KA CC Archive Sep 2022

I was asked to write a brief article for this week’s Weekly Watch to discuss what’s going on with Brotherhood and future events. I’ll get to that, but I’d prefer to keep the focus on our dearly lost leader, friend, and mentor,

Barry Dvorchik. Barry brought Brotherhood up from dormancy five year ago. Thanks to his leadership and vision, Brotherhood is financially solvent, has increased membership, and is a vibrant part of the synagogue. He brought in the acclaimed Jewish bluegrass band (that’s a phrase you don’t hear too often!), Nefesh Mountain, for a wonderfully attended event that is still talked about today. Barry was there for me as a mentor and a friend, and I am forever grateful. He personally asked me to be President-Elect four years ago, and I greatly appreciated his vote of confidence in me.

Most importantly, Barry was a loving father, husband, and friend. On behalf of Brotherhood, we are sorry for our loss as a congregation, and especially want to leave our sympathies for Susan and his immediate family. Someone called me today after they heard the news and said maybe the greatest compliment one can get: “Barry was a mensch.” I agree. May his memory always be a blessing. We will attempt to reschedule our Hearing Men’s Voices session about “Trauma and the Jewish Response,” as it was planned for this Sunday, September 11.

Brotherhood is busy the next few months. Please note that all our upcoming events are open to the entire synagogue. We’ll be having our annual Craft Beer Night at the new location for Angry Chair Brewing on Thursday, September 22 at 7 p.m. (ages 21 and up). We’ll enjoy a flight of beers, a brief tour of the brewery, and one of the brewers or beer experts will explain the differences between beer styles. Thursday, October 13 at 6:30 p.m. will be “Steaks in the Sukkah.” $36 ($18 for kids 15 and under) will get you a nice kosher steak (or chicken for those who don’t eat red meat), a baked potato, vegetable, and watermelon. We’ll have some scotch as well. If you weren’t scared from the previous day, Tuesday, November 1 at 8 PM will be Movie Night in the Social Hall for the underutilized genre of “Jewish supernatural horror films.” Join us in watching “The Vigil (2019).” We’ll have popcorn and a few snacks. No charge for this event. The movie lasts 88 minutes. Sunday, November 6 will be our popular new annual tradition of Firearm Safety Day. Please stay tuned for more specific details. We look forward to seeing you at some of these events!

As always, please feel free to email me with any questions, suggestions or comments at brotherhood.kolami@gmail.com