July 22, 2010
 
Late last night the Knesset session concluded without a reading of MK David Rotem's proposed conversion law.
 
When the law first came before the committee we could not be sure that that would be the case. In fact, the general feeling was that this law had enough support not only to make its way to the Knesset floor, but to become law. That it did not is a significant accomplishment of the North American and world wide Jewish community.
 
I was in Israel when it happened, and took my place as part of the leadership group that opposed it.
 
We, the liberal Jewish community around the world, sent more than 60,000 emails to Prime Minister Netanyahu, we mobilized Israel's friends at home and our friends in Israel to reach out to him personally, we hit the airwaves and newspapers and with our partners in the Masorti movement in Israel, the Rabbinical Assembly, the Reform movement and the Jewish Federations of North America we lobbied the Knesset vigorously, explaining what we objected to in this bill, why those clauses not only would not solve the problem they were meant to solve - the need to help large number of people, particularly Russian immigrants to Israel, who have become Israeli citizens, are not halachically Jewish, but wish to convert - but also threatened to drive a wedge between the Diaspora and Israeli Jewish communities. We met with virtually every member of the Likkud, Labor, Kadima and Meretz parties, probably 75 percent of the Knesset. And we were heard.
 
We thank Prime Minister Netanyahu for demonstrating leadership in opposing this legislation and in following through on his original suggestion to work together in addressing the issues of conversion in Israel. We know that there were complicated political circumstances surrounding this whole situation. One government minister told us how impressed he was with our community's response to the crisis and how awed he was by our effectiveness. Others said they were glad that we were able to explain to them elements of the bill they had not considered, while still others said how relieved they were that we came to ensure that this bill, as it was written, would be defeated.
 
These last two weeks have been an intense and amazing experience. Special recognition must be made to Jerry Silverman, president and CEO of the Jewish Federations of North America, and to Natan Sharansky, chair of the Jewish Agency, for their leadership and guidance throughout. Please join us in the Conservative movement in acknowledging how crucial their support has been in this crisis by sending an email to them and to your local federation executive and lay leaders with a copy to Jerry Silverman (patricia.Mcnamara@jewishfederations.org) and Natan Sharansky (verag@jafi.org). These small acts will continue to strengthen the important partnership we are developing.
 
I also want to acknowledge and thank our partners and friends, the leaders of the Masorti movement in Israel, Yizhar Hess, lay chair Emily Levi-Shochat, and Rabbi Andy Sacks for all their incredible work. They fight the battle for religious pluralism in Israel every day as they seek to build a vibrant and meaningful modern Judaism in the state of Israel. I encourage everyone to reach out to and get to know the Masorti movement. In the long run, the only way these issues will be resolved is by building the institutions and communities that support dynamic alternatives to the Orthodox establishment in Israel.
 
Though we have succeeded in freezing this legislation for the moment, there is still much to do before the Knesset resumes October 11. Since the bill passed its first reading in committee it could be brought to the Knesset at any time. That's one of the reasons our contingent spent most of Wednesday at the Knesset thanking our friends and discussing what comes next with them. We have already begun to consider the possibilities. Dialogue is already underway with the government and the Jewish Agency about what process we might need to reach consensus in easing the process of conversion while not relinquishing our rights to convert non-Jews to Judaism in Israel according to a Masorti understanding of halachah. We also know that we must continue to educate the Israeli public, public opinion makers and political leaders about the divisions this bill would cause and the possibilities that true religious pluralism provides for enriching the Israeli Jewish experience. And we know that we must keep the North American Jewish community informed, updated, and prepared to act should consensus not be reached and the bill put forward in the future.
 
A joint statement from our partnership in this effort will be issued before Shabbat.
 
We will continue to meet in the next two weeks to plan our strategy and timeline to make maximum use of the Knesset break before it resumes October 11. And we will continue to update you on our progress.

______

On their conference call on Monday, Rabbi Steven Wernick and Rabbi Julie Schonfeld, executive vice president of the Rabbinical Assembly, updated listeners on the situation of the Rotem bill in Israel.

You can listen to a recording of the call here.

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METNY District of USCJ presents

Building a Toolkit for New(ish) Teachers

An Evening for Learning and Sharing

Professional Development for Teachers led by outstanding METNY Principals and Professional Educators

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Congregation Habonim

44 West 66th Street, New York, NY 10023

PROGRAM

6:00-6:30              Welcome, Registration, and Dinner

6:30-6:45              "Building our Future Together Through Education" by Rabbi Charles E. Savenor, METNY Executive Director

6:45-7:30              "The Fishbowl"

*  Three Things Teachers Should Absolutely Do

*  Three Things Teachers Should Absolutely Not Do

*  Three Big Questions That All Teachers Ask - And The Answers

7:30-8:15              Workshop I

8:15-9:00              Workshop II

9:00                       Handout - "Tools for Success" and L'Hitraot

WORKSHOPS

A)   Hurray!  It's the First Day of School

B) How do I Know What They Know?  Measuring Success

C) Nu- What's New?  I am Teaching Hebrew

Please RSVP by August 20, 2010 to metny@uscj.org or 212-533-0800.

Name_____________________________________Email_____________________________Phone_____________

Address_______________________________________________________________________________________

Synagogue___________________________________________________Grade(s) Teaching__________________

This workshop is co-sponsored by a grant from

The Jewish Educators Assembly and

The United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, METNY District

Special Invitation to Ramah Berkshires Dedication
Thursday, July 29, 2010
4:00 pm

METNY USCJ is honored to partner with Camp Ramah in the Berkshires in paying tribute on the occasion of the dedication of its new Library and Study Center.

 
This summer through the generosity of the JCC of Spring Valley, its memory will endure as Ramah dedicates a new Library/Sefriyah and Beit Midrash/Study Center on the camps central grounds. The dedication will occur on Thursday July 29th at 4pm.** Synagogue leaders including rabbis, cantors, educators and congregational officers are invited to attend the celebratory opening. 
 
Dr Jason Rogoff will present a shiur/study session and the JCC of Spring Valley representatives will be honored. A dinner for all will follow.  Clergy are invited to come to camp earlier in the day to visit with children from his/her synagogue. METNY's Associate Director, Rabbi Moshe Edelman, is serving as the chairman of the program.
 
Camp Ramah in the Berkshires once again has a "full house". Campers and counselors fill the camp with the joy of being Jewish on a 24/7 basis. The combination of Jewish living and Jewish values in a natural environment of sports, swimming, social action projects, and sociability with new and life long friends is a the perfect integration with American ideals.  
 
METNY's connection to Camp Ramah in the Berkshires runs deep. Camp is filled with hundreds of children from our METNY congregations. In addition, METNY USY holds Encampment at Ramah Berkshires. This summer METNY USY has over 450 USYers and Kadimaniks registerd for our program.

**Please RSVP by Monday, July 26, to Amy Glazer at aglazer@ramahberkshires.org. 

METNY USCJ proudly presents:

"How To Run A Congregation Meeting

With A Minimum Of Tsuris."

When?  August 3, 2010, at 7:00 pm

Where?  Temple Beth Torah, Westbury

In dealing with sensitive topics such as clergy & senior staff contracts, the sale/mortgaging of real estate, and mergers - - especially in these challenging economic times - - many of our METNY congregation Presidents are often called upon to chair congregation meetings at which there are sharp disagreements between factions of the congregation, leading to unruliness, adversarial use of parliamentary procedure, and hostility to the President, other officers and/or the synagogue Board.  

In order to help our congregations avoid (or at least minimize) the stress of such meetings and their harmful effect on shalom bayit, we will cover the following topics: 

�        The Meeting Notice, Agenda, & Meeting Rules

�        How to Deal  in Advance with "Member in Good Standing" issues

�        Pre-Meeting Arrangements for Orderly Consideration of Procedural Issues

�        Do We Need A Neutral Parliamentarian?

�        The Role of the Clergy

�        Taking of Minutes

�        The Importance of Recesses

�        "Without Objection"

�        Displaying Motions & Amendments via PowerPoint�

�        "Rudofsky's Rules of Civility"

�        Robert's Rules of Order & Derekh Eretz

This session will be led by Ed Rudofsky, the co-chair of the METNY legal committee.  Ed is a past president of South Huntington Jewish Center, the chair of USCJ's Committee on Congregational Standards, and one of this year's honorees.

A light collation will be served. We thank Temple Beth Torah's leadership, Richard Rothstein, their president, and Rabbi Michael Katz for hosting this event.

For more information and to RSVP (by July 30), please contact Rabbi Moshe Edelman, Associate Director, at 212-533-0800 or edelman@uscj.org.