TOASTING OUR PAST- TASTING OUR FUTURE 

MIDWEST LEGACY EVENT/ HOUSE FUNDRAISERS, 2012 

Legacy House Party celebrating your congregation and the Reconstructionist  movement 

(FRCH/JRF established 1955) 

-        You may be aware that every year, each region has some sort of event designed to celebrate the movement and recognize the accomplishments in the region and by its members, but also fundraise for the movement's sustenance.  This year, because we are getting closer to the restructuring of the movement, the events will be centered around celebrating the history of the movement. The Midwest Regional leadership has decided to make this simpler than a the typical, large, central, big ticket price event, and instead, give each congregation the opportunity to celebrate yourselves in the context of being part of the movement and use it as a modest fundraising event for the ongoing sustenance of JRF.

SO we're asking each cong to hold a House Party celebrating your congregation and the Reconstructionist  movement, with the goals:

GoaTo have about 20-30 congregants over to a designated house for a celebration and a look back at your synagogue accomplishments during the years with FRCH/JRF.

-        To show the JRF provided DVD (includes photos from member congregations) on a TV screen, running throughout the evening.

-        To have a Legacy book or two for viewing during the evening,

-        To take orders for the book if anyone wanted to have their own copy. (JRF will provide)

-          serve wine and cheese or champagne and chocolate and strawberries and call it for a couple of hours, weeknight or weekend.

-          charge suggested $36. to attend the event (all proceeds going to the JRF event, you know your communities best- adjust as needed. Also consider getting higher donation from members with more resources to underwrite for those who may not be able to afford).  

  donate home/refreshments.  

-           answer questions , using up-to-date information about the restructuring  process and invite discussion, enthusiasm about what happens next to our movement.

JRF Legacy “yearbook” (Being handled by Beit Devorah: JRF central Office in Philadelphia- go to http://jrf.org/jrf-salutes-legacy-book)

-           As the JRF and the RRC (Reconstructionist Rabbinical College) continue towards restructuring the movement, we are celebrating the legacy of our first half-century as a congregational movement. We want to create a Legacy book to highlight JRF and our communities. Our goal is to recognize every congregation, your leadership and your self-defined major achievements. As we move forward in the process of restructuring of our central institutions (coming out of the unification vote in April 2011) we celebrate the evolution of FRCH/JRF through the years, (soft-cover book format, with lots of pictures)

-        We will highlight each of our congregations

-        We will highlight important or historic events in our history

-        We will do a mailing and offer this book to donors who give at the $118 level or higher

Being obtained from congregations through central office and website uploading: your name, your congregation name, congregation city and state, the year your congregation was founded, highlights and proud accomplishments from your congregation (e.g. you were the first green synagogue in your community, largest number of children at Camp JRF, helped to start a community organizing initiative in your community, interfaith relations, building a building, etc.), a paragraph about your congregation, then up to 10 photos representing different areas of congregational life from such as:

-          Education Highlights

-          Camp Highlights

-          Congregational Leadership and Governance

-          Capital Campaigns

-          Regional Events

-          Conventions- Years and Themes

-          Noar Hadash

-          Ritual and Spiritual Practice

-          Israel

-          Tikkun Olam (internal policies/programs, external activism)

-          Harmoniyah- Music and Liturgy