To read the latest updates from national USCJ headquarters, click here for USCJ eNews.
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To read workshop summaries and to download handouts from the 2010 Synagogue Leadership Conference, visit the METNY website. |
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Kimberly Bastin at [email protected] to have your event posted. Click here to view the calendar. |
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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]. |
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820 Second Avenue, 10th Fl.
212-533-0800 (p)
212-533-0400 (f)
| SAVE THE DATE!
METNY District's Biennial Convention
2010 will be held on Sunday,
November 14 at Beth El Synagogue Center in New Rochelle.
More information will be forthcoming.
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The Metropolitan New York (METNY) District of the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism
presents newly restructured and freshly redesigned
LEADERSHIP CONFERENCES
for Synagogue presidents, officers, committee members, clergy and professionals
Conducting a Successful High Holy Day "Appeal"
Facilitator: Jeff Horowitz, Vice President of METNY District
May 17th at 7:30 PM at the Orangetown Jewish Center, Orangeburg in Rockland County. Guest presenters: President Karen Goldstick and Rabbi Aubrey Glazer of the Jewish Community Center of Harrison, NY
RSVP by May 16th by contacting Rabbi Edelman at 212-533-0800 or [email protected].
Here is a report from the first session, last night: In the Fall
2009, METNY United Synagogue surveyed its 100 congregations to determine the
style of High Holy Day/ Yizkor/ Kol Nidre Appeals and their effectiveness as a
form of tzedakah and fundraising. We promised to follow up with two seminars
within the district. The first of the seminars took place on Thursday May 13th.
We had 10 people in
attendance this evening. A very excellent presentation by Lee Grebstein, past
president of Dix Hills Jewish Center began the proceedings. The seminar was
attended by leaders from Beth El Synagogue Center of New Rochelle, East
Northport Jewish Center, Commack Jewish Center, North Shore Jewish Center of
Port Jefferson, South Huntington Jewish Center, Orangetown Jewish Center as
well as Dix Hills Jewish Center.
Executive Vice President
of METNY District, Norman Korowitz,
chaired the session and Rabbi Moshe Edelman offered a Dvar Torah on the theme
of tzedakah with two Hasidic stories. Moshe also summarized the results
of the survey.
Norman Korowitz distributed the excellent text "Maximizing Your High Holy
Day Appeal" prepared by Lisa Harris Glass, District director of the Mid
Atlantic United Synagogue which initiated further dialogue and inquiry as to
our approach in gaining the contributions of our membership and those who join
us in prayer on Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur.
The Leadership Series is coordinated by Norman Korowitz , METNY Executive VP and Rabbi Moshe Edelman, METNY Associate Director.
To RSVP or for more information, contact Rabbi Moshe Edelman at (212) 533-0800 or [email protected].
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Family Activities and Resources for Shavuot
Compiled by Rabbi Cara Weinstein Rosenthal, METNY's "Building Our Jewish Home" Coordinator
Shavuot is an important but little-known holiday. It commemorates the time of the barley harvest in Israel and the receiving of the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai. Shavuot takes place seven weeks after the second day of Passover, and it's a tradition to eagerly count the Omer - the period of time between the anniversary of our freedom from slavery and the anniversary of the giving of the Torah. On Shavuot, our ancestors would show their gratitude to God by bringing an offering of the first fruits of their harvest. Shavuot is a time to celebrate spring, the outdoors, and the Torah - what's not to love?
To download the Family Activities and Resources for Shavuot packet, visit METNY's website.
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Bone Marrow
Registry Drive for Ramah Parent, Matt Fenster
Jennifer & Matt Fenster |
The
Fensters, a deeply committed Ramah family, need your help. Matt,
Jennifer, and their four children spend summers at Ramah Berkshires
and Nyack. He has worked endlessly to help his community in Riverdale, NY,
and beyond.
Matt
was recently diagnosed with AML, acute myelogenous leukemia. He needs a bone
marrow transplant to save his life and we are desperately searching for a
marrow match for Matt. His family and friends are now calling on the
Ramah community to assist in this time of need.
There are two
opportunities to register as a potential bone marrow donor:
Sunday,
May 16 from 9:00-5:00 p.m. at Conservative Synagogue Adath Israel of
Riverdale (CSAIR), 475 West 250th Street, Bronx, NY
- Sunday, May 16 from 10:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. at The Jewish Center, 131 West 86th Street, New York, NY
- Sunday, May 23 at the Salute to Israel Parade, details to follow
Both
drives are coordinated by the Gift of Life Foundation.
Registration involves a simple cheek swab (adults age 18-60).
You can also make a
contribution to the Matt Fenster Donor Circle to defray the costs of processing
of the donor kits. Each donor kit costs $54 to process.
The more kits collected and paid for, the better chance we will have of finding
a bone marrow match for Matt.
More
information about this effort, including how to make a contribution can be
found at www.mattfenstercircle.org.
If
you have already been tested, please consider donating $54 to cover the cost of
someone else's test.
For more information
or to volunteer to assist with this effort, please contact [email protected].
A Message from Matt
I was diagnosed with leukemia on April 23, 2010, not long ago. Until that day,
I never would have guessed that I had cancer. Since then, my family's world has
been turned upside down. Overnight, we went from the normal family down the
block whose biggest concern was getting all the kids dressed, fed, and into the
car in time for school, to a family fighting this potentially fatal disease. We
have been sustained through all of this with the overwhelming support of our
family, friends and community.
Those people have not only taken it upon themselves to bring us meals,
make playdates for our kids, and coordinate Yonah, Ari, Leah and Elie Fenster | visits, but they have now made it
their mission to help me beat this disease by finding me a donor who will
provide the bone marrow that I will need to survive. I have full confidence in
them, and know that they will find that person out there who will save me, and
in the process, help to keep intact my family, including my wife, my daughter
(8 years old), and my three sons (6, 4, and 2 years old).
My family and I would deeply appreciate your joining my donor circle and
contributing funds to offset the cost of testing. And if you are able to
register with the Gift of Life as a potential marrow donor, better yet.
Thank you,
Matthew, Jennifer, Leah, Yonah, Ari, and Elie Fenster
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Yasher Koach Corner
Yasher Koach to METNY board member Marty Werber, who spoke at Yad Vashem this past Monday. Marty's speech coincided with the publication of his father's memoir, Saving Children: Diary of a Buchenwald Survivor and Rescuer.
Yasher Kochachem to the winners of the "5770 Proud to Be Jewish" art contest, a project of METNY's education department in cooperation with the Davidson School at the Jewish Theological Seminary. This year's winners are:
3rd-5th grades, whose theme was "How My Synagogue Is Important to Me": First place: Tomer Kort, 4th Grade, Temple Beth Sholom, Roslyn Second place: Jacob Gruza, 5th Grade, Beth El Synagogue Center, New Rochelle Third place: Sophia Peister, 5th Grade, Beth El Synagogue Center, New Rochelle
6th-8th grades, whose theme was "My Synagogue Is My Second Home": First place: Sydney Kravitz, 6th grade, Orangetown Jewish Center, Orangeburg Second place: Ilysa Salit, 7th grade, Midway Jewish Center, Syosset Third place: Daphne Solomon, 7th grade, Temple Beth Sholom, Roslyn
To see Tomer's, Sydney's, and Ilysa's art, click here! To read Jacob's, Sophia's, and Daphne's poems, click here!
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Did you know that over 370 METNY USYers and Kadimaniks are spending the weekend at Kutsher's Country Club in Monticello for Regional Convention and 8th Grade Experience!?
We extend our appreciation to the convention co-chairs, Jamie Adges (Midway Jewish Center) and Andrew Topal (Forest Hills Jewish Center), as well as Ben Guzik (Shelter Rock Jewish Center), the outgoing regional president and his board for planning an amazing weekend!
We also thank our devoted staff, divisional directors - Mike Hirsch, Todd Hausman, Mark Speilvogel, & Bruce Varon; transportation coordinator, Andrea Moskowitz; program coordinator, Ashley Lehrman; and interim regional youth director, Dave Siegel. They always create ruach-filled, fun, learning experiences that inspire our youth and staff!
Stay tuned this weekend to find out who our next regional board members will be! We also announce the winner of our regional Chapter of the Year award. Shabbat Shalom!
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Summer at Camp Ramah!
Ramah 2010 Overnight
Campership Incentive Program If it's your first summer at Jewish overnight camp, register today for a Ramah
camp and you will be eligible for a $1000 discount off summer 2010 tuition
and, in some areas, $750 off for summer 2011.* Click here to find out how you can take advantage
of this special offer, or contact the National Ramah office at [email protected] or (212)
678-8881. *Exact program details vary by region.
For more information about the Ramah camps, visit www.campramah.org.
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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. Details are below:
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Our assembly time is 1:30 p.m.
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We will meet at West 54TH
Street between 5th and 6th Ave.
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The parade ends at 74TH
Street
Come hear METNY Board Member, Stanley Hochhauser, blow the shofar down the parade route. He has been leading the way with the shofar for over a decade.
------- 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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Shalom from Jerusalem !
As the city prepares itself for this evening's celebration
of Yom Yerushalayim, we wanted to take the opportunity to send you the attached
article by Dr. David Breakstone, International Vice President of Masorti Olami,
who reflects on the challenges which still lie ahead after 43 years since the
city was reunified.
Please also have a look at our Yom Yerushalayim webpage
and download the MERCAZ Olami ceremony which can be used to celebrate this
special day in your kehillah/communities.
With best wishes from us all,
Masorti Olami and MERCAZ Olami
18 Ha'Uman, Jerusalem, Israel
Tel: +972 2 624 7106 Fax: +972 2 624 7677
Website: www.masortiworld.org
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Eleventh Annual New Directors of Education Institute 2010
Sponsored by the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism
Join 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
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Examine "myths about merger" that could harm your chances of success
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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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Important Message from the Masorti Foundation
Dear Friends,
Even for those passionate about the cause of pluralism
in Israel and respect for non-Orthodox streams, this is a story that
prompts disbelief.
Noa Raz, a young woman who is a product of the Masorti
movement and its NOAM youth group, was physically assaulted in the
Beersheva bus station by a haredi man. Why? Because he could see t'fillin strap marks on her arm and called her an "abomination."
Noa reports she was grabbed and kicked and the man
otherwise attempted to hurt her. Fortunately, she was able to break
away and run to her bus. A police report has been filed. A translation
of a story that appeared in Hebrew on YNET on May 13th
appears at the end of this message. Noa has also already been
interviewed on at least one major Israeli radio station.
While this may be just one man and one incident, it is
part of a disturbing pattern of disrespect for non-Orthodox streams. It
is not the only time when physical harm was threatened against women
who wished to express themselves though ritual observance.
We cannot accept this behavior.
Please help us fight in Israel for the same religious
rights we have as Jews here. Make a donation to the Masorti Foundation
(perhaps in honor of Noa Raz). Click here to contribute online, or mail your check today to:
Masorti Foundation for Conservative Judaism in Israel
475 Riverside Drive
Suite 832
New York, NY 10115-0122
Residents of Canada, please contact [email protected].
Sincerely,
David H. Lissy
Executive Director & CEO
Masorti Foundation for Conservative Judaism in Israel
The mitzvah and its "punishment"
By Noa Raz
"He came closer and asked again, in a loud voice, 'Is that from tefillin?'
I couldn't ignore him anymore, so I answered, 'Yes. What do you want
from me?' He forcefully gripped my left arm and started kicking me."
Noa Raz was attacked by an ultra-Orthodox man because of her religious
beliefs.
Every morning I get up and pray shacharit, with a tallit and tefillin,
as God has commanded us. As a Masorti (Conservative) Jew, it is
absolutely clear to me that these mitzvot - to pray, to put on a tallit, to lay tefillin - apply to every believing Jew, including Jewish women.
I am used to hearing offensive comments regarding my religious
beliefs, from "Conservative? What's that?" to "You're not even Jews,
you're heretics." Unfortunately, I am also used to reading news about
the religious violence that is raging in the country. It starts with
violence against the Women of the Wall, moves on through the growing
number of public bus lines where men and women must sit separately, not
to mention the ultra-Orthodox opposition to the emergency room
construction at the Barzilai Hospital due to some suspect bones, and
where will it end up? I am not so sure that I want to know.
But however much I may be used to and aware of all this, it did
not help me this last Tuesday morning, when a Haredi man, with hateful
eyes, decided to attack me because of my belief in God.
"Woman, abomination, desecration"
It was 7.30 in the morning, quiet on the streets. I had stayed over at a friend's in Beersheva. We got up. I donned my tefillin. We prayed. I took my tefillin
off - very routine. We left the house and I made my way to the bus
station. All I was thinking about was how I could squeeze in a few
extra hours of sleep before work, but things didn't quite pan out that
way.
A few minutes after I got to the station, I noticed an older man,
in Haredi garb, standing and staring at my arm. A few more seconds
went by until he realized that his stare was not transmitting his
message clearly enough. He leaned over towards me, pointed to the
ruddy stripes on my arm, those that linger on the skin after taking off
tefillin, and asked, "Tell me, is that from tefillin?" I ignored him, but he asked again: "Is that from tefillin?" Again, I ignored him, but he moved in on me, stood right in front of me, and again asked, in a loud voice: "Is that from tefillin?" I couldn't ignore him anymore, so I looked at him and replied, "Yes. What do you want from me?"
To be truthful, I was sure that as soon as I would answer him, he
would spit out some curse, turn around and leave. But I was mistaken,
he had just started. He forcefully gripped my left arm and simply
began kicking me. Of course, he didn't forget to scream out a
concoction of words such as "woman, abomination, desecration," and more.
At first I just froze. I didn't understand what was going on.
But after a few moments I came to my senses. I struggled with him to
free myself and ran for the bus that had now arrived. I felt
completely alone. The place was not busy, but there were some people
around. Some looked on with interest, others turned away. Only one
woman shouted back at him, "Leave her alone, already." I don't want to
think what might have happened had I not managed to get away.
The strong dominate, women are humiliated
This is not a story about a man attacking someone at a bus
station. It's not even a story about violence against women. It's a
story about religious violence. It's a story about attacking a person
due to his/her faith, due to his/her will to serve God in his/her own
way, in private, according to his/her outlook, according to his/her
understanding of the Holy Torah.
The problem does not only lie with that man, the attacker. It
lies with those who educated him, with his leaders who shamelessly and
violently talk out against any religious practice that is not Haredi.
It lies with those who brought him up and nurtured him in an atmosphere
in which it is permissible to say, without blinking an eyelid, that
Conservative Jews are not religious, that someone from a different
ethnic group is a cockroach (some Ashkenazi ultra-Orthodox parents
recently referred so to Sepharadi girls who they did not want their
daughters to study with), that there is only one sector (extremely
austere) that decides who is a Jew.
We live in a country where the strong dominate and where women are
humiliated. As our society becomes more ultra-Orthodox, more extreme,
these boundaries become clearer and more frightening. Pluralistic
Judaism, in its various hues, works day and night to change this
situation, through egalitarian and inclusive synagogues, life-cycle
events for all, including everybody.
In my view, these movements are saving the Jewish-democratic
character of the State of Israel, and this is beyond their role in the
international, public relations and educational arenas. But our
country, the one that is supposed to defend us from madmen and false
messiahs, as well as cultivate positive and progressive forces, this
country is shooting us in the foot time and again.
We can protest against the Haredim every day, but they are not the
only guilty ones. They are Haredi; this is how they believe and they
have the right to believe this way. It is the State that is also
guilty of violence, for authorizing their every rampage; and we just
carry on and keep quiet. If we don't wake up to what is happening
around us, we will very soon find ourselves living on the corner of
Meah Shearim and Tehran.
On Tuesday evening I returned home after work. A Chabad van was parked at the corner of my street, surrounded by hassidim.
I like the Chabad people, most of them are respectful of their fellow
man. I have had the chance to have fruitful conversations with them,
despite our fundamental disagreement. Fear paralyses, even me. Of
course, the man who attacked me is not a representative sample, but to
kick somebody just because she prays to God? From here to pulling out
a knife, the way is very short. It makes me wonder who among us is the
real Jew.
The author is a member of the Masorti Movement. She has filed an official complaint with the police.
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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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Happy Shavuot from all of us at METNY!
Please note that METNY's offices will be closing early on Tuesday afternoon, May 18, and closed on Wednesday and Thursday, May 19-20. Hag sameah!
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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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