AJOP Update: A Torah View on Homosexuality

November 29, 2012 - 15 Kislev 5773

AJOP Convention January 11-15, 2013 Register Now!

OUTREACH

Is Birthright Just a Freebie Trip to Israel or a Real Game Changer in Jewish Practice

PHILANTHROPY/FUNDRAISING

Is Your Nonprofit Ready for Change?

Berman Foundation Issues $1 Million Challenge Grant to Renew Population Survey

NORTH AMERICA

FEMA Pressed to Change Law to Aid Synagogues

California Student Board Regrets 'Marginalizing Language' on Israel

Scenes of Loss and Caring at the Young Israel of Oceanside

Israeli Volunteers Assist Seagate Residents After Storm

Harvard Limits Non-Jewish Access to Kosher Meals

90% of Orthodox Jews Voted for Romney

ISRAEL

Son of Hamas Founder Says Organization Must Be Destroyed
IDF Reservists Head Home Angry and Disappointed
55% in Favor of Keeping Religious Laws

INTERNATIONAL

Colombian Evangelical Christians Convert to Judaism Embracing Hidden Past

Uncertain Future for Jews in French Provinces

Italian Jews Decry Recent Spiral of Antisemitism

Help Came From Hatzoloh

ARTICLES OF INTEREST

Why I'm Nostalgic for Hasidim

The Man With the SMART Plan-Rabbi Nochum Stilerman

Rebbetzin Devorah Krinsky, Wife of Lubavitcher Rebbe's Secretary, Nifteres

Vladka Meed, Warsaw Uprising Leader, Dies at 90

Prenatal Whole Genome Sequencing Technology Raises Jewish Ethical Questions

A Torah View on Homosexuality

To View Our Archives of Past Newsletters

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
Rabbi David Felsenthal
New York, NY

Mr. Howard Tzvi Friedman

Baltimore, MD

Mr. Joseph Friedman

Olney, MD
Mr. Harvey Hecker

Toronto, ONT

Mr. Stephen Rosedale

Cincinnati, OH

Rabbi Simcha Scholar

Brooklyn, NY

Rabbi Dovid Refson

Jerusalem, Israel

Mr Gary Torgow

Detroit, MI

Rabbi Abraham Twerski, MD

Teaneck, NJ

Women in Kiruv Conference-100 Women, 19 States, 4 Countries, 3 Days On November 4-6, AJOP in conjunction with WIK, JWRP and North American Campus Mekarvos, hosted the 3rd annual Women in Kiruv Conference. 100 women from the United States, Canada and Israel came to Baltimore, MD for inspiration, chizuk and a little bit of pampering. Read More Listen to the Audio View Photos

Is Birthright Just a Freebie Trip to Israel or a Real Game Changer in Jewish Practice?

An Article from Haaretz

Taglit-Birthright Israel is transforming contemporary Jewish American culture. In its first 10 years alone, more than 200,000 young Jewish adults traveled to Israel for a free, 10-day experience.

Outreacharticle4

Is Your Nonprofit Ready for Change? An Article from Social Velocity I believe very strongly that in order to fix a broken nonprofit sector we must change how things are done. Continue Reading
Berman Foundation Issues $1 Million Challenge Grant to Renew Population Survey An Article from JTA The Mandell and Madeleine Berman Foundation issued a $1million challenge grant toward the costs of conducting a 2013 National Jewish Population Study. Continue Reading

FEMA Pressed To Change Law to Aid Synagogues
An Article from The Jewish Week

For years, the main challenge facing West End Temple - an approximately 90-family Reform congregation in the Neponsit section of Rockaway, Queens - was demographics.

California Student Board Regrets 'Marginalizing Language' on Israel
An Article from The Jewish Week

The University of California Student Association board of directors expressed regret for several aspects of a resolution unanimously passed State Assembly resolution urging California schools to squelch nascent anti-Semitism and crack down on anti-Israel demonstrations.
Continue Reading

Scenes of Loss and Caring at the Young Israel of Oceanside
An Article from The Jewish Week

When congregants at the Young Israel of Oceanside returned to their synagogue three days after Hurricane Sandy ravaged the New York-New Jersey coastline, they found the ark in their basement chapel overturned and floating in almost 5 ½ feet of water. Continue Reading

Israeli Volunteers Assist Seagate Residents After Storm
An Article from The Jewish Week

The hurricane was called Sandy but Af-Bri is the "Angel of the Rains." Continue Reading

Harvard Limits Non-Jewish Access to Kosher Meals
An Article from JTA

The Jewish federation movement, like much of the organized community, has put great emphasis in recent years on youth, trying many ways to attract that elusive segment of the community. Continue Reading

90% of Orthodox Jews Voted for Romney
An Article from The New York Times

Mr. Obama's worst precincts were in Orthodox Jewish areas like Ocean Parkway and Williamsburg in Brooklyn and Kew Gardens Hills in Queens. In a few precincts in Borough Park, Brooklyn, Mr. Romney won more than 90 percent of the vote. Continue Reading

Son of Hamas Founder Says Organization Must Be Destroyed
An Article from The Times of Israel

Sounding more like the frustrated resident of a southern Israeli city after suffering days of sirens and rocket strikes than the son of one of Hamas's founders, Mosab Hassan Yousef said on Friday that taking down his father's terror organization "is a necessity, not just for Israel, but for humanity." Continue Reading

IDF Reservists Head Home Angry and Disappointed
An Article from Ynet News

The army began releasing on Thursday tens of thousands of reserve soldiers who were recruited under emergency orders during Operation Pillar of Defense. Continue Reading

55% in Favor of Keeping Religious Laws
An Article from Ynet News

The upcoming Knesset elections will likely focus on economic, social and security-related issues, but what about state and religion?
Continue Reading

Colombian Evangelical Christians Convert to Judaism, Embracing Hidden Past
An Article from The Independent

They were committed evangelicals, devoted to Jesus Christ. But what some here called a spark, an inescapable pull of their ancestors, led them in a different direction, to Judaism.

Uncertain Future for Jews in French Provinces
An Article from The Forward

Much rarer than Dijon's mustard and wine is the small and, until recently, vibrant Jewish community that called this small French city home.

Italian Jews Decry Recent Spiral of Antisemitism
An Article from The Forward

In the wake of mounting anti-Semitic and anti-Israel incidents, Italy's Jewish leadership has "forcefully denounced" a "spiral of violence" that has erupted in the country over the past few weeks.

Help Came From Hatzoloh
A Letter from The Montreal Gazette

On Friday, Nov. 16, I was walking along the sidewalk during my break at work, at about 9:30 a.m., near the corner of Paré St. and Victoria Ave.

Why I'm Nostalgic for Hasidim
An Article from The Forward

While attending a major Las Vegas tech conference for work a couple of years ago, I found myself following a Hasidic couple around the convention center.

The Man with the SMART Plan-Rabbi Nochum Stilerman
An Article from Mishpacha

Everyone at the 12th Siyum HaShas in MetLife Stadium heard Rav Yissocher Frand tell the story. Soon, batei medrash the world over were abuzz with the tale. Continue Reading

Rebbetzin Devorah Krinsky, Wife of Lubavitcher Rebbe's Secretary, Nifteres
An Article from Matzav

Rebbetzin Devorah Krinsky, wife of 55 years of Rabbi Yehuda Krinsky, chairman of the educational and social services divisions of Chabad-Lubavitch, passed away on Friday night after a brief illness.
Continue Reading

Vladka Meed, Warsaw Uprising Leader, Dies at 90
An Article from The Forward

Vladka Meed, one of the last surviving leaders of the Warsaw ghetto uprising, died in Phoenix on November 21 just before her 91st birthday.

Prenatal Whole Genome Sequencing Technology Raises Jewish Ethical Questions
An Article from JTA

Expectant mothers long have faced the choice of finding out the gender of their child while still in the womb. Continue Reading

A Torah View on Homosexuality
An Article from Dialogue: For Torah Issues & Ideas Fall 5773/2012 No.3

The history of the Jewish People is one of ongoing oppression and persecution by the nations of the world. 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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