To read workshop summaries and to download handouts from the 2010 Synagogue Leadership Conference, visit the METNY website. |
Publicize your event on the METNY Community Calendar. Please email
Kimberly Bastin at [email protected] to have your event posted. Click here to view the calendar. |
Follow METNY on the Web! |
Click here to become a fan of METNY USCJ on Facebook!
Twitter @CharlieSavenor
@MetnyUSY
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FREE BOOKS!
METNY USCJ has an extra set of Encyclopedia Judaica. If you are interested in attaining this set for your synagogue library please contact Rabbi Charles Savenor at [email protected]. |
Contact METNY |
820 Second Avenue, 10th Fl.
212-533-0800 (p)
212-533-0400 (f)
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Hidon Ha Torah
METNY will be holding its annual Hidon Ha Torah 6th grade Torah competition this Sunday, May 2nd. It will take place at the Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS), located at 3030 Broadway, New York, NY.
Breakfast and registration will be being at 8:30 am. The semi-final round will begin at 9:30 am. Our expectation is that the event will conclude no later than noon.
To volunteer for the event, please contact Rabbi Posner at (212) 533-0800 or [email protected].
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The Metropolitan New York District of
the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism: METNY
Presents the newly restructured
and freshly redesigned
LEADERSHIP CONFERENCES
For Synagogue presidents, officers,
committee members, clergy and professionals
Conducting
a Successful High Holy Day "Appeal"
TWO locations to choose
from:
May 13th at 7:30
PM at the Dix Hills Jewish Center, Dix Hills in Suffolk County
May 17th at 7:30 PM at the Orangetown Jewish Center in
Orangeburg in Rockland County
The theme of the Yamim
Noraim/Rosh HaShana and Yom Kippur is the three fold concepts of Teshuvah, Tefillah and Tzedakah. Through change which we
initiate in ourself, through the experience of prayer/reflection and
through acts of righteousness including deeds of kindness(hesed)
and tikun olam (change behavior) and tzedakah as financial gifts we elevate our lives and
transform society. The High Holy Days have
become a time for tzedakah for the synagogue. We will address the following
questions are the seminar: - How should a synagogue develop a meaningful approach to
raising funds for itself?
- What role do lay leaders play in the process?
- What part is reserved for rabbi, hazzan or other
religious leaders?
- When should the campaign begin?
- Who should be contacting the membership?
- How should we approach members?
- What financial goals should be set for each year?
- What techniques have been successful already?
SUCCESSFUL EFFORT
SHARED. QUESTIONS DISCUSSED, RECOMMENDATIONS FOR YOUR 5771/2010 EFFORT.
Guest presenter (Dix Hills Jewish Center): Lee Grebstein, Past President Dix Hills Jewish
Center, Chairman of High Holy Day Appeal
Guest presenter (Orangetown Jewish Center): TBA
The Leadership Series is coordinated by Norman Korowitz , METNY
Executive VP and Rabbi Moshe Edelman, METNY Associate Director.
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IN WAKE OF ROTEM/AYALON MEETINGS WITH JEWISH LEADERS IN NEW YORK CONSERVATIVE, REFORM AND RECONSTRUCTIONIST MOVEMENTS RELEASE STATEMENT CRITICAL OF THE CONVERSION BILL
Statement Reflects United Stance on Proposed Legislation
CONTACT: Conservative: Shira Dicker at 917.403.3989, [email protected] Reform; Kate Bigam at 202.398.2800, [email protected] Reconstructionist: Yael Ridberg at 917.287.4207, [email protected] Carl Sheingold at 215.885.5601, [email protected] April 30, 2010 (New York, NY) -- Israeli Knesset Member David Rotem, author of
a proposed bill dealing with conversion in Israel, met this week with leaders
of the North American Jewish community to discuss the bill's possible
ramifications. Following a series of discussions with Rotem, the Conservative,
Reform and Reconstructionist movements together issued the following statement: We are appreciative of the substantial amount of time MK David Rotem devoted to
meetings with us, individually and collectively, during his visit to the United
States to discuss the legislation he has sponsored in the Knesset dealing with
conversion and the Law of Return. We also welcome Deputy Minister of
Foreign Affairs Daniel Ayalon's participation in many of our meetings.
It should, first, be emphasized that we deeply appreciate Mr. Rotem's stated
goal in advancing the legislation - to ameliorate the bottleneck in the
conversion process that currently keeps as many as 350,000 thousand olim
(immigrants) from the former Soviet Union from converting to Judaism. The
laudable goal of attempting to hasten the process of conversion for these
individuals - who currently serve in the Israeli army and contribute positively
to Israeli society - is one that deserves widespread attention and support.
Together, we thank MK Rotem for his efforts in addressing this crisis. MK Rotem believes his proposed legislation would rapidly open the door to a
faster conversion process. We respectfully disagree. Not only would this
legislation fail to achieve his forecasted result, the collateral damage to the
85% of world Jewry who are not Orthodox (and perhaps others who are) would be
disastrous to the unity of the Jewish people in a number of ways. The bill threatens to alter the Law of Return and consolidate conversion power
into the hands of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel. Both of these results could
have devastating effects on the relationship between Israeli and Diaspora Jewry
and thus on the broader unity of the Jewish people. Such concentration of power
in favor of Ultra-Orthodox Jewry effectively negates the roles of the
non-Orthodox movements both within Israel and abroad, sending the message that
only the Orthodox have a place within our Homeland. Specifically, the current formulations of Article 1 would legislate the role
and status of the Chief Rabbinate in a way not previously written into law.
Such legislation would turn back the clock on 20 years of hard-won
accomplishments in the Israeli High Court and complicate future efforts to
appeal to the Court, which has been the single mechanism to counter religious
discrimination in Israel. This bill returns us to the destructive "who is a Jew" question, that
has previously threatened to divide World Jewry, as it does today. To
explicitly connect conversion to a single religious stream, while making no
mention of other streams of Judaism, is by definition to compromise and
jeopardize the Law of Return, as it places the decision for "who is a
Jew" in the hands of one group. Such an action is inconsistent with the
democratic ideals on which the State of Israel was founded and relies, and
would detrimentally affect the worldwide Jewish community. Further compounding our concern is the fact that the bill mentions no
alternative method of conversion via non-Orthodox streams. We - and more
importantly, our Israeli colleagues and their lawyers - believe that this
language, if adopted as written, would further marginalize and hamper the Masorti
and Reform movements in Israel. This would be a tragic consequence as we offer
vibrant religious alternatives to a nation of Jews religiously alienated by the
increasingly extreme positions of a minority religious establishment. We
firmly believe that any conversion legislation must explicitly address these
concerns.
We are additionally troubled by language that provides that any person who
entered Israel while ineligible to receive Israeli citizenship under the Law of
Return will remain ineligible following conversion. Though MK Rotem says this
language exists to outlaw the possibility of illegal immigrants undergoing
conversion solely to obtain Israeli citizenship and remain in the country, the
reality is that this deeply troubling clause differentiates between those who
are born Jewish and those who choose to be Jewish, amending the Law of Return
to exclude those who have made a conscious decision to join the Jewish
community. For 2,000 years, Judaism has treated Jews-by-choice the same as
Jews-by-birth. We are taught "as soon as a convert emerges from the
mikvah (ritual bath) she or he is Jewish for all purposes." (Talmud,
Yevamot 47b) We see no justification now for differentiating between groups of
Jews or including an article with such severe ramifications in the framework of
a law purportedly dealing with easing conversion procedures. While we recognize the goals Mr. Rotem is working to achieve and deeply respect
his efforts, we cannot lend our support to a bill that will have such
devastating ramifications. This moment, when Israel faces a great many
challenges, both at home and abroad, is no time to enact legislation that has
the potential to divide the Jewish community or to alienate Diaspora Jewry. Even as we expressed our concerns to Deputy Foreign Minister Ayalon and MK
Rotem, we also emphasized our steadfast love and commitment to the people and
State of Israel. It is in this spirit of unity that we stand shoulder to
shoulder with our colleagues in the Masorti and Reform movements in Israel and
with one another. Indeed, it is our unconditional love for Israel as both a
sovereign nation and a worldwide Jewish community that calls us to urge, in the
strongest possible terms, upon MK Rotem, the Yisrael Beitenu party, and Prime
Minister Netanyahu to withdraw this bill and introduce legislation that
resolves the urgent problems of olim from the former Soviet Union without
compromising either the core democratic values of the State or the Law of
Return. For information about this joint statement of the leadership of the
Conservative, Reform and Reconstructionist movements to the Rotem Conversion
Bill, please contact the following: Conservative: Shira Dicker at 917.403.3989, [email protected] Reform; Kate Bigam at 202.398.2800, [email protected] Reconstructionist: Yael Ridberg at 917.287.4207, [email protected] Carl Sheingold at 215.885.5601, [email protected]
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Yasher Koach Corner
METNY wishes a huge Yasher Koach to our participants at SULAM 37 this past weekend! Coordinated by METNY's Associate Director,Rabbi Moshe Edelman, this weekend is a training session for new and incoming congregational presidents.
The 37th cohort of presidents came together at the Pearlstone Conference and Retreat Center in Reiserstown, Maryland, from April 22-25. Over those four days, they shared with, listened to, and learned from each other. The group at SULAM 37 included representatives from METNY, both incoming presidents and staff. They are (from left): Rabbi Charlie Savenor, METNY Executive Director Louise Sherby, Town and Village Synagogue (New York, NY) Rabbi Moshe Edelman, METNY Associate Director Mark Gelfand, Midway Jewish Center (Syosset, NY) Nancy Kaplan, Temple Beth-El (North Bellmore, NY) Michael Swirnoff, Congregation Temple Israel (Glen Cove, NY) Jennie Ossentjuk, Etz Chaim (Monroe, NY) Rabbi Paul Drazen, USCJ Chief Program Delivery Officer Gila Drazen, METNY Administrative Assistant Ariel Manacher, Temple Sholom (Greenwich, CT) Glen Gilbert, JCC Harrison (Harrison, NY)
Yashar kochachem on completing this important conference!
For more information about SULAM, contact Rabbi Moshe Edelman at [email protected]. To see more pictures from SULAM 37, please go to www.uscj.org/pictures.html.
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Celebrating
Mother's Day + Our Feminist Matriarchs
In
1971, a group of Jewish feminists adopted the name Ezrat Nashim* and
began to press for change in the role of women in Jewish life. In March 1972,
they attended-without invitation-the National Convention of Conservative Rabbis
and presented a manifest for equal access to leadership and religious
participation for women. Nearly 40 years later, members of this group reunite
to tell what it was like to be in the advance guard of Jewish feminism, how
they have shaped their lives, and how they view the changing role of women in
Jewish life and the struggles remaining for future generations. They will also
talk with younger Jewish feminists.
Joining us will be: Martha Ackelsberg,
professor of Government and Women's Studies, Smith College; Arlene Agus,
Jewish resource advisor to Jewish Child Care Association, executive consultant
to Jewish Family Foundations; Dr. Leora Fishman, physician; Rabbi
Judith Hauptman, professor of Talmud, Jewish Theological Seminary; Dr.
Eva Fogelman, psychologist; Paula Hyman, professor of Modern Jewish
history, Yale; Maureen McCleod, Family Court Judge, retired; Dina
Rosenfeld, assistant dean, Undergraduate Programs, NYU Social Work School; Judith
Hyman Rosenbaum, Jewish Women's Archives, Boston; and other members of the
'younger generation.' Judith Plaskow, professor of Religious Studies,
Manhattan College, will moderate.
*Ezrat Nashim is the term used for the
women's section in traditional synagogues; literally, it means 'help of
women."
Sunday,
May 9 @ 3 pm $10 JCC members/$15 nonmembers Code: JJLEZR00S0
Register online at www.jccmanhattan.org or
call 646-505-5708.
JCC in Manhattan - Amsterdam @ 76th Street
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Report on Israel by the Presbyterian Church
Convention
We want to bring to your
attention information that is now available on the USCJ website
regarding the biased, an anti-Israel Middle East Study Committee (MESC) report
that will come before the Presbyterian Church (USA) at its General Assembly in
July 2010. To learn more about the MESC report and United Synagogue's
reaction to it, please go to the links in blue below. You can also contact Faye Gingold, Project Manager, Synagogue
Resources and Social Action, at [email protected] and
646-519-9258. As the Presbyterian Church USA considers voting
to accept a report that strikes many Jews as not merely critical of Israel but
actively anti-Zionist, we at United Synagogue join in deploring the report and explain why we think it's dangerous.
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Synagogue Security Workshop Dear Presidents and Interested Parties: The Westchester Jewish Community is hosting its first Community Security Roundtable on: Wednesday May 5, 2010 7:30-9:30 PM Scarsdale Synagogue/Temples Tremont and Emanuel 2 Ogden Road, Scarsdale This NEW Roundtable
was created in response to the continuing acts of bias crime that have
been directed towards the Westchester Jewish community and our
institutions. Like all of the Roundtables sponsored by the Westchester
Jewish Conference, our goal is to periodically assemble volunteer
representatives from all of our Westchester Jewish organizations for
the sharing of best practices and information and to improve
communication. We will be stronger by working together. This
Roundtable is open to the person that YOU determine best handles this
responsibility for your synagogue/organization. Although open to all,
the roundtable is designed for volunteer leadership. Our first meeting, will include presentations from
experts from the Westchester County Police, Office of the Westchester
District Attorney and the Jewish Community Relations Council of New
York As importantly, will be the sharing between synagogues and
organizations. Please respond to
this invitation via a simple email at your earlier convenience or
forward this email to the most appropriate person in your
organization. Please do let us know who will be representing your
organization so we can add them to our distribution list. We
are very pleased that Scott Baken and Harry Mamaysky will be chairing
this first meeting. We thank them in advance for their leadership. Thank you for your continued support and we look forward to having your organization represented at this first meeting. Elliot Forchheimer Executive Director Westchester Jewish Conference
To RSVP, email Elliot Forchheimer at [email protected].
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The Metropolitan New York District of the United
Synagogue of Conservative Judaism presents:
A MORNING OF STUDY AND SOCIABILITYwith HAZAK: the Senior Adult Program of Conservative JudaismIn Celebration of Shavuot
MAY 11TH 2010
BETH EL SYNAGOGUE CENTER
NEW ROCHELLE NEW YORK
10:15 a.m. Welcome
to the Beth El Synagogue of New Rochelle. Come in an have a cup of tea or coffee.
Meet new friends. Say hello.
10:35 a.m. Meet Rabbi David Kosak, Assistant Rabbi of
Beth El and our guest speaker Rabbi
Moshe Edelman Associate Director, METNY District of USCJ.
10:40a.m. FAITH, FAMILY AND FRIENDSHIP in the BOOK OF RUTH. In 4 short chapters we
shall explore
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Judaism's
attitude to non-Jews
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Conversion
to Judaism
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The place
of Israel in Jewish tradition
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The
relationship of generations(mother in law and daughter in law in Ruth)
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The coming
of the Messiah: Jewish idea, Christian thought
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The
relationship of Ruth to the holiday of Shavuot
And time for a few Q&A too.
11:55 a.m. Shalom. Thanks for coming. Please let us know
of other topics for us to prepare for you.
12:00 p.m.Lunch at one of New
Rochelle's kosher restaurants. On your own.
Please RSVP to (212) 533-0800 or [email protected] to let us know if you will be coming with friends,
other congregants, or other seniors. Beth El Synagogue Center is located at 1324 North Avenue in New Rochelle. The
program is free to all.
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The Salute to the Israel Parade is on Sunday, May 23, 2010.
Click here to learn more and have your synagogue march!
This year the celebration and parade will mark the 62nd anniversary of the establishment of the State of Israel. The METNY District of United Synagogue, which is made up of over 100 congregations, has always had an impressive contingent at the Annual Salute to Israel Day Parade. We hope you will participate and bring your members, friends and family.
METNY will be marching with our regional USY group. More info will be shared over the next few weeks. Stay tuned! We have a few simple questions for your synagogue: 1. Will your congregation be marching in the parade as its own group, your area or METNY? YES____NO____. If YES, which one? 2. Will you be watching, but not marching? YES_____NO______ 3. Did you congregation run any special programs for Yom Hazikaron or Yom Ha'atzma'ut this year? If so, please describe it here: Name of Congregation:_______________________________________________ Address_____________________________City________________Zip_________ Your Name __________________________ email__________________________ Please be in touch with any questions. We can be reached at [email protected] or 212-533-0800. We look forward to hearing from you and seeing you at the Salute to Israel parade on May 23rd! B'shalom, Jeffry Horowitz Sharon Steinberg METNY Israel Affairs Chairman METNY President P.S. - USCJ has an Israel Affairs Committee with hundreds of congregations represented. If you have not submitted the name of your congregation's chairperson, please do so at this time. You can send your information to Jeff Horowitz at [email protected].
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PREVENT IRAN FROM
GAINING NUCLEAR WEAPONS SIGN A
PETITION: The United
Synagogue of Conservative Judaism requests your help in gathering signatures on
a national petition to our elected officials urging them to prevent Iran from
obtaining nuclear weapons. The No Nukes for Iran Advocacy Program's goal
is to gather 100,000 signatures by mid-May. That will allow our
collective voices to be heard in Washington D.C. and throughout the country. To sign an
online petition or download a petition to gather handwritten signatures, go to http://www.nonukesforiran.org/action/petition/ ORDER
NO NUKES FOR IRAN BANNERS: In partnership
with the Israeli consulate, United Synagogue offers its member congregations a
special opportunity to buy large vinyl "NO NUKES FOR IRAN"
banners. They are 3 feet by 6 feet, and suitable for displaying
outdoors or indoors. To see the banner and to order it, go to http://www.nonukesforiran.org/products/. United
Synagogue-affiliated congregations can use the promotional code "uscj-banner"
when they order; that way the subsidized price is only $36 per banner. The regular price is $80
per banner. Please order quickly to take advantage of this limited
subsidized price. We
encourage you to display the "No Nukes for Iran Banner" in a highly
visible place to send a powerful message across your community and beyond. Please
email Faye Gingold [email protected] if you have any
questions, or call her at 646-519-9258.
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UJA-Federation of New YorkJewish Resource CenterShavuot: Revelation and Repair
Wednesday, May 12, 2010 5:30 - 7:00 p.m.
Join
our community for an exciting group discussion with Rabbi Michael
Paley, scholar-in-residence at UJA-Federation of New York. This session
is modeled after the traditional beit midrash, a rabbinical
house of study featuring interactive group discussions. Don't miss this
wonderful opportunity to learn with friends and colleagues!
UJA-Federation of New York
Seventh-Floor Conference Center 130 East 59th Street (between Park and Lexington Avenues) New York City
To register or request an assisted listening device, please contact Rebecca Russo at 1.212.836.1661 or [email protected].
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Eleventh Annual New Directors of Education Institute 2010
Sponsored by the United Synagogue of Conservative JudaismJoin other new educational leaders for an enriching and inspirational three days at the beautiful Pearlstone Conference and Retreat Center, 5425 Mt. Gilead Road, Reisterstown, MD 21136.
This three-day institute and yearlong coaching program will begin on
Tuesday, June 22, at 10 a.m. and conclude on Thursday, June 25, at 4
p.m.
The institute is designed for new directors of education who have
less than three years of experience.Participants will complete the
institute with many tools and will understand the meaning and
importance of becoming an educational leader.
Registration is due by June 2. The cost is $450 for a shared room or $500 single
occupancy (while the supply of single rooms lasts). Costs include room
and all meals, a director's manual on CD, and plenty of helpful
materials. USCJ largely underwrites the costs for the institute and the full year of mentorship.
For more information and to download the brochure and application, click here.
Questions? Call Susan Wyner, United Synagogue's consultant for synagogue education at (440) 473-3165 or email [email protected].
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From UJA-Federation of New
York's SYNERGY Leadership Development Project
Webinar: So What's New About
Mergers?
Wednesday, June 2, at noon
and at 7:30 p.m.
In a time of dramatic
change in the synagogue world, two things are "new" about an apparently "old"
idea-namely, merger. First synagogues have new and urgent motivations to
consider such a change. And second, recent research has identified innovative
merger approaches few synagogues have ever seriously considered. In this
webinar you will:
� Explore
innovative forms of collaboration and merger relevant to the current situation
�
Examine "myths about merger" that could harm your chances of success
�
Consider how congregations shift from a survival focus to a visionary stance
that favors thoughtful innovation, and how leaders address the loss and
disorientation members experience along the way.
Workshop leaders: Robert
Leventhal and Alice Mann, both Senior Consultants with the Alban Institute
For more information please contact Gayle Bloom at 212.584.3346
or [email protected].
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Thinking about the
fall? United Synagogue is co-sponsoring a conference at Boston's
community mikvah, Mayyim Hayyim, October 10-12, 2010. Click
here
for more information!
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Upcoming Transitions in YOUR Synagogue Leadership
METNY USCJ would like to keep all of your synagogue board members up to date on the METNY programs and information. When your synagogue elects new board members please fill out the Synagogue Leadership form and send back to the METNY office so we can include your leadership on our lists. Please click here for the form.
Please email, fax or mail to [email protected] or fax to 212-533-0400. The form can be mailed to 820 Second Avenue, 10th Floor, New York, NY 10017.
Furthermore, many of our congregations are currently in search for professional and spiritual leadership. METNY is here to help. Please contact any of our staff with questions. We wish our congregations success in this sacred enterprise.
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