Masorti Olami

June & July, 2004 – Sivan & Tamuz 5764 By Judy Dvorak Gray Meet our new Shaliach to Argentina Mr. Adrian Kohan, our new shaliach for the Masorti Movement in Argentina, will be departing for Buenos Aires in August. Adrian hails from the Masorti kehillah in Salta, Argentina and made aliyah in1995. Adrian has been on staff of the Hagshama Department of the World Zionist Organizations for the past six years. He is married to Adriana Rosenkranz. His background, skills and talents will be a real asset to his new position and to the Masorti Movement in Argentina. We wish him success in his new role. We want to thank again Daniela Kuzis Yakin who returned from over two years as shlicha to Argentina and did an outstanding job in developing NOAM, Marom and Camp NOAM Argentina. We wish her well as she settles back to life in Jerusalem with her family. ________________________________________ Darkei NOAM Argentina is Blossoming! By Dario Brunfentrinker and Mariano Isaac, Mazkirim of NOAM Argentina ( Editor’s note: Darkei NOAM, a unified school for NOAM madrichim, was created in March 2003. The program provides NOAM counselors with enrichment in Jewish studies, leadership skills, counseling techniques, educational philosophy and Masorti ideology. This year, 260 youth from 16 kehillot participate in the program. The length of each course is two years. The first year includes two days a week of study. The second year provides practical experience and supervision of their work as counselor interns in the kehillot. Meetings take place twice a week, once in the student’s home kehillah and once in either Flores or Belgrano. ) Darkei NOAM, the School for Counselor Training in Buenos Aires, began on April 1, 2004 with a special opening ceremony in the Seminario Rabinico Latinamericano Marshall T. Meyer, with all the youth together. We began our sixth class, with an average total attendance of 260 students. 70-80 students are in the headquarters of Flores, where students participate from Kehillot Or Jadash, Sio Moron, Adat Israel, Tfilat Shalom and Beit Ysrael; and about 170-180 children are in the seat of Belgrano in the Seminario Rabbinico Latinamericano Marshall T. Meyer, where students participate from Kehillot Bet, Amijai, Bet Hilel, Chalom, Lamroth Hakol, Bialik, Dor Jadash, Or Israel and Kehilat Atid. We are working on enriching skills in games and group dynamics, with different subjects for first year and second year students. We had a very important activity in our third meeting to celebrate the anniversary of the creation of the State of Israel, in which we played a competition where the winner took a cake and decorated it with the flag of Israel, and then they worked with the Megilllat Ha’atzmaut (the scroll of Independence). In the upcoming weeks the youth will work on new subjects. First year students will learn topics such as stories, songs and the Jewish calendar, while second year students will study dilemmas of hadracha (counseling), human rights, and the history of the Jewish town called "Meguil?". The first of three seminars that we will have this year took place at the end of June in Buenos Aires. At this seminar, the madrichim participated in courses about theatre, games and video. All of these courses were based on Jewish topics. ________________________________________ Masorti Summer Camping The summer months are busy for camping experiences in our movement. Thousands of youth are participating in Masorti Ramah and NOAM camps in North America, United Kingdom, France, Ukraine and Israel in July and August, and in December in Argentina. Camp NOAM UK reports that there will be over 400 chanichim (campers) in various programs plus an overall leadership team of 100 madrichim (counselors), educators and support staff at camp this summer. At this time, the staff is working very hard on the logistics and programming for camp, which takes place both in the UK and Spain. NOAM UK is proud that 42 participants are on the NOAM Israel tour this summer. Camp Ramah Yachad Ukraine Ukraine Director Gila Katz reports that this year 185 campers and 45 staff members will participate in the 12th year of Camp Ramah Yachad Ukraine. Located just outside of Kiev, the camp attracts participants from thirteen towns and cities in Ukraine. Many of the campers and staff are from the Chernowitz TALI Day School and Sunday schools under the supervision of Midreshet Yerushalayim, an arm of the Schechter Institute in Jerusalem, and from our kehillot in Kiev, Uzhgarod and Chernowitz. The camp will convene from July 28 to August 9, with staff preparation taking place a week before the campers arrive. The theme of camp this year is “The Journey from Eretz Yisrael to the State of Israel” and will focus on different personalities and historical periods of Jewish history. Camp Ramah NOAM in Israel Camp Ramah Noam, located at the Hodayot Youth Village in the Lower Galilee, is now in its 16th year. This summer, close to 500 campers and 130 staff members are participating in the various programs at camp. The camp is committed to instilling a commitment to liberal Jewish values in a non-coercive, open atmosphere. Values of tolerance, absorption of new immigrants, democracy, pluralism and Zionism are all part of the educational programs. Leadership training and social action are emphasized. Camp NOAM France NOAM France is part of the Eclaireurs Isra?lites de France (French Jewish Scouts). This year the camp session will take place from July 6 to July 27. About 70 NOAM campers, ages 13-16, will participate at camps, which are located near Perigueux (Dordogne) and Nice. Camp NOAM Argentina Takes place in December, summer in the Southern Hemisphere. Last year over 2,000 campers participated in three camp sessions and plans are already underway for an exciting camp again this year. ________________________________________ Jewish NGOs tell UN how to fight anti-Semitism ( Editor’s note: Gloria Landy and co-chair Judy Horowitz provide outstanding leadership for the World Council of Conservative/Masorti Synagogues as our representatives of an NGO (non-governmental organization) in the anti-Israel environment of the United Nations. We thank them for their important contribution. The following article appeared in the Jerusalem Post on June 24, 2004: Jewish NGOs tell UN how to fight anti-Semitism By Melissa Radler, Jerusalem Post, June 24, 2004 Jewish organizations holding nongovernmental organization status at the United Nations published a series of recommendations Thursday designed to combat anti-Semitism in UN member states and observers and its secretariat. The recommendations, approved by the chairperson of the Jewish NGO caucus, Masorti Olami vice president Gloria Landy, were written up following the UN's first-ever conference on anti-Semitism this past Monday, and they are being circulated to representatives of the 46 Jewish NGOs at the world body for approval, World Jewish Congress executive vice president Elan Steinberg said Thursday. "The Jewish NGOs will be fanning out as the General Assembly approaches to work on various aspects of this program of action here and in Geneva," Steinberg said. Members will be assigned specific tasks at a July 12 caucus meeting, he said. The recommendations include calls to monitor and condemn, "without reservation," all manifestations of anti-Semitism; condemn and combat attempts to demonize Israel within the corridors of the UN and beyond; promote a more tolerant environment vis-a-vis the Jewish community within the international community and among the UN's 191 member states; encouragennations and organizations to combat hate crimes; and promote Holocaustv remembrance and education. Within the UN, the caucus is calling for the adoption of a General Assembly resolution condemning anti-Semitism, and the appointment of a representative within the secretariat to help fight anti-Jewish sentiment. In addition, regular reporting by UN bodies on anti-Semitic incidents worldwide and the coordinating and promotion of events designed to combat global anti-Semitism are being urged. In his opening address at Monday's conference, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan voiced support for several of the NGOs' recommendations. The three-page document notes that Jewish NGOs are "ready to be full partners with the United Nations in this critical endeavor and commit ourselves to assist in all international efforts to combat the scourge of anti-Semitism." To read more about the conference go to the following sites: http://www.jta.org/page_view_story.asp?strwebhead=U%2EN%2E+ holds+anti%2DSemitism+conference&intcategoryid=2&SearchOptimize=Jewish+News http://www.un.org/news/Press/docs/2004/hr4773.doc.htm Seminar for Prayer Leaders in Germany By Rabbi Gesa Ederberg, rabbi of Weiden and director of the Berlin Masorti Lehrhaus For many communities in Germany, finding a person willing and able to lead Friday night services presents a significant challenge - particularly in smaller congregations which find it difficult to gather regularly for communal prayer. With the financial support of the Zentralrat der Juden in Deutschland, the umbrella organization of Jewish communities in Germany, the Jewish community in Weiden recently organized a three-day seminar for prayer leaders focused on Kabbalat Shabbat. Led by Rabbi Gesa Ederberg, with the assistance of rabbinic intern Julia Watts Belser, the seminar offered current and aspiring prayer leaders a chance to hone their skills and share experiences with others in similar positions across the country. By bringing together twenty five participants from all across Germany along with leaders in Weiden's own community, the seminar afforded participants a rare opportunity to learn together, discuss challenges, and share solutions from their own congregations with friends beyond their borders. Participants hailed from diverse congregations, from Reform to Orthodox, from larger communities with several synagogues, to communities that gather occasionally for communal prayer, and from regions which have no Jewish institutions but who hope to begin building a chavurah (informal prayer community). Some lead prayers on a regular basis but were eager to learn more; others lead occasionally but rarely had opportunities for refining their skills; and many approached the seminar as a first step in rising to a new challenge: leading prayer in their home communities. Since leading prayer effectively calls for a combination of theoretical and practical knowledge, the seminar blended immediately applicable musical learning with deeper questions about the nature of leading prayer and the structure of the service. Alongside text study from the siddur (prayerbook), participants practiced vocal techniques and learned new melodies. Together with a discussion of the role of the schliach tzibbur (the prayer leader), the seminar members gathered for spirited communal prayer. After a welcoming concert and an initial chance to get to know one another on Thursday night, participants returned early the next morning to begin study of the Friday night service. Following an interactive session spent assembling the building blocks of the Kabbalat Shabbat and Erev Shabbat services, addressing questions of ritual actions and common customs, and examining the origins of the texts that comprise our liturgy, participants separated into chevruta (study pairs) to examine more closely particular brachot (blessings) and Psalms. Several chevruta partners shared a brief insight on their section of the tefilah during the evening's service - putting study into practice and offering the rest of the community a window into the richness of these texts. Music formed a centerpiece of the seminar - ranging from a theoretical introduction to nusach (the melodic patterns associated with a particular time of day or year), to singing techniques and vocal exercises, including practical steps for preparing to lead a section of the service for the first time, and incorporating several small group sessions devoted to learning nusach for Friday night for various sections of the service. Not only did the group sing together during the workshops, they also raised their voices in spirited song during six prayer services over the course of the seminar. They practiced nusach in the hallways over coffee breaks and in hotel rooms, but the singing didn't stop there: Recalling the suggestion to practice their newly learned nusach at any and all occasions, one participant reported later "humming the melodies to the Friday night psalms on my way to work, back home in Berlin." A similar enthusiasm marked the entire enterprise: participants worked on nusach in small groups until after 10:30, before heading upstairs for ma'ariv (evening prayers) and havdalah to conclude Shabbat, then cajoled their seminar leaders to an earlier start on Sunday morning, and still expressed eagerness for more workshops on similar topics and follow-up materials for practicing at home. "I know that one seminar can't ever teach us everything we need to know to lead a Friday night service," remarked one participant, "but this program will be a springboard for me. nIn addition to building a good foundation for leading prayer, I've learned how much more I want to know." ________________________________________ Adath Shalom’s Inspiring Summer Seminar By Helene Fantl, Kehillat Adath Shalom, Paris You do not dare to write a drasha because you feel there’s nothing really new you could say? You know you should insert traditional sources but are not sure about handling them correctly? You are scared that your friends might ask you to lead the Birkat HaMazon because you’re not completely at ease with the various blessings you might have to utter? You’d like to understand the Amida better and give at last a meaning to all the movements we’re doing while praying? You’d like to be able to serve as a Gabbai or be more secure about your Golelet task? If you answered “yes” to at least two questions, then you should have been with us during our Kehillat Adath Shalom, Paris summer seminar, which took place on July 5-7, from 6:00 to 10:30 p.m. Escaping the usual end-of-the-day stress for three days in a row--and instead of running or driving from one place to another or tearing your hair off while finishing your so urgent file in order to participate to this workshop--is alone a miracle and a boundless pleasure for most of us. But there was far more to it. Members of Adath Shalom have always been aware of the ability of its rabbi, Rivon Krygier, to stimulate our minds, offering us ways to access traditional sources, and opening imaginary doors to new areas of wisdom. But we also discovered the talent of an astonishing young woman, Delphine Horvilleur, a French New Yorker, whom Rivon asked for help in leading this seminar. Their skills were so marvellously adapted to their public’s needs that all forty participants, regardless of their previous knowledge and experience, which varied greatly, ended the seminar with the strong feeling of having learned a great deal. Can one learn in just three short sessions how to write a drasha? The answer is that you can learn enough to give you the desire to go further. We learned how to avoid the most frequent and gross mistakes. We were given advice on how to find and handle sources, and, last but not least, we were given enough self-confidence, through tutors’ advice and other participants’ friendly and constructive criticism, to end up with the feeling that we can do it. And yes, we heard, at the end of our workshop, some short but strikingly beautiful, rich, inspiring and innovating drashot, from people who – for some of them – usually never utter a public word. As Jacques Adida, one of the staff organizers and a seminar participant, said while thanking Delphine and Rivon for their outstanding and generous work, "Thank you both, Delphine and Rivon, for making us feel intelligent.” ________________________________________ News from AMS- Assembly of Masorti Synagogues, UK By Michael Gluckman, Director of AMS TA farewell and thank you supper took place on July 7th for Avigail Ben Aryeh and all the outgoing NOAM and MAROM workers. It was a wonderful evening. We bid farewell to Avigail, our shlicha, together with husband Chen and daughters, Hila and Maya, as well as to Jeremy Gerber, our student fieldworker, Clare Hedwat, our young adult coordinator, and the three outgoing NOAM UK staff, members, Josie, Nic, and Ali. It is impossible to put into words our immense debt of gratitude for all the dedication to Masorti Judaism that they consistently displayed over the time that they have been part of the professional team. We welcome Shira Schwartz, a recent graduate of Jewish Theological Seminary’s List College, who is taking over from Jeremy Gerber as Student Fieldworker. Upon arrival, Shira will be having a whirlwind of introductory meetings and then begin her work at NOAM Camp this summer. Together with Rabbi Chaim Weiner, Jacky Chernett and Renee Bravo, I participated in an “any questions” panel at New Essex Masorti. Questions to the panel included "Why choose Masorti?" "Would a Masorti synagogue appoint a woman Rabbi?" and "What is the Masorti attitude to conversion?" It was an excellent evening engendering good discussion. I would strongly suggest that other communities hold similar events as another way of spreading the Masorti message. On Sunday, July 11 the largest ever NOAM Israel tour of 42 participants departed and we wish them a safe and enjoyable trip. Rachel Davies and Teddy Leifer, two experienced madrichim, are leading the tour and participated in a highly intensive week-long training seminar in Jerusalem last month. This enables them to a put a considerable amount of informal Jewish Education into this tour using the sites within Israel as a resource. The office has been a mad buzz of frenetic activity as the NOAM team works together with the Camp Roshim [unit heads] and madrichim [Leaders] on camp preparations. It is impossible to quantify the literally hundreds of person hours that are enthusiastically devoted to every aspect of ensuring that the over 400 chanachim [campers] have the sort of experience that keeps them coming again and again. Over 100 madrichim and support staff are involved in the running of camp this year. We wish our staff a successful camp season. Editor’s note: Masorti Olami and MERCAZ Olami thanks Avigail Ben Arieh and Jeremy Gerber for their outstanding efforts in advancing Masorti Judaism in UK and wish them both continued success. Spirituality in the Negev with Marom UK By Clare Hedwat, Marom UK 25 Maromniks enjoyed a fantastic weekend of learning, shmoozing and touring the Negev area from June 24-27. With our educators, Rabbi Joel Levy and Matt Plen, we developed the theme of the Negev as a formative place of Jewish identity through text. During one of the sessions by both Matt and Rabbi Joel, we explored keeping Shabbat in the desert, leading us to a conversation about time and place and Shabbat. We spent a lot of time in the Negev desert, appreciating the beauty of the environment. We also delved into its political ramifications, which included a talk at a Bedouin site about the lone chavot and Bedouin Israeli identity. Shabbat was amazing and we created an inspirational atmosphere with heartfelt tefillah. We also learned to drum, heard a talk from Israeli soldiers and learned about David Ben Gurion. A great time was had by all. Clare and Jeremy of Marom would like to thank all the participants and everyone who made it possible especially Rabbi Joel Levy, Matt Plen and Avigail Ben Aryeh. ________________________________________ Latin American Leadership Seminar Arrives in Israel The Marom Latin American Summer Leadership Training program is currently taking place in Israel. The group arrived July 14 and will be here until July 26. Fourteen Marom leaders from Brazil, Uruguay, Chile, and Argentina are participating in the seminar. The program is the kick-off for Marom activities in Latin America, as each of the participants will become the regional Marom coordinator in his/her area. During the seminar, the young leaders will network with Jewish Agency, WZO and Masorti Movement professionals and lay leaders. They will learn about fighting anti-Semitism, Israel advocacy, contemporary Zionist and Jewish trends, mass media, Masorti values and Tikun Olam. The emphasis of the seminar is on programming for students. Adrian Kohan, our next shaliach to Argentina, spent Shabbat with the group in order to get to know the young leaders and begin preparations for working together. The program is sponsored by the Hagshama Department of the WZO and the Education Department of the Jewish Agency and supported by the kehillot in Brazil, Chile, Uruguay and NOAM Argentina. ________________________________________ Tisha B’av Tisha B'Av, the 9th day of the month of Av, begins on the evening of Monday, July 26 and continues until sundown on Tuesday, July 27. Tisha B’Av is a day of tragedy in Jewish history. It commemorates the destruction of both the First and Second Temples in Jerusalem as well as other calamities which occurred on the ninth of Av. Other events which are associated with Tisha B'av are the decree against our brethren that they should not enter the Land of Israel (Num. 14:29), the edict signed by King Edward I in 1290 ordering his Jewish subjects to leave in England, the expulsion of Jews from Spain in 1492, and the beginning of World War I which included pogroms for the Jews of Russia, Poland, and other countries in Eastern Europe. Many questions arise as to why, with the re-establishment of the State of Israel today, there is a need to observe Tisha B'av today. Rabbi Issac Klein, in his Guide to Jewish Religious Practice, Chapter 17 quotes Rabbi Robert Gordis: "Dr. Robert Gordis, after an extensive discussion of the question, concludes that the fast must be retained. "In sum," he writes, "Tisha B'av can perform these basic functions for Jews living in the middle of the twentieth century, with the state of Israel before them as a reality. It can keep Jews mindful of the tasks which lie ahead in the areas of Jewish religious rebirth and of ethical living, both in the state of Israel and throughout the world. It can focus attention upon the universal aspects of the Messianic hope, which have long been integral to Judaism. Finally, it can help to remind Jews of the long record of sacrifices and sufferings of past generations, and thus prevent the cultural degeneracy which would follow from the ignoring of the achievements of Galut or Diaspora" (Gordis, Judaism for the Modern Age, P. 210). For a complete guide to customs and rituals on Tisha B'av, you can read Chapter 17 in Rabbi Klein's guide on the Jewish Theological Seminary's site: http://learn.jtsa.edu/topics/diduknow/jrpguide/17_part5.shtml Other commentaries can be found on the JTS site: http://learn.jtsa.edu/tishabav/ Question: Is one obliged to fast for a full day on Tish'a b'Av after the State of Israel was founded and the reunification of Jerusalem? May one, alternatively, limit the signs of mourning, and break the fast after Minhah? For an answer, read the English summaries of the responsa of the Va'ad Ha'halacha of the Rabbinical Assembly in Israel concerning this question which can be found on the Schechter Institute’s web site (Volume 1) – both in Hebrew and in English: http://www.responsafortoday.com/eng_index.html The Department for Jewish Zionist Education of the Jewish Agency also has a very informative site on Tisha B'av. You can even test your knowledge of Tisha B’av: http://www.jajz-ed.org.il/festivls/av/index.html The site is also translated into German, French, Spanish, Russian and Hebrew at: http://www.jafi.org.il/education/festivls/ Jacob Richman’s web site includes a long list of links to sites about Tisha B’av. The links are in English, Hebrew, Russian, Spanish, French, Portuguese: http://www.jr.co.il/hotsites/j-hdayav.htm Here in Jerusalem, the Masorti Movement will be commemorating ErevTisha B'av at the "Kotel Ha'masorti" (Robinson's Arch) in the area next to the Kotel at 8:15 p.m. You're welcome to join us sitting by the wall of the Temple, among the fallen rocks from the destruction. It's quite a moving experience, especially in the evening with the yellow light casting its unique glow on the walls of the Old City. If you’re in Jerusalem, call the Masorti Movement in Israel office for details: (02) 624-6510. ________________________________________ Tu B’av - 15th of Av From Biblical days, the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Av has been celebrated as the holiday of love and affection. Tu B'av was a festival dedicated to young Jewish men and women finding their mates. This year Tu B’v begins on Sunday evening, August 1 and continues on Monday, August 2 through sundown. Why choose the fifteenth of Av for such a celebration? The Talmud (Taanit 30b-31a) quotes six reasons why Tu B'av was made a holiday. To learn more, see: http://students.brooklyn.cuny.edu/hillel/holidays/tubav-link.html Check out the web site of the Education Department of the Jewish Agency which explains how Tu B’av is celebrated in modern times and gives ideas for programs: http://www.jafi.org.il/education/festivls/av/tubeav.html In case anyone’s looking, there are plenty of Jewish dating services (shidduchim) available on the web! See the list on Jacob Richman’s web sites for Tu B’av: http://www.jr.co.il/hotsites/j-htubav.htm