March 20, 2014 - 18 Adar II 5774

Rabbi Yehoshua Karsh: My Personal Account From the Rabbis Conference

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OUTREACH

How Do I Tell Him I Want a Bris?

PHILANTHROPY/FUNDRAISING

US Philanthropists Donate Combined $10 Million to Beit Hatfutsot

NORTH AMERICA

Northeastern University Bans 'Students for Justice in Palestine' for Intimidating Students

Barnard Yanks Pro-Palestinian Banner

Toronto Bookstore Removes 'Oy Vey!' Sign Over Holocaust Volume

Honest Rabbi Returned $98K-and Inspired Us

Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary Chag HaSemikhah

Historic Cleveland Synagogue To Become Arts Center

ISRAEL

Conversion Reform on the Way?
What Went Right in the State of Israel?
Mystery of the Tefillin
Knesset Passes Draft Law Requiring Haredi Orthodox Men to Serve

INTERNATIONAL

Jewish Traveler Saved From Lost Malaysia Flight By Orthodox Agent Insisting on Shabbat Observance

Swastikas Graffitied on Stockholm High School

Jewish Man Attacked Near Lyon

Hungarian Jews Today Face Bigotry, Shoah Distortion

Only In Dreams: Yizkor For the Hungarian Shoah

Envoy Blasts Russian Effort To Play Ukraine 'Jewish Card'

ARTICLES OF INTEREST

The No. 1 Time Management Mistake Capable People Make

The Modern Orthodox Straw Man

For Author and PBS Host Simon Schama, 'Story of the Jews' Is Personal

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

*Deceased

AJOP Rabbis Conference Scottsdale, AZ

On Wednesday and Thursday, February 19-20, AJOP, in conjunction with Ahavas Torah: The Scottsdale Torah Center hosted a 2 day conference for Shul Rabbanim of kiruv oriented shuls.

Attracting over 30 Rabbanim from diverse locations throughout the US and Canada, the conference aimed to give these individuals some much needed chizuk, as well as sessions pertinent to their unique roles. Presenters included HaRav Yaakov Hopfer, noted posek and Mara D'asrah of Shearith Israel Cong. in Baltimore, MD, Rabbi Ilan Feldman of Cong. Beth Jacob in Atlanta, GA and Rabbi Yaakov Meyer of Aish Denver.

Click Here for the full article and for photos of the conference

Rabbi Yehoshua Karsh: My Personal Account From the Rabbis Conference


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How Do I Tell Him I Want a Bris?

An Article from The Forward

I am a pretty unobservant Jewish woman who didn't hesitate to marry a non-Jewish man. Continue Reading

Outreacharticle4

US Philanthropists Donate Combined $10 Million To Beit Hatfutsot

An Article from eJewish Philanthropy

The Maltz Family Foundation of the Jewish Federation of Cleveland, established by Milton Maltz and his wife Tamar, and Ambassador Alfred Moses and his family, have committed a pair of gifts of $5 million each for a combined $10 million to Beit Hatfutsot, The Museum of the Jewish People, in Tel Aviv. Continue Reading

Northeastern University Bans 'Students for Justice in Palestine' for Intimidating Students
An Article from The Algemeiner

Northeastern University's Center for Student Involvement suspended campus group Students for Justice in Palestine for at least a year and barred its current executive board from serving on any future board in the organization.

Barnard Yanks Pro-Palestinian Banner
An Article from Tablet

A banner featuring a green, borderless depiction of Israel, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip was hung at the entrance to Barnard College last night. Continue Reading

Toronto Bookstore Removes 'Oy Vey!' Sign Over Holocaust Volume
An Article from The Forward

A leading Canadian bookstore chain has taken down a sign hawking a large Holocaust volume with the slogan "Oy Veh! Can't believe I read the whole thing!" Continue Reading

Honest Rabbi Returned $98K-and Inspired Us
An Article from The Forward

When Rabbi Noach Muroff needed a desk, he looked to Craigslist for a good deal. He got way more than he bargained for. Continue Reading

Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary Chag HaSemikhah
An Article from The Baltimore Jewish Times

On March 23 Yeshiva University in New York City will ordain its largest-ever rabbinic class, conferring on 205 graduates - nine of them with ties to Maryland - from the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary the title of rabbi. Continue Reading

Historic Cleveland Synagogue to Become Arts Center
An Article from The Forward

A historic Cleveland synagogue building will be turned into a performing arts center after undergoing a $64 million expansion and renovation.

Conversion Reform on the Way?
An Article from The Jerusalem Post

Following discussions within the coalition on Monday, an agreement was reached to advance a contentious bill on conversion reform authored by MK Elazar Stern of Hatnua party, The Jerusalem Post has learned.

What Went Right in the State of Israel?
An Article from The Commentator

In his book published in 2002, Bernard Lewis asked the question, "What went wrong?", in an Islamic world that had become conscious, by comparison with the West, that all was not well in their own society.
Continue Reading

Mystery of the Tefillin
An Article from The Times of Israel

They're not much larger than lentils, but size doesn't minimize the potential significance of nine newfound Dead Sea Scrolls that have lain unopened for the better part of six decades. Continue Reading

Israel4

Knesset Passes Draft Law Requiring Haredi Orthodox Men to Serve
An Article from JTA

Israel's Knesset passed a law requiring haredi Orthodox yeshiva students to serve in the Israel Defense Forces. Continue Reading

Jewish Traveler Saved From Lost Malaysia Flight by Orthodox Agent Insisting on Shabbat Observance
An Article from The Algemeiner

A Jewish traveler named Andrew was saved from tragedy by a last-minute decision to follow his travel agent's suggestion not to fly on Shabbat, which is how he narrowly missed boarding the lost Malaysian Air Flight 370, the Boeing 777 that has disappeared from flight maps. Continue Reading

Swastikas Graffitied on Stockholm High School
An Article from Tablet

On Monday morning, students at the Vasa Real high school in Sweden's capital of Stockholm were greeted by an ugly sight: spray-painted swastikas and anti-Semitic slogans like "disgusting Jews" and "Jewish swine."

Jewish Man Attacked Near Lyon
An Article from Tablet

An Israeli man was assaulted by two men with a stun gun near a Paris synagogue in the Marais, the city's historic Jewish quarter, last night, JTA reports.

Hungarian Jews Today Face Bigotry, Shoah Distortion
An Article from The Jewish Week

Shortly after Russian soldiers occupied the Crimean city of Sevastopol last week, Leah Cyrlikova took her two children out for an afternoon stroll in a city park. Continue Reading

Only in Dreams: Yizkor for the Hungarian Shoah

An Article from The Jewish Week

In the Hungarian village of Csenger, by the banks of the river Smoosh, in the pages in a yizkor book, a dead man tells a tale. Continue Reading

Envoy Blasts Russian Effort To Play Ukraine 'Jewish Card'
An Article from The Forward

He may lack the cachet and recognition of the Anti-Defamation League's Abraham Foxman, but in the federal government's sprawling bureaucracy, Ira Forman is the only official tasked with identifying and addressing anti-Semitism worldwide on behalf of the United States.

The No. 1 Time Management Mistake Capable People Make
An Article from Linked In

A friend of mine is an executive for an organization with global reach. He is intelligent and driven, but constantly distracted.

The Modern Orthodox Straw Man
An Article from Matzav.com

There are times when one must take a firm stand and stake out a principled position, or deal with what may be the nightmarish consequences of not standing strong.

For Author and PBS Host Simon Schama, 'Story of the Jews' Is Personal
An Article from The Forward

There are several moments in Simon Schama's new five-part documentary series, "The Story of the Jews," when the British historian's stiff upper lip begins to wobble.

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