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What is Shir Hadash?
Shir Hadash is a Synagogue, Educational Institute and Community Center dedicated to bringing people closer to Judaism, to one another and to Israel. Shir Hadash is centrally located in the Katamon neigbhorhood of Jerusalem. Our activities include: A SYNAGOGUE - Daily & Shabbat Services for locals and visitors from throughout the world. Ranked by The Jerusalem Post as one of the two most popular Synagogues in all of Jerusalem.
- College of Jewish Studies - Adult Education Programming
- Spiritual Diplomacy, the providing of warm hospitality and inspirational educational programming for high level delegations of non-Jews as a means to strengthen their connection to Israel and the Jewish people.
EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTE - Outreach Lectures to 1000+ teens every summer, and overseas University students every week.
- Book Talks
- Unity Beit Midrash
- Hesed Fellowship
- Rabbinic Intern Program
- New Song Publishers
- And coming soon: Yeshivat Tzema
COMMUNITY CENTER
- Most popular early childhood center in Jerusalem, aids in absorption of new immigrants.
- Social and Educational Programming for Singles
- Hesed Central
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UNITY Dinners 
Interested in participating in a fun and meaningful fundraising event to benefit Jewish Unity?
If so, Shir Hadash invites you to participate in its first UNITY DINNERS fundraiser to take place in private homes throughout the world the week of June 19-24. During each dinner, texts on Jewish Unity will be discussed and problems confronting Jewish peoplehood will be solved. Funds raised from the event will help us expand activities in the promotion of Jewish Unity. To learn more, click here.
We're recruiting hosts for these dinners now. No major financial commitment is required.
What is required, though, is: 1) an ability to cook (or order out) and host a dinner party for 5-10 friends, 2) the willingness to invite friends from different Jewish backgrounds and with different outlooks, and 3) the desire to do your part for Jewish Unity. If you have those three qualities, you're perfectly suited for this event. Don't wait; contact us now at unitydinners@gmail.com and we'll explain how it all works. In the meantime, if you need more information, click here.
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Greetings!
Welcome to Shir Hadash's first Quarterly e-Newsletter.
Contained herein is a quick glimpse into some of our weekly activities as well some thoughts about the future of the organization.
It is my hope that these periodic reflections on both our past and future will not only shed light on Shir Hadash's always present mission of bringing people closer to Judaism, to one another and to Israel, but will also encourage you to see Shir Hadash as a worthy representative of your values here in Jerusalem. As always, I'd love to hear what you think.
Until then, enjoy
Ian (Chaim) Pear
Founding Rabbi
P.S. Couldn't make it to Israel for Yom Ha'atzmeut, Israel's Independence Day? Click here and here for a small taste of our celebratory tephilla in honor of the day.
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Spotlight on ... Visitors
In each installment of this quarterly newsletter we intend to spotlight one aspect of the many programs Shir Hadash regularly conducts. For our innaugural edition, we thought you'd enjoy 'meeting' some of the various overseas' guests that go out of their way to make sure a visit to Shir Hadash is part of their busy itinerary ...
... a visit that includes home hospitality, a joyful and meaningful Shabbat experience (for some, their first such experience), and inspiring lectures and seminars designed to strengthen the visitor's connection to Israel, the Jewish people, and in the case of Jewish visitors, Judaism as well.
In just the past couple of months, such visitors have included a number of Synagogue Missions, University aged student groups and teen tours ...
... as well as Menonite Preachers from Kansas, a United Way - Jewish Community Foundation delegation from Tucson, Baptsists from Alabama, a New Orleans Federation Mission and a Study Tour of Australian Psychologists, Next week Shir Hadash will be hosting a mission (as it does every year) of U.S. State Attorneys General. Participants in this mission in past years have gone on to become Senators, Governors and Members of the Cabinet.
The make-up of each group may be diverse, but the result is the same - a deeper connection to Israel, the Jewish people and Judaism. But don't take our word for it; click here for a sampling of testimonials from previous years.
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In the Works
Over the years Shir Hadash has served as a catalyst for thousands of young people to further explore their heritage. Maybe it was an outreach lecture ... or an amazing Shabbat experience and warm home hospitality ... or perhaps something they read in one of our publications. Whatever it was, they became inspired and wanted to learn more.
But where?
Until now, Shir Hadash was not able to provide that answer unless the individual was willing to move to Jerusalem and join our Synagogue (which, of course, is not such a bad idea, but unfortunately not necessarily practical either for many of these students). This coming fall, however, we hope that will change.
Introducing Yeshivat Tzema, a new Jerusalem based modern Orthodox Yeshiva for beginners. In Hebrew, Tzema - or צמא - means thirst, and that's exactly the quality we're looking for in our students. The Torah we teach will not quench that thirst, but hopefully transform it - so that a student's thirst for wisdom will become a thirst for action, and a thirst for improving oneself will become a thirst for improving the world. The animating values of the Yeshiva will include:
TZionut, or Zionism - The Yeshiva is not just dedicated to building the student, but also the student building the nation; Musar, or Ethics - The Yeshiva hopes to redeem the strong ethical passion contained with our tradition to its rightful place; and Achrayut, or Responsibility - The Yeshiva plans to graduate students dedicated to service and taking on leadership roles throughout their lives.
If you know someone for whom this Yeshiva sounds like a good fit, or if you would like to get involved in its success on the ground floor, or if you simply would like more information, please e-mail us to discuss further. |
D'var Torah
The following article is adapted from Rabbi Pear's Shabbat HaGadol Sermon: "Are the Egyptians the New Jews? A Jewish Response to the Arab Revolts."
I recently became a global citizen. In search of an affordable graphic artist to design a new logo for Shir Hadash I came across a website that 'puts out to bid' various projects to freelancers throughout the world. The client - that's me - gets to view all these bids and then decide on the best one. To my surprise, the project I offered - design a new logo for a Israeli based Jewish religious institution - garnered tremendous response.
Two things in particular surprised me. First, the bids were incredibly low. There were professionals in India, individuals with college degrees, some with second degrees even, willing to work for me 'until I was satisfied' for about $25. Heck, in Israel, I can't even get someone to work for me 'until I'm almost not totally unsatisfied' for double that amount. The second thing that surprised me was the tremendous diversity of the respondents. Yes, I received many responses from India, but also from Pakistan, and Latvia, and Estonia, and Italy, and Mexico and England (the most expensive of course) and many, many other places ... including Egypt! This last respondent was the most fascinating. He saw that I'm Israeli (in fact, next to my name the website placed a large Israeli flag); he saw that I'm Jewish and he saw that I was asking to have work done for a Synagogue among other things. Did he flinch? Not at all. "Shalom" he wrote me. "I'm not sure you'd be willing to hire an Egyptian, but if you would, I promise I'd do a great job. I'd love to work for you!"
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