Adopt a Community

We are seeking sponsors for each Beit Polska community.Currently, Temple Beth Israel in Pomona, California (reform) has established a twinning program with Beit Polska. We are in the middle of negotiating two additional “twinning relationships.” Our objective is to increase this to 10.

We see the model as based on the successful “twinning” programs pioneered by the World Union for Progressive Judaism in their work with Jewish communities in the Former Soviet Union. This model consists of a combination of volunteer effort, strategic use of modest funds, and the new kind of “twinning” via skype that can make the relationship significant in each community. Sharing discussions on books, music, and topical challenges faced by Jews around the world can provide the substance of a real relationship. Each new Beit has modest but recurring costs for rent, heating bills, subsidized Holiday meals, and the need to pay for prayer leaders, travel expenses, and modest stipends.

Three communities are currently recognized by the Polish government and European Union for Progressive Judaism as full-fledged communities (gemina), and nine more communities are in various stages of organization. The full-fledged communities are Beit Warszawa, Beit Konstancin, and Beit Trojmiasto. Considerable effort is needed to develop the following new
communities: Beit Poznan, Beit Katowice, Beit Lodz, Beit Lublin, and Beit Bialystok. We could expand to develop Beit Zakopane, Beit Wroclaw, Beit Lubsko, and Beit Miezyche (“between the rivers”).

The new Beit Polska community in the city of Gdansk, called Beit Trojmiasto (Tri-cities) has acquired an apartment from the city of Gdansk at a basic annual rent of $3,000. There is a need to remodel (paint, fix plumbing etc.) the recently acquired apartment that will serve as a synagogue/social hall. New communities in other cities have similar financial need for their
physical plants.

Objectives

• Achieve a total 10 “twinning” connections with reform and conservative synagogues throughout the world–one twin for each Beit.
• Each Beit will establish minimum 3 projects with their respective outside twin congregation
• Outside twin to contribute minimum $2,000 towards its Beit’s $10,000/year budget
• provide on-going and steady presence in more cities

Activities:

• Follow-up with congregations that come to visit
• Publicize through the various movements to visit Beit Warszawa and commit to a twinning relationship
• Participate in Central Conference of American Rabbis annual conference in March 2015, to seek rabbis for visiting Beit Polska communities to teach and develop a relationship.
• Read a book in English/Polish and discuss
• Have an ambassador from each Beit and outside twin to visit the other for a Shabbat weekend.
• Regular joint committee (of 2 people on each side) for monthly skype communication
• Moral and cultural support: e.g., practical synagogue practice and procedures
• Building relationships with Jewish communities around the world. Through the use of skype we have hosted conversations among young people attending summer camp; book discussion groups dealing with Polish Jewish history as well as conversations among Jews by Choice.
• Crowd funded projects – we need to remodel an apartment for $5000 in Gdansk. There will be others
• Bar/Bat Mitzvah service projects at various congregations might be the kernel of a twinning relationship

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