Exciting New Year Begins in NOAM Argentina
By Adrian Kohan, Masorti Shaliach to Argentina
NOAM is an acronym for “noar Masorti” – Masorti youth—and is the name of the youth movement of the Masorti Movement (USY in North America).
As the southern hemisphere summer heads north, hundreds of children and teenagers in Argentina, Chile and Brazil prepare to return to NOAM’s weekly programming. Under the guidance of their madrichim (counselors), NOAM members will engage in a unique informal Jewish educational experience.
This year, NOAM’s educational theme is "Back to the Sources", and aims at giving Jewish youngsters in South America a glimpse of Jewish culture by inviting them to read the main texts and books, from the Tanach to modern Jewish thought.
During the year, NOAM members will also enjoy Shabbatonim, camps, seminars, tours and special activities, in which members from different congregations, and even from different countries, will meet to learn Judaism and engage in Jewish practice in an open, egalitarian and modern environment.
NOAM activities are made possible mainly thanks to the individual and collective efforts of 300 madrichim who volunteer their time and energy to guarantee that every Jewish child in South America will have access to Jewish education. Yasher Koach to all of them!
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Building the Next Generation of Jewish Educational Leadership in Argentina
By Adrian Kohan, Masorti Shaliach to Argentina
80 Darchei NOAM and 15 Nofim new graduates will became part of the educational staff of NOAM congregations in Argentina this year. Darchei NOAM is the leadership training program for high school students who learn to become madrichim (counselors) in NOAM. Nofim is a one year training program for chapter coordinators and youth directors, which has been running for three years, and has produced almost 50 young volunteers and professionals, all of them successfully integrated into the congregation's educational staff.
Darchei NOAM participants attend a twice a week intensive hadracha course for two years. During their training, Darchei Noam participants engaged in several projects including the construction of a Shoah Museum, the writing of a Kabbalat Shabbat Siddur for children, and even a simulation of a Knesset session. They also learned about holidays, Jewish history and special education, as well as storytelling, building musical instruments, theater skills and more. The new counselors will not be alone, as Nofim graduates will guide and coordinate their work.
In Nofim, experienced madrichim combine their university studies with an intensive training program, in which they learn about leadership, project coordination and selected Jewish subjects and dilemmas. As part of their training, they prepare educational projects and booklets that are then used in NOAM’s programming.
Both programs are made possible thanks to the support of the Jewish Agency for Israel, the UJC – Federation of New York, the L.A. Pincus Fund for Jewish Education in the Diaspora, USY Tikun Olam and Masorti Olami.
More about Darchei Noam: http://www.noam.org.ar/tiki-index.php?page=Darkei+Noam
More about Nofim: http://www.marom.info/tiki-index.php?page=Nofim
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Birthright Group from Marom Argentina
Reported by Adrian Kohan, Masorti Shaliach to Argentina
Forty college age students who volunteer at Congregations Amijai, Benei Tikva, Bet El, Bet Hilel and Lamroth Hakol, chose Marom as their “first time in Israel” Jewish experience provider. The number of Marom's first time Israel visitors from Argentina has doubled since the previous year, and is growing at a very optimistic rate.
Birthright / Taglit is made possible by the support of the State of Israel, the Jewish Agency, and a group of private philanthropists. Thanks to this special trip, young educational leaders connected with Israel's Masorti Movement and explored the subtleties of religious pluralism and the empowering quality of the Jewish Israel experience.
Previous to the trip, participants committed to a ten week preparation seminar, jointly organized with the local birthright israel offices, and carried out by Julieta Etkin and Diego Cohon, two of NOAM Argentina’s most prominent young professionals.
After the ten days regular trip many participants remained together for an extra week of pure Masorti programming during which participants enjoyed a "desert experience" seminar at Kibbutz Ketura in the Arava, a workshop at the socio-political Museum of the Seam in Jerusalem, and a special shacharit and World Wide Wrap tefillah at the “Masorti Kotel”, Robinson’s Arch.
At the end of the trip, participants committed to do an extra year of volunteer work at their congregations. Some of them even expressed their wishes of coming back to Israel, this time in a "Masa" long term experience.
For more information and pictures from, visit: www.marom.info
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KOACH Kallah
Over 150 Conservative university students participated in the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism annual KOACH Kallah that took place at the University of Pennsylvania from Thursday, February 22 through Sunday, February 25. The theme of the seminar was "The Original Facebook". Dr. Rabbi Pamela Barmash, Director of Jewish Islamic and Near Eastern Studies at Washington University in St. Louis and on the summer faculty at the Conservative Yeshiva, was the scholar in residence. Leaders from the North American Conservative Movement participated on a panel entitled "Visioning Conservative Judaism: A Conversation". Students also participated in community service projects in the West Philadelphia community and enjoyed a meaningful Shabbat experience together. Gafna Foltonoyva was present to represent Marom and the Masorti Movement in the Czech Republic.
KOACH College Outreach of the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism is directed by Richard Moline.
For more information about KOACH and its activities, go to http://www.koach.org/
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Report from NOAM UK Drachim Program
Drachim ("Paths") is a ten month leadership development program for NOAM UK bogrim (graduates) who are taking time between high school and university to spend time in Israel. . Drachim provides participants with unique experiences and skills for life by combining travel, study, volunteering, and exploring everything Israel has to offer while living as a NOAM group. Drachim is part of the Jewish Agency for Israel MASA program in conjunction with Marom Olami. For more information, contact simon@masorti.org.uk
After spending four months on Machon in Jerusalem studying Hebrew, learning leadership skills and travelling the country, the group moved to Carmiel, a development town in the north. Here the 15 members of the NOAM Drachim group are negotiating living in a house together and contributing to Israeli society by volunteering with young people in the city. Their work includes teaching English in schools, volunteering with mentally and physically challenged youth, working in a soup kitchen and working with the Israeli NOAM youth at the Masorti kehillah in Carmiel.
Reg Sklan, Israel Coordinator for Drachim, reports:
Everyone is doing really well in Carmiel, and really enjoying themselves. Schools are good and volunteering challenging, but the group seems to be going from strength to strength,
Recently on our "enrichment day", we had a special guest educator join us. Alex Stein, a NOAM UK veteran who made aliyah, ran a session on Jewish identity. It explored the challenges facing the group as a generation in a world of choice, and how do they remain to see Judaism as an integral part of our identity. The conversation was of a high level, and the engagement of the group was astounding. After this, I decided to spoil the group by cooking them a traditional English breakfast for lunch-eggs, tomatoes, fried potatoes and mushrooms – the works!
Some members of the group have decided to create a play to take around Carmiel. The play is about a child in London and what his life is there to help educate the kids of Carmiel about Judaism around the world. They have actors, script writers, prop organisers and lots of other positions – and most importantly this was the group's own initiative.
I feel honoured to be part of this year’s Drachim process, and would like to share with you that the change I witness happening within the group is astounding. I meet them on a one on one basis every three weeks and as a group every week. I see maturity slowly blooming as well as independence, self reflection and so on. It’s these moments that make this year program undoubtedly worthwhile.
Visit the NOAM UK website for more detailed reports on the Drachim program: http://www.noamyouth.org.uk
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