Report from Masorti AMLAT (Latin America)
By David Raij, Chairman of Masorti AMLAT
Joint Reform / Masorti Conference
Masorti AMLAT is planning a joint meeting with representatives from the World Union of Progressive Judaism that will take place from November 16 until November 19, 2006 in Punta del Este, Uruguay. The main goal of this conference is to create an opportunity for Conservative and Reform Judaism to work together on common issues. Conference participants will include both lay leaders and professionals from Jewish communities in Latin America. We have begun working on the logistics and program for the conference.
MERCAZ Membership Registration
We have also been busy working on registering people for MERCAZ to vote for representatives for the next World Zionist Congress, which will take place in June 2006. We have had many meetings where we have discussed different ways of increasing our membership and the status of the different political groups. A wide effort has been made to coordinate volunteers and professionals involved in this effort.
Shabbatot in Punta del Este, Uruguay
This is the high season in Punta del Este, where many Jewish people spend their summer holidays. Together with Cipemu (the Jewish community in Punta del Este) we organized “Shabbatot” for the month of January. On December 29, 2005 we celebrated Chanukah at the Conrad Hotel. We are going to celebrate “Shabbatot and Shacharit” in January at different places like the Convention Center, the Millennium Tower, the Conrad Hotel and the Best Western Hotel. Depending on the success that those events have, we will continue in February 2006 as well.
We have written a Masorti Fact Paper to distribute on the Shabbatot. This material explains the meaning of Masorti Judaism and the objectives of Masorti AMLAT, its mission and relationship to Masorti Olami.
JDC Latin American GA, Mar del Plata – Argentina
The Joint is planning the 10th Latin American and Caribbean Jewish Institutions and Communities Meeting in Mar del Plata, Argentina, from May 10 until May 14, 2006.
Representatives from Masorti communities will participate in this event, including Nueva Congregaci?n Israelita (Montevideo) Board Members Mr. David Raij, Mr. Ianai Silberstein, Mrs. Ria Okret and Mr. Elias Bluth.
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Meet the 2006 Shlichim to Melbourne
Three new shlichim have been busy preparing for their upcoming service to Bialik College and Kehilat Nitzan in Melbourne, Australia. Debi Lazar and Shira Levine will depart at the beginning of March to join current shlicha, Keren Rand-Lakritz, who has been in Melbourne since June 2005. Ben Berdichev will replace Keren when she returns to Israel this June.
Debi Lazar, a graduate of the Masorti High School in Jerusalem, has a lot of experience as a NOAM counselor, both during the year and at Ramah NOAM camp in Israel. She joined the IDF as a member of a NOAM garin (army group), and was assigned to the Education Corps, serving as a teacher for youth with learning disabilities and as a counselor for youth at risk. Debi also worked as a counselor for the Alexander Muss High School in Israel programs for American youth visiting Israel. This past summer she worked as a unit head at "Szarvas" the international Jewish summer camp in Hungary organized by the JDC and Lauder Foundation. Debi enjoys singing, folk dancing, arts and crafts, hiking and baking.
Shira Levine, also a graduate of the Masorti High School in Jerusalem, has a strong background as a counselor in NOAM during the year and in the summer camp, including a summer at Ramah in Nyack, NY. She just completed her army service in January where she served in an Intelligence Unit in the army. Shira enjoys acting, dancing and plays guitar.
Ben Berdichev, also a graduate of the Masorti High School, was active in NOAM as a counselor during the year and in summer camp. He was a staff member on "USY on Wheels" in the U.S. this past summer and is currently a staff member for the year long NATIV program (USY College leadership program). In his army service, Ben served as a staff sergeant for basic training, completed the combat medic course and was involved in anti-terror warfare. He plays the guitar and harmonica and loves to hike.
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, the shlichim are involved in activities at Kehilat Nitzan, the Masorti kehillah in Melbourne. They contribute their special talents and synagogue skills to the kehillah, including leading children's t'fillah and working with the Bar/Bat Mitzvah program.
This is the fifth year that shlichim from the Masorti Movement are being invited to participate in "Project Masoret" by Bialik College. The past four years have been very successful, thanks to the outstanding efforts of Mr. Michael Cohen, deputy principal, and Ms. Genia Janover, principal of Bialik College, as well to the efforts of our hardworking shlichim.
Debi, Shira and Ben are looking forward to their time in Australia and taking upon themselves the challenges of the shlichut. We are confident that they will make a positive contribution to Bialik and to Kehilat Nitzan, as our other shlichim have done in the past. We welcome home 2005 shlichim Ayala Fox and Tamar Zisquit from their year in Melbourne and look forward to their continued involvement in the Masorti Movement here in Israel.
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Holocaust Remembrance and Beyond – Commemorative Events at the United Nations January 26 and 27
By Gloria Landy, NGO representative for World Council of Conservative Synagogues to UN
On November 1, 2005 the United Nations General Assembly adopted resolution 60/7 designating January 27 as an annual International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust. January 27 was chosen as it marks the day on which the largest Nazi death camp in Auschwitz-Birkenau was liberated by the Soviet army in 1945. Several countries already observe this day to remember Holocaust victims.
Following the adoption of the resolution, the Secretary General of the United Nations characterized this special day as “an important reminder of the universal lessons of the Holocaust, a unique evil which cannot simply be consigned to the past and forgotten”.
T
hursday, January 26 – At the DPI /NGO briefing, Ambassador Daniel Gillerman of Israel addressed the NGOs. His theme, which he stressed here and again at the candle lighting vigil later in the evening and in the General Assembly the following day drew attention to the importance of remembering the horrors of the Holocaust and its victims, saluting the courage and bravery of the survivors and making sure that this horror never happens again. He also stated that every year, on January 27, the Holocaust would be remembered forever all over the world, not just at the United Nations.
Dr. Judea Pearl, father of Daniel Pearl, honored the memory of his grandparents, who perished in Auschwitz in 1942, and his son, who was killed by terrorists in Pakistan sixty years later. He said Daniel Pearl’s last words “I am Jewish” symbolized the freedom of every individual to assert their faith, heritage and identity. He emphasized that Israel did not begin to exist in 1948, but has always been the ancient home and destination of the Jewish people for thousands of years. He added three new commandments: never be a perpetrator, never be a victim, and never be a bystander.
This briefing was followed at 6:00 p.m. by the candle lighting vigil. Six survivors lit candles in a giant menorah. All those assembled held candles as well as name cards of murdered men, women and children, which we read aloud in turn. The commonality of the names read were that each of the people was born on January 26th, the day we were commemorating their murders. The name on my card was Vilmos Kraus of Hungary. Roman Kent, one of the survivors, was accompanied in the candle lighting ceremony by his teenaged granddaughter. Another survivor said he and his wife, who met in the camps, were about to celebrate their 67th wedding anniversary.
January 27th – Ceremony at General Assembly
The response of people to this event at the United Nations was overwhelming. It was planned that the crowd would be housed in the General Assembly hall and all were concerned as to whether they could fill this space that holds 1400 people. The Trusteeship Council was added as a venue when they realized the General Assembly hall would not be sufficient, and still many had to be turned away for lack of space.
Each speaker was eloquent beyond imagination. Sashi Tharoor, Deputy Secretary General, officiated and represented the United Nations at the candle lighting ceremony and at the General assembly. Mr. Tharoor quoted his countryman Mahatma Ghandhi, "Tyrants will always fall. They may ascend for a while, but in the end, they always fall.”
There was a video talk by Secretary General Kofi Annan. He stated, “Remembering is a necessary rebuke to those who say the Holocaust never happened or has been exaggerated. Holocaust denial is the work of bigots. We must reject their false claims whenever, wherever, and by whomever they are made.”
Ambassador Daniel Gillerman of Israel stated, "Today, from this solemn hall, on this solemn day, I vow to you. I vow to you that as long as there is an Israel, no Jew will again be made to wear a yellow star or be tattooed with a number. And I vow to you that there will forever be an Israel, so these horrors will never be witnessed again – never again!" He ended with a prayer in Hebrew and English, “May God give his people strength. May God bless his people with peace.”
Each of the speakers on this day was inspirational and powerful. However, our hearts and souls were captured by Gerda Klein, a survivor who weeping, but with no bathos, told the story of her internment and rescue by the United States army. She told of her dear friend who died on their death march in her arms. She told of the liberation by an American soldier, who later became her husband. We all wept with her.
Dryehuda Bauer, academic advisor to Yad Vashem, gave a lecture of dazzling brilliance, in the first of an annual lecture series. The Zamir Choir of Boston chanted the "El moleh rachamim" prayer.
The United Nations, the Israel mission to the United Nations, Yad Vashem, the Department of Public Information, and all who worked on this commemoration, excelled beyond expectation. It was historic, it was necessary, and although overdue, it was a redemptive experience for the survivors.
I, as your representative from World Council of Conservative / Masorti Synagogues, had a role in the planning and organizing this day. I also had the honor of being able to thank Ambassador Gillerman, Ambassador Daniel Carmon of Israel, and the Israel mission for their activism in engaging with the United Nations and in succeeding in getting the United Nations General Assembly to unanimously adopt a resolution designating January 27 as Holocaust Remembrance Day. It was passed on November 1, 2006. When it was introduced on October 31, 2005, he stated “the United Nations was founded on the ashes of the Holocaust and the commitment to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war. The tragedy will forever stand as a warning to all people of the dangers of hatred, bigotry, racism and prejudice.”
There were ongoing events all week long. Films, exhibitions, an exhibit called child’s play where art work of children in the camps were displayed as well as poems and stories. This commemoration will be an annual event, with education a main component.
You can read more about the event, including some of the speeches on the UN website:
http://www.un.org/holocaustremembrance/
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Ramah Leadership Mission to Argentina
By Rabbi Mitch Cohen, National Ramah Director
From December 26, 2005 through January 4, 2006, the National Ramah Commission sent 16 senior Ramah staff members (mostly division heads) to visit Argentina to connect with the Conservative Jewish community in Buenos Aires, and in particular to spend time with the leadership of the Masorti youth programs and the summer camps which over the years, at times, has been called Camp Ramah.
Each of the participants returned from South America with a new appreciation of our Jewish sisters and brothers in Argentina, a better sense of the strength of the Conservative Movement in other parts of the world, and a renewed appreciation for the importance of Jewish camping in strengthening a youth community. Our hope is that the ties among young leaders created during this trip will lead to other opportunities for partnering, and will provide each of our delegates with fascinating programmatic opportunities at Ramah during this coming summer.
I was privileged to be able to join this group for three days, including Shabbat in Buenos Aires. I was very impressed with the Seminario Rabbinico Latinamericano, the "JTS" of Argentina, where many students train to be rabbis, cantors and Jewish educators. We saw the terrible economic struggle of many Jews and many synagogues, after the financial devastation in Argentina earlier this decade. We sang and danced during Kabbalat Shabbat services and over Shabbat dinner at Congregation Pardes with Rabbi Baruch Olavnik and a number of youth leaders about to depart for their summer camp experience. We also enjoyed an uplifting Shabbat morning service at a much larger congregation, Amichai, as Rabbi Dario Feiguin gave us a tour of this beautiful facility, and explained to us many of the unique aspects of Argentinean Jewry.
Just being with this group of North American youth leaders was inspiring. Many hours were spent sharing programs and stories from camp to camp, and discussing the impact of this trip on all of us as individuals, and upon each Ramah camp. Rabbi Paul Resnick, Director of Camp Ramah in the Berkshires, participated in this experience and commented that "it is wonderful to see our youth leaders expand their minds as educators and gain so much insight from visiting a foreign community with a strong Conservative Jewish presence."
Eytan Hammerman, a JTS rabbinical student and former staff member at Ramah Berkshires, currently works with Masorti Olami, and we asked him to lead this trip. Below are some of his reflections:
A major highlight of the experience was three days spent at a “Ramah”-style camp organized by two of the Masorti communities in Buenos Aires, Lamrot Hakol and B’nei Tikva. This camp is one of seven overnight camps in Argentina which vary in length from one week to three weeks. The camps conclude a full year of activities that take place in the individual communities. The Lamrot Hakol/B’nei Tikva Camp took place at a rented campsite outside Necochea, a beach town on the Atlantic Ocean, a seven-hour drive from Buenos Aires. Altogether, there were 350 campers and counselors. They slept in tents.
After spending several days observing and sharing with our Argentine hosts, the North American Ramah staff took the opportunity to reflect upon this eye-opening experience. A summary of our observations follows:
- We came wanting to see what is “Ramah” about their camp. We expected to see things we’d recognize to help us understand what, exactly, is happening here. Instead, we observed a very different camp culture, Jewish culture and Masorti/Conservative culture.
- These camps are organized by synagogue rather than by geographic region. They come to camp with all of their friends from home – campers and counselors alike.
- They meet every single Shabbat during the year for activities. “Camp” in Argentina is truly a year-long program with this week serving to end the year of programs with a celebratory, intensive week in a beautiful setting far from the city.
- The enthusiasm of campers and counselors alike was terrific. The constant singing – in the dining room, on the beach, around the menorah– impressed us. All participants seem very connected to one another.
- There is a tremendous focus on “fun” – people seem laid back and really appear to be enjoying themselves.
- Some campers were six years old! In Buenos Aires, they even bring 4 and 5 year-olds to sleepover at the synagogue’s retreat center!
- Camp is run by young-people. Staff members are a couple of years younger than American counselors; the coordinators are all 25 or younger. All have come together to create a sense of community and to accomplish something. Counselors served their campers and stood throughout the meal (eating from whatever passed by). Only once did we see a counselor yell. Otherwise, we observed a tremendous sense of calm amongst the staff.
- To be a madrich (counselor), one must take a 2-year course (for high school students) that meets for four hours each week. It is difficult to be accepted to the course and madrichim feel a genuine sense of privilege to be chosen. Madrichim, who work all year long with the communities, serve as volunteers.
- The rabbi of one community, Rabino Fabian Skornik, was at camp for the entire week.
- We joined in both communities’ weekday shacharit services. One community used a transliterated sheet (two-sided) with the various t’fillot; the other have made their own 20-page booklet. T’fillot were entirely aloud; some people had instruments. One community did a skit during the service – the kids seemed to know many t’fillot by heart and, if not, to answer “Amen”. One young boy asked to put on t’fillin during the service (we observed a few tallitot/t’fillin) being used. One service leader had a set of t’fillin that was take apart – the various pieces were passed around. Both communities ended their services in song, with all participants linking arms in a circle.
- The power (and water) went out for about seven hours; no one seemed to notice or care. When it got too dark, a few cars were pulled up to illuminate the scene and some candles were lit in the chadar haochel. Campers sang throughout the power outage, especially once it got dark.
- A caterer provided all food. All bread, knishes, cakes, etc. were made by hand in the kitchen. The catering staff pitched tents behind the kitchen.
- We enjoyed the opportunity to teach a few songs to our hosts – and to learn their tunes to songs and t’fillot we already knew. Our hosts loved the dozens of varied Ramah shirts and hats we brought with us as gifts.
- The North American participants questioned the separation in our own communities between Ramah and USY programming. In Argentina, the relationship between year-round and “summer” Masorti Judaism is seamless.
- “Free-play” is a major part of their camp schedule, allowing for creativity on the part of the campers. In North America, the schedule seems more organized. We were reassured that the camp was not nearly as chaotic as it seemed – that there was a daily schedule and the planned programs all take place.
- Overall, our main lesson learned, perhaps, is how much can be done with relatively few resources. Camp costs approximately $7/day/camper. Yet, the education, the passion, the enthusiasm and the connection to one another and to Judaism is just as strong as we might expect in a North American camp which enjoys greater resources.
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