Overview:
Hearing Men’s Voices
consists of a series of programming opportunities for Men’s Clubs to implement to enable men in their community to discuss issues that men too frequently do not talk about. The series is divided into topical areas, each one consisting of a printed volume with detailed information to allow any Men’s Club/Brotherhood to implement the programs by following the guidelines provided. Below are brief overviews of each of the three volumes, and identification of the programs that make up each topical area. The programs range from a 30-minute discussion as part of a Men’s Club meeting, to a multi-session program for a limited number of men, to an all-day Health Fair. It is unlikely that any one club would implement all of these programs, but there is certainly something in here for everyone.
Table of Contents
This volume explores the often-complex relationship between a man and his father, from both sides. Some programs refer to our relationships with our fathers, while others examine our relationships with our sons. In all, the 8 programs in this series allow men to examine some of the issues involved in these relationships, in a non-threatening, Jewish environment.
Our relations with our fathers
- Program 1: The First Kiss - Examination of the father-son relationship
- Program 2: Doing Your Blessings - Encouraging men to give and receive blessings
- Program 3: Communicating With Your Teenager - Understanding some of the issues involved in parenting a teenager
- Program 4: The Wicked Child - Handling adolescent rebellion – I
- Program 5: The Rebellious Child - Handling adolescent rebellion – II
- Program 6: Blessing Our Toddlers and Young Children - Starting family rituals
- Program 7: Reverence and Honor - Dealing with issues of aging parents
- Program 8: Writing an Ethical Will (1 or 2 sessions) - How to pass our values to our children
As men, we have grown up to feel that it is our role to be strong and virile. Unfortunately, life doesn’t always work out that way, certainly not on a permanent basis. We age, we get sick, we lose our hair, we allow ourselves to get out of the physical condition that we used to pride ourselves in. The 15 programs in this series allow a Men’s Club/Brotherhood to address the health care concerns of its members, and to provide a real service to all members of their communities.
- Program 1: Why Don’t Men Seek Health Care? - Examining why men often avoid obtaining health care
- Program 2: In Sickness and In Health, I Do Thee Wed - Dealing with chronic illness of a spouse
- Program 3: Depression in Men - Exploring an issue that is usually not talked about
- Program 4: The “Annual Physical”…What Do You Really Need? - Identifying necessary routine health maintenance for men
- Program 5: Cancer In Men: Reducing the Risks - Exploring current information about cancer, primarily as it relates to men
- Program 6: Coronary Risk Factors for Men - Current thinking about prevention of coronary heart disease
- Program 7: Hair Loss in Men - Living with baldness
- Program 8: The Prostate, Impotence, and More - Discussing common urological problems of men
- Program 9: Alternative Health Care: Vitamins, Echinacea, Herbal Therapy, Acupuncture, Massage, and More - Exploring alternative health care options
- Program 10: Snoring: Pills, Patches, and Potions…Is There Hope? - Discussing the causes, effects, and treatments of snoring
- Program 11: Jewish Medical Directives for Health Care - The Jewish perspective on planning for health care contingencies
- Program 12: Weight Training: Are You Kidding? - Using exercise to improve health, strength and appearance
- Program 13: Jewish Healing: What Is It All About? - Exploring how our tradition helps us to cope with disease
- Program 14: Health Fair - How to organize and run a successful health fair
- Program 15: Men’s Health Information on the World Wide Web - Providing men with additional sources of health information
Most of us had Jewish training in our youth, culminating in the ritual of Bar Mitzvah. For many of us, unfortunately, we have not given too much thought to God and the role of religion in our lives most of the time since then. We are too busy with the other aspects of being an adult male to think of our spirituality, and the role that God could play in our daily lives. This series of 13 programs allows men to explore ways that God does have a role in our lives, and how we can enhance our quality of life by increasing the role of spirituality in it.
I. Encountering God in Crisis
- Program 1: Hezekiah Fell Dangerously Ill - Exploring ways men react to crisis situations
- Program 2: The Mourner’s Kaddish - Discussing a traditional way to listen to God’s voice in tragedy
- Program 3: A King Hears God’s Voice – But Does He Listen? - Examining alternatives to listening to God’s voice in crisis
- Program 4: The Book of Job: A Prototype of Encountering God in Crisis - Understanding how to deal with the trials and tribulations of life
II. Experiencing God’s Wonder
- Program 5: Creating a Spiritual Autobiography - Writing a document that will help men understand the spiritual dimension of their lives
- Program 6: Birth, Bar Mitzvah and Marriage - Exploring how men feel God’s presence at key life cycle events
- Program 7: Dreams - Integrating our aspirations with our understanding of God’s will
- Program 8: Opening the Soul for God - Exploring barriers to listening to God’s Voice
III. Encountering God through Prayer
- Program 9: Tefillin: The Intimacy of Prayer - Understanding the mitzvah of putting on tefillin
- Program 10: Does God Have Sexual Characteristics? Gender and the Liturgy - Examining the issue of gender in liturgy, and exploring our personal relationship to God
- Program 11: The Name of the Lord - Learning to embody God in our lives
- Program 12: Seudah Sh’lish’t - Creating a special Shabbat program for men
- Program 13: The Bris: Do Our Lives Reflect Our Covenant with God? - Exploring men’s sexuality and behavior
The issue of intermarriage confronts us as a community and within our own families. Given the fact of the dual-faith marriage, how do we reach out to encourage these families to adopt a Jewish lifestyle; indeed to increase their involvement in Jewish life? Who do we begin as a congregation and as individuals to transform ourselves to make this outreach a success? Key focal points have been identified that can be used to initiate or deepen a discussion of Keruv in your community. These books were the kickoff of the signature Keruv initiative by the FJMC
- Program 1: Self Definitions -Are we defined by our work?
- Program 2: Work and Family -Juggling work and family responsibility
- Program 3: Work and Ethics
- Program 4: What is Success? -a discussion for teens and young adults Program
- Program 5: Mid life job loss
- Program 6: Returning to Work after illness
- Program 7: Handling Business crisis
- Program 8: Retirement
- Program 9: Networking
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