Masorti Olami Evening of Tribute
166 people attended the annual Masorti Olami Evening of Tribute which took place on Tuesday evening, November 27 at the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York. In conjunction with the dinner, a Tribute Journal was published which, resulting in a record $200,000 in contributions on behalf of our world-wide Masorti Olami activities.
Alan H. Silberman, President of Masorti Olami, welcomed the guests and introduced Rabbi Tzvi Graetz, the new Executive Director of Masorti Olami and MERCAZ Olami. Rabbi Graetz reported on the work of Masorti Olami and shared his enthusiasm and optimism for the future.
|
|
Janet Tobin, Chair of the Evening of Tribute, presents gift to Rabbi Charles Simon |
Entertainment with Middle Eastern flavor |
Three outstanding Jewish leaders were honored at the event:
Rabbi Benjamin Z. Kreitman, Executive VP Emeritus of the United Synagogue of America, Past Executive Vice Chairman of the World Council of Conservative / Masorti Synagogues and current Rabbi to the Council of Masorti Olami, received the Mordechai Waxman Memorial Lifetime Rabbinic Leadership Award, presented by Rabbi Joseph Potasnik, Executive Vice President, New York Board Rabbis. Rabbi Charles Simon, Executive Director of the Federation of Jewish Men's Club, received the Sherut L'Am ("Service to the Nation") Ambassador Service Award, presented by Norman Kurtz, President of the National Federation of Jewish Men's Clubs. Rabbi Mitchell Cohen, Director of the National Ramah Commission, was honored with the Simon Schwartz Memorial Young Leadership Award, presented by Dr. Charles Mann, President of the National Ramah Commission.
|
|
Rabbi Mitchell Cohen |
Rabbi Benjamin Kreitman |
Highlighting the festive celebration was musical entertainment with an "international Middle Eastern flavor" presented by Hazzan George Mordecai of Temple Emanu-El, South Beach, Florida along with Rabbi Aubrey Glazer of the Jewish Community Center of Harrison, New York and talented Middle Eastern musicians.
Throughout the Tribute program, the latest photos of our world-wideactivities on six continents were projected in a power point presentation. The exciting photos were met with fascination and constant comments from the attentive audience of, "I didn't know that Masorti Olami was active in......" were heard.
Thank you to all who attended as well as to those who contributed to the successful Tribute Journal. Our special thanks to Ms. Janet Tobin, Chair of the event, and to co-chairs Gloria Landy and Judy Horowitz. Todah rabbah also to Rabbi Richard Hammerman, (Sr. VP, North America), Corey Helfand, (Tribute Dinner Coordinator) and Patricia Vaturi Neiman, New York office coordinator.
|
|
Alan H. Silberman, President of Masorti Olami
|
Rabbi Tzvi Graetz, Executive Director of Masorti Olami and MERCAZ Olami
|
Back
to top
Masorti European Conference in Paris
220 representatives from Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland and UK, along with representatives from Israel and the United States, participated in the Masorti Europe Conference held in Paris from November 2-4, 2007. An additional 50 members of MAROM (Masorti young adults) also participated. The purpose of the conference was to strengthen the European Masorti region, set common goals, and plan for future growth and development of our movement in Europe.
The conference took place at Congregation Adath Shalom, the French Masorti flagship community in Paris. Participants spent a joyful Shabbat together, with beautiful prayer services led by Chazzan Sol Zim and members of MAROM, divrei Torah, informal discussions, singing and a stimulating walking tour of Jewish Paris led by Adath Shalom Est president and historian, Philippe Bourkara.
|
|
Cantor Sol Zim
(Aline Benain copyright) |
Masorti European rabbis (left to right):
Jon Wittenburg (UK), Jules Harlow (visiting rabbi in Lisbon) Ron Hoffberg (Prague), Joe Wernik (Israel), Gesa Ederberg (Germany), Yeshaya Dalsace (Nice), Chaim Weiner (UK), Joel Meyer (Director Int. Rabbinical Assembly), Floriane Chinsky (Belgium), Rivon Krygier (Paris) (Aline Benain copyright)
|
On Sunday, a full day of workshops and study sessions was offered on topics including leadership and community development, Israel and Zionism. Guest speakers included Zeev Bielski, Chair of the Jewish Agency for Israel and World Zionist Organization, and Ivan Leva?, journalist and editor of Tribune Juive.
Chazzan Jaclyn Chernett officially inaugurated the European Academy of Jewish Liturgy with Cantor Sol Zim offering a master class to rabbis, cantors and students along with a performance of the Adath Shalom choir
|
|
Rabbi Gesa Ederberg from Berlin confers with Alan H. Silberman (Aline Benain copyright) |
Zeev Bielski, Chairman of the Jewish Agency for Israel and the World Zionist Organization |
During the conference, Masorti Europe announced the affiliation of its newest community, “Centre Juda?ca” - Communaut? Massorti Marseille-Provence. (see article in "Kehillot" section below)
Michael Gluckman, Director of Assembly of Masorti Synagogues in UK, reported, "Being in Paris with Masorti Jews with from all over Europe was a very valuable experience...On Shabbat afternoon, people from each of the countries spoke about their experiences of establishing a community. Their stories were extremely moving. The sheer tenacity of these people is staggering. Some have developed communities under very difficult conditions where there are hardly any Jews – for example, Spain and Portugal. Some are communities of central Europe where the flame that the Nazis tried to extinguish is beginning to burn brightly once more. A critical aspect is the facility to network. This started from the very first conversation over a buffet style Friday night dinner and continued right up until the last moments of the conference when the extended Jewish goodbye came into play as we bid farewell to a whole range of new friends from across the Masorti world. Work is already continuing through the contacts that were made."
Thank you to Claude Machline, President of Masorti Europe and Gill Caplin, Vice President, the professional staff and dedicated lay leaders of Adath Shalom Paris, Rabbi Chaim Weiner, Director of Masorti Europe and the European Beit Din, for their efforts that went into making this conference such a success. The experience of studying together, learning from one another and building closer ties advances our goal of strengthening and developing Masorti Europe.
|
Claude Machline (President Masorti Europe) (left) with Rabbi Joe Wernik, past Executive VP of Masorti Olami and MERCAZ Olami. Rabbi Wernik's efforts in beginning the Masorti Movement in Europe were recognized during the conference and a Marom Scholarship Fund was established in his honor.
(photo by Anne Baer)
|
We are grateful to the World Zionist Organization and MERCAZ Olami for their support for this conference.
Back
to top
Masorti Brazil in the Limelight
Between October 24th and October 29th, Sao Paulo, Brazil witnessed a number of exciting and meaningful gatherings under the umbrella of the Masorti Movement in Latin America and the sponsorship of the World Zionist Organization.
The Second Latin American Conference of Jewish Healing took place in Comunidade Shalom in Sao Paulo on Thursday, October 24, with a packed room of over 150 participants who gathered to study together under the guidance of Rabbi Amy Eilberg (the first women Rabbi ordained by the JTS and member of the Executive Council of the International RA), Rabbi Nathan Cohen (expertise on issues of bikur cholim), Rabbi Adrian Gottfried and Rabbi Luciana Pajecki (both rabbis serving Comunidade Shalom), Rabbi Michel Schlesinger (rabbi of CIP, Sao Paulo), Rabbi Alexandre Leone (rabbi of Bnei Chalutzim, Alphaville) and Mrs. Ruth Rittner (Comunidad Bet El, M?xico). Sessions includedthe mitzvot of Bikur Cholim (visiting the sick), Nachum Aveilim (comforting the mourners), Mikveh, Spiritual Guidance, Prayer and Kavanah (meaning), Tikun Olam, Aveilut (Mourning), the meaning of Kaddish, Partnership with God and the power of Nigunim (melodies).
The 150 participants, from Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, M?xico, Per? and Chile, represented over 8,000 families who will receive the benefit of the participants' shared study and experiences of the conference. Spending Shabbat together was also a very enriching part of the conference.
Members of the Board of Masorti AMLAT joined the Healing Conference as well as the Brazilian Masorti Leadership Seminar which followed the conference. 54 participants from seven Masorti kehillot throughout Brazil took part in the Leadership Seminar, which included three days of sharing, studying, deliberating and establishing a strategic agenda for the region. This was the first time in the history of the Brazilian Jewish community that a gathering of Masorti leadership came together, representing kehillot from Sao Paulo (Shalom, CIP and Bet El), Jewish Community from Salvador de Bahia, Jewish Community from Curitiba, Bnei Chalutzim from Alphaville, Jewish Community from Campinhas and Hakehila from R?o de Janeiro.
Sessions were led by Rabbis Adrian Gottfried, Luciana Pajecki, Michel Schlesinger, Alexandre Leone, Nilton Bonder, and Amy Eilberg. Regional shaliach Yoel Schvartz gave a very moving lecture on the challenges of Zionism today on the eve of Israel's 60th anniversary and discussed where the Masorti Movement stands within the State. He also presented key issues related to youth and their active involvement in the future. David Raij (President of Masorti AMLAT) and Mario Grunebaum (local host and Treasurer of Masorti AMLAT) shared experiences as lay leaders of the Movement, including the challenges, threats and opportunities for the future of the region.
As a crown to the successful weekend, the Masorti Brazil Steering Committee was established with representatives from all seven Brazilian kehillot. Members of the committee agreed that there is a need to reach out to other kehillot in Brazil who are isolated and to make them feel a part of the same family through joint programs and activities. What an exciting moment for the Masorti Movement in Brazil, the Latin American Region and the world movement!
We thank the World Zionist Organization for their support of our seminars.
Back
to top
