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Upcoming Transitions in YOUR Synagogue Leadership
METNY First VP, Norman Korowitz, Executive Director Rabbi Charlie Savenor and Temple Israel, Riverhead's Rabbi Willliam Siemers, Barbara Smith, and Richard Israel  | Mazel tov to Barbara Smith, the new president of Temple Israel in Riverhead. Yasher koach to Richard Israel, their outgoing president.
Mazel tov to Rich Rothstein, the new president of Temple Sholom of Westbury. Yasher
Rabbi Charlie Savenor, Norman Korowitz, Joel Cutler, and Temple Sholom of Westbury's Fred Hauser, Rich Rothstein, and Rabbi Michael Katz
 | Koach to Fred Hauser, Temple Sholom's outgoing president.
Do we have your incoming president's name?
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 for 2010-11.
Please email, fax or mail to metny@uscj.org 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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To read the latest updates from national USCJ headquarters, click here for USCJ eNews.
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| Publicize your event on the METNY Community Calendar. Please email
Kimberly Bastin at bastin@uscj.org to have your event posted.
Click here to view the calendar. | | To read workshop summaries and to download handouts from the 2010 Synagogue Leadership Conference, visit the METNY website. |
| Follow METNY on the Web! |
Click here to become a fan of
METNY USCJ on Facebook!
Twitter
@CharlieSavenor
@MetnyUSY |
| Contact METNY |
| 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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Why Support Israel?
by Michael D. Brofman, President, Hillcrest Jewish Center
"Independence is never given to a people, it has to be earned; and having been earned, it has to be defended."
- Chaim Weizmann
Today, as never before in America, the State of Israel is no longer viewed as the jewel of the
Middle East - a country and a people to be admired and supported. Americans are questioning
Israel's actions in dealing with terrorist attacks on its borders, its dealings with the Palestinians
and its very fundamental right to exist as a Jewish State. Its representatives and supporters are
regularly shouted down on American college campuses - sometimes by Jewish students. Israel
is blamed by many for American inability to address the Iranian nuclear crisis and for the Islamic
terrorism which has touched our shores. International journalists tend to view Israel through
Palestinian eyes when reporting stories, thereby eliminating a fair and balanced approach to the
news, which fuels the growing anti-Israel sentiment.
In 1967 and 1973, Israel was the underdog nation which stood up to the Arab world and
protected its right to exist. In Munich, in 1972, it was the sympathetic nation whose athletes
were brutally killed during the Olympic games, which only paused for a short memorial service
after the slaughter. On July 4, 1976, Israel was the brave nation which refused to allow its
people to be held hostage and risked all in a raid on Entebbe Airport to free them. All of these
things happened before my children's generation was born. To them, it is ancient history and not
relevant to their time.
History teaches us that those who fail to learn from it are bound to repeat it. We, as American
Jews, must remember that our future and the future of our grandchildren are irrevocably linked to
Israel. While we may not always agree with its politics and while we may debate the propriety
of its actions, we must always remember that Israel holds the soul of the Jewish people and
Jerusalem is its heart. We must support Israel or we will whither away and cease to exist as a
people.
I have strongly spoken out on this subject before. I have learned that preaching to the choir
(you) is not enough. My recent questioning of Congressman Gary Ackerman resulted in a three
page letter from him, where he specifically set down his positions on the Middle East and Israel.
Because the need is so great, I am asking you to be involved in this effort. Become educated
about Israel so you can counter the arguments of those whose false accusations slander her.
Write to your representatives to urge them to strengthen American ties to and support of Israel.
If the media reports only one side of the story, find out the facts and quickly respond. Travel to
Israel and see for yourself what is happening there.
I am not asking us all to agree on the direction Israel and the effort to resolve its issues should
take. That is best left for the Israelis to decide anyway. But we cannot ignore what is going on
in the world around us, nor can we afford to be silent. Why support Israel? Because our very
existence as a people depends upon it.
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Bring Gilad Shalit Home
We will soon mark the fourth anniversary of the kidnapping of Cpl. Gilad Shalit of the Israeli Defense Forces. In an effort to keep pressure on the international community to secure Gilad's release and to raise awareness in our communities, the Youth and Young Adult Services Department of the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism invites you to join our Yellow Balloon Campaign to bring Gilad home.
By going to this site - http://www.koach.org/gilad.php - you will be able to email virtual balloons. We urge you to send them to your distribution lists and post them on social networking sites. Once you send a balloon, you will be automatically directed to http://www.koach.org/gilad_resources.html, which contains a number of action items, including a sample letter to send to legislators and background information on Gilad Shalit.
We continue not only to pray but to act. May Gilad Shalit be released from his captivity and be returned to his family and his country.
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Israel in the News
We share below several articles about Israel reflecting different views about our homeland. Check out the following articles:
Peres lashes out at those who call on Jews 'to return to Poland, Germany'
Addressing the World Zionist Organization Congress in Jerusalem on Wednesday, President Shimon Peres says Israel's enemies have turned to delegitimization to fight it.
To read the article, click here.
Elton John: No one could have stopped me from coming
British music star Elton John performs in front of tens of thousands of Israelis in Ramat Gan.
To read the article, click here.
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Yasher Koach Corner
 Yasher Koach to METNY USYer Teri McGuire and Koach Divisional Director and Orangetown Jewish Center member Bruce Varon!
Teri is the winner of the first annual essay contest sponsored by The Rockland Jewish Reporter and the Jewish Federation of Rockland County. She is an active member of New City Jewish Center's USY chapter. In her essay, "A Local Jewish Hero," Teri describes the impact Bruce Varon has had on USY youth in Rockland County. To read her winning essay, click here.
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Sign Up for Webinar Discussion on June 28 @ 8pm
Update on the United Synagogue/HaYom Strategic Planning Commission
Dear Congregational Leader,
The United Synagogue-HaYom Strategic Planning Commission is committed to fully engaging the leadership of our kehillot in our collective effort to build sacred community. In that spirit, we invite you to join our conversation about the how to reshape United Synagogue's future. Over the past several months we have created a draft profile of United Synagogue and the context within which it operates, including the situation of Conservative kehillot in our generation. From these studies we have created a working draft of a vision and mission statement.
A summary of the draft profile and a copy of the vision and mission statement are available for your review at www.uscj.org/4tomorrow or through the Shefa Network at www.shefanetwork.org. You also will find questions to consider as part of our "clean paper" exercise. We invite you to participate in this exercise with us. Consider the new vision and mission statement. What are the organizational models by which it might best be accomplished? Please send all comments to us at 4tomorrow@uscj.org with the word Mission in the subject line or via the Shefa Network.
Please note the following:
The working draft of our vision and mission statement is just that, a working draft. It is designed to guide us in our work in imagining a new model for United Synagogue. It is intended to be fluid until the strategic plan is completed and accepted by United Synagogue's board of directors and general assembly.
We expect to receive many comments and we will not be able to respond to every one of them. Instead, we will categorize and summarize them so we can use them most effectively in our deliberations and decision-making process. We also will include highlights of your insights in our monthly updates, which will be issued the second week of every month, beginning in July.
On June 28 at 8p.m. we will host an e-seminar, where Drs. Jack Ukeles and Steven Cohen will present an update of our status and provide additional guidance for the clean paper exercise. Rabbi Michael Siegel and Dr. Jack Finkelstein also will be available to answer questions and receive your comments and suggestions. This e-seminar is open to 100 participants, so we encourage congregational leaders to gather around a single computer terminal if they possibly can to allow as many people as possible to participate. We will record the e-seminar for those unable to participate and for further reference. To register, please send an email to operations@uscj.org with the word Webinar in the subject line and include the name of your kehillah, the number of membership units, its city and state, and the name and position of the participants. We will email you access information about a week before the seminar.
The commission's next steps include the completion of a study of the relationship of United Synagogue's program revenue and cost to mission, an analysis of the clean paper exercise, and developing a draft organizational model for United Synagogue. The commission is scheduled to meet in June, August, and October, and our goal is to complete our task by late fall 2010.
B'shalom,
Dr. Jacob Finkelstein and Rabbi Ed Feinstein
Co-Chairs
USCJ/HaYom Strategic Planning Commission
Attachments - Click to Download
The first draft of United Synagogue's new vision and mission statement
Questions for the Clean Page Exercise
An invitation to participate in the planning process
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METNY USYers continue to take an interest in bettering the world around them! Below is an excerpt from the first issue of "Koach Times Environmental Newsletter" from our Koach USY division.
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SHALOM KOACH!
Environmental Fun Facts! - Topic of the Month: water
Did you know that sunscreen, while great for your skin, is terrible for the environment? When you go swimming in the ocean, your sunscreen partially washes off your body. This residue travels throughout the ocean. When it comes in contact with coral reefs, it causes coral bleaching. Coral bleaching is when photosynthetic microorganisms that live on the coral die, causing them to loose their color and become brittle... essentially killing the coral. Coral reefs provide one of the most diverse ecosystems on the planet, and are in danger of becoming extinct. To learn more about coral bleaching, click this link. To help combat coral bleaching, look for a mineral based, organic sunscreen, especially when you swim in lakes and oceans! My personal favorite is the powder sunscreen by Sephora, found in JC Penny at the Galleria mall, at its own store in the Palisades mall, or online!
Did you know that it takes less water to use a dishwashing machine than it does to wash your dishes by hand?! Plus, dish washers are much more convenient. Remember not to rinse dishes before they go in! If you really want to work at conserving water, try and use only one cup a day!
Every ten minutes you spend in the shower wastes 50 gallons of water! Try cutting your showers down to five minutes!!!
What's the latest breakthrough in electricity? Water! Scientists are working on a new, promising way to create electricity from tidal waves. This will be less expensive and equally as efficient as incinerators, wind power, and solar power combined!
Website of the month: www.freerice.com. Broaden your vocabulary and help the hungry!
IN A FEW WEEKS, LOOK FORWARD TO THE LATEST NEWS ON THE OIL SPILL ON THE GULF COAST!
B'ahava,
Elly Steiker-Pearl
Koach USY Social Action / Tikkun Olam Vice President, 2010-2011
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Telling the Story: Synagogue Communications
Telling The Story - Synagogues want to be able to present themselves well in the media,
to prospective and long term members, and to the outside community. United
Synagogue's new online manual, Telling the Story, written by public relations guru SteveRabinowitz is a tutorial
on how to do that. (Please note that you can download it and print it out.)
To download Telling the Story, click here.
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METNY USY Encampment is Coming Soon!
This year, METNY USY Encampment will be held from Monday, August 23 to Tuesday, August 31. The cost for Encampment is $579. Limited scholarships are available. For a scholarship application, or with other questions, please contact the METNY office at metnyusy@uscj.org.
Over 300 USYers and Kadimaniks are already signed up!! We have room for your synagogue's youth, your kids and grandchildren. It is a week replete with meaningful Jewish experiences and memories to last a lifetime.
To apply online, visit http://metny.uscj.org/Encampment.
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Wishing you a Happy Father's Day from METNY USCJ!Father's Day is this Sunday, June 20. Before you celebrate, enjoy this article by Mark Mietkiewicz from The Jewish Ledger, "Yiddishe Papas (and Father's Day)."
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