Interview with Dr. David Ellenson and Dr. Daniel Gordis
We had the opportunity to speak with Dr. David Ellenson and Dr. Daniel Gordis about their new book Pledges of Jewish Alleglance:Conversion,Law and Policy-Making In Nineteenth-and Twentieth-Century Orthodox Responsa. Dr. David Ellenson and Dr. Daniel Gordis probe the challenges to Jewish self-definition in the modern period by examining a wide array of legal opinions on conversion and intermarriage, written by nineteenth- and twentieth-century Orthodox rabbis in Europe, the United States, and Israel, and discover how these rabbinic decisions are, in fact, attempts to define policy for Judaism in the modern period.
World Premiere of Follow Me: The Jonathan Netanyahu Story at the NY Jewish Film Festival
JULY 4, 1976 ENTEBBE, UGANDA…. Led by Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Netanyahu, crack Israeli commandos race from their airplanes covered by the midnight darkness.
Methodically, they approach a non-descript airline terminal, burst inside, killing the stunned terrorists. Helpless and shocked, 103 hostages lift their heads and gratefully weep at the mesmerizing sight of their saviors.
As the alarms begin to sound, the Israeli soldiers strike with surgical precision and speed — a lightning bolt of controlled, finely rehearsed fury.
It is all over in a few minutes.
Terrorists lay dead.
The hostages rush out to board the transport planes waiting to evacuate the hostages to safety.
During the mission, a lone shot from a control tower burst in the night — and a sharp cry for help is heard.
That cry would become the cry of an entire nation, mourning the loss of its prodigal son…
Thirty-year-old Jonathan Netanyahu has been shot dead.
After leading the dramatic raid to free the hostages at Entebbe, Jonathan Netanyahu becomes the “impossible mission’s” most tragic casualty.
With his death, Jonathan became an international hero.
The story of Jonathan Netanyahu is an intimate journey into a young hero’s mind. The narration for this compelling journey will be drawn from Jonathan Netanyahu’s own letters and words, which unveil the complex character of this thoroughly modern young hero. Jonathan’s words are deeply moving through his deep-rooted introspection, self-understanding, and heartfelt passions.
Jonathan Netanyahu’s American/Israeli adolescent life took a dramatic turn when he entered the Israeli military at the age of eighteen. His thoughts and worry turned from relationships and girls to guns and nationalism. Through his bravery and selflessness on the battlefield, he was recognized as a national hero. However, Jonathan questioned the core value of war. Obsessed with his duty to his young country, he put aside his personal life and feelings, resulting in a failed marriage. Years later, Jonathan would find love again and vow to change his life’s course… but it was not meant to be, as his life was suddenly cut down on the airstrip in Entebbe, Uganda.
What makes Jonathan’s story both universal and unique are his poetry, prose and letters which allow us to see beyond this tough soldier’s exterior, into a deep inner personality where heroism, duty, love, turmoil and doubt raged. Jonathan’s writings describe with striking clarity the exhilaration and fear he faced during the critical crossroads of his short but fascinating life. But the most important aspect of Jonathan’s letters is the recognition of his human frailty. Jonathan’s sensitivity to his shortcomings and flaws led to his seemingly prophetic knowledge that these very flaws would lead to a tragic, untimely death. Nevertheless, Jonathan Netanyahu dared to make a difference, and is a true modern day hero.
The film will consist of two story arcs that will tragically and heroically connect. The first is the dramatic Entebbe hijack and rescue — 8 days when a nation held its breath and executed a military miracle that redefined the Jewish Nation’s call — “Never Again!” The second is the remarkable life story of Jonathan Netanyahu, a young soldier who struggled to find the balance between the people and the Nation he loved. This film is about Jonathan’s life, and what led these two dramatic story arcs to intersect on that fateful day.
Mentoring and Technology: Jewish New Teacher Project
The Jewish New Teacher Project (JNTP) is dedicated to improving student learning by accelerating the effectiveness of beginning teachers in Jewish day schools and yeshivot. JNTP’s teacher induction model focuses on improving the classroom practices of beginning teachers through high quality, intensive mentoring, resulting in reflective practitioners who are responsive to the needs of all students.
The Jewish New Teacher Project (JNTP) is part of the New Teacher Center in Santa Cruz, CA, which, since 1998, has been renowned for its comprehensive, research-based instructional mentoring and professional development programs. JNTP mentors guide beginning teachers in understanding standards of professional teaching and utilizing a system of formative assessment. JNTP is generously funded by the Avi Chai Foundation, the Jim Joseph Foundation and the Alan B. Slifka Foundation.
Interview with Jack Abramoff and Rabbi Shmuley Boteach
In a stunning fall from public grace, Jack Abramoff went from the halls of power and a major supporter of Jewish charities to becoming America’s most notorious lobbyist and a symbol of Washington corruption. He is now on a journey of repentance and renewal, a subject he will share with Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, “America’s Rabbi”in This World’s event “Renewal and Repentance — Earning Personal Redemption & Public Grace” discussion.
Maccabeats Live Singing Candlelight
In the fall of 2007, a few students at Yeshiva University came to a startling realization: Jewish collegiate a cappella groups had been formed on almost every college campus with a substantial Jewish student community – every campus, that was, except for YU! This realization soon led to the formation of the Maccabeats, YU’s all-male a capella group. At first, the Maccabeats sang mostly in the privacy of their own practice room, developing a repertoire. Soon, though, their music began to spread and be performed all over campus at a plethora of university events and at numerous concerts. The Maccabeats have since performed all around the country, from New York’s Madison Square Garden to Los Angeles, California (and everywhere in between).
Strongly committed to the philosophy of Torah u-Madda, the integration of traditional and secular wisdom, the Maccabeats perform an eclectic array of Jewish, American, and Israeli songs. Their breakthrough piece, Lecha Dodi, is the epitome of this synthesis, combining some of the most beloved words of Jewish liturgy with Leonard Cohen’s meaningful and melodic Hallelujah.
In March 2010, the Maccabeats released their first album entitled Voices from the Heights, which is distributed by Sameach Music.
In November 2010, the Maccabeats released “Candlelight,” a Chanukkah themed video produced by Uri Westrich, which garnered international attention and was covered by the major news sources. The song is available for download on iTunes or MP3, and the video can be viewed on YouTube
J-Care is Birthright Israel Alumni Community/JEC’s Holiday Package Delivery
J-Care is Birthright Israel Alumni Community/JEC’s community service initiative that allows young Jewish New Yorkers the opportunity to give back and have fun in the process. J-Care typically occurs 3-4 times a year so be sure to check back for upcoming events.
In celebration of Hanukkah we light the menorah together and give back to the community. We attended the Project Ezra holiday package delivery to elderly of the Lower East Side. Project Ezra is an independent, non-profit grass-roots organization serving the frail elderly on New York’s Lower East Side. We provide a variety of services to a largely homebound population. We are not a member of any Federation or umbrella organization. We do not seek or accept government funds and our existence depends on the tzedakah (justice impulse) of the community at large.
There is an exceedingly sensitive and appropriate phrase in the Yom Kippur liturgy: “Do not forsake us in our old age; as our strength seeps away, do not abandon us.” The sun shines mightily and the light is abundant when we are young. Life becomes difficult and gray as we reach old age. We wanted to be there to make a difference.
Project Ezra’s Population
Project Ezra’s population includes over four hundred frail elderly who are economically, physically or psychologically marginal. In addition, throughout the year, we have contact with hundreds more when they are in need of certain of our services. We offer social work services, including assessment and evaluation, as well as ongoing support and counseling. We provide crisis intervention and make referrals to appropriate agencies when indicated.
Shaare Zedek Medical Center Gala
For more than a century, in Jerusalem, a 500-bed facility located in the center of the city, has been known as the Hospital with a Heart. Patients have consistently streamed to our hospital, seeking top level treatment in a compassionate, supportive and nurturing environment. Today, Shaare Zedek is the most exceptional hospital for health care treatment in Israel. Shaare Zedek has taken its commitment to its patients to the next level by providing industry leading, cutting-edge medical care.
Shaare Zedek first opened its doors as a 20-bed facility on Jaffa Road in 1902 with Dr. Moshe Wallach serving as the Medical Director for the first 46 years. In 1979, now a thriving and esteemed medical facility, the hospital moved to a more central location, a 14-acre site opposite Mt. Herzl. To fully ensure the safety of its patients, the first three stories of the ten-floor complex, housing vital areas such as the operating theaters, Emergency Room, Pharmacy and medical supplies, were built underground, so that even in times of military attack, the hospital can continue to function.
Shaare Zedek is a public non-profit hospital with 40,000 admissions, 125,000 outpatient visits and 60,000 Emergency visits annually.
Their departments gained international acclaim, the spectrum of treated ailments and diseases has become as vast as the diversity of the population we treat. Shaare Zedek staff of more than 2000 employees is made up of the most highly acclaimed and sought after physicians, nurses and medical professionals in their respective fields.
From the most advanced procedures in Laparoscopic Surgery to the latest technology in robotics, from the treating of victims of terror and IDF soldiers, to expectant mothers needing advanced prenatal care; from seniors with tragic illnesses like Alzheimer’s disease, to cancer patients fighting for their lives, we provide a full range of services at the highest level to every patient who walks through our doors.
Like all other hospitals in Jerusalem, Shaare Zedek does not receive ANY funding from the Israeli government and therefore they rely on the generosity of their friends and family from around the world to help them to continue to provide the healthcare experience our patients have come to expect.
FIDF Gala
Friends of the Israel Defense Forces (FIDF) was established in 1981 by a group of Holocaust survivors to provide for the wellbeing of the men and women who serve in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) as well as the families of fallen soldiers. Headquartered in New York City, FIDF is a 501c3 not-for-profit corporation that operates 13 regional offices in the United States and one office in Latin America.
The strength of the IDF, which has been guarding the State of Israel since it declared independence in 1948, derives from the selfless determination and great capabilities of the young men and women who form it. At the tender age of 18, all Israelis are drafted into the IDF. Those who serve commit to uphold the difficult tasks of defending Israel’s borders and guaranteeing the safety of its people.
The Israeli government is responsible for training IDF soldiers and providing them with the necessary tools for their service. FIDF is committed to providing these soldiers with love, support, and care in an effort to ease the burden they carry on behalf of the Jewish community worldwide.
DIGNITY Program
While the IDF cares for all its soldiers’ needs when they are stationed on the base, thousands of soldiers are in need of financial support at home. These soldiers are often the main provider for their families. When they join the military, they encounter economic difficulties, not only in supporting themselves, but also in supporting their families.When these soldiers come home for a short break, they either return to an empty house or become a financial burden on their families. The DIGNITY Program seeks to make a difference in the lives of these soldiers and their families by providing them with critical aid for basic appliances and furniture, food vouchers, special grants, and holiday gift coupons that help them through difficult economic times.
Chabad’s Children of Chernobyl NYC Gala
The members of the CCOC office are asked to spell Chernobyl dozens of times each day by people scattered throughout America. . In 1986, a nuclear reactor blew up. People died instantly, the government announced that the radioactive debris falling was actually snow, and cancer rates and birth defects skyrocketed; and yet, people are still asking how to spell Chernobyl.
The impact of the nuclear meltdown caused a global reaction. People in the region suffered physically, mentally, and financially, people outside of the region suffered from nuclear panic. Today, two decades later, there are few who remember.
On April 26, 1986 Chernobyl nuclear reactor four exploded, the result of a test gone dreadfully wrong. That moment marked the worst nuclear radiation the world has yet encountered. The years passed and, as the children of the Chernobyl region began to mature, the affects of the radiation became increasingly apparent.
By 1990, Chernobyl reached epidemic proportions. The earth, air and water cycled radioactivity through every part of the Chernobyl ecosystem; food, drinking water, and oxygen were and continue to be radioactive vehicles forcing its way into the bodies of innocent children. Immune systems were shattered; premature death became a grim reality. And yet, people are still asking how to spell Chernobyl.
In that same year, 1990, the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, stood up for the children who could neither physically nor financially stand for themselves. He called upon a group of his students to establish Chabad’s Children of Chernobyl (CCOC).This group united in one paramount goal that has not been altered— to rescue the children of Chernobyl, bring them to Israel permanently, and to care for them fully once they began their new chapters of life. From a humanitarian perspective, the process is simple. From a legal perspective, it is a constant battle. The bureaucratic red tape in the former Soviet Union is as difficult to penetrate as the iron bars of a jail cell; but, the CCOC staff and supporters have worked tirelessly and against huge odds to guarantee the children’s safety. CCOC is the only organization in the world to bring children out of the contaminated areas permanently.
Temporary “cleansing vacations” from the contaminated region help to an extent, but permanent evacuation is the only option for the most complete recoveries. CCOC understands that there are also children who cannot or will not leave the Chernobyl region for a variety of reasons; medicine, medical equipment, therapeutic aids, and other needed items are airlifted into the contaminated areas to help those who remain there. Additionally, CCOC has trained local physicians to specialize in radiation-induced illnesses and has built a mammography clinic to help combat the artificially high rates of breast cancer in the area.
Today, the situation in Chernobyl has worsened. The sarcophagus built around the reactor to confine the radioactivity is cracking under pressure; the whole structure can tumble if the cracks continue to grow. If this scenario occurs the result will be more destructive than the original meltdown in 1986. The fractures are hazardous in and of themselves as they have allowed rainwater to seep in, which allows the semi confined contamination to enter the drinking water when the rainwater flows out. And yet, people are still asking how to spell Chernobyl. Radiation lurks in the drinking water, the soil, the cattle, the milk, the food and the air; the longer the children remain in this radioactive environment, the longer this cycle is pushed forward.
AJWS Global Circle
AJWS is the only Jewish organization working to promote human rights through grassroots development in the most marginalized communities around the world. We believe that local organizations know what’s best for their own communities, and so we support their work to fight poverty, hunger and disease from the ground up.
Global Circle is the community of young professionals who support American Jewish World Service (AJWS).
There are thousands of ways to make a difference in the world, so why be a part of Global Circle?
Great cause. AJWS is recognized as one of the most reputable and effective charitable organizations today, working to alleviate poverty, hunger, and disease in the developing world. Global Circle exists to ensure that AJWS continues to grow for decades to come and for as long as the world needs us.
Great events. From backstage tickets to Broadway hits, to meeting and learning from AJWS grantees, to intimate discussions with New York Times columnists, to laid-back happy hour gatherings, Global Circle has amazing events year-round in New York, D.C. and beyond.
Great people. Global Circle is comprised of young Jewish professionals from the finance, media, medicine, law, nonprofit, and arts sectors. It’s a great way to meet people who are passionate about making a difference.