Newsletter November 30, 2020 Together, we're #keepingitsacred... |
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Keeping It Sacred has existed for 1 year as of November 2020. We have had some incredible and transformative, indeed sacred, moments throughout that time. Each exquisite; and to celebrate, we have worked on revamping our logo and website so that now they, too, reflect the beauty of this past year and all that we're building in the future. Each element was carefully planned and thought through. KEEPING IT SACRED: The idea is that life is special, and we aim to bring in a depth of awareness of that idea through text study and rituals that are accessible, relevant and empowering. THE ACRONYM "KITS": This is in honor of my beloved grandmother, Fruma "Kit" Endler, may her memory be a blessing, who always illuminated the beauty and strength of the tradition for me. THE INTERLINKED CIRCLES: This represents the unbroken chain of tradition of Torah study that we benefit from and are part of. It also represents wedding rings and the bonds between THE CRESCENTS: When the circles overlap, they form crescent moons which are reminiscent of the lunar phases that help set the rhythm for the Jewish spans of time. THE BRAIDED HAVDALAH CANDLE: Havdalah is the ceremony that is done at the conclusion of Shabbat, a time when we are hoping to keep the sacredness of the day present and real with us for just a few more moments. Though, some people may see a challah in the center-- in which case, great! Everyone loves challah! PURPLE: for royalty and spirituality. NAVY BLUE: for strength, empowerment, and truth. TURQUOISE: accessibility, refreshment that the living waters that the Torah supplies. SERIF FONT: to represent the traditional and the past. SANS-SERIF FONT: to represent the modern and relevant. ACCESSIBLE, RELEVANT, EMPOWERING: these are our three core pillars that we incorporate into every text study, ritual and gathering we assemble. I hope you feel as proud as I do to be part of this exceptional community, and now also feel well represented by this beautiful logo and website (www.keepingitsacred.com). We are set up to bring beauty into our upcoming year ahead. Together, we're #keepingitsacred... Rabbi Heather Miller, Founder, Keeping It Sacred |
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All 7-episodes of our NEW web series, People Keeping It Sacred, are now LIVE on YouTube! The series features Rabbi Miller interviewing some truly inspiring people who are Keeping It Sacred in the world. THIS WEEK-- Rabbi Miller interviews the Rev. Dr. Sarah Halverson! The Rev. Dr. Sarah Halverson-Cano is Senior Pastor at Irvine United Congregational Church. Prior to this, she was the pastor at Fairview Community Church, a congregation of both the American Baptist Churches (ABC) and the United Church of Christ (UCC) since 2006. The church is proudly progressive in conservative Orange County. With a strong ministry of social justice, she has served on the board of the Southern California ACLU, Progressive Christians Uniting, Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice, and is currently the president of the Newport-Mesa-Irvine Interfaith Council. She and her partner in life, Markyce Halverson-Cano, met on a church mission trip in Guatemala and share a love of Central America and their two children. In this episode (S1E7) with the Rev. Dr. Sarah Halverson, topics discussed include: - The prophetic mandate
- Serving the broader community
- A moral obligation to care for one another
- Politics on the pulpit
- Reforming religion with relevance
- Quarantine as a moment to reimagine
Please remember to like, comment, and subscribe on YouTube! And, if you would like to share ideas about future guests on the show, or inquire about sponsoring episodes for season 2, please contact Rabbi Miller at rabbiheathermiller@gmail.com. |
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HANUKKAH WITH KEEPING IT SACRED |
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Celebrate the third night of Hanukkah with us! Rabbi Miller will provide the teachings, Jeffrey Silverstein (from our HHD programming) will provide the music. And together, we will bring in the light of this Festival of Lights. If you have a Hanukkiah/menorah at home, bring it to share the story of how it came into your life. Sunday, 12/13 at 5pm PT/8pm ET. All are welcome! |
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HOMELESS REMEMBRANCE: THE LONGEST NIGHT |
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Sunday, 12/21 at 7pm PT/10pm ET, join us as we observe The Longest Night with our friends at Women Drivers and the Interfaith Council of Greater Rancho Santa Margarita. It is the Winter Solstice, literally the longest night of the year, and appropriately, we remember all those who have died on the streets. This particular observance will mark those who died in Orange County this year. Rabbi Miller will offer up the Mourner's Kaddish during this service. To register, please email Rabbi Miller at rabbimiller@keepingitsacred.com. |
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A CHRISTMAS EVE INVITATION |
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In the spirit of interfaith appreciation, The Very Reverend Keith Yamamoto has invited Rabbi Heather Miller to participate in the St. Mark's Episcopal Parish Christmas Eve services. They will be broadcast December 24 at 5pm PT and again at 10:30pm PT on their Facebook Live page and on their YouTube channel. All are welcome. |
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Please save the dates for our upcoming two-session adult learning program called Access Judaism. Full class lineup personally designed by Rabbi Miller above. Classes have a suggested donation of $25 per class, or $180 per session. Please email rabbimiller@keepingitsacred.com to RSVP. |
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Happy new week! The reflection called "New Life," on this week's Torah Portion Vayishlach, Genesis 32:4-36:43, can be found HERE: |
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BOOK GROUP: THE REVOLUTION WILL NOT BE FUNDED |
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Rabbi Miller has joined with several faith leader colleagues to discuss the book: The Revolution Will Not Be Funded by INCITE! Women of Color Against Violence. Please email rabbimiller@keepingitsacred.com to join the Facebook Group discussing the topic of the Non-Profit industrial complex. |
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Ever want to jump into a conversation with the rabbinic sages of old? Now you can! Join us as we study a page of Talmud every day, adding our perspectives and the relevance to our own lives as we go along. The more varied the participants the deeper the conversations. Thursdays 11am PT. Currently, we are 91 members strong from 17 different states and 3 countries! We are: People interested in becoming Jewish Members of various Jewish denominations Clergy Lay leaders Retired people People who are not Jewish We are in our 20s to 80s, and we are everywhere on the spectrum of gender. Build community affirming of one another’s journey in the sea of Talmud with us! Benefit from the wisdom of Jewish tradition! What people say: "Talmud study has opened a window to that world for me. I love the anthropology and sociology of it all." "The minority opinions may someday count as much as the majority opinions. It reminds us that things change the Halacha changes and we change each year that we read it." "We have the opportunity to compare the Halacha we are practicing today with the one they were writing and studying in the Talmud... It has been very interesting how things have evolved how we keep the tradition in our own way." "I feel very close to this amazing group and I'm grateful to Rabbi Miller for conducting it." To join, send Rabbi Miller an email or DM on Facebook to be added to the closed, secret Facebook group and/or the weekly text study group. And look for us on Instagram daily HERE. |
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Last week, Rabbi Miller and Keeping It Sacred joined with the community of Rabbi Emma Gottlieb of Beit Yisrael in Cape Town, South Africa, for a lively discussion of the Great Democratization of the Talmud. Why are we putting in so much effort to learn Talmud? How is Jewish tradition forever shaped by those who sit at the table and study it? How can you get involved? All of these are addressed in this class. See the recorded study HERE: |
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UPCOMING EVENTS: EVERY DAY Please enjoy our 7-episode web series and podcast: People Keeping It Sacred on YouTube HERE or at: Or on your favorite podcast players (like: Spotify Google Podcasts, Apple + Podcasts, RadioPublic, Breaker, and PocketCasts). ONGOING: SPIRITUAL COUNSELING Rabbi Miller is available for 1-on-1 spiritual counseling; pay what you can. Topics are based upon the participant and can include your personal theological understanding of coronavirus, spiritually making space for others in your home, the spirituality of isolation and finding your way back to sacred connection. Please request a meeting by contacting her at rabbimiller@keepingitsacred.com. EVERY THURSDAY: PRAYER CIRCLE Join us as we gather Thursdays for a Prayer Circle. Lift up names of those who are ill, and join together for support and community. All are welcome. 10:30am PST/ 1:30pm EST/ 2:30pm Brazil time, 6:30pm London-time. Contact rabbimiller@keepingitsacred.com to request the link and password. EVERY THURSDAY: KEEPING IT SACRED-DAF YOMI GROUP MEET-UP Our Facebook group will host our next virtual meetup via zoom. For the link to attend this meeting Thursdays 11am PST, 2pm EST, 3pm Brazil time, 7pm London time, please contact Rabbi Miller directly at rabbimiller@keepingitsacred.com. SUNDAY, 12/13: SHINE YOUR LIGHT: A HANUKKAH CELEBRATION Sunday, 12/13 at 5pm PT/8pm ET, celebrate the third night of Hanukkah with us! Rabbi Miller will provide the teachings, Jeffrey Silverstein (from our HHD programming) will provide the music. And together, we will bring in the light of this Festival of Lights. If you have a Hanukkah/menorah at home, bring it to share the story of it in your life. All are welcome! To register, please email Rabbi Miller at rabbimiller@keepingitsacred.com. MONDAY, 12/21: THE LONGEST NIGHT Sunday, 12/21 at 7pm PT/10pm ET, join us as we observe The Longest Night. It is the Winter Solstice, literally the longest night of the year, and appropriately, we remember all those who have died on the streets. This particular observance will mark those who died in Orange County this year. To register, please email Rabbi Miller at rabbimiller@keepingitsacred.com. THURSDAY, 12/24: ST. MARK'S EPISCOPAL CHRISTMAS EVE SERVICES Thursday, 12/24, Keeping It Sacred has been invited to enjoy St. Mark's Episcopal Church Christmas Eve services as an expression of interfaith outreach and love. Rabbi Miller will offer a reading from the Tanakh in Hebrew as she helps her friend, The Very Rev. Keith Yamamoto and his parish celebrate their holy day. This event will be made available live on the church's Facebook and YouTube channels at 5pm PT and 10:30pm PT. No registration required. 2021: ACCESS JUDAISM: ADULT EDUCATION CLASSES Please save the dates for accessible, relevant, and empowering Jewish learning! Classes will be held at 9am PT/noon ET via zoom. Session 1 dates are: 1/17 Personal Inventory of Belief, 1/24 Radical Responsibility for the World, 1/31 Demystifying Denominational Differences, 2/7 The Flavors of the Holy Books, 2/14 One for Every Mood: The Jewish Holidays, 2/21 Jewish Intermarriage: A History, 2/28 The Righteous Economic Vision of the Rabbis, and 3/7 The Kabbalistic Non-Binary God. Session 2 dates are: 4/11 The Intelligent Design of the Prayerbook, 4/18 Reform Renovations of the Prayerbook, 4/25 Rituals as Markers of Transition, 5/2 The Characteristics of a Good Jew, 5/9 Slam Poetry in the Golden Age, 5/16 Bad Theology: Terrible Explanations of Why the Righteous Suffer, 5/23 Siblings or Cousins?: Jews and Christians in the First Century, and 5/30 Before You Die Consider these Rabbinic Thoughts. Please see keepingitsacred.com/accessjudaism or email Rabbi Miller if you're interested in these courses at rabbimiller@keepingitsacred.com. THANK YOU! You are a cherished member of this community and we love to hear from you-- what questions do you have? Reach out to rabbimiller@keepingitsacred.com or via phone at 818-312-8388 anytime to let us know what you’re finding meaningful, inspiring and what you’d like to see. Together, we're #keepingitsacred... |
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We'd love for you to forward this to a friend to invite them to sign up, too! |
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If you’d like to make sure that this kind of quality programming by Keeping It Sacred continues, please consider making a donation via: PayPal using the link here Venmo username: @keepingitsacred, or Check may be made out to Keeping It Sacred and mailed to: 27068 La Paz Rd. #781, Aliso Viejo, CA 92656 Thank you for #keepingitsacred... |
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