Your Seder Input Is Wanted...
In JDCC News November/December 2001 issue #55 and January/February
2002 #56, a Community poll was printed to determine the community's input
regarding to the possibility of Jewish Deaf Community Center and Temple
Beth
Solomon doing a Community Seder project. events.
Looking Back
To refresh our memories, here is a recap of what was said:
One Jewish Deaf Seder Or Not?
In recent years some Jewish Deaf people in the Southern California have
found themselves in awkward position of trying to attend JDCC and TBS
Seders. Although each organization has scheduled their Seder
on different night, some people cannot afford to attend both events. Some
people also think it is silly to have two separate small groups
celebrating the same Jewish holiday in two different locations. Wouldn't
it be great, some people think, to have one big family to celebrate
Passover, the most popular Jewish holiday of the year? After JDCC's board
meeting, JDCC passed a motion to approach TBS to explore the feasibility
of conducting a joint Multimedia Community Seder next year.
In the fall of 2002, a committee of three representatives of JDCC and TBS was formed and was eventually dissolved due to no productive results.
Temple Beth Solomon for the Deaf president Joe Slotnick has announced
that they have dissolved their Seder committee and are suspending their
own community seder plans for 2003. Instead they will encourage TBS
members to attend the JDCC Multimedia Community Seder in 2003. They have
decided not to make it a joint endeavor. They say they will get feedback
on what they'd like to do in 2004.
In an editorial in the September 2003 issue of Temple Beth Solomon's
Congregation News, Slotnick wrote, "We will resume our Passover seder in
2004 at a place to be determined soon. Last year, as you all know, we
encouraged our members to attend the JDCC Seder and see how it was done
while we dropped our seder completely. This has not been met with
complete satisfaction to all members of TBS, so we will resume our seder
once again. You will be hearing plans about it in coming issues of
the CN."
A good number of TBS members attended our recent Seder and we thank them for giving JDCC an opportunity and experience the multimedia concept. We had a survey done and the response to the multimedia was overwhelmingly positive.
In my editorial report, I mentioned that we hope to work together with TBS however we just got a letter asking us to cancel JDCC's 2004 Seder. So on behalf of the JDCC Board, we want to ask the community for their input. We will print all the community's responses in the next issue to feel out the output and make the board's decision...
As of September 10th, we have not received a response to our letter.
For a copy of the past issues on this Joint Community Seder issue, you
can find it in the Archives on JDCC's website - www.jdcc.org, see
November/December 2001 #55 and January/February 2002 #56 for more
details on what transpired with this project...
Letter from Temple Beth Solomon of the deaf to Sharon Dror:
11 July 2003
To Sharon A. Dror, President, and the JDCC Board:
From Joe Slotnick, President, Temple Beth Solomon of the Deaf
Greetings, Sharon!
At our last General Membership meeting the following took place:
The members of TBS who had attended the 2003 JDCC Seder discussed the
event and gave their feedback. The general feeling was that in order to
have any semblance of a "JOINT" Seder in the future, both sides each
really needed to see what the other has to offer. TBS had made the first
move, cancelling its 2003 seder and encouraging its members to attend the
JDCC Seder instead. The feeling of the membership now is that the JDCC
should cancel their
2004 Seder and encourage its followers to attend the TBS Seder in 2004.
The motion was made and passed that “before we investigate setting up
another committee to look into having a joint Seder with the JDCC, we
invite them to cancel their 2004 Seder and encourage all their people to
attend our 2004 Seder, for which we will provide kosher food.”
Motion was further made and passed that this message be conveyed to the
JDCC Board as soon as possible so that plans for the Seder could be
formulated.
Can we have your feelings and ideas on this, Sharon and fellow JDCC
Board members?
Thank you very much, and a joyous good summer to all.
Shalom,
Joe Slotnick
cc: TBS Board members.
JDCC's Response to Temple Beth Solomon for the Deaf
July 27, 2003
Dear President Joe Slotnick,
Thanks for your recent e-mail which I have discussed with our board members. We do have some questions that needs to be clarified before we make any decisions in regard to next years Seder plans.
The Seder survey indicated positive response to the multimedia concept and JDCC also received an offer of assistance to producing a new version for next year's Community Seder.
Have you determined a possible location for the Seder and will catering be kosher for Passover?
Will childcare be provided? There were 25 children in the latest Community Seder.
Will TBS provide financial assistance for those that cannot afford the
full rate, and provide tactile interpreters for deaf/blind patrons?
We appreciate your follow up on the Seder plans and will await your answers. As the Community Seder has become a major event, the JDCC board also discussed possibly doing a poll in JDCC News again to allow the community to express their thoughts.
Shalom,
Sharon Ann Dror, President
cc: TBS Board members
JDCC Board members