Join Masorti Olami’s Spring Mission
JOIN THE MASORTI MISSION
to the Past, Present and Future
Spain, Portugal and the Czech Republic
May 10-21, 2007
The past will come alive in Portugal, Spain and the Czech Republic May 10- 21, 2007 on the World Council of Conservative/Masorti Synagogues' "Mission to the Past, Present and Future" highlighting these exciting Jewish destinations as seen through the eyes of local Jewish religious leaders who are also experts in the history and heritage of these important Jewish communities .
Rabbi Chaim Weiner, noted English rabbi, lecturer, educator, and world-wide authority on Spain and Portugal, as well as Director of the European Masorti Beit Din, will provide an “insider’s view of the past,” bringing the Golden Ages of Spanish and Portuguese Jewry to life before our eyes. Among the unique aspects of the mission will be an opportunity to meet, personally, with Conversos, those Jews who hid their Jewish backgrounds for hundreds of years since the Inquisition to preserve their lives but who secretly kept up a remnant of Jewish practice “behind closed doors” and in the basements of their homes. Many are beginning to reclaim their Jewish past.
In the Czech Republic, Jewish Theological Seminary of America graduate Rabbi Ronald Hoffberg, who has been serving the Czech Republic as Masorti rabbi for over five years and is a much sought after guide and lecturer, will introduce the Mission to both the oldest continuous Jewish community and the newest emerging post-communism Jewish community of Prague. He will also lead the mission to fascinating, rarely visited outlining communities of the Czech community, as well as the magnificent Czech countryside, where Jewish life once flourished.
The May Mission will include visits to Lisbon, Tomar, Castelo de Vide-Abrantes, Madrid, Valencia, Sagunto and Prague. In addition, the former Nazi Concentration Camp at Terezin and the Holocaust era secret synagogue of the Danish Jews will be visited.
In Lisbon, the Masorti Mission will join the Masorti Beit Israel Community for kosher Shabbat meals and services. In Prague, Shabbat services will be celebrated in the historic 19th century recently restored Jerusalem-Jubilee Synagogue and with the dynamic Masorti community which Rabbi Hoffberg leads. You will meet exciting local personalities and come to know figures from our ancient past.
Coordinated by The World Council of Conservative/Masorti Synagogues and ITC Tours of Livingston, New Jersey, this is a not-to-be-missed mission of discovery and Jewish vitality. For further information and prices, contact Rabbi Richard Hammerman, Sr. Vice President of the World Council of Conservative/Masorti Synagogues at rahammerman@gmail.com
or call ITC Tours 1-800-247-7235 or 973-535-2575.
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Legacy Heritage Scholarships for Study at Conservative Yeshiva
The Conservative Yeshiva in Jerusalem invites applications for
LEGACY HERITAGE JEWISH COMMUNAL SCHOLARSHIPS
for SUMMER PROGRAM 2007
Session I: July 1 - July 19
Session II: July 22 - August 9
A Unique Opportunity to study at
the Conservative Yeshiva in Jerusalem for
*Community Educators and Youth Advisors
*Jewish Community Center, Federation, and Hillel Personnel
*Synagogue Administrators, Educators and Officers
The Conservative Yeshiva Summer Program includes:
- Mornings devoted to intense classes in either:
Hebrew Ulpan (levels aleph through daled, more levels may be added) or
Talmud (Beginning and Advanced)
- Afternoon sessions in Tanach, Midrash, Mishna, Halacha, and Tefilah
- Courses built on the traditional model of chevruta, learning one-on-one with a partner, and shiur, a seminar-style class
- A chance to be part of a unique, intergenerational learning community
The Legacy Heritage Jewish Communal Scholarships provide a special opportunity for leadership development!
- Study in Jerusalem enables students to use Hebrew daily and gives context to the study of Jewish texts.
- Study at the Conservative Yeshiva will enrich participants and enable them to provide new programs and services in their communities.
- Special lectures and programs will enhance participants' Israel experience, prepare participants for Israel advocacy, and stress leadership development.
The Legacy Heritage Jewish Communal Scholarship will cover tuition and provide up to $1500 towards flight, housing and living expenses for European participants.
Applications are due by April 1; Applicants will be notified by May 1.
For more information and detailed course descriptions, please see our website, www.ConservativeYeshiva.org, or contact us at yeshiva@uscj.org.
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Project "Kol Dichfin"-- Find a Place for Seder
As it is written in the Haggadah: "Kol Dichfin…All who are hungry let them come and eat." Pesach is approaching and Project Reconnect and NAASE (North American Association of Synagogue Executives) are working together to help college students and unaffiliated young adults find a place to go for a Pesach Seder.
For more information, visit the Project Reconnect web-site: http://www.projectreconnect.org/
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