Community
| Sample of Chavurot |
 |
 |
 |
|
Hagafen Chavurah We are the Hagafen Chavurah. Relatively speaking, we are a new Chavurah at Temple Kol Tikvah, having formed about a year ago, but some of us have been members for a long time. We had talked about forming a Chavurah for almost a year before we actually did. We have a couple of unifying factors: first we are all about in the same age group (late 40s to mid 50s), we all have children, we all have made a conscious decision that belonging to a synagogue – and specifically this synagogue- is important in our lives, and we all share a love of fine wine and good food. Most of us have been involved in Temple leadership over the years, and we all met while fulfilling some role on behalf of the Temple – whether as a committee member, committee chair, member of the board, or just an active participant in Temple life. As we saw each other more and more frequently at Temple events, and took an ever increasing role in the leadership of the Temple, we realized that we shared many common values and interests. We began by going out to dinner occasionally, sharing a glass of wine, and exchanging life stories, but relating our lives to a spiritual center; we found we had much in common, and a large part of it centered around Temple life. We also found that another unifying factor was our love of good food and wine. Eventually, we decided to form a Chavurah. While we could continue to go out together for dinner once in a while and share some good times, we realized that for all of us, being part of the Temple community was an important aspect of what brought us together, and we wanted to perpetuate that. Yes, by virtue of our name (Hagafen Chavurah), the focus of our get-togethers is wine and food – but we are really much more than that. We all share a commitment to the on-going continuity and survival of our synagogue. We attend Temple events as a group, and support all of the on-going Temple events. We were a sponsor at the Purim Carnival, we sponsored a hole at the Golf Tournament, we attended the Temple’s annual Gala together, and we plan to continue our support of Temple Kol Tikvah as an important and integral part of our lives. We know that we can count on each other, not just to bring a really good bottle of wine to dinner, but also to help out when something unexpected happens, to be a support in trying times, and to be there for each other, no matter what. We are the Hagafen Chavurah – and we are Kol Tikvah Chavurah. The Kibbitzers Chavurah Our Chavurah, the Kibbitzers, formed in 2005 through our connection to the preschool. Since this time we have gone from 10 families to 8 and remain strong as a group of 8 families. We get together at the beginning of every year to plan out our yearly events… and try to have something planned at least once a month. We are mostly a social Chavurah although we do get together for celebration of some religious holidays. Sometimes we have family events and other times we have “couples only” events. Some events change from year to year and others remain the same. WE always do a park picnic for Yom Ha’atzmaut, have a Hanukkah party every year, have a beach day every summer, and have “girls’ night” (sometimes more than once!) We also try to give something back to our community every year. This past year we spent a day helping out at SOVA. As a group we have celebrated happy times together as well as supported each other through both illness and the loss of a loved one. All the kids really look forward to seeing each other as they are not all in the same school anymore. As grownups we look forward to getting together as “old friends” and enjoying each others company. It is nice to know that there are people out there that you can always count on to be there regardless of the reason. A Chavurah is a way to form life-long friendships and enjoy an ever smaller community among the larger Kol Tikvah community. We are the Kibbitzers – and we are a Kol Tikvah Chavurah. The Meshuganuts Chavurah Our Chavurah formed over seven years ago. We had all put our kids in the preschool and were connected through classes, activities and volunteering. But we were also connected by something more – a desire to interact with other families who had children of similar ages and adults with whom we enjoyed socializing. The first year, there were more families, different families. It took about two years to settle into our current state of eight families; in total there are close to 35 people when we are all together. We are pretty structured in how we operate. Every January, each family contributes a nominal amount (currently $100 per family) to a general account that we draw upon for donations, temple events and group activities. Everyone votes on how the money is spent. We calendar our year of events in the fall for the following year to help with planning; our hope is that this early planning will allow the greatest participation. We plan adult events every other month, family events in the alternate months; with standing events of an annual summer campout, 2nd night Rosh Hashanah dinner, Chanukah party, and two family Shabbat celebrations. Each family plans one of the events and, as two groups, we plan the Shabbat evenings. The events tend to be more social and cultural than religious, but it is left to each family to determine what they plan. Adult events have included concerts, dinners and game nights and, as families, we have gone to theme parks, laser tag, bowling, and to the beach. Costs for events are usually split equally among the participating families and we try to be considerate of costs so that is never the reason that a family (or couple) doesn’t participate. We have all always been very active in the synagogue: As preschool parents, board members, volunteers, in the Religious School, on the Board of Trustees, chairing events, and financially. As a group we try to sponsor or donate to and attend as many Temple fundraisers as possible – and we often make Kol Tikvah events our Chavurah events. Our kids have grown up together – most have been friends their entire lives. As they get older, it is amazing to see their bond. In the next couple of years we will celebrate seven B’nai Mitzvot together. We have been there for happy events: birthdays and holidays; but we have also cooked meals and watched each other kids in times of need; and we are there when there is a passing of a loved one. We are a family and when we are all together, there is a wonderful sharing and a true comfort together. The kids play amazingly well; the adults truly enjoy each other’s company. We are The Meshuganauts – and we are a Kol Tikvah Chavurah. P.S. I Love You Chavurah Our Chavurah has been in existence for 10 years and we have seen many changes within the temple and within our circle during this time. We have had as many as 11 families in our Chavurah. Now we are very content to have six families, 26 people in our group. We have one rule and that is you must be a temple member to remain in our Chavurah. Our Chavurah mostly revolves around Jewish events and we support our temple. We celebrate together Rosh Hashanah, Kol Nidre, Break the Fast, second night of Passover and Chanukah. We try to have a Shabbat dinner at one of our homes during the months when there are no Jewish holidays. We are all very active members of our temple and enjoy going to temple events as a group. If you were to ask any one of us, we would say we have become an extended family. Our children are like cousins to one another. The women do most of the planning. And the men enjoy each other’s company. In addition to our Jewish lives together, over the years we have had camp outs, adult nights out, we celebrate birthday breakfasts and share momentous occasions (such as graduations, 40 and 50th birthdays, nine Bar/Bat Mitzvahs and yes, also our parents’ funerals). The traditions we have built together are the cornerstones of our lives. We are P.S. I Love You – and we are a Kol Tikvah Chavurah. |