Last summer, the Teacher Trek journey began ... and it continues this upcoming summer. Twenty-eight American complementary Jewish educators participated in Taglit-Birthright Israel Teacher Trek. The group, which represented educators from a variety of Jewish education settings - congregational, non-congregational, JCCs, Chabads and community schools - developed personal attachments to Israel and participated in professional development opportunities. Taglit-Birthright Israel awarded the first-ever Teacher Trek with “Best Implementation of a Niche Bus.” This summer, PELIE, the Partnership for Effective learning and innovative education, will again sponsor Teacher Trek and is excited that Taglit-Birthright Israel has again expanded the age limit to include participants between the ages of … Continue Reading
Making Your Jewish Institution LGBT Inclusive
New York and Bay Area Training Institutes: Making Your Jewish Institution LGBT Inclusive For Jewish Educators, Youth Professionals and Community Leaders San Francisco Training Institute When: January 31 - February 2, 2012 Deadline: January 18, 2012 Co-sponsored by: Bureau of Jewish Education, Congregation Sha’ar Zahav, Jewish Community Center of San Francisco, LGBT Alliance of the Jewish Community Federation and Endowment Fund New York Training Institute When: March 27 - 28, 2012 Where: Manhattan, NY. Hosted in partnership with The JCC of Manhattan. Deadline: February 1, 2012 Co-sponsored by: Congregation Beit Simchat Torah (CBST), Congregation Rodeph Sholom, JCC Association, Marks Jewish Community House, Rodeph Sholom School, 14th Street Y Program Costs/Information Program … Continue Reading
National Family Shabbaton Launches Jewish Adoption Movement
A National Family Shabbaton to be held June 29 - July 1, 2012, will officially launch Kochav Yam, the National Jewish Adoption Movement. The event, to be held at the Pearlstone Conference and Retreat Center in Reisterstown, MD, will mark the first ever national gathering of Jewish families who have brought children into their lives through adoption, domestically or internationally. This is an opportunity to celebrate together, share stories and help plant the seeds for a national movement that will make adoption an integral part of American Jewish life. It will be a spirited, camp-style Shabbat weekend with a scholar-in-residence and activities for children of all ages. Grandparents and other extended family members are welcome to attend. Families considering adoption are also encouraged to … Continue Reading
New Organization Launched to Cater to the Single Young Professionals throughout Europe
JEP (Jewish European Professionals) was recently launched to cater to Jewish singles, aged 27-39, at the behest of many young professionals throughout Europe. Time and again, these young professionals approached Zevi Ives - director of ECJS (European Center for Jewish Students) - with their request for an organization that would be geared to their needs. Many also expressed their frustration in finding a suitable life partner. They highlighted the difficultly in meeting eligible Jews seeking a serious relationship, especially in Europe where the Jewish population is so small and spread out. JEP is an international, non-profit organization committed to providing this cohort with opportunities to enhance their personal and professional networks. It was designed to create a vibrant young Jewish … Continue Reading
One Week from Today: Occupy Limmud
Nearly 2,500 Jews from the United Kingdom, together with Limmud International activists from 20 communities, will “Occupy Limmud” at the University of Warwick during Christmas week, December 25-29, 2011. To capture the excitement of Chanukah, which this year coincides with Christmas, a thousand dreidel enthusiasts are expected to break the world record for simultaneous dreidel spinning. Beyond the first-class cadre of presenters, including Holocaust historian Deborah Lipstadt, Israeli social protest leader Dafni Leef and Turkish Ambassador to the U.K. Unal Cevikoz, Limmud 2011 will see the launch of other firsts: An inclusive pilot project integrating learning disabled presenters and adult participants taking one more step in their Jewish journey in a project initiated by Conference Co-Chair … Continue Reading
Rose Youth Foundation: 10 Years of Impact
Conference Call January 12, 2012 | 12:30 - 13:30 Sarah Indyk, manager of Jewish Life Initiatives at the Rose Community Foundation, will share results of a newly released evaluation report on the Rose Youth Foundation, a teen philanthropy program, as well as the aspects of the program model she believes are most responsible for its success. The study found that the Rose Youth Foundation successfully educates and empowers teens, effectively transmits Jewish values, and promotes long-term Jewish engagement. Lisa Farber Miller, senior program officer at the Rose Community Foundation, will join the call to share her experiences working with RYF over the past decade. Based on the reports findings, they will also discuss their recommendations for future work. Participants are encouraged to think … Continue Reading
Strangers No More Debuts on HBO
Strangers No More, the Academy Award winning documentary about Tel Aviv's Bialik-Rogozin School, debuts on Monday, December 5th (6:45-7:30 p.m. ET/PT), exclusively on HBO. The school, serving one of the most economically challenged and socially diverse student populations in Israel, has morphed from a failing one to a highly successful and closely watched model for improving students’ lives and outlooks, strengthening and supporting families, advancing assimilation and socialization into Israeli society, and changing social and cultural attitudes toward respect of the other. Karen Tal, Bialik-Rogozin's former principal, was recently awarded the 2011 Charles Bronfman Prize for her work with the school. We highly recommend tuning in if you haven't yet seen the film. … Continue Reading
Energizing the Present, Envisioning the Future
2012 will bring the Olympics to London, the World Expo to Korea and the World Council of Jewish Communal Service 12th Quadrennial Conference to Jerusalem. For three days, from June 24-26 2012, there will be exciting learning, sharing, networking and site-visit experiences with professional colleagues from Jewish communities around the world. Five reasons why you should be at the Quad: Connect with professional colleagues from various disciplines around the world who share your passion for Jewish communal service Assist in building networks, which will have on going significance to the Jewish people worldwide Collaborate with peers on how to address current issues and challenges of concern to us all Share and learn from the most creative, innovative ideas from around the … Continue Reading
UJA-Federation NY Connects Community to High Holiday Services
Those interested in finding out about High Holiday services throughout the five boroughs, Westchester, and Long Island are encouraged to contact UJA-Federation of New York’s J-1-1 Information and Referral Center. The Center connects people to High Holiday services by referring them to local synagogues that are open to nonmembers during the holiday season. UJA-Federation’s J-1-1 Information and Referral Center is a free and confidential telephone referral service available Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at 1.877.852.6951 or J11@ujafedny.org. … Continue Reading
A Benefit Dinner to Assist the IAEJ
The Israel Association for Ethiopian Jews invites you to a delicious and meaningful benefit dinner with visiting International chef, food historian and James Beard award-winning author Gil Marks, who will demonstrate some of his delicacies in kitchen conversation with IAEJ director Ziva Mekonen-Degu and IAEJ board chair Shula Mola. Along with tasting some of Gil’s delights, guests will enjoy a kosher vegetarian Ethiopian dinner together. Gil is the author of the recently published Encyclopedia of Jewish Food, which will be on hand, hailed as the Jewish version of the Larousse Gastronomique. Efrat Yerday, a young community activist and IAEJ's advocacy spokesperson will share her latest experiences on the streets (and behind the scenes) with Israel's wider citizenship and about advances and … Continue Reading
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