Blood Drive:

The East Midwood Jewish Center's annual blood drive will take place on Sunday, January 13th from 9:00 am to 2:30 pm in the Grand Ballroom.

In the Torah, we are exhorted to "choose life" (Deuteronomy 30:19-20). Donating blood is making that choice, and more. To donate blood is to give life. A single donation of blood can give the gift of life to as many as five persons. It is a mitzvah, and one of the highest levels of charity we can perform.

Anyone between the ages of 17 and 76 and in good health can donate blood. Donating blood is safe, easy, and fast. An hour of your time can mean a lifetime of health for another person.

Take part in the EMJC blood drive. Call the Center office today to schedule an appointment.

Food Pantry Donations:

Recent reductions in funding by the federal government has created a pressing need for donations of canned and packaged food for the Our Lady of Refuge Roman Catholic Church food pantry.

The food pantry provides weekly food packages to close to 200 individuals and families in our Midwood/Flatbush neighborhood. Packages of food are prepared on Tuesday afternoons and distributed on Wednesday mornings. Any donations would be greatly appreciated. You may bring the cans or packages to the EMJC office or to OLR, on the corner of Ocean Avenue and Foster Avenue. You can also volunteer and help on Tuesday afternoons or Wednesday mornings.

Get involved...the need is great!

Women's Shelter Volunteers:

Fulfill that New Year’s resolution to get involved with volunteer work, and help out on Sunday evenings from 8 pm to 10 pm at the Our Lady of Refuge Women's Shelter.

You can help set up cots, lay out the linens, prepare a light meal, and greet and chat with eight women who will be spending the night at the church. You can also bring warm women’s clothing, coats, jackets, shoes and boots when you come to volunteer. It’s a wonderful opportunity to help those in need and it is greatly appreciated. For more information ask Sally Hipscher or Toby Sanchez.

Sunday, January 20, 2008
8:45 AM - 3:00 PM

The Jewish Theological Seminary
3080 Broadway, New York, NY (map it!)

The day will begin with breakfast and Minyan in the Women's League Seminary Synagogue. Rabbi Neil Gillman, Professor of Jewish Philosophy at JTS, will lead the opening session at 9:30 am:

Contrasting Images in Judaism: Portraits of God

Dr. Ron Wolfson, president and co-founder of Synagogue 2000 and Synagogue 3000 will deliver the keynote address:

The Many Paths of Jewish Education:
Engraving and Empowering Jewish Journeys

There will be a choice of workshops for both the morning and afternoon sessions. Workshop topics will include: how to bridge the gap between day school families and religious school families, technology and Jewish life, the Haggadah, and many others. Workshop facilitators will include Dr. Michelle Lynn-Sachs from JTS, Amichai Lau-Lavie from Storahtelling, Rabbi Arnold Samlan from the Board of Jewish Education, as well other prominent leaders.

To register or get more info email METNY at metnyed@uscj.org or call 212-533-7800 x 2161

*Cost is $36/adult and $18/student; the day will include both breakfast and lunch. Books by both Rabbi Neil Gillman and Dr. Ron Wolfson will be available for purchase, as well as other titles related to Jewish life and education. To view the schedule, click here. To register, click here. (Both links are PDFs.)

Paper Clips: a film directed by Joe Fab and Elliot Berlin.

February 10, 2008 - 4:00 PM

Tickets $5 - free popcorn - discussion following movie.

A documentary about a small town's efforts to comprehend the Holocaust.

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Whitwell - a tiny, almost exclusively white Christian community - is nestled deep in the mountains of Tennessee. It is pretty much an insular community, but in 1998, something happened in a classroom, launching its students into an unlikely project.

During a history lesson on the Holocaust, students learned that Nazis had exterminated over 6 million Jewish people. One student bravely asked what 6 million looked like. He could not conceptualize so large a number.