[HANASHIR:11610] The Importance of Inclusivity at This Time of the HN Year

[ehavanashira.org <adrian...>]

Chaverim:

Lat year, my schedule working in a day school and my role as chair of
evening program at CAJE 26 kept me away from Hava Nashira. This year, both
my schedule as a Director of Education and my role as overall chair of this
summer's upcoming CAJE conference will again keep me away from Hava Nashira.

I hope the news about this list and the accompanying website will be shared
with those at HN who may not already know about it.

As in previous years, I certainly hope some of you will be able to report to
this list (perhaps even during the workshop) on your experiences at Hava
Nashira 2002.

Though this list grew out of the Hava Nashira experience, it has certainly
grown to encompass a wider community and wider purpose. My thanks to Gerry
Kaye for allowing this to happen. As such, it's important to remember that
many people on this list will not be at Hava Nashira this year, and, in
fact, some might never have had the opportunity.

Many aspects of the Hava Nashira experience are such that they simply cannot
be expressed in mere words-one really has to be there to experience them. I
think we all know this. As this is the case, I'd like to ask those of you
reporting on this year's workshop to keep this in mind and be sensitive on
this subject. Messages that sort of "rub it in"  for those who weren't able
to attend, for whatever reason, aren't really helpful. Let's find ways to
share the magic that is Hava Nashira, and to further serve the cause of
teaching Judaism and Jewish heritage through music, in non-exclusive ways.
Those "special experiences" that one really had to be there to feel a part
of perhaps need to be shared in inclusive ways or shared privately.

In past years, even the many when I have been blessed privileged to attend
Hava Nashira, I have usually been bombarded with off list messages to me as
list owner describing how excluded many on the list feel from the plethora
of postings that usually immediately follows the workshop each June. Let's
try to keep everyone as included as we can.

Thanks for your attention to this diatribe. Everyone who is going to HN have
a wonderful time, and sing unto Gd.

B'vracha,

Adrian


Adrian A. Durlester, M.T.S.  - adrian (at) durlester(dot)com
http://www.durlester.com/
Director of Education, Beth El Hebrew Congregation, Alexandria, VA
education(dot)director (at) bethelhebrew(dot)org
Conference Chair, CAJE 27, Aug. 4-8, 2002, Trinity Univ., San Antonio, TX
caje27chair (at) caje27(dot)org
List-Owner for hanashir (at) shamash(dot)org; Co-Owner for L-Torah (at) 
shamash(dot)org
http://uahc.org/hanashir
adrian (at) ehavanashira(dot)org

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