to meet each other, network, learn something, help out in the community, have a great time, and experience a Shabbat and weekend unlike any other.

And you can be a part of it!

When: Thursday, February 28 (5 p.m.) – Sunday, March 2, 2008 (1 p.m.)
Where : Northwestern University!! (Most of the convention will take place in Parkes Hall)
Who: You! And you don’t even have to be “Conservative”–it’s open to everybody!
Why: It’s a rare opportunity to be able to connect and spend a Shabbat with this many Jews in one place–don’t miss your chance to do it!
Cost: $36 (seriously, this is mega cheap. Everybody else is paying $250 + a flight. Feel lucky.)
How: Register at http://koach.org/kallah.htm

Questions? Read on…

Q: I have class on Friday that I can’t miss, a sorority thing on Saturday, and a dorm formal Friday night. What ever shall I do?
A: Never fear! You can go to class/formal/thing/whatever. This convention isn’t for high-schoolers–nobody will be taking attendance at each of the activities. If you have to step out for a bit for class or other commitments, that’s cool. It’s better that you’re able to be at part of it.

Q: If they’re not taking attendance at everything, then why do I need to pay the $36 to register?
A: The Kallah’s food is separate from Hillel’s budget, so the organizers need to know how many people will be there. Also, there are materials needed for sessions, and there are other logistical considerations that require the organizers to have an accurate number of who will be there. And seriously. $36 for a weekend’s worth of food, plus activities (including something really cool in Chicago on Saturday night!), plus entertainment (it’s possible a comedian is coming?) is not a bad deal. If finances are a problem, though, talk to me and we can see if KOACH or Hillel can help with the cost.

Q: Who are these “organizers,” anyway?
A: The convention is being chaired by our very own sophomore, Logan Wall!! (And the co-chair is former NU student Ariella Lis, if any of you know her.) Other people serving on committees include Lonnie Pervos, Benjamin Singer, Matt Schwartz, myself, and others. So come and support your friends!

Q: What are the accommodations?
A: Out-of-towners will be staying at the Best Western, but NU students will be staying in their dorms/apartments. Hey, at least we don’t have to deal with packing suitcases!

Q: I want to hear a first-person account from a previous year’s convention attendee.
A: That’s not a question, but okay. I (Lia Lehrer) attended last year’s convention at University of Pennsylvania in Philly. It was REALLY fun! I met a ton of cool people; I helped pack food for AIDS victims; I attended a session about Jewish genetic diseases; I participated in one of the most spirited Shabbat services I’ve ever been in; we went ice skating Saturday night; we heard performances from comedian Aaron Freeman; and I got to network with people at other schools.

Q: I’m not really that involved in the Conservative Minyan at NU, or really in Hillel for that matter. Is this convention for me?
A: YES! This is a great way to experience a unique Shabbat for one weekend. Think of it as a getaway from school for a weekend. You’ll meet people from other schools and you’ll get closer with the NU people there. Especially if you’ve never had the youth group experience with conventions like these, you’ll really get a kick out of a weekend like this.

Q: I’m Orthodox or Reform or Reconstructionist or something other than Conservative, but this sounds really cool to me. Can I still come?
A: Yup. The services will be egalitarian with a possibility of a non-egalitarian option if you prefer (but no one’s forcing you to go to services), and there may be some discussions based on the Conservative Movement. Join us! You’ll have a great time and you might just learn something.

Q: Okay, I’m convinced. How do I register again?
A: Visit http://koach.org/kallah.htm and fill out the online form.

Q: My question wasn’t on here. Help!
A: No problem. E-mail me (L-Lehrer@northwestern.edu) or Logan (joshua-wall@northwestern.edu) with any questions. And feel free to tell your friends at other schools about this–they can come too, but the deadline is fast approaching.

Thanks,
Lia Lehrer
L-Lehrer@northwestern.edu

Last Shabbat of the quarter + a convention full of Jews!

Lia Lehrer — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 06:29:58 +0000

Come to Shabbat this week as the last Shabbat of the quarter! And take note that we’re having SATURDAY services this week.

Friday night:
3:45 Chanukah candle lighting, cookies, and learning with Rabbi Josh
5:15 Schmooze
5:30 Services
6:30 FREE CHINESE FOOD for dinner!

Saturday morning:
10:00 Morning services
12:30 FREE lunch

Will you be there? Wanna participate? E-mail us at e-pervos@northwestern.edu.

Also…don’t forget to register for the KOACH Kallah: a fun, social weekend with Conservative Jews from around the country, right in our own backyard on February 28-March 2!

Every year, the convention is at a different school, and this year it’s at Northwestern! Meet new people, experience Shabbat with 150 others, and have a great time!

See you at the Kallah and this Shabbat!

Saturday services

Lia Lehrer — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 04:46:07 +0000

The next Saturday service will be Saturday, Dec. 8 (the Saturday before Finals Week)–not Dec. 1 as originally planned.

Reply here if you’re interested in participating in the service, or in Friday night services this week or next week!

New service time!

Lia Lehrer — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 06:36:09 +0000

As if we haven’t changed the time enough this week…

*Scroll down for more Beauty and the Beast…

Service times are moved earlier in honor of Daylight Savings.

Starting this week (11/9/07), here are the NEW TIMES:

Schmooze: 5:15 p.m.
Services: 5:30 p.m.
FREE dinner: 6:30 p.m.

See you there…earlier!

*And, speaking of Jews and Beauty and the Beast, for your viewing pleasure, Beauty and the Beast in Hebrew:

Parents Weekend / Kate’s Bat Mitzvah

Lia Lehrer — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 20:53:34 +0000

This week we’ve got two exciting things going on:

1) Parents Weekend! Show Mom and Dad what Shabbat is like at Northwestern.

2) Celebrating the adult bat mitzvah of Kate M., a grad student at NU!*

*In honor of Kate’s Bat Mitzvah, services this Saturday will be at 9:30 a.m. instead of 10 a.m.

Schedule of the weekend:

Friday night:
5:45 p.m. schmooze
6 p.m. services
7 p.m. free dinner
8 p.m. dessert

Saturday morning:
9:30 a.m. services
12:30 p.m. free lunch

Show your parents around, see what an adult bat mitzvah is like, or just come for the Shabbat experience. Shabbat Shalom and see you there!

Shake it Up Shabbat!

Lia Lehrer — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 03:29:54 +0000

Come to Hillel this week for Shake it Up Shabbat–where we’re having dairy for dinner and ICE CREAM for dessert!

Services are at 6 p.m. (come at 5:45 for schmooze and snacks), and FREE dinner is at 7 p.m. Come Saturday morning at 10 a.m. for Shacharit (morning) services and stay for FREE lunch at 12:30 p.m.

Since we’ll be having ice cream this week, enjoy this list of crazy potential Jewish ice cream flavors.

Lehitra Oats
Rashi Road
Olive Hashalom
Oy Ge-malt
Wailing Walnut
Cherry Bim
Cherry Bum
Bubble G’mora
Mi Ka-mocha
Lemontashens
Soda & Gamorra
Manishta Nut
Moishmallow
Chazalnut
Mazel Toffee
Balak Berry
Abba Ebanana
O-Lime Habah
Butter Shkotz
Chuppapapya
Lubavicher Resberry
Cashew Le’Pesach
Berry Pr’i Hagafen
Bernard Malamint
………available in a goyishe cup, or a cohn

Gotta love those jokes widely available over the Internet (sorry, we didn’t write this one this time…)

This week’s Torah portion, Vayera, talks about the Binding of Isaac. Read a joke about a modern binding of Isaac here.

Questions? Comments? Reply to this post.

See you on Shabbat!

Prospie Shabbaton!

Lia Lehrer — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 05:03:47 +0000

Remember how it felt to not know what college you were going to? Or if you’d apply early decision or not?

It feels pretty good to be on this side of that decision now, doesn’t it?

Come to the Prospie Shabbaton this weekend and help some prospective students in high school make that decision.

There will be services Friday night at 6 p.m. (come for schmooze at 5:45 p.m.) followed by a FREE dinner at 7 p.m.!

And then…Saturday morning services at 10 a.m., followed by a FREE lunch at 12:30 p.m.

Come, be with your friends, make new friends, and tell the prospies how amazing Northwestern is!

What do Coca-Cola and Jewish education have in common?

Lia Lehrer — Mon, 08 Oct 2007 14:28:28 +0000

They’re both the “real thing.”

That, and you can learn about both of those things TONIGHT at Allison Dining Hall at 6 p.m.

Interested in becoming a Jewish educator? Maybe a rabbi/cantor? Working for a JCC or Hillel? Maybe you’re going into investment banking but you’d like to be really knowledgeable on Judaism?

Come meet recruiters from the Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS) tonight and learn more about it. They’ll also teach you how Coca-Cola became kosher.

To learn more about the programs at JTS, stop by Hillel tonight, Monday, Oct. 8, between 4:45-5:45 p.m. To learn about Coca-Cola, meet the recruiters (do I smell networking???) and get a FREE dinner at Allison, come to Allison at 6 p.m.

If you’re not on the meal plan, we’ll give you a voucher.

For more information, e-mail Lia (L-Lehrer@northwestern.edu), or the recruiters:

Rabbi Charlie Savenor (Rabbinical and Cantorial School): chsavenor@jtsa.edu

Leora Skolnik (The Davidson Graduate School of Jewish Education): leskolnik@jtsa.edu

See you there!

Woo hoo! The Torah!! And Rosh HaShanah girl.

Lia Lehrer — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 04:44:54 +0000

The end of Sukkot is near, so it’s almost time to rejoice with the Torah–on Simchat Torah! We’ll be having special services at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 4 at Hillel for Simchat Torah, including snacks and dancing with the Torah.

Then, join us Friday night at 5:45 p.m. for schmooze and then services at 6 p.m., followed by a FREE dinner!

And then we’ll have our first Saturday service (I mean, other than Yom Kippur) of the year on Saturday, Oct. 6 at 10 a.m., followed by a FREE lunch.

If you think you’ll be at any of these services or would like to participate, please e-mail me (Lia) at L-Lehrer@northwestern.edu, or leave a comment on this post.

And, just for fun, if you haven’t seen the “I Gotta Love You Rosh HaShanah” (parody of “I’ve Got a Crush on Obama”) video yet, do it…

Yom Kippur services

Lia Lehrer — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 14:38:02 +0000

Come to Hillel tonight for a FREE pre-fast dinner at 5 p.m.! It will be THE pre-fast place to be.

Then, we’ll walk over to the Louis Room at Norris for Kol Nidre services that begin at 6:25 p.m.

Saturday morning, services start at 9 a.m. in the Louis Room (but sorry, there’s no kiddush afterward…), and then in the afternoon they resume at 5:15 p.m.

When the clock strikes 7:31 p.m., the fast is over and we’ll all gather in Allison dining hall for some break fast food.

Questions? Leave a comment or e-mail me at L-Lehrer@northwestern.edu.