December Newsletter

Wrapping Up 2019

Audrey Lichter is Executive Director of Chai Mitzvah

Dear Friends,

It’s hard to believe, but Chai Mitzvah is now completing its 10th year. Having started as an idea with a small pilot in Hartford CT, we are proud to say that now over 7,000 people have “grown their Judaism” and become a Chai Mitzvah. Chai Mitzvah groups can be found all around the country, in Canada and some overseas … not to mention our robust Israel program, Masa Chai. We work with all denominations of Judaism, in organizations, synagogues, and in informal friendship and affinity groups. We also have a robust teen program, engaging 500 teens a year and providing scholarships to those that finish our program to travel to Israel.

Here are some highlights of this past year:

• We ended last year with 100 groups and 1,000 participants and are on track for the same or more this year. We sent 103 teens who completed the Chai Mitzvah teen program to Israel on a summer stipend for Israel travel and ended last year with over 500 teens completing the Chai Mitzvah curriculum. Again, we are on track for  the same success this year.
• We are in the second year of our Ignite Initiative working with 5 cities around the country to bring Chai Mitzvah to their communities: (Tampa, Ann Arbor, Indianapolis, Pittsburgh and Kansas City.) We have worked to create groups throughout these communities through Community Coordinators housed in Jewish Federations and JCC’s.
• We partnered with Aseret Global to launch a new, very successful, Teen and Adult  curriculum, Aseret: The Big Ten. Almost half our groups are using the curriculum this year.
• Chai Mitzvah has entered a partnership with Scott Shay, our Board President and Founder, to publicize his new book, In Good Faith: Questioning Religion and Atheism.  We have been disseminating his book, creating a series of Conversation Guides and creating In Good Faith Conversation groups around the country. Similar to our Chai Mitzvah groups, these groups are tackling his creative and well studied defense of monotheism. We are excited to work with his team to spark the conversation!
• We are working on expanding our on-line learning through virtual classes. We are especially excited about working with the elderly population who are often unable to meet in person.
• We have established a partnership with the Mussar Institute to co-brand our materials and forge stronger ties to the Mussar movement.
• As we look to next year, we will renew our emphasis on creating informal friendship and affinity groups called Chai@Home. Of course, we will continue to work with all of our partner organizations and congregations to help them better engage their members.

These are just some of our highlights. We are grateful to our Board and especially to the dedication of our Board Chair, Scott Shay, in his tireless efforts to make sure Chai Mitzvah has the resources it needs to continue our mission to grow friendship and spiritual engagement and to spur meaningful dialogue through Jewish text throughout the Jewish community and beyond.

 

With warm Chanukah wishes,

 

 

 

Chai Mitzvah Ambassadors:

A Special Opportunity for Members of the Chai Mitzvah Family

If you love Chai Mitzvah, you’ll love the opportunity to be part of something new: The Chai Mitzvah Ambassadors Program.

The program was created for two reasons. First, as a way to say thank you to members of the Chai Mitzvah family by offering a special, one-time virtual Mussar class with Rabbi Debra Smith (Reb Deb). She will cover a middah that was not included in the Chai Mitzvah Mussar curriculum, SHTIKA, or Silence. (More about that to come.)

The second goal of the Chai Mitzvah Ambassadors Program is to let new people know about Chai Mitzvah – how friendship grows around meaningful conversation, and the spiritual and personal growth we share. In order to get the word out, we ask each Chai Mitzvah Ambassador to bring one friend who is new to Chai Mitzvah to attend Reb Deb’s virtual class.

How do we develop the spiritual practice of silence in order to grow our souls?
This will be the topic of the Chai Mitzvah Ambassadors learning session
on Thursday, January 9 from 7:00 – 8:30 PM.

If you and a friend would like to be part of this one time special session, please contact Nina Woldin, nina@chaimitzvah.org

As promised, more about SHTIKA: If and when we speak, we do not realize the power our words have on others. Once we speak, our words cannot be taken back. Our words are long remembered by those who have received them. This will be the topic of the special session.

 

In Good Faith: Finance, Faith, and God

Scott A. Shay, author of In Good Faith: Questioning Religion and Atheism, joins Greg Levine (host of Your Personal CFOPodcast) to discuss finance, faith, and God.  Click here to hear the podcast.

Scott is the founder of Chai Mitzvah and his book is the basis of our new program In Good Faith Discussion Groups. Consider starting an In Good Faith Discussion Group.  Click here to order a complimentary copy of In Good Faith.  Click here to download a free In Good Faith Conversation Guide.

For more information about In Good Faith, visit www.scottshay.com

 

CM Connectors

For more information about CM Connectors, contact Audrey Lichter, audrey@chaimitzvah.org

Welcome New and Returning Groups

This month we welcome 10 new & returning groups to the Chai Mitzvah family! If your new or returning group is not listed, please let us know!

Goldberg Family Group – Virtual
Tampa JCC Staff – Tampa, FL
Congregation Beth Hatikvah – Summit, NJ
NCSY – New York, NY
Congregation Beth Yeshurun – Houston, TX
Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy – Overland Park, KS
Emanuel Synagogue – West Hartford, CT
Temple Concord – Binghamton, NY
Breaking Chains – Hamden, CT
Temple Emanu-El – Marblehead, MA

To register a new group, click here.

 

Chai@Home

For more information about Chai@Home, contact Nina Woldin, nina@chaimitzvah.org