Committee News - February 2006
Social Action is Calling You
FEBRUARY 12 is Highway Clean-up Day
Social Action needs your help in cleaning up our section of Highway 165 in Placitas. We are supposed to do four clean-ups per year to fulfill our obligation and maintain the right to post the sign with our name on it. It has become increasingly difficult to get folks to turn out for this pleasant activity, when the weather is good. The date coming up is SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 12, and we hope that it will not be cold or snowy. In that case, do NOT show up! If the weather looks decent, take Exit 242 on I-25, to arrive at 9:00 am; park just off the right hand shoulder. Usually, we spread out, work for one to two hours, and gather for coffee and cake at Barb & Del's house afterward. If you can help, especially Placitas families, please email us at . CA member Tom Ashe, also a Placitas resident, is enlisting other local groups to get the highway in shape on a regular basis. Future dates: Sundays, April 23, June 25, and September 17.
Open Mind Brown Bag Lunch
Our guest speaker will be
Ruth WeinerTopic: Confessions of a Former Anti-Nuclear Activist
Tuesday, February 28, 2006
12:00 noonDr. Weiner, a Member of the Technical Staff at Sandia National Laboratories, serves on the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission's Advisory Committee on Nuclear Waste and is an adjunct professor in the Nuclear Engineering Department of the University of Michigan. Recently named a Fellow of the American Nuclear Society, her specialty is the transportation of radioactive materials.
For information, please call Janice Goodman or Pearl Gross.
Gateways: one family's story
From Dana Reynolds...When my Catholic husband and I married, we knew we would have to address the issue of our different religious backgrounds. This became more apparent when we gave birth to our sons, Evan, now two years old, and Bowen, six months. Although my husband Jeff still practices Catholicism, he agreed to raise our children in the Jewish faith. Still, many dilemmas remained. I wanted our family to belong to a house of worship in which Jeff would feel as comfortable as I do. I wanted him to be accepted for who he is and able to participate as he wished.
We have found this place and achieved this balance through Congregation Albert's Gateways program. Through thought-provoking conversations and questions facilitated by Program Director Judie Ning, we have addressed many of the issues that interfaith couples encounter. Non-Jews in Gateways are never pressured to convert to Judaism. The program's goal is to help parents discover comfortable ways of raising their children in a mixed-faith household. It is beneficial to address issues now, before they arise in the future. This dialogue provides a foundation on which we will raise our children.
For the two year duration of the program, Gateways offers an opportunity for unaffiliated families to participate in synagogue activities. For us, it's been the chance to take our time making decisions while feeling part of a spiritual community. Congregation Albert has become a place where the whole family feels comfortable. Evan began preschool here in January, I have become a member of Sisterhood, and Jeff has attended a Brotherhood event. We are grateful to Gateways for providing the bridge for interfaith families to become part of Congregation Albert.
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