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international Alumni Association Kallah |
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Jerusalem
May 26 - June 3, 2008
"On Earthly Matters and the Yoke of Heaven: the Haredi World and Modern Israel"
A few places are still available for you to sign up for this memorable event.
If you are not a member of the International Alumni Association, please contact Jody Hyman: jhyman@fmams.org.il |
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InSites Online welcomes your contributions.
by the FMAMS Institute
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| Mini-School Looks to the Future with
Rabbi Loren Sykes |
 The Board of Directors of The Florence Melton Adult Mini-School, has named Rabbi Loren Sykes as the Director of the North American Division of The Florence Melton Adult Mini-School. Rabbi Sykes' appointment comes in the wake of the retirement of Dr Betsy Katz who led this division since its inception in 1986. Rabbi Sykes will commence his position on August 1, 2008.
Rabbi Sykes, aged 41, was the founding Executive Director of Ramah Darom and has an outstanding record of educational leadership and innovation. He is the recipient of The 2006 Covenant Award for educational excellence and is recognized in the field of Jewish education as one of North America's outstanding young professionals. He is currently a fellow on the Senior Educators Program of the Melton Centre for Jewish Education and is studying under the tutorship of Dr Jonathan Mirvis, FMAMS International Director.
According to Gordon Zacks, Chairman of the Board, "We are thrilled with Rabbi Sykes's appointment. Loren is ideally suited to articulate the Mini-School vision of Jewish literacy in North America and build on the success of the first two decades under Betsy Katz's leadership".
Professor Menachem Magidor, President of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, congratulated the Mini-School Board upon this appointment. President Magidor looks forward to Rabbi Sykes leading this prestigious project of the University forward, reaching out to the Jewish communities of North America and strengthening the Hebrew University's position as the University of the Jewish people through the Florence Melton Adult Mini-School.
Rabbi Sykes is married to Rebecca and together they are the parents of Elan, Mira and Amalya. |
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Reflections on the International Directors Conference
[Dr Betsy Dolgin Katz] |
The most appropriate metaphor for the January 2008 International Directors Conference in Israel is that of creating a work of art. Having participated in so many of these gatherings, I can look at this year's conference and see the brush strokes that were added year by year, person by person, to the emerging portrait of the Florence Melton Adult Mini-School. A few examples:
Our theme this year marked the 60th anniversary of the State of Israel: Am Yisrael, Medinat Yisrael, and Eretz Yisrael. Our schools' relationship with Israel was deepened in our study sessions, our attention to Israel in the curriculum and the Israel Seminar, our collaborative learning with staff of the Gandel School, and our interaction with the faculty of the Hebrew University and with Professor Magidor, its president. The recognition we receive from the University has grown and our ability to serve as a part of the University's outreach to the Diaspora has increased. What has become more important is the Florence Melton School's ability to teach about Israel past and present and to built bridges of understanding, love and commitment to the Jewish State at a time when that relationship is being redefined. The colors of Israel have become more vivid in our work of art.
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| Certification Awards 2007 |
 Mazal tov to our directors who received Certification Awards at this year's Director's Conference. Certification I recognizes Directors for their achievements in implementing the core elements that define a successful Mini-School and Certification II, the highest honor given to Mini-School Directors, acknowledges those directors who have been leaders in defining the best practices of our growing schools.
Judy Asuleen, Broward Country, Florida - Certification I
Leah Justin, Melbourne, Australia - Certification I and II
Barbara Kabatznik, Boca Raton, Florida - Certification I and II
Amy Karp, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia - Certification I
Judy Loebl, Detroit, Michigan - Certification I and II
Aliza Orent, Austin, Texas - Certification I
Sue Parker Gerson, Denver, Colorado - Certification II
Renah Rabinowitz, Northern New Jersey, New Jersey - Certification I
Judy Trotter, London, UK - Certification II |
| Scholars Curriculum: A Major Breakthrough
[Dr. Jonathan Mirvis] |
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At the beginning of the Academic Year we launched "Bereshit Two" the second of our Shivim Panim Scholars Curriculum Courses. This course joined the popular Bereshit One and Israel Literature a Window to Israeli Society which have been in the field for the past year. The success of Bereshit Two has been almost immediate. Over 500 Melton graduates have thus far signed up to participate in the course and many more are signing up in sites where it is being offered in the spring semester.
The Scholars Curriculum approach to text study has brought a new genre to text study among students who are seeking serious text analysis. Developed by Director of Curriculum Development Rabbi Morey Schwartz and his team, this curriculum encourages students not only to analyze the classical text but art and other contemporary texts as well. This curriculum which has been uniquely developed for our Mini-School graduates is both exciting and compelling and leaves the students eager for continued text study in the future.
In planning for the future we are excited that a course on The Holocaust sponsored by the Claims Conference and Sandy and Phillip Benjamin from Melbourne VIC will be launched in September 2008 and a course on Jewish Denominations: Addressing the Challenges of Modernity sponsored by The Schultz Family Foundation will be launched in September 2009, dedicated in the name of the Dallas Florence Melton Adult Mini-School under the auspices of the Jewish Community Center of Dallas. |
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Announcing the Establishment of
The Academy of Adult Jewish Teaching |
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The Florence Melton Adult Mini-School has received a three-year grant from the Joseph and Harvey Meyerhoff Family Charitable Funds to launch The Academy of Adult Jewish Teaching. The project will be based on academic research, researching the field and learning from our most successful faculty members. Our goal is to create a multifaceted professional learning experience and to implement a variety of strategies to enrich the knowledge and ability of teachers of adults. Initially focusing on our own faculty, it will expand to include others involved in the field of adult Jewish education.
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A Tale of Two Cities: Melton Mini-School Opens in West Hills and Memphis
[Judy Kupchan] |
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 Two new Mini-Schools opened their doors in North America this fall in Memphis, Tennesee and Conejo/West Valley, California. While both schools share the renowned name of the Florence Melton Adult Mini-School, they are separated by 1800 miles and two very different community cultures.
The impetus for the Conejo/West Valley school came from a transplanted Baltimorean, Rabbi Richard Camras, who was Associate Rabbi at Chizuk Amuno Congregation in Baltimore when their Mini-School began. Rabbi Camras enlisted Rabbi Rachel Bovitz as the director of the new school, and together they developed a consortium of 8 synagogues, 5 day schools, the Federation, and a memorial park! The school is located in Greater Los Angeles, an area with some 250,000 Jews and there is much excitement about bringing the Melton Mini-School to this community for the first time.
On the other hand, the new Memphis Mini-School at the JCC is steeped in the traditions of a Jewish community that dates back to 1847. Numbering 7800 Jews, Memphis is a very tight-knit community where everyone knows everyone else, and where people share very strong Jewish values. Affiliation rates are some of the highest in the country and even the younger generations continue to make their homes in Memphis.
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Melton Graduation Cape Town 2007
Achieving the Grade in So Many Ways! [Viv Anstey, Cape Town, South Africa] |
 After two years dedicated to Jewish learning, an inspired graduating group of Meltoneers came together on Thursday 15 November, the night following their 60th lesson, to celebrate, reflect, share and plan the next phase on their Jewish journey. Viv Anstey, Director, spoke about the student's "leap of faith" in embarking on a largely unknown course, driven by their thirst for Jewish knowledge. This group of students has become partners in breaking new ground in the community. The Melton programme, with its inclusivity, fills a niche in the market of adult Jewish learning.
Board member Sally Frankenthal said that the success of Melton was a dream come true for her, one which started with an uncertain future and had proved to be a huge success largely due to the excellent faculty, the strength of the curriculum and the commitment of the students.
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We Had A Dream - Baltimore Graduate Program
[Judy Meltzer, Baltimore MD] |
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 Last spring, like Martin Luther King, Jr., we had a dream. We dreamed that we could recruit enough Melton graduates to fill two classes, one morning and one evening to begin in Fall, 2007. On June 29, we sent a letter to all of our graduates, dating back to 1999, the year of our first graduation. We proudly announced the introduction of the long awaited official Melton graduate curriculum.
Upon returning from our July 4th holiday, we found that our dream had become a glittering reality. The mailbox was overflowing with registrations; we had enough students to fill FIVE classes!
As we prepare for our new semester, which begins this week, we are happy to say that the majority of our students are returning to continue their studies in Bereshit II. Once again, the winning combination of Melton curricula and superb teachers is unbeatable.
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| Study OnLine:
Night of Watching [Rabbi Morey Schwartz] |
The Seder night is filled with great mystique.
One might want to attribute the mystique to the special foods and the many special customs that accompany the ancient practice of gathering together, on the night of the 15th of Nisan (and again on the 16th outside of Israel), to retell the story of the Exodus from Egypt.
But Pesach in general and the Seder night more specifically seem to involve not only more preparation than other Jewish holidays, but also a heightened sense of anticipation in the weeks and days that precede it. For weeks before the Seder, friends and family are inquiring of one another, "Nu, where are you having Seder(s) this year?" Children in Jewish Day Schools and Hebrew Schools study the laws and customs of the Seder beginning immediately after the conclusion of Purim. The Talmudic sages even instruct us in no uncertain terms, "Questions are asked and lectures are given on the laws of Passover for thirty days before Passover." (Babylonian Talmud, Pesachim 6a)
I would like to suggest that we can trace the great mystique that surrounds the Seder night to the unique way that night is described to us in the Book of Exodus:
At the end of the four hundred and thirtieth year, to the very day, all the hosts of the Lord departed from the land of Egypt. That was for the Lord a night of watching, to bring them out of the land of Egypt; that same night is the Lord's, one of watching for all the children of Israel throughout the ages. (Ex. 12:41-42)
Click here to read the full article
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THE FMAMS 2008 ISRAEL SEMINAR
An Unsurpassed Learning Experience
Join your fellow students on this remarkable journey of the mind and heart,
placing yourself and Israel's 60th anniversary on the timeline of Jewish history.
Dates for 2008:
23 June - 3 July
14 - 24 July
3 - 13 November
22 December - 1 January 2009
For a sample itinerary, responses from participants and a registration form, visit our website: www.fmams.org.il
For further details contact:
OR call Toll Free: USA: 1-877-729-2805; UK: 0-800-056-9556;
Canada: 1-866-786-7718; Australia: 1-800-008-094 | |
