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SAVE THE DATE! Masorti Olami Tribute EventTribute
Cantors Assembly Mission to SpainSpain

In July, more than 300 cantors and congregants from North America travelled to Spain and Portugal for the Cantors Assembly Mission. They connected with Spanish Jewish communities, learned with renowned scholars, participated in fantastic concerts, explored the extraordinary history and immersed themselves in the Sephardic musical heritage. Throughout Spain and Portugal, many cantors were hosted by Masorti kehillot and were asked to lead tefillot.

Rabbi Jules and Navah Harlow made their 40th trip to Lisbon to spend Shabbat with the Lisbon Havurah and were joined by members of the Cantors Mission. The Harlows reflected, "Members of our Lisbon chevrah were thrilled to join in the singing of Shalom Aleichem, hear Kiddush, make the Motzi and then, after the delicious meal, Zemirot and Birkat haMazon---everything they have been doing with us, as a very small group- now made them aware that indeed they are part of K'lal Yisrael, able to participate with the same words and melodies used by Jews throughout the world! This joint experience provided a wonderful opportunity for our visitors to hear firsthand the stories of those who have benefited from the work of Masorti Olami in Lisbon."


Communal song and prayer immediately following the recitation 
of the El Malei Rachamin Memorial Prayer for the Jews of Sefarad at the Alfonso XIII Hotel in Seville.


Right to left Cantors: Sidney Ezer, Jonathan Schultz, Eliot Vogel, Rabbi Jules and Navah Harlow, David Lipp,
Beny Maissner and Norman Brody.
Yom Ha'atzmaut in Kehillat Aviv in Valencia with Rabbi Kaiser-BluethAviv

In May, Rabbi Claudio and Susy Kaiser-Blueth visited with Kehillat Aviv of approximately 45 people in Valencia, Spain. Over Shabbat, they shared tefillot, dvrei Torah and a kum zitz with havdalah. Rabbi Kaiser-Blueth was very impressed by the lay leadership of their member, Analia Sznajderowski. 

The culmination of the visit was the celebration of Yom Ha'atzmaut with stories, music and a movie from Israel.



The Abayudaya Community in UgandaUganda

Rabbi Gershom is the rabbi of a small community of Jews, the Abayudaya (People of Judah) living in Uganda, near the border with Kenya. 
Rabbi Gershom attended the Entenbbe 40th Anniversary Ceremony, as a guest of the Israeli government, in the presence of Prime Minister Netanyahu and Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni. Rabbi Gershom had the privilege of meeting Ophir, one of the commandos who participated in the raid at Entebbe on July 4, 1976. Under the leadership of Rabbi Gershom, the community is thriving and many dream of coming to Israel to study or to live

To read more, please click here  


Rabbi Gershon with Israeli soldier 
who participated in the raid at Entebbe.

Bicentennial of Argentina in TucumanBicentennial
From September 8-10, the entire Jewish community of Argentina came together to celebrate the Bicentennial of Argentina in Tucuman, in the historic Casa (House) de Tucuman, where the Declaration of Independence of Argentina was proclaimed in 1816. This event was made possible thanks to Dr. Juan Luis Manzur, Governor of Tucuman, Rabbi Salomon Nussbaum,  rabbi of the Masorti Community in Tucuman and Gaston Scolnik, President of FEDECC. The highpoint of the celebration was the culmination of the writing of a Sefer Torah, which had journeyed throughout 22 Jewish communities of Argentina. Each community participated in writing part of the scroll.  
Over 2,600 people celebrated including youth, adults, families, university students, rabbis, government leaders and international leaders. Thousands of people shared a joyous Kabbalat Shabbat, festive meals and dancing as one enormous family.


Rabbi Salomon Nussbaum (Masorti Community in Tucuman), 
Mr Ilan Sztulman (Ambassador of Israel in Argentina) and 
Dr. Juan Luis Manzur (Governor of Tucuman) with the Sefer Torah.



Culmination of the writing of a Sefer Torah.

Click here to see a video in Spanish from the celebration.
Chilean Religious Leaders meet with the President of ChileChile

Chile is in the process of amending their constitution. The president of Chile, Michelle Bachelet, called on religious leaders, including Masorti Rabbis Alejandro Bloch and Daniel Zangto share their acumen toward shaping the writing of the constitution. 


Onward NOAM OlamiOnward
For six weeks this summer, 11 Masorti youth leaders from around the world (France, Germany, the UK, Australia, Spain, Ukraine and Uganda) participated in the first Onward NOAM Olami, a training and leadership program in Israel. The participants worked together to build a work plan for developing the NOAM chapters and regions in their home countries and thus created a global network in which to work cooperatively and share their knowledge. The program contributed to their personal and professional development through their individual internship experiences. Onward NOAM Olami provided the participants a meaningful and authentic Israel experience which will shape their lives and their work with NOAM.


New Rabbis Ordained in AmLatNewrabbis
Masorti Olami wishes Mazal Tov to the newly ordained rabbis from the Seminario Rabinico Latinoamericano Marshall T. Meyer in Buenos Aires, Argentina: Rabbi Uriel Romano, Rabbi Adrian Fada, Rabbi Mario Szames &
Rabbi Gustavo Katzuni. 


New Masorti AmLat Director, Rabbi Ariel KleinerKleiner
Masorti AmLat and Masorti Olami are pleased to welcome
Rabbi Ariel Kleiner as the new Masorti Director for Latin America.

Rabbi Kleiner, a graduate of the Seminario Rabinico Latinoamericano Marshall T. Meyer also  has a degree in Organizational & Institutional Management and an MA in Talmud and Halacha.  Rabbi Kleiner speaks Spanish, Hebrew and English and was the rabbi of the NCI Community in Montevideo, Uruguay for many years. He now lives in Sao Paulo, Brazil, with his wife and children and enjoys reading, riding his bicycle and spending time with his family.


Rabbi Kleiner is deeply committed, from his heart to his actions, to the Masorti Movement. He likens his position to that of a "mesader kidushim." His work is about arranging, making order and listening in order to encourage engagement, empowerment and to bring shalom to one another. Rabbi Kleiner's goal is to work with the kehillot and institutions throughout AmLat to build up and strengthen the Masorti Movement in Latin America. 

Ceremony of Iftar in Sao Paulo, BrazilBrazil
Rabbi Michel Schlesinger of CIP Community and representative of the Jewish Confederation of Brazil (CONIB) to the Committee on Interreligious Dialogue, hosted at his home in Sao Paulo, Brazil, religious leaders for the Iftar ceremony.  Among the guests were Sheikhs Houssam Ahmad El Boustani, Mohamad El Moughrabi and Abdel Hamid Metwally, representatives of the Turkish-Brazilian Cultural Center and representatives from the Islamic Center for
Inter-religious and Inter-cultural Dialogue.  
The meeting is unprecedented in the relations between Jews and Muslims in Brazil.


Rabbi Abraham Skorka HonoredSkorka

Rabbi Abraham Skorka was honored as "Outstanding Personality" in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in the field of Human Rights. He is the Dean of the Seminario Rabinico Latinoamericano Marshall T. Meyer and the rabbi of Bnei Tikva community

We congratulate Rabbi Skorka on this great honor.


Rabbi Shlomo Zacharow at Ukraine Family Summer CampZacharov

Since 2004, a Family Summer Camp in Ukraine has provided an incredible inter-generational Jewish family experience for hundreds of children as well as their parents and grandparents. The camp is supported by Masorti Olami and by Midreshet Schechter, a program of the Schechter Institute in Jerusalem. Rabbi Shlomo Zacharow joined the camp this year to perform the marriage of two couples, along with Rabbi Reuven Stamov. Rabbi Zacharow assists in the organization of the camp every year and his participation contributes to the Masorti Jewish education of the families. 



Follow this link to read more about the Ukraine Family Summer Camp: http://masortiolami.org/mid-summers-night-dream-voices-hattan-kallah-ring-ukraine/