Diversity Breakfast and other WISDOM events

Dear WISDOM Sisters:



This morning WISDOM Vice President Trish Harris was honored as one of 41 diversity champions at the Race Relations and Diversity Task Force’s Ninth Annual Diversity Champion Honor Roll Breakfast as someone who has worked hard to welcome diversity and to build and maintain an open community which will not tolerate racism or prejudice. WISDOM wrote the following words to describe Trish’s accomplishments.



“Patricia Harris is the co-founder of WISDOM (Women’s Interfaith Solutions for Dialogue and Outreach in MetroDetroit) and the vice-president of this newly formed non-profit. WISDOM’s mission is to give women of different faith traditions opportunities to listen to each other, respect each other’s differences, and take action towards change by establishing venues for community service projects and educational events at our diverse places of worship. Trish has worked tirelessly to structure our new board of directors, add new membership and incorporate powerful programming. Because of Trish’s dedication and creativity, WISDOM has been energized to successfully embrace our diversity here in Metro Detroit.”



Congratulations Trish!! Please take a look at the attached picture of Trish and the WISDOM board members that honored her at the breakfast.



WISDOM REMINDERS!!



1) The first ever WISDOM Annual Dinner and Installation Dinner will be on May 1st at the Holiday Inn – Troy. If you would like to join us, go to the website www.interfaithwisdom.org and click on “News and Events” on the home page, and scroll down through our “upcoming events” to find the registration page.



2) Become a member of WISDOM. You can always get our newsletters for free, and participate in WISDOM events for free. But if you would like to support our new non-profit and our mission, you now have the opportunity to become a dues paying member of WISDOM. Go to www.interfaithwisdom.org and click on “Contact Us” to locate the link to our membership form.



3) Join WISDOM at the Michigan Roundtable for Diversity and Inclusion’s Walk2gether on May 10th down at Belle Isle. WISDOM sisters will walk together in solidarity for the Roundtable to support their mission. For more information go to www.interfaithwisdom.org and click on “News and Events” on the home page, and scroll down through our “upcoming events” to find the link for the Walk2gether. WISDOM sisters who walk together will meet for lunch downtown following the morning activities!!



4) Join us on May 18th at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Royal Oak for the Second Annual Peace Through WISDOM event. Be part of an interfaith sister circle, and connect with women on the other side of the globe through e-mail!! Information can be found on our WISDOM website (click on “News and Events”) for the registration form.



5) Join us on June 6th Friday evening at the Birmingham Temple on 12 Mile Road in Farmington Hills for a vegetarian potluck dinner, an interfaith sharing, Shabbat services and a panel of five interfaith women (Jewish, Hindu, Baha’i, Muslim, and Christian) entitled “Five Women, Five Traditions. How different Are We?” followed by dessert. Registration form can be found on the WISDOM website above (click on “News and Events”).





We look forward to sharing WISDOM with you!!



Gail Katz

WISDOM President

Passover

Saturday, April 19th at sundown will be the beginning of the Jewish celebration of Passover. We wish all of our Jewish WISDOM sisters a joyous holiday. Please read about the holiday of Passover below. The information is taken from the website http://www.holidays.net/passover/ and the book Understanding Judaism by Rabbi Benjamin Blech.

Gail Katz
WISDOM President



Passover is the 8 day observance commemorating the freedom and exodus of the Israelites (Jewish slaves) from Egypt during the reign of the Pharaoh Ramses II.

A time of family gatherings and lavish meals called Seders, the story of Passover is retold through the reading of the Haggadah. With its special foods, songs, and customs, the Seder is the focal point of the Passover celebration. Passover begins on the 15th day of the Jewish month of Nissan. As the Jewish day begins at sundown the night before, for the year 2008, the first night of Passover will be April 19th.

The Story of Passover
About 3000 years ago the Israelites were enslaved by the Egyptians under the rule of the Pharaoh Ramses II. According to the Book of Exodus - Moses, a simple Jewish shepherd, was instructed by God to go to the pharaoh and demand the freedom of his people
Moses' plea of let my people go was ignored. Moses warned the Pharaoh that God would send severe punishments to the people of Egypt if the Israelites were not freed. Again the Pharaoh ignored Moses' request of freedom. In response God unleashed a series of 10 terrible plagues on the people of Egypt:

Blood
Frogs
Lice (vermin)
Wild Beasts(flies)
Blight (Cattle Disease)
Boils
Hail
Locusts
Darkness
Slaying of the First Born


The last plague was the most terrible – every first born Egyptian died at the stroke of midnight on the fifteenth of the month of Nissan. Jews, on the other hand, were to mark their doorposts with the blood of a sacrificed lamb so that God could “pass over” the houses in which His people lived.

When the Pharaoh finally agreed to freedom, the Israelites left their homes so quickly that there wasn't even time to bake their breads. So they packed the raw dough to take with them on their journey. As they fled through the desert they would quickly bake the dough in the hot sun into hard crackers called matzohs. Today to commemorate this event, Jews eat matzoh in place of bread during Passover.

Though the Jews were now free, their liberation was incomplete. The Pharaoh's army chased them through the desert towards the Red Sea. When the Jews reached the sea they were trapped, since the sea blocked their escape.
It was then that a miracle occurred. The waves of the Red Sea parted and the Israelites were able to cross to the other side. As soon as they all reached the other side the sea closed trapping the Pharaoh's army as the waves closed upon them.
Then, as the Israelites watched, the waters of the Red Sea swept away the Pharaoh's army, and the Jews realized they were finally free.

Passover celebrates this history. The first 2 nights of the 8 day holiday are celebrated with lavish meals called Seders, in which the stories and history of Passover are celebrated. Special foods, plates, and silverware are all a part of the Seder.

The holiday of Passover is observed in the holiest sanctuary of all, in the home. It involves those people most responsible for carrying on the tradition, the children. It has a fixed order, which is why it’s called seder (literally “order”), and it even has its own prayer book, a haggadah, the most widely reprinted book in Jewish history. Christians know this meal as the Last Supper. That was the meal Jesus partook of with his disciples before his execution by the Romans. For Jews, it is probably the ritual celebrated by more of its people than any other.

The order of the seder requires a good deal of preparation. It includes:

Wine (four cups),
Matzot,
A green vegetable, such as parsley to symbolize spring and rebirth
A mixture of chopped apples, nuts, wine, and spices, symbolizing the mortar that the slaves made for bricks in Egypt
Bitter herbs, a symbol of the bitterness of slavery
A roasted egg, symbol of a festival sacrifice brought in the days of the Temple
A roasted bone, symbol of the Paschal lamb
Salt water, symbol of the tears of the Jewish ancestors who cried for God’s help and were answered
A special cup for Elijah, because this prophet is supposed to appear on Passover to announce the ultimate redemption and the coming of the Messiah
The Haggadah, so that everyone, especially the children, can take turns reading, asking questions, giving commentaries, and spending the night by talking about the tragedy of slavery, reflecting on the beauty of freedom, and expressing the gratitude they owe to God for their blessing.

Jews are forbidden to eat or even own any bread, even the smallest crumb during Passover. Weeks before Passover, many Jews being to clean their house so that not a trace of the bread they eat all year round is found in their homes during this festival. Jews are also not allowed to eat any grains or foods that contain yeast.

Upcoming Event: Peace Through Peace

WISDOM
(Women’s Interfaith Solutions for
Dialogue and Outreach in MetroDetroit)
www.interfaithwisdom.org
invites you to
PEACE THROUGH WISDOM
WISDOM Women Reaching Out to Our Global Sisters
Dinner, Dialogue and a Movie
With Peace X Peace

May 18, 2008
3:00 PM

St. John’s Episcopal Church
26998 Woodward Ave.
Royal Oak, MI 48067

Cost: $15.00 for dinner
Make checks out to WISDOM
And Mail to: WISDOM
P.O. Box 525, Bloomfield Hills, MI 48303
Contact Gail Katz for more information
gailkatz@comcast.net 248-978-6664
RSVP BY May 12, 2008

Registration Begins at 3:00 PM
Followed by Peace X Peace Documentary,
Dinner (with vegetarian option) and Dialogue
and Formation of Sister Circles


More than a year in the making, PEACE by PEACE: Women on the Frontlines premiered at the United Nations on October 30, 2003, and has been the centerpiece of film festivals, conferences, and celebrations around the world. Women are more likely than professional soldiers to be the casualties of war. From genocide and rape to displacement and starvation, they bear more than their fair share of the suffering. But amongst all this hardship, women around the world are standing up for peace. By advocating justice and educating future generations that war is not the answer, they are at the forefront of reconciling their communities. This special version of the documentary follows women peacemakers from four different conflict/crisis zones: Afghanistan, Argentina, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Burundi. Narrated by Academy-Award winning actress Jessica Lange, this film redefines the role of women in war. For more information, visit www.peacexpeace.org.


PEACE THROUGH WISDOM!
WISDOM WOMEN PARTNER WITH PEACE X PEACE
TO CONNECT WITH SISTERS AROUND THE WORLD

On Sunday, May 18th starting at 3:00 PM, WISDOM (Women’s Interfaith Solutions for Dialogue and Outreach in MetroDetroit) will invite women of all faiths to come together at St. John’s Episcopal Church on Woodward in Royal Oak to partner with Peace X Peace. The mission of Peace X Peace is to form women’s Sister Circles, where women in the United States communicate with circles of women in other countries in order to help improve the status of women worldwide and build sustainable peace. This global online network of Sister Circles will meet on a regular basis to support each other and share their stories.

WISDOM Women will first watch the award-winning documentary entitled “Peace by Peace: Women on the Frontlines,” which follows women peacemakers from four different conflict/crisis zones: Afghanistan, Argentina, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Burundi. Following the movie and a presentation about the mission of Peace X Peace (Peace By Peace), WISDOM women will discuss forming Sister Circles to reach out through e-mail to connect with circles of women in other parts of the world based on shared interests and identifications. In this way, women whose cultures or governments discourage public gatherings or travel outside their communities can take advantage of a safe and productive opportunity to interact with sisters across the globe. WISDOM women will gain access to a wider world, and learn about each others customs, faiths, families, and problems. Strangers will become friends, and friends will become family. Stumbling blocks of miscommunication and stereotypes that women of different faiths and cultures have of each other can be changed into building blocks of peace. Together WISDOM women, through the partnership of Peace X Peace, can take on peace-building projects in areas such as education, health, micro-enterprise, social equity, and leadership development.

A registration form for this event may be found here http://www.interfaithwisdom.org/pdfs/registration051808.pdf

Upcoming Event: FIRST wisdom ANNUAL DINNER

Be a part of the FIRST wisdom ANNUAL DINNER
And installation ceremony

HOLIDAY INN – TROY
2537 Rochester Court, Troy, Michigan 48083
248-689-7500

May 1, 2008
4:30 – 6:30 PM
$25.00 for dinner
(A portion of your check will be tax-deductible)

Featuring keynote speaker the Rev. Dan Appleyard, Interfaith activist

A brief program will highlight WISDOM’s transition from an idea to a dynamic non-profit entity. After the installation of our Board and dinner, we will drive to Congregation Shir TikvAh at 3900 Northfield Parkway in Troy (corner of Northfield and Wattles) to join with the Troy Interfaith Group for the National Day of Prayer.

A registration form for this event can be found here http://www.interfaithwisdom.org/pdfs/registration_first_annual.pdf

Upcoming Event: Interfaith Panel Discussion at The Birmingham Temple

WISDOM and The Birmingham Temple
(28611 W. 12 Mile Rd between Inkster and Middlebelt)
Present an Interfaith Panel Discussion

5 Women, 5 Journeys
How Different Are We?

Friday, June 6, 2008
6:00 PM Potluck Vegetarian Dinner
8:00 PM Shabbat Service and Panel

A panel of women from different faith traditions – Muslim, Christian, Jewish, Baha’i, and Hindu – will reflect on the changing roles and expectations of women and discuss their own personal journeys. Are they the same journey?

Men and women are invited to participate in a dynamic evening!

Potluck Vegetarian Dinner and Dialogue 6:00 pm

Dessert will be provided, courtesy of Birmingham Temple, following panel discussion.

Reservations for dinner are required by June 2nd

A registration form can be found here http://www.interfaithwisdom.org/pdfs/registration060608.pdf

Upcoming Event: WISDOM partners with Michigan Roundtable

Dear WISDOM Sisters:

We would like to invite you to join us as we march in solidarity with the Michigan Roundtable for Diversity and Inclusion (MRDI) on Saturday, May 10th at Belle Isle. Please read the information about the walk from the Michigan Roundtable’s website below. This annual walk is a fundraiser for the Roundtable. The event is free, but we encourage you to contribute a minimum of $25.00 to support their wonderful diversity initiatives with students and their interfaith efforts in Metro Detroit. We at WISDOM will set up a time and place for all the WISDOM women who attend to meet for lunch downtown following the walk and fun activities. This is a great event to bring the kids and the whole family!! We will march as a group, carrying with us our large WISDOM banner!!
Please check out the MRDI website for more information (http://walk2gether2008.kintera.org) – including the map of the walk.

Please go to the following website to make your donations. So far WISDOM has raised $200 toward supporting the MRDI.
https://www.kintera.org/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=270230&supId=210799808

Walk2gether is a fundraiser for Leadership in the New Century (LINC) which is MRDI’s comprehensive youth diversity education program. The Walk has become Detroit’s premier celebration of our rich diversity, bringing walk teams from the business, civic, education and faith communities. The atmosphere is festive, with entertainment featuring John Mason as MC, children’s activities, and folks enjoying colleagues and new friends. Walkers begin the day at 9:00 AM as they report to their organizations gathering area in the Band shell area on Belle Isle. Walkers will register; collect t-shirts (for those who raise $25 or more), enjoy the diverse entertainment and activity, chat with colleagues, family and friends. Walkers will be encouraged to check out the diversity exhibits, while children will flock to the clowns, face painters and the Arts-n-Scraps exhibit. Pre-walk exercise will begin at 9:45. A short program with community and corporate leaders will begin at 10, followed by ribbon cutting and the Walk along Belle Isle. Walkers will have the option to choose between a one and three mile route. Post walk activities continue with more entertainment, activities, and raffle with great prizes.

Walk will begin and end at the Band Shell on Detroit’s historic Belle Isle. 9:00 a.m.: Registration begins as well as music, exhibits and kids activities.10:00 a.m.: Walk Begins (Walk will begin and end at the Detroit International Riverfront)11:00 a.m.: Diversity Festival continues with closing ceremony, raffle and entertainment

Standard: No FeesRecommend minimum of $25 participation fee. Participants are encouraged to raise a minimum of $25.00, which entitles them to a Walk t-shirt and an "I Walked for Diversity" certificate. Those who raise $75 will be awarded a special collector’s t-shirt. Sign up here to use the Walk 2gether Michigan online fundraising system. Send e-mails, keep in touch with supporters and have fun... all for a great cause. (Please print your registration form and bring it with you to the Walk check-in).

Click here to view a PDF with details and pledge form at http://www.interfaithwisdom.org/pdfs/walk2gether.pdf