State of the Spirit 

Winter 5781

 
Dear Brothers/Achim (אחים),

We are clearly living in troubled times. Political, health, economic and personal strife abounds. And there is much cause for concern, wariness and perhaps even fear. What does a Mensch do in troubled times? He does the same thing he does in good times; takes care of himself, his family, his community and practices Tikkun Olam. He focuses on living the Menschwork values of Compassion, Integrity and Spirit.
 

Click to Read Menschwork’s Mission Statement and Core Values

As Chair of our organization, I also ask you to take action. We are comprised of an unbelievable group of men with professional and experientially developed skills. What are you passionate about? Your brothers in Menschwork and the men we will reach in the future need your volunteer support. Can you offer your skills for an hour or two a week? We have a number of great projects that are now on hold because we need men whose skills you may have: communications, social media, marketing, data base management, fund raising & grant writing, group leadership, administration, legal affairs, and others.

If you step forward to offer your expertise you will be rewarded with a deepening of the special relationships we share as participants in Menschwork. If so, please either reply to this email or drop me a note at Chair@Menschwork.org.

Also take a look at the great Jewish centered activities that we offer. Pick one and join in.

May the blessings of our faith sustain you and yours,
Marc Jacobs, Chair

SUPPORT MENSCHWORK’S PROGRAMS

Menschwork has no membership fees; all operating funds are derived from program registration fees and donations.  Please consider making a donation to Menschwork to help underwrite scholarships, programs and resources we continue to develop and offer.

Spread the miracle of brotherhood and love to all!
 

COURSES
Drum Your Prayers

Is your passion music?  JoJo Kottler and Mitch Gordon offer Drum Your Prayers, a six session program that builds off of their Pathways session at JMR29.  The class begins January 20, 2021.  Register at www.menschwork.org/drumyourprayers.

Mussar
The current 6 month class of Mussar for Mensches is being taught by Herb Levine who many of you know from his strong contributions to Menschwork over the years. The class focuses on midot,ways of living our Jewish values – through study, practice, reflection and journaling. It meets as a full group (va’ad) and in pairs (chavruta).

ON-GOING PROGRAMS
Webinars
Every other month we host a Webinar presentation and discussion.  Several of the coming year’s webinars build off of the engaging Pathways sessions at JMR29.  The next webinar, on February 10, 2021, is Tikkun Olam:  Amazing Things Happen When Mensches Take Action.  Learn more about the Menschwork Webinar series and register for webinars by visiting www.menschwork.org/webinars.  Is there a topic that would interest you, either as a facilitator or attendee?  Contact us at webinars@menschwork.org.

On-Line Mishpacha Groups
Menschwork’s newest online offering are virtual Mishpacha Groups.  We currently are adding two additional groups that will regularly meet twice per month  Please contact info@menschwork.org if you are interested in joining the new groups.

What is mishpacha? It means family. On the JMR weekends we form small groups of 5-8 men to explore the retreat’s theme. Many participants feel their Mishpacha Group is their deepest experience on the weekend.

MenschGroups
Are you unable to commit to a regular Mishpacha group?  Then drop
into MenschGroups, which meets from 8-9 pm on the first and third Tuesdays of each month. Many of us are struggling during these troubled times. MenschGroups provides Jewish men with the opportunity to check-in with our brothers. When you give voice to your concerns and feelings you will find that others may feel similarly and are there to support you. The Zoom access link is https://zoom.us/j/680821012.

ANNUAL EVENTS
JMR 30
The JMR30 co-chairs David Malchman, Michael Landau, and Bill Magaliff are excited by their current very dynamic planning process. Prior to developing actual detailed operational plans for JMR 30, the team is focusing on team building by learning together by discussing Jewish texts on their scheduled calls. Later in the year they will actually make those plans operational. There is still time for you to join the team.  If you’d like to do so please email them at JMR30@menschwork.org.

OTHER AREAS OF INTEREST
Alumni
The Wisdom Council leadership rotates over time (2 year terms). So we now have a group of men who have served on the Wisdom Council and have rotated off. They are a good resource for the development and growth of Menschwork. Should you be part of our alumni and want to explore additional ways to support Menschwork, you may reach out to the Wisdom Council alumni at  info@menschwork.org.

STRATEGIC PLANNING
In the spring of 2019, the Wisdom Council authorized a committee to develop a Strategic Plan for the development and expansion of Menschwork. Then Chair Mark Dwortzan appointed Marc Jacobs as committee chair. In the spring of 2020, the Wisdom Council approved the plan of the committee. Currently there are committees working on implementation for hiring part time staff, developing programming guidelines and fund raising.

LEADERSHIP
This past December, the Wisdom Council re-elected Harold Belkowitz and Simon Olsberg to second terms on the Wisdom Counsel.  Marc Kronisch and Cobi Waxman were elected to join the Wisdom Council starting January 1, 2021. In addition, the Wisdom Council elected the following brothers as the 2021 Officers:

Chairperson:              Marc Jacobs
Vice-Chairperson:     Simon Olsberg
Secretary:                    Michael Landau
Treasurer:                   Harold Belkowitz

Blessings,

Marc Jacobs, Chair
Simon Olsberg, Vice-Chair
Harold Belkowitz, Treasurer
Michael Landau, Secretary
Yosaif August
Reb Shawn Zevit
Ralph Benmergui
Michael Evers
Josef Kottler
Marc Kronisch
Cobi Waxman

State of the Spirit – Winter 5781 (2020-21)