AJOP Update: The Lines Have Blurred: A Letter from R' Shimon Apisdorf to R' Yitzchok Lowenbraun

September 16, 2010 - 8 Tishrei 5771

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AJOP Wishes all of Klal Yisrael a Gmar Chasima Tova. May all of our endeavors in 5771 be crowned with success!

Time is NOW for Submitting Presentation Proposals for the AJOP Convention!
PIT Yom Kippur in 60 Minutes or Less!
Everyone Falls: A Yom Kippur Video from Aish.com
Ohr Somayach High Holiday Handbook
Sukkot: The Ultimate Shelter, A New Video from Torah Live

OUTREACH
The Lines Have Blurred: A Letter from R' Shimon Apisdorf to
R' Yitzchok Lowenbraun
Is Environmentalism Boosting Jewish Observance?
Kiruv on the Front Burner

PHILANTHROPY/FUNDRAISING
Giving Jewish or Jewish Giving
The Jewish Billionaires Club

NORTH AMERICA
Survey Says Young Jews Do Care About Israel
Reeling In Brooklyn's Sabras
Brandies Students, Alumni Demand Peretz Apology
New School Head Optimistic

ISRAEL
Young Israelis Move to Berlin in Droves
Fewer Than Half of Israelis See Themselves as Secular
A West Bank Enclave is on Edge
An Israeli Oasis as a Passage to Ancient Times
Israeli Women Among Hardest Workers in the World

INTERNATIONAL
50,000 Chasidim Mark New Year in Ukraine
Molotov Cocktail Hurled at Kyrgyzstan Shul on Rosh Hashana

ARTICLES OF INTEREST
Jewish Teachings About Judging Others
Synagogues Dues Don't Raise More Money Than Church Gifts
For Singles, a Different Kind of Judgment

To View Our Archives of Past Newsletters

AJOP
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AJOP Board

RABBINIC AUTHORITIES

HaRav Shmuel Kamenetsky

HaRav Yaakov Perlow

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Rabbi Ilan Feldman

Atlanta, GA

Rabbi Yaacov Haber

Jerusalem, Israel

Mr. Richard Horowitz

Los Angeles, CA

Rabbi Yehoshua Karsh

Northbrook, IL

Dr. David Lieberman

Lakewood, NJ

Rabbi Yitzchok Lowenbraun

National Director

Rabbi Shlomo Porter

Baltimore, MD

Mr. Jeff Schachter Esq.

Passaic, NJ

Mr. Frank Storch

Baltimore, MD

HaRav Michel Twerski

Milwaukee, WI

Mr. Jerry Wolasky

Baltimore, MD

ADVISORY BOARD

Mr. Mark Bane

Lawrence, NY

Mr. Jonathan Beren

Denver, CO

Dr. Robert Edelman

Baltimore, MD

Rabbi Avraham Edelstein

Jerusalem, Israel

Dr. Michael J Elman

Baltimore, MD

Mr. Howard Tzvi Friedman

Baltimore, MD

Mr. Joseph Friedman

Olney, MD
Mr. Harvey Hecker

Toronto, ONT

Mr. Steven Rosedale

Cincinnatti, OH

Rabbi Simcha Scholar

Brooklyn, NY

Rabbi Dovid Refson

Jerusalem, Israel

Mr Gary Torgow

Detroit, MI

Rabbi Abraham Twerski, MD

Monsey, NY

LINE

Yom Kippur in 60 Minutes or Less Free download on everything one needs to know about Yom Kippur in 60 minutes or less from Partners in Torah. The laws, the customs, the history! Click Here to view the materials.

Yom Kippur Video from Aish.com Yom Kippur: Everyone Falls Aish.com's new Yom Kippur video. What everyone can learn this Yom Kippur from a box of chocolate chip cookies... Click the graphic to view.

Ohr Somayach High Holiday Handbook Ohr Somayach is proud to present our new Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur Handbook as part of our Holiday Handbook series. With great essays, Q/A and halachic overview it is a tremendous asset for schools, synagogues and organizations. Click Here to view the handbook.

Sukkot- The Ultimate Shelter: A Desert Trip Reveals the Meaning of Sukkot for Today's Turbulent Times

Grab all the energy and inspiration that Sukkot has to offer with a powerful new video from Torah Live. "Sukkot - The Ultimate Shelter" takes us into the hot desert to discover the secret of triumphing over today's turbulent times. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the journey.

Click Here to view the video

Events Director: Aish Connections, New York, NY

Rabbi Mordechai Becher Available for Lectures!

Rabbi Mordechai Becher is available for lectures, scholar in residence programs and Shabbatonim. Rabbi Becher, originally from Australia, is a Senior Lecturer for Gateways. He taught at Ohr Somayach, Neve Yerushalayim and Darchei Binah in Jerusalem for 15 years, was a chaplain in the Israel Defence Forces and taught in a number of Rabbinic training programs. Rabbi Becher is the co-author of After the Return, and has answered thousands of questions on the Ask-the-Rabbi website. His latest book, Gateway to Judaism, published by Shaar Press, is now in its fifth printing. He has lectured for the UJA, Jewish Federations, the Zionist Organizations of America, Hillel and is on the speakers bureau of the Israeli Consulate in New York. Please contact Rabbi Becher directly at mordechaibecher@yahoo.com or at 914-806-5115.

The Lines Have Blurred: A Letter from R' Shimon Apisdorf to R' Yitzchok Lowenbraun

Dear Reb Itchie, You were right again... Two weeks before Rosh Hashanah, my wife and I were approached by two different organizations to help with their Rosh Hashanah programming; Aish Detroit and Madraigos of the Five Towns. Continue Reading

Is Environmentalism Boosting Jewish Observance?
An Article from Haaretz

On Yom Kippur, it is possible to say, without boasting and without exaggeration that for one day the state of Israel becomes a light unto environmentalists around the world. Continue Reading

Kiruv on the Front Burner
An Article from Matzav.com

I have no idea if I'll be successful or not, but I'd like to try to inject a bit of perspective into the conflagration that arose from the Matzav.com article titled "It's Time to Put Kiruv on Ice." Continue Reading
Outreacharticle4

Giving Jewish or Jewish Giving An Article from eJewish Philanthropy When I was nine, my family moved to Melbourne from the country town of Leeton in the Riverina, so we children could go to Mount Scopus. Continue Reading
The Jewish Billionaires Club An Article from eJewish Philanthropy First, we had the Forbes 400, the annual list of the world's richest people. Now, we have the JPost 50 - a new list of the world's wealthiest Jews. Continue Reading

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Survey Says Young Jews Do Care About Israel
An Article from The Forward

Peter Beinart's essay in The New York Review of Books last spring painted a picture of young American Jews as alienated, increasingly disengaged from the Jewish state and what he called the "illiberal" policies of its current government. Continue Reading

Reeling In Brooklyn's Sabras
An Article from The Jewish Week

In a Brooklyn coffeehouse one day this summer, Isabel Burton, a 30-year-old native of London, discussed local social activism opportunities with a 40something Jewish woman who lives in the borough. Continue Reading

Brandeis Students, Alumni Demand Peretz Apology
An Article from The Jewish Week

More than 350 students and alumni at Brandeis University called on columnist Martin Peretz to apologize for saying Muslims do not value human life or deserve free speech. Continue Reading

New School Head Optimistic
An Article from The Jewish Week

Rabbi Michael Druin arrived on Long Island about a month ago with his wife and four children to become the new head of school at the Jewish Academy in East Northport. Continue Reading

Young Israelis Move to Berlin in Droves
An Article from The Jerusalem Post

Nirit Bialer, granddaughter of Holocaust survivors, welcomes listeners in Hebrew to a one-hour radio show of music, talk and interviews. The setting isn't her native Israel but a radio station in the heart of the German capital - and hundreds of Israeli Berliners are tuning in. Continue Reading

Fewer Than Half of Israelis See Themsleves as Secular
An Article from Haaretz

Eight percent of Jewish Israeli adults define themselves as ultra-Orthodox, 12 percent as religious, 13 percent as traditional-religious, and 25 percent as traditional but "not very religious," according to a survey. Continue Reading

A West Bank Enclave is on Edge
An Article from The New York Times

When a group of Israeli artists recently refused to perform in the new theater at this large Jewish settlement, local residents reacted with a mixture of hurt and defiance. Continue Reading

An Israeli Oasis as a Passage to Ancient Times
An Article from The New York Times

There are many reasons not to travel overseas with small children, and, as far as I can tell, only one reason to do so. Continue Reading

Israeli Women Among Hardest Workers in the World
An Article from Haaretz

It is often stated that in Israel, the rate of participation in the work force is much lower than other members of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Continue Reading

50,000 Chasidim Mark New Year in Ukraine An Article from Ynet News Tens of thousands of Hasidic Jews from around the world gathered in a small Ukrainian city Thursday to mark the Jewish New Year at the tomb of their spiritual leader. Continue Reading
Molotov Cocktail Hurled at Kyrgyzstan Shul on Rosh Hashana An Article from The Coordination Center for Countering Anti-Semitism Attackers threw a makeshift explosive device at a synagogue in the centre of the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek as the city's Jews were preparing to celebrate the Jewish New Year on Thursday. Continue Reading

Jewish Teachings About Judging Others
An Article from Psychology Today

Judging personality involves moral and ethical concerns as well as the search for accuracy in judgments of an individual's character. Continue Reading

Synagogue Dues Don't Raise More Money Than Church Gifts
An Article from The Forward

Which costs more: belonging to a synagogue, or belonging to a church?
A survey conducted by the Forward has found that Jewish and Christian religious institutions appear to raise about the same amount per member.

For Singles, a Different Kind of Judgment
An Article from The Jewish Week

The days of Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur are supposed to be days of judgment by God. But for singles, they are often days of judgment by family and friends who ask the inevitable. Continue Reading

Please note: The views expressed in the articles featured in this newsletter reflect the views of their authors and do not necessarily reflect the thinking of the Association for Jewish Outreach Professionals. AJOP serves to disseminate pertinent news to its subscribers.

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