June 25, 2015 - 8 Tamuz 5775

AJOP Rabbis Conference Attracts Shul Rabbis for 2 Day Uplifting Conference
Stay Safe in Israel Guide
Netzach Dovid: Life Insurance Initiative for Mekarvim
Audio from Convention 2015 Available

OUTREACH

Tips to Increase Member Engagement

Rememanu Mi'Kol Lashon: Raising the Discourse of Hillel Educators

PHILANTHROPY/FUNDRAISING

Rothschild Foundation (Hanadiv) Europe: Autumn 2015 Grants Round Open

NORTH AMERICA

Americans Have Lost Confidence...in Everything

Ugandan Jews Connect With Queens

Hasidic Stars Bring Yiddish Soul to Central Park

The 'Court Jew' Controversy Re-Erupts

Thoughtless Jewish Jeers

ISRAEL

Will the US and France Deal Israel a Double Blow?
Flaw in US Policy: Even PLO Recognizes Israel's Right to West Jerusalem
Want to Boost Israel's Economy? Learn From Haredi Women
After Offensive Remark, Reform Jews Demand Ouster of Isreal's New Religious Affairs Minister
$100m JNF Boruchin Israel Education Advocacy Center Opens
French PM: Both Netanyahu and Abbas Say Ready to Return to Negotiating Table

INTERNATIONAL

Rebel Leader Blames Ukraine Jews for Ouster of President

Melbourne Jewish Community Warned of Potential Attack

In Britain, Jewish and Muslim Women Connect Over Mitzvah Day

French School Deems Teenager's Skirt an Illegal Display of Religion

Rare Color Footage Emerges Showing What Hitler Destroyed

ARTICLES OF INTEREST

Ordination of Insubordination

The Case for the Primacy of Day Schools

Promoting Gender Awareness in Jewish Schools

Michael Douglas: I 'Never Felt Accepted' as a Jew
Gifts of the Body: Amending the Jewish Take on Organ Donation
Horse Racing on Shabbos

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 Attracts Rabbis for 2 Day Uplifting Conference Once again, on May 12-13, the Association for Jewish Outreach Professionals (AJOP) organized and coordinated the AJOP Rabbis Conference for Shul Rabbis in kiruv friendly shuls hosted by Beth Jacob Congregation. Continue Reading

Netzach Dovid: Life Insurance Initiative for Mikarvim in Memory of R' Dovid Winiarz z'l

AJOP, in partnership with Afikim, is initiating an effort to acquire affordable life insurance policies for mikarvim in memory of R' Dovid Winiarz z'l. As an association we have the ability to acquire policies insuring up to $250,00 for just a small fee annually. To that end, we are asking those interested in participating to fill out a brief survey for us to collect necessary information for the insurance company to create a group. The policies will be for $250,000 for $150 annually with no medical exam necessary. Please CLICK HERE to take the survey.

Tips to Increase Member Engagement

An Article from eJewish Philanthropy

An engaged, involved community is a vibrant and thriving one. To help keep your community thriving, we have some tips to keep engagement alive in your organization:

Romemanu Mi'Kol Lashon: Raising the Discourse of Hillel Educators
An Article from eJewish Philanthropy

Over 50 Hillel professionals met the first week of June at Capital Camps for the first Hillel Educators Kallah. Continue Reading

Rothschild Foundation (Hanadiv) Europe: Autumn 2015 Grants Round Open An Article from eJewish Philanthropy The Foundation welcomes applications to its Autumn 2015 grant round for projects working with Jewish Archives and Jewish Museums in Europe. Continue Reading

Americans Have Lost Confidence...In Everything

An Article from US News

Americans have little confidence in most of their major institutions including Congress, the presidency, the Supreme Court, banks and organized religion, according to the latest Gallup poll.
Continue Reading

Ugandan Jews Connect with Queens

An Article from The Jewish Week

The kids of Young Israel of Jamaica Estates in Queens have found new friends in Abayudaya, Uganda's Jewish community, thanks to a congregant who cares deeply for both. Continue Reading

Hasidic Stars Bring Yiddish Soul to Central Park

An Article from The Forward

It's as if the rain knew to stop precisely at 6 o'clock. After one of the wettest days of the month, the sky turned from gray to blue, the clouds parted for the last hour of Tuesday sun, and Yiddish Soul took the stage at Central Park's Rumsey Playfield. Continue Reading

The 'Court Jew' Controversy Re-Erupts
An Article from Tablet

Last week an issue that has simmered for some time in private conversations burst out into the open-in a very unpleasant way.
Continue Reading

Thoughtless Jewish Jeers
An Article from Hamodia

I'm trying to understand the sort of mindlessness that expressed itself in the jeering at Treasury Secretary Jacob ("Jack") Lew by some Jews at a recent gathering. Continue Reading

Will the US and France Deal Israel a Double Blow?

An Article from Powerlines

Shoshana Bryen, a long-time observer of the Middle East, senses danger to Israel arising from two areas of dispute between France and the U.S. The first area of disagreement involves the Iranian nuclear negotiations:

Flaw in US Policy: Even PLO Recognizes Israel's Right to West Jerusalem

An Article from The Jewish Week

Maariv's headline blared, "Final Judgment: U.S. Citizens May Not Register 'Jerusalem' as Place of Birth." Continue Reading

Want to Boost Israel's Economy? Learn From Haredi Women
An Article from Tablet

Israel's Ministry of the Treasury released its employment statistics for the first quarter of 2015 last month, and things aren't looking too great:
Continue Reading

After Offensive Remark, Reform Jews Demand Ouster of Israel's New Religious Affairs Minister
A Video from eJewish Philanthropy

Leaders of Reform Jewry in Israel are demanding the ouster of the country's newly installed minister of religious affairs over his offensive remarks about their movement. Continue Reading

$100m JNF Boruchin Israel Advocacy Center Opens
An Article from eJewish Philanthropy

The Jewish National Fund has created the JNF Boruchin Israel Education Advocacy Center to focus on Israel and Zionist educational programming. Continue Reading

French PM: Both Netanyahu and Abbas Say Ready to Return to Negotiating Table
An Article from i24 News

Both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas have said they are prepared to return to the negotiating table to resume peace talks, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said following a meeting with the PM in Jerusalem. Continue Reading

Rebel Leader Blames Ukraine Jews for Ouster of President

An Article from i24 News

A senior Ukrainian rebel leader told a Russian audience that Ukraine's Jews are to blame for the revolution that ousted their country's pro-Russian president last year. Continue Reading

Melbourne Jewish Community Warmed of Potential Attack

An Article from JTA

The Jewish community in Melbourne, Australia, is at a heightened risk of attack, a Jewish communal security agency said. Continue Reading

In Britain, Jewish and Muslim Women Connect Over Mitzvah Day

An Article from JTA

Good deeds can be contagious. Just ask Laura Marks, a British Jew who is widely credited with creating one of her community's most widely celebrated new traditions: an annual Mitzvah Day. Continue Reading

French School Deems Teenager's Skirt an Illegal Display of Religion
An Article from The New York Times

A secondary school in northeastern France has sent a 15-year-old student home twice in the last two weeks for wearing a long skirt that the principal judged was "an ostentatious sign" of the girl's Muslim faith.
Continue Reading

Rare Color Footage Emerges Showing What Hitler Destroyed
An Article from Israel Video Network

In 1921, 550 Jews lived in the town of Wielopole Skrzyńskie (today this would be southern Poland), constituting about half of the local population. At that time, some 20 small Jewish factories were in operation there.

Ordination of Insubordination

An Article from Matzav.com

Within the week, three Orthodox-identified rabbinical ordination programs for women granted semicha (ordination) to their graduating classes.

The Case for the Primacy of Day Schools

An Article from The Jewish Week

The cost of Jewish day school education is a major topic of conversation within the Jewish community for two obvious reasons: Continue Reading

Promoting Gender Awareness in Jewish Schools
An Article from eJewish Philanthropy

I have lectured over the past few years about gender awareness as part of adult education programmes and for educators in Jewish schools as part of Continuing Professional Development. Continue Reading

Michael Douglas:'I Never Felt Accepted as a Jew'

An Article from JTA

Michael Douglas hadn't heard of the Genesis Prize when he found out that he'd won it. Continue Reading

Gifts of the Body: Amending the Jewish Take on Organ Donation
An Article from Tablet

A large manila envelope lies on my desk. Marked "To Be Opened in the Event of My Death," it contains the most recent version of my ethical will and related documents. Continue Reading

Horse Racing on Shabbos
An Article from The Bais HaVaad Halacha Center

On Saturday, June 6, a horse named American Pharoh won the Belmont Stakes, making it the first horse to win the Triple Crown in 37 years.
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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