Masorti Olami

February & March 2006 – Shavt & Adar 5766 By Judy Dvorak Gray European Lay Leaders Meet in Paris By Gill Caplin, Co-chair of Assembly of Masorti Synagogues, UK On Sunday 26th February, a group of rabbis and lay-leaders from across Europe met in Paris as a first step to creating the European Region of Masorti Olami. Alan H. Silberman, President of Masorti Olami, and Rabbi Joe Wernik, Executive Vice President of Masorti Olami, also attended. The main aim of this meeting was to create a steering group which will establish a European Board through which future decisions will be made. The European Regional Board will then be charged with the goal of working with Masorti Olami to establish, develop and support new and existing kehillot to enable a secure and sustainable future for the Masorti movement throughout Europe. In a positive and constructive atmosphere, under the shadow of the Eiffel Tower, this initial exchange of ideas will help formulate the strategy and vision for a significant Masorti presence in Europe. With strong and enthusiastic involvement from both NOAM and Marom, this seems to be not only possible but both important and necessary. To quote Rabbi Gesa Ederberg “The rise of fundamentalism on the one side and the rise of liberalism with its lack of clear values on the other is encouraging people to realize that Masorti can provide the Jewish alternative answer to problems; Masorti is grounded in Jewish tradition without being fundamentalist. Masorti Judaism faces the challenge of living as a committed Jew in the world today.” ________________________________________ Melbourne Shlichim In last month's report, we introduced you to our 2006 shlichim to Melbourne, but didn't include a picture of them. So here they are! The shlichut is sponsored by Bialik College, a Jewish day school with approximately 1000 students, from kindergarten through grade twelve. The shlichim are involved in all informal Jewish educational activities in the school, as well as in helping to teach Judaic studies classes. In addition, they are involved in activities at Kehilat Nitzan, the Masorti kehillah in Melbourne. To read more about our shlichim, go to: http://www.masortiworld.org/news/monthly-report/1-06/update-activities.h... Back to top ________________________________________ A Bright Future in UK with Atid By Cheryl Sklan, Director of Atid, UK Atid, a leadership training program for the Assembly of Masorti Synagogues in UK, is currently in its third year. The ten participants this year come from New North London Synagogue, Assif, St. Albans Masorti Synagogue and Marom. The purpose of the program is for participants to improve their skills as leaders and how to effectively develop their communities. The group meets once a month and includes two intensive seminars during the year. T hirteen people braved the winter in south Wales on the weekend of 24th Feb. for an Atid seminar to explore issues around our identity as British Jews. Caer Llan, a special house in Monemouth that is used for retreats, was as beautiful as ever and as we looked over snow capped hills, blue sky and sun, the sense of peace and awe descended on us all. The aim of the weekend was to bond us into a group, experience a Masorti Shabbat as well as explore identity. All this was achieved and more.... An amazing thing was that we managed four services totally, with skilled men and women leading, leyning and doing haftorah. The finale was Assael Romanelli, shaliach, leading us in a musical sharchrit which was truly inspiring. My thanks to everyone and especially to Rina Wolfson and Assael Romanelli for their presence and educational role. And of course to Caer Llan who remain bemused at the koshering of their kitchen after 15 years of visits. In May we are off to New York for our second weekend away. This program is full of opportunities to develop yourself and become the leader of yourself and others that you truly want to be. ________________________________________ MERCAZ Olami Elections By Dr. David Breakstone, Head of the Department of Zionist Activities and MERCAZ representative in the WZO and Jewish Agency It is our pleasure to be able to inform you that the results of the American Zionist Movement elections for delegates to the Zionist Congress have been announced and that MERCAZ received 32 delegates, identical to the number we had at the Congress in 2002, or 22% of the total vote. First of all, we want to extend our heartfelt thanks to all of those who worked so long and so hard on these elections, and to acknowledge with great satisfaction all the reports we have received over the past several months regarding the unity of purpose with which all of our constituent organizations and institutions worked together so seemlessly. We are confident that this cooperative effort is a harbinger of even greater things to come after the Congress, and we look forward to building on this together with you in pursuit of our common goals. There are too many who contributed to this effort to name all of the names here, but we do want to acknowledge the inspired leadership of our president, Rabbi Vernon Kurtz, the devotion of campaign chairs, Dr. Marilyn Wind and Rabbi Richard Hammerman, the ongoing efforts of the members of the campaign committee who served as liaisons on behalf of their respective organizations, the spirit of cooperation demonstrated by the lay and professional leadership of the arms of our movement represented in the Leadership Council for Conservative Judaism as well as the heads of all of our Israeli institutions which united behind the campaign, and, last but not least, the dedication of MERCAZ USA director, Rabbi Bob Golub who held the whole thing together. To the so many others who contributed to this effort, please accept this expression of appreciation collectively. To those of you outside of the United States, our achievement within the American Zionist Movement - holding our own in the face of stiff competition - should serve as an inspiration to all of you who are now involved in electoral processes of your own. Every single delegate makes a very real contribution to our ability to influence the agenda of the WZO and JAFI and to access resources, and I am sure all of our colleagues in America who are now taking a deep breath, join me in wishing you much success in your own efforts. Collectively we are in a position to significantly increase our strength worldwide. There are promising prospects for new representation in countries where until now we have had none, and to increase our representation where our activities and communities have grown over the past four years. The democratization of the WZO, which I am proud that MERCAZ has played such an important role in bringing about, is good not only for the Zionist movement in general, but for us in particular, as our constituency continues to grow and assert its rightful place around the decision-making tables of the Jewish community throughout the Diaspora. Yasher koach to all those who are out in the field making this happen. Update from Russia Kehillat "Marom" Moscow Kehillat "Marom" Moscow was privileged to receive two distinguished visitors on motzai Shabbat, Feb. 4. Ms. Gila Katz, Head of the FSU Department at Midreshet Yerushalayim and field worker in Ukraine for Masorti Olami, along with Dr. Rafi Kasimov, rabbinical student at Schechter, were in Moscow recruiting young leaders for a new program at Midreshet Yerushalyim in Israel. Kehillat Marom organized an evening to meet with Gila and Rafi, have Havdalah and study together St. Petersburg Mr. Vadim Polyansky in St. Petersburg has begun to develop a Masorti kehillah in St. Petersburg and build ties with Masorti Olami. Olga Wainshtein, Marom Israel coordinator and fieldworker for Russia for Masorti Olami, traveled to St. Petersburg at the end of November to meet with the group of approximately 30 members. She explained the ideology of our movement and answered their questions. The group meets each week for Kabbalat Shabbat followed by a Shabbat dinner together. Occasionally, they also meet for Havdalah. In December, they joined together with all the Jewish organizations of St. Petersburg for a huge Hanukah celebration. 13,000 people attended the Hanukah festivities and concert in "Ice Palace" of St. Petersburg. We look forward to developing close ties with the kehillah. ________________________________________ Torah for Adath Shalom East Paris A sefer Torah from Inwood Congregation, a Conservative Synagogue in Upper Manhattan which recently closed, was donated to Adath Shalom East, a young kehillah in Paris. The sefer Torah was brought to Paris on February 19 by Kate Palley, a Jewish Theological Seminary rabbinical student and Sara Stave, a teacher at Solomon Schechter Day School in Bergen County, New Jersey. We are grateful to the Inwood Congregation for their important donation and to Eytan Hammerman for arranging the "shidduch". Adventures in Paris By Sara Stave It was just a typical trip to Paris. The Louvre, the Seine, Notre Dame, Champs Elysees, Eiffel Tower… Adath Shalom! My Rough Guide to Paris trusty guidebook took me to all the typical cultural spots. What may you ask brought me to the Masorti congregation in West Paris called Adath Shalom? It was another sort of trusty guidebook, a Sefer Torah, which I personally escorted from New York’s Jewish Theological Seminary, across the Atlantic Ocean, to its temporary stay at Adath Shalom West. The Torah was donated to Masorti Olami by the Inwood Congregation, a Conservative Synagogue in Upper Manhattan that recently closed its doors. Members of the shul wanted the Torah to go to another Conservative/Masorti congregation. The Torah will eventually settle in the aron hakodesh of Adath Shalom East, a new community which already meets on Shabbat.This truly was a priceless opportunity, which I shared with my friend and JTS rabbinical student, Kate Palley, during this Presidents’ Week vacation. Our adventure in France got underway when we received a warm welcome by representatives of the shul after the baggage claim at Charles de Gaulle Airport. We visited the shul, participated in a Haknassat Sefer Torah ("welcome the Torah”) ceremony and dvar Torah on the apropos Parshat Yitro given by Jean-Claude Suder, a Machon Schechter rabbinical student and intern at Adath Shalom East. During the week, we met up with our Adath Shalom friends at the Jewish Museum for a tour. We also found out we would also join them again for Shabbat meals. Our week concluded with the most “international” Shabbat dinner I have ever attended. It was at this dinner that I realized the incredible power of Torah and Masorti Olami to bridge the gaps between Americans and European Jews. We ate with the Rabbi and his family, the President of the shul and his family as well as Rabbi Gesa Ederberg and her husband visiting from Berlin. My ears were hearing French, English, German and Hebrew. I was in an apartment in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower, yet I was not in a foreign place. We were discussing day schools, synagogues, Camp Ramah, Noam, USY on Wheels and the place of halakhah in our communities. It was a typical meeting of Conservative Jewish educators, to which I am very accustomed in my life as a Solomon Schechter School teacher/ JTS graduate/ long time Camp Ramah in the Berkshires staff member. I would not have chosen to celebrate Shabbat in any other way! So far this year, I have visited Masorti communities in both Buenos Aires and Paris. I hope to continue traveling and seeing the world. Most likely, my next trip will not involve a Sefer Torah or an all-expenses paid trip to Jewish summer camps in Argentina. However, I know that I will be able to feel “at home” abroad should I be lucky enough to connect to a local Masorti community. Sara Stave teaches at the Solomon Schechter Day School of Bergen County andparticipated in the Camp Ramah Staff Mission to Argentina this past January Letter to Eytan Hammerman from Jean-Claude Suder, Schechter Rabbinical Seminary student and Intern at Adath Shalom East Dear Eytan, Thank you very much for arranging this wonderful present. Thank you to the Inwood Synagogue of Manhattan that gave it to us and thank you to the Conservative movement of America. Thank you to Kate and Sarah who accepted the responsibility to bring it to us. Receiving the Sefer Torah after Parshat Yitro was very good timing. We are looking forward to hearing more about the history of the sefer Torah. Thank you to Eric Aboudi and Claude Machline (from Adath Shalom Paris), Judy Gray, Rabbi Joe Wernik, Alan Silberman, Laurence Spira-Weil and the whole team of Adath Shalom East and to all the people who helped to make it possible. May this Sefer Torah help us to develop our young congregation and protect us from a harsh environment. Warm regards, Jean-Claude Suder If you are interested in donating a sefer Torah to a congregation in need, please contact Eytan Hammerman eytan@hammerhoff.com ________________________________________ Long Distance Learning Launched in Spain Rabbi Uri Ayalon, an Israeli Masorti rabbi and native Spanish speaker, has begun teaching weekly classes in Spanish via the internet to members of Masorti kehillot in Spain, including Alicante, Valencia and Madrid. These classes include topics such as parashat ha'shavua, holidays, Israel, Zionism and other topics relevant to Judaism. Rabbi Ayalon is in direct contact with the students via email and will meet with the students personally during visits to Spain. For more information or to sign up for the long distance learning project, please contact Rabbi Ayalon at: aya95@012.net.il We are grateful to the World Zionist Organization's Pluralistic Religious funding for supporting this project. ________________________________________ Correction In the last monthly report, we reported the names of contributors to the Midreshet Yerushalayim-Masorti Educational and Cultural Center in Kiev . We sincerely apologize for an error made in our report. The correct names of the supporters are: Ha'Nadiv Charitable Trust in London, Genesis Philanthropic Fund, Midreshet Yerushalayim (under the auspices of the Schechter Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem), Masorti Olami and the World Zionist Organization Pluralistic Religious Services funding. ________________________________________ Library Established in Midreshet Yerushalayim - Masorti Educational and Cultural Center in Kiev The Streett family of Jerusalem has generously donated funds towards establishing a library in memory of their beloved daughter Tova (z"l) in the Midreshet Yerushalayim-Masorti Educational and Cultural Center in Kiev. The center opened in January and houses the Sunday school, Masorti kehillah, Marom activities, adult education program and cultural activities. The library will serve as an important educational resource center for the community. Tova worked in the Masorti Olami office in Jerusalem from the time she graduated high school in June 2001 until she began her army service in December 2001. She was an integral part of the Jerusalem office staff, contributing her skills, ideas and enthusiasm to every project she undertook. Even during her army service, Tova continued to stay in touch with us and was always eager to hear about new developments in Masorti kehillot around the world. Tova passed away in May 2005 but her energy, smile and optimism stay with us. We thank the Streett family for perpetuating Tova's memory by helping the Jewish community of Kiev. Contributions to the Educational Resource Library at the Midreshet Yerushalayim- Masorti Educational and Cultural Center in Kiev can be sent to World Council of Conservative Synagogues, 3080 Broadway, New York, NY 10027. For ideas on ways to honor or memorialize a loved one, please contact Eytan Hammerman, Development Director at eytan@hammerhoff.com Tu B'Shvat Blooms in Budapest By Adam Schonberger, Coordinator of Marom Budapest On Saturday evening, February 11 the third annual Marom Budapest Tu B'shvat Festival took place at Club Godor in Erzsebet Square. We organized this festival with the Green Jung Organization and the Stetl Cultural Society. The first part of the festival was a panel discussion about the limits of freedom. We spoke about the relationship between Judaism and ecology, questioning the concept of freedom, opportunities and limits. The participants were Gabor Balazs philosopher, Benedek J?vor ecologist, Laszlo Seres editor, journalist, Gabor Csillag, cultural anthropologist and approximately 50 young adults. After the panel discussion, many more people arrived for the concert. It was a great success. The Udrub and the Ha'gesher group put on a wonderful production; most of the people danced and everyone enjoyed the music and the atmosphere. After the concert, there was a party with approximately 1000 participants. We continued until almost 5:00 a.m.! The Marom UK group was here for the weekend, so we celebrated Tu B'shvat together. It was a great opportunity to show them how we organize this kind of program for Jewish young adults in Budapest, and they really enjoyed it. ________________________________________ Marom UK-Budapest Seminar a Success by Assael Romanelli, Masorti Shaliach to UK The Marom UK – Budapest Seminar took place from February 10-12 (Shabbat Shira) with eight participants from Marom UK, four from Marom Prague and a large number of Marom Budapest participants in different activities. We officially started on Friday afternoon with a short tour of the Dohany shul (the second largest shul in the world) and a general introduction to Hungarian Jewry. We had our own Kabbalat Shabbat service, dinner and Oneg Shabbat at the home of Adam Schonberger, coordinator of Marom Budapest. We enjoyed a great dvar Torah and a fun Oneg together. The next morning we joined the Heroes shul for Shabbat services, followed by a Tu B'shvat seder. We ate lunch at the kosher food house called Hanna’s and continued our tour of Hungarian Jewry through the different streams over the years (Neolog, Orthodox, status quo). That afternoon we had a study session with Doron Rubin from Israel (chairman of Marom Olami) and a session on Israel with Alex Stein. We also had a discussion about Marom Olami’s vision and direction and a short session with the local Hagshama representative, followed by havdalah. Saturday night we participated in a 600 people strong Marom Budapest event, which was a great success and joy for all. On Sunday, we took a half-day tour of Budapest with Eva Vadasz, Marom Budapest member, and concluded with a summary and feedback session at lunch. The participants really enjoyed the seminar, but felt that the seminar was too short and they would have liked more time to meet other participants and spend more time with local Marom members. All the participants felt that there is a definite interest in meeting together and that these seminars are of great value and importance. I would like to thank Mr. Roni Tabick, Mr. Dave Goldman, Mr. Adam Schonberger, Ms. Eva Vadasz, and Ms. Andrea Ausztrics for all their help in planning and executing the seminar. I wish to thank Mr. Doron Rubin and Mr. Alex Stein for running sessions in the seminar. I also want to thank Mrs. Magda Vadasz and everyone at Bnei Brit Hungary for their generous help with the room (and help finding a bus). I wish to thank Hagshama Hungary for their support and help with the seminar. Finally, I want to thank Mr. Udi Givon and Mrs. Avigail Ben Aryeh and everyone from Masorti Olami for supporting and helping this important seminar. Subscribe to Iyunei Shabbat The Schechter Rabbinical Seminary in Jerusalem, together with the Rabbinical Assembly, are bringing to life “Iyunei Shabbat” – the weekly Torah Portion commentary that was published for many years in Israel by the Masorti Movement and the RA. Each week you can receive Iyunei Shabbat – a commentary on the weekly Torah Portion. The Dvar Torah is written by faculty members of the Schechter Institute and Schechter Rabbinical Seminary as well as Masorti rabbis and leading members of the community, and edited by Rabbi Dr. Alexander Even Chen, a lecturer in Jewish Thought at the Schechter Institute. The commentary will conclude with a “Torah Roundtable” of ideas for discussion. Masorti Olami is currently working on making Iyunei Shabbat available in other languages for the benefit of our kehillot around the world. We will update you when this is available. In the meantime, If you wish to receive Iyunei Shabbat on a weekly basis by e-mail, please contact Linda Price at: pr@schechter.ac.il You can also read Iyunei Shabbat on the Schechter web site: http://www.schechter.ac.il/site/ ________________________________________ May Conference of Latin American Jewish Institutions in Mar del Plata Join the Masorti Olami delegation to the 10th Meeting of Latin American and Caribbean Jewish Institutions and Community Leaders, Mar del Plata, Argentina May 10-14, 2006. Co-sponsored by the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) and AMIA, the Jewish Community of Buenos Aires, among others, this conference is the equivalent of the UJC “General Assembly” in North America. It will bring together communal leadership from dozens of communities and countries across Central and South America. Mar Del Plata, Argentina’s premier beach resort, is located southeast of Buenos Aires on the Atlantic coast; accommodations will be first-rate. Our U.S. delegation will be led by Ned Gladstein, a Masorti Olami vice president and Trustee of the Jewish Theological Seminary. In addition to active collaboration during the conference itself, we have organized several special programs – including Shabbat services - with our Central and South American community leaders and Masorti/Conservative Rabbis as well as optional, additional days of programming once the Mar Del Plata conference has concluded. For more information and to reserve your space, please contact Eytan Hammerman in the Masorti Olami office at 212-280-6099 or eytan@hammerhoff.com. Early registration deadline is March 30th, 2006. ________________________________________ Celebrate Yom Ha’atzmaut with Masorti UK “ISRAEL TOGETHER” Sunday, 7th May New North London Synagogue. Don't miss this special celebration with events for all ages, including lectures, art workshops, Israeli singing, games, raffle and, of course, lots of Israeli food. For more details, contact Assael Romanelli: assael@masorti.org.uk Pesach We know you haven't had time to finish digesting your mishloach manot yet, but it's time to think ahead to Pesach. In the Israeli supermarkets, the displays of sweets on sale before Purim, quickly changes to an array of cleaning supplies, in case we need to be reminded of what we must do in the weeks ahead! Pesach, also called Chag Hamatzot, "Festival of the Matzot", Zeman Cheiruteinu - "Season of our Freedom" and Chag Ha'aviv - The Spring Festival, begins on the 15th day of Nissan which corresponds this year to Wednesday evening, April 12 and lasts for eight days (seven days in Israel). The first two and last two days are holidays (first and last days in Israel). The days in between are called Chol Ha'moed. Preparation for Pesach doesn't have to be overwhelming! Here's a site that gives you ten clear steps to help you prepare for the holiday: http://judaism.about.com/library/3_holidays/passover/bl_passover_10steps... In order to get a better understanding of foods that are kosher for Pesach or how you can kasher utensils, you can access the Rabbinical Assembly’s 2005 Guide to Pesach at: http://www.rabbinicalassembly.org/docs/Pesah%20Guide%202005.doc When typing in the “Passover” in a Google search, 4,270,000 results came up, so you should have no difficulty finding basic information and background on the holiday, laws, customs, recipes, themes, activities for children, greeting cards, etc. Jacob Richman’s Hot Sites gives a comprehensive list of web sites in English, Hebrew, Russian, Spanish, Portuguese, French, German and Italian. You can also find online Haggadot, children’s sites and more: http://www.jr.co.il/hotsites/j-hdaypa.htm The Jewish Theological Seminary’s site provides interesting information for people of all ages and backgrounds: http://learn.jtsa.edu/passover/ The website of the Department of Jewish Education at the Jewish Agency for Israel has excellent sources and activities for Pesach, including sample Haggadot. The website is in English French, German, Hebrew, Spanish and Russian. http://www.jafi.org.il/education/festivls/pesach/ Wishing you a Chag Sameach v’Kasher! ________________________________________ Counting of the Omer On the second day of Passover, in the days of the Temple, an omer (unit of measure) of barley was cut down and brought to the Temple. This offering was referred to as the Omer. According to Leviticus 23:15, we are obligated to count the days from Pesach to Shavuot. This period is called the Counting of the Omer. From the second night of Pesach to the night before Shavuot (seven weeks, or forty-nine days) we recite the blessing and state the count of the omer in both weeks and days. The counting reminds us of the link between Pesach, which commemorates the Exodus, and Shavuot, which commemorates the giving of the Torah. Our redemption from slavery was not complete until we received the Torah. This period is a time of partial mourning, during which weddings and parties are not held.The 33rd day of the Omer (the eighteenth of Iyar) is known as Lag B'Omer. More on that closer to the date! A rather original web site with both humor and facts about counting the Omer, along with a calendar, can be found at the Homer – Omer site: http://www.jvibe.com/homer/Welcome.html For those hi-tech people among us, check out http://www.penticon.com/omer.html for a program called "The Omer Application" to add to your palm pilot. It displays the complete text of the Omer, and automatically shows the correct information for each day of the Omer based on the current date of your Palm organizer. You can even set an alarm to remind you to count the Omer. ________________________________________ Megillat Hashoah “Such questions ‘Why, God, why? Why us? Why them? Why now? Why in that way?’ are left suspended in midair, hovering over all human deeds, and there is no response… …Do not mourn too much, but do not sink into the forgetfulness of apathy. Do not allow days of darkness to return; weep, but wipe the tears away. Do not absolve and do not exonerate, do not attempt to understand. Learn to live without an answer. Through our blood, live!” - from Chapter Six of Megillat Hashoah Megillat Hashoah - The Shoah Scroll, a unique liturgical text written in six chapters to commemorate the Holocaust will be read this year on Holocaust Martyrs and Heroes Day (April 25th) at synagogues and public gatherings throughout the world. Published by the Schechter Institute of Jewish Studies and the Rabbinical Assembly, Megillat Hashoah was co-edited by Prof. David Golinkin, President of the Schechter Institute of Jewish Studies. In 2005, the text (which has been published in book form in Hebrew-English, All Hebrew and Hebrew-French) was read in more than 100 synagogues worldwide as part of Yom Hashoah events, just as the scroll of Eichah (Lamentations) is read on Tisha B’av and the Scroll of Esther on Purim. NEW: This year, Hebrew-Spanish and Hebrew-Russian editions have been published and will be read in scores of synagogues and community centers throughout South America and in Russian-speaking Kehillot in Israel and Ukraine. In England, Rabbi David Meyer of the Brighton & Hove Reform Synagogue in East Sussex, England, commissioned a sofer stam to create a scroll from the text. Nine scrolls have already been ordered by congregations in the UK, France, the U.S. and Canada. Megillat Hashoah in Hebrew-English can be purchased through the United Synagogue Book Service at: http://booksvc.uscj.org/booksvc/ All five editions can be ordered through the Schechter Institute: www.schechter.edu or www.schechter.ac.il ________________________________________ Israeli Elections 2006 Elections to the 17th Knesset in Israel will be held on March 28, 2006 (28 Adar 5766). The Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs gives an excellent background to the election process and presents a clear list of all the parties and candidates. See: http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/History/Modern+History/Historic+Events/Electio... It’s worthwhile to visit the Knesset web site as well to get a better understanding of how the government works: http://www.knesset.gov.il/main/eng/home.asp If you want to vote, you should make aliyah! If that is not possible for this election, you can visit the WUJS (The World Union of Jewish Students) site where you can study the issues and vote online in the mock Israeli elections 2006. As the web site says, “This is your chance to live Israeli history first hand, read about the parties, the platforms and the key players in the Israeli elections. Learn about the electoral system in Israel, the issues affecting the voters and make your own conclusions enabling you to vote for who you consider to be the choice that fits your needs.” http://www.wujsvotes2006.com/