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Issue #415
ISSUE #415 – 14 JULY 2011 / 12 TAMUZ 5771
:SONJA GUENTNER BECOMES FIRST WOMAN PRESIDENT OF THE LIBERAL JEWISH MOVEMENT IN GERMANY
BEIT DANIEL CELEBRATES 20TH ANNIVERSARY
JAFI BOARD OF GOVERNORS MEETING TAKES PLACE AT WORLD UNION HEADQUARTERS
WORLD UNION SUPPORTS YOUNG ADULTS SEMINAR ON REFORM ZIONISM
MERCAZ SHIMSHON-BEIT SHMUEL TAKES ON SUMMER IN FULL SWING
NEWS IN BRIEF
• WHAT WILL IT TAKE TO GREEN ISRAEL'S CITIES?
• A CHANCE SHABBAT IN SOUTH AFRICA
UPCOMING EVENTS
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SONJA GUENTNER BECOMES FIRST WOMAN PRESIDENT OF THE LIBERAL JEWISH MOVEMENT IN GERMANY
The delegates of the Union of Progressive Jews in Germany elected a new board, which will be headed by Sonja Guentner, at the movement’s annual general meeting on Sunday July 10. Jan Mühlstein, who led the movement very successfully over a period of 12 years, as well as Rachel Dohme and Michael Lawton, founding members of the Union of Progressive Jews in Germany, had previously announced their intention not to stand again.
Guentner is the youngest president so far – at 41 – and the first woman to lead the liberal Jewish movement in Germany. She intends to strengthen the liberal Jewish profile of the movement on the inside as well as the outside.
Previously, Guentner served as chair of the liberal Jewish community in Cologne, Gesher LaMassoret. She is a partner at the Cologne International School, a non-profit private school, and in charge of its inter-religious, pedagogical concept. As the Union’s president, she wants to promote learning within the Jewish communities as well as encourage dialogue with other religions.
(L-R) Deborah Tal-Ruettger (vice-chair), Daniel Peiser, Sonja Guentner (chair), Rabbi Dr Walter Rothschild, Faina Pelts, Michelle Piccirillo,and Paul Yuval Adam
The World Union was represented by Rabbi Joel Oseran, VP of International Development, who spoke at the opening and taught two of the sessions during the conference. He also met with the UPJ board.
"The conference was an inspiring occasion, which demonstrated just how far the UPJ has matured and developed over the 12 years of Jan Muhlstein's tenure as chair,” said Oseran. “The World Union is proud to be a committed partner with the EUPJ and the UPJ in furthering Jewish life for the nearly 200,000 Jews in Germany."
He noted that the UPJ is very excited by the printing of the Plaut Torah commentary in Russian and has ordered several hundred more copies in addition to the copies ordered by the German Rabbinic Association.
Also elected to the UPJ board were Paul Yuval Adam, Michelle Piccirillo, Daniel Peiser, Faina Pelts, Rabbiner Dr. Walter Rothschild and Deborah Tal-Rüttger, who was appointed vice-president.
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BEIT DANIEL CELEBRATES 20TH ANNIVERSARY
On Friday, July 1, the Daniel Centers held a double celebration – the 20th anniversary of its founding and the 95th birthday of Gerry Daniel who, with his wife Ruth (z’l), helped to establish both Beit Daniel and Mishkenot Ruth Daniel.
The Daniel Family: Gerry, his daughter Miriam, her husband Larry, grandson Chris and his partner Diane) with Rabbi Meir Azari and Rabbi Gilad Kariv (CEO of IMPJ) standing behind the podium
Guests and speakers included Rabbi Richard Jacobs, the president-elect of the URJ (the American Reform movement); member of Parliament, Yochanan Plesner (Kadima); Rani Trainin, deputy chairman of the Jewish Agency; Hanan Melcer, Justice of the Israeli Supreme Court; leaders of the Reform Movement in Israel, and friends and congregants who love and respect Gerry Daniel and appreciated his work in bringing Reform Judaism to Tel Aviv.
Rabbi Joel Oseran represented the World Union at the Friday night celebration and brought greetings from chair, Mike Grabiner, and chief operating officer, Shai Pinto. The World Union recognized Daniel, who served as WUPJ president in the 1980s, for his achievements and his contribution to the community.
Rabbi Richard Jacobs (president-elect of the URJ) speaking at the anniversary evening, while Gerry Daniel is seated behind.
Rabbi Jacobs honored the Daniel Centers with heartfelt and motivating words in both Hebrew and English. He called Gerry Daniel a man of vision who understood, more than 20 years ago, the potential for Progressive Judaism in Tel Aviv. He was inspired by Rabbi Meir Azari's work over the past 20 years to meet the thirst of the people of Tel Aviv for religious meaning.
Rabbi Jacobs felt that the Daniel Centers’ ability to touch so many parts of the community was a model for tomorrow's Reform congregations and represents the future of a deeper connection between the American Jewish community and Israel. He promised to make this connection one of his priorities.
(L-R) Rabbi Richard Hirsch and Gerry Daniel
The reception was followed by a festive Kabalat Shabbat, with participation by the six Israeli rabbis who grew up in Beit Daniel, and a sermon by Rabbi Dick Hirsch. Following the Kabbalat Shabbat, members enjoyed a delicious Kiddush and sang ”Happy Birthday” to Gerry Daniel.
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WUPJ HOSTS JEWISH AGENCY BOARD OF GOVERNORS
Mercaz Shimshon-Beit Shmuel played host to the Jewish Agency for Israel's Board of Governors Global Jewish Forum seminar during the recent WZO and JAFI sessions in Jerusalem. The entire BOG spent the day in the Blaustein Hall, overlooking the Old City.
JAFI's Board of Governors meet at Beit Shmuel's majestic Blaustein Hall, overlooking the Old City of Jerusalem
Shai Pinto, WUPJ chief operating officer, welcomed the board members to Blaustein hall and to the global headquarters of the WUPJ. "I am sure you will agree with me it is a beautiful home, full of windows, drawing in the majestic views of Jerusalem, a view that I hope will inspire you in your discussions today,” he said.
Shai Pinto, Chief Operating Officer, WUPJ, addresses the JAFI BOG
“But the windows of our mishkan also allow those on the outside to look inside, inviting them in. And especially on a day like today with all of you here from Israel and all corners of the globe, we hope the residents of this city and of our country looking in will be enticed by the message this gathering, and by our values of unity of the Jewish people, of am echad (one nation) and klal Israel (all Israel), of equality, tikkun olam (repairing the world), and of ve'ahavta l'reacha kamocha (love the other as you love yourself)."
Cover of the Plaut commentaries on the Torah, Russian translation
The day-long Global Jewish Forum focused on “Jewish Resilience – Facing the Assault on Israel's Legitimacy”, and explored the principles and practices necessary to mobilize a wide Jewish consensus to address the challenge.
With input from noted speakers, professional actors, illuminating texts, case studies and group discussions, the group discussed ways to move global Jewish action forward to uphold Israel's legitimacy. Roundtable discussions were held on “Arguments over Delegitimization”, Patriotism and Criticism, and Sources of Resilience – Nurturing Activists for Israel, which included a panel discussion with Rabbi Dr. Daniel Gordis and Rabbi Dr. Michael Marmur. The seminar ended with a keynote speech from Natan Sharansky.
During the meeting, WUPJ chair and member of the JAFI BOG, Mike Grabiner, presented a first bound copy of the Plaut Torah commentary Russian version, a WUPJ translation project five years in the making, to Natan Sharanski, chair of the JAFI Executive.
Mike Grabiner, WUPJ Chair, addresses the JAFI BOG at Mercaz Shimshon-Beit Shmuel
According to Grabiner, the Plaut modern Torah commentary, originally published in 1981 and revised in 2005, is the most widely used Torah commentary in the Liberal Jewish world. “Its Russian edition and translation is the culmination of five years of work by a dedicated international team of rabbis and scholars,” he said.
“The Plaut Torah commentary includes an original Russian translation of the Torah, which offers the Russian reader a contemporary understanding of the Hebrew Torah text. It also includes introductory articles on each of the five books of the Torah, critical commentaries on the Torah and Haftorah parashot, midrashic and literary interpretations and gems of folk wisdom, and additional literature from the original Russian language, which no other Torah commentary in Russian currently offers.
“In short, this is really a unique treasure house of Jewish instruction for the Russian reader who is searching for understanding and meaning in his/her Jewish identity,” said Grabiner. “It ‘speaks their language’, not only literally, but also in content and style. Therefore, it naturally falls in place within JAFI’s new strategic direction of investing in Russian-speaking communities globally.”
(Left): Mike Grabiner exchanges laughs with Natan Sharansky, Chairperson of the Executive, JAFI; (right): Mike Grabiner and Natan Sharansky holding Natan's copy of the Plaut commentary.
Grabiner added that in his opinion, "it will become the most widely used Torah commentary for Russian readers in the FSU, Israel, North America, Germany and throughout the Diaspora".
Further events surrounding the launch of this new and historic translation will be taking place around the world in the coming months.
Shai Pinto and Natan Sharansky leaf through the Plaut commentary.
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WORLD UNION SUPPORTS YOUNG ADULTS SEMINAR ON REFORM ZIONISM
On June 16, 14 young adults between 18 and 35 from Canada, Australia, South Africa, UK, France, Denmark, Germany, Czech Republic and Israel met in Jerusalem for a five-day seminar on Reform Zionism sponsored by the WUPJ, Arzenu and TaMaR, and with the support of the World Zionist Organization. The focus of the seminar was to discuss and define the challenges facing Reform Zionism today in Israel, the Diaspora and among young people.
The first evening, Anat Hoffman from IRAC gave an interesting and inspiring keynote speech on some of the issues facing the Reform Movement in Israel.
Reform Zionist Seminar participants at Mercaz Shimson-Beit Shmuel in Jerusalem
The next morning, the group traveled through the Negev and spent the weekend in the Arava desert. The first stop was the eco-village and test center of Kibbutz Lotan where aspects of environmentalism in Israel were discussed. This was followed by Shabbat on Kibbutz Yahel led by Rabbi Benjie Gruber, where four of the participants had their first-ever Aliyah LaTorah on Saturday morning.
The group at Kibbutz Lotan in the Arava
Next stop on the Sunday was the Ben Gurion Institute, where discussions were held about the characteristics and challenges of leadership in 1948 compared to the present day. This was followed by a visit to the unrecognized Bedouin village, Bir Hadaj, and later a meeting with the JNF and The Authority for Settling Bedouins in the Negev. This offered an interesting view of the very complex challenges of reaching a solution, among them the immense intercultural complexity of Israeli society.
Returning to Jerusalem on Sunday evening, participants arranged an informal discussion group over freshly-delivered pizza to talk about the challenges of engaging young people in their home communities.
Preparing for Havdalah in Eilat
Monday, the last day of the seminar, was spent in the company of Paul Liptz from the Anita Saltz International Education Center, who ran a session about the increasing polarization of the Jewish people. This was followed by a visit to the Israel Museum. After lunch, the group met with Arzenu and WUPJ leadership for an extensive debriefing and discussion about the topics touched upon during the seminar. With this discussion fresh in mind, three participants took part in a panel discussion with Arzenu and WUPJ international leadership, who were in Israel to attend the World Zionist Organization meetings, with the moral support of the rest of the group.
The seminar offered a great opportunity to discuss Zionist questions and dilemmas in and outside Israel and get new perspectives on how to deal with these challenges. Most importantly, participants made new connections not only between their communities and Israel, but also among the communities outside Israel, which will hopefully lead to closer cooperation and interaction in the future.
With thanks to Louise Riewerts-Laursen for compiling this report and Oren Giorno for the photographs.
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MERCAZ SHIMSHON-BEIT SHMUEL TAKES ON SUMMER IN FULL SWING
After a banner year for Mercaz Shimshon-Beit Shmuel activities, we are proud that the success continues into the summer. Mercaz Shimshon-Beit Shmuel features prominently in the Jerusalem summer campaign, “Take Two Days in Jerusalem”, which offers visitors in select Jerusalem hotels free or discounted tickets to a number of unique Jerusalem sites, including the Time Elevator, the Tisch Family Jerusalem Biblical Zoo, and the Tower of David Museum. In addition, Mercaz Shimshon-Beit Shmuel is offering vacation packages that include a stay at the hotel with one of our unique walking tours.
Our educational walks and trips (siyyurim) continue to develop and are a recognized brand name in this field and a market leader in educational Reform content. The summer walks include some classics as well as several new ones, such as “The Place of Women in the History of Jerusalem”; “In her Royal Service – the British in Jerusalem”; “Night-time Safari – for bird watchers”; and many more.
The summer season at the Hirsch Auditorium includes musicals (The Wizard of Oz), classical ballet (Coppelia), stand-up comedies, and much more. In addition, our Educational Courses department, after a piloted summer semester in 2009 and a successful full summer program in 2010, started its third summer semester with a full program that ranges from “Mythology, Magic and Monotheism in the Bible” to Medicinal Herbs and a Stained Glass workshop.
Mercaz Shimshon-Beit Shmuel is an integral part of a beautiful educational campus in the heart of Jerusalem, and is affiliated with the World Union for Progressive Judaism. We offer quality accomodation (a guesthouse and hostel) within walking distance of the Old City and the newer city center, a magnificent glass-domed banquet hall overlooking David’s Citadel, as well as a number of programs and services.
Visit the website for further information or to contact Mercaz Shimshon-Beit Shmuel
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NEWS IN BRIEF
*WHAT WILL IT TAKE TO GREEN ISRAEL'S CITIES?
While some ecological initiatives have been introduced in Israel's urban areas over the last few years, the country is way behind its counterparts in the developing world, according to the Israeli daily newspaper, Ha’aretz. However, Kibbutz Lotan, a small Kibbutz just north of Eilat, is streets ahead of its counterparts in Israel and beyond, and is one of a few places in Israel that seeks to teach young people those skills. Click here to read the article.
*A CHANCE SHABBAT IN SOUTH AFRICA
Tyler Benjamin, a student at the University of Florida in Gainesville, spent three weeks in South Africa as part of his study abroad program. Two of these weeks were spent at the University of Pretoria studying history and political science. While in South Africa, he visited Bet Menorah, the Reform synagogue in the capital city, and found the congregation warm and welcoming. He wrote a wonderful article about his Shabbat experience, which was published on Reform Judaism magazine’s blogsite. Read his story by clicking A Shabbat to Remember.
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UPCOMING EVENTS
September 19-22, 2011 - International Symposium: Changing Roles of Rabbis, Pastors, Priests, joint event between Abraham Geiger College at Potsdam University, Leipzig University and Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
December 14-18, 2011 – Union for Reform Judaism Biennial, Washington D.C
January 25-29, 2012 - Union of Jewish Congregations of Latin America and the Caribbean (UJCL) Biennial Convention, Guadalajara, Mexico
March 15-18, 2012 – Biennial Conference of the European Union for Progressive Judaism, Amsterdam
June 1-2, 2012 – Biennial Conference of the Israel Movement for Progressive Judaism (IMPJ), Israel
June 8-10, 2012 – 80th Anniversary and Biennial conference of the South African Union for Progressive Judaism (SAUPJ), Johannesburg
August 8-12, 2012 – World Union for Progressive Judaism-Latin America (WUPJ-LA)'s 4th Conference of Jewish Communities, Buenos Aires
April 28-30, 2013 – WUPJ Executive Board Seminar and International Assembly Meeting, Jerusalem, Israel
May 1-5, 2013 – WUPJ "Connections 2013", Jerusalem, Israel
