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Learn History. Celebrate History. MAKE History. Announcing a Very Special Shabbaton In Washington, DC and Monticello Led by Rabbi Meir Soloveichik May 5-7, 2017
Dear Friends, We are delighted that you have joined us for this wonderful opportunity. We hope you enjoy the informational items we’ve included in your tote bag as well as the snacks for you to enjoy for Shabbat and Sunday breakfast and in between meals. We will have more water and snacks available for you on the bus to and from Monticello. If you need assistance before or after shabbat, you can call Barbara Reiss at (917) 216-8610. If you choose to text, please identify yourself.
Friday, May 5:
Participants arrive in Washington, DC independently and check into Park Hyatt hotel. The official hotel check-in time is 3 PM, however the hotel will let you check in earlier if your room is available. If your room is not available by the time you arrive, you can do a pre-check at reception, have your luggage stored, and then get the keys to your room later. 12:00 – 1:00 PM - Optional pre-shabbaton program at the Hoover Institution, "God, Man, and the State: A Conversation with Rabbi Meir Soloveichik." The program is free but advance RSVP was requested. 2:00 - 5:00 PM - Afternoon guided tours led by Rabbi Soloveichik starting at the National Portrait Gallery where we will view and learn about major figures in American History, followed by a brief visit to the National Gallery where we will focus on a few masters (Rembrandt and Rubens). Guests arrive independently to National Portrait Gallery and gather in the museum courtyard, just beyond admissions. 7:15 PM - Kabbalat Shabbat and Dinner at Kesher Israel: The Georgetown Synagogue, featuring a talk by Rabbi Soloveichik, “From the Huppah to Monticello: The Story of the Jewish Naval Hero Who Saved Monticello”
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Saturday, May 6: Coffee and tea at the Park Hyatt hotel 9:00 AM - Morning services at Kesher Israel featuring a lecture by Rabbi Soloveichik on “The Yiddish Letter and the Declaration: The Incredible Story of Jonas Phillips, the First Truly American Jew”, followed by congregational kiddush and then our private lunch Shabbat afternoon - Optional walking tour of DC memorials led by Rabbi Soloveichik or nap time. Rabbi Soloveichik will announce plans at lunch. 6:20 PM - Private Seudah Shelishit at Kesher Israel 7:25 PM - Minha 7:40 PM - Rabbi Soloveichik delivers a talk on “Thomas Jefferson and the Jews” followed by Arbit and Habdalah 8:49 PM - Shabbat Ends Motzaei Shabbat - Free time
Sunday, May 7: Coffee and tea at the Park Hyatt hotel 8:00 AM - Bus departs promptly for Monticello from Park Hyatt Hotel (morning services and short film, Making Monticello, on the bus) 10:30 AM - Arrival at Monticello with greetings by Leslie Greene Bowman, President and Susan R. Stein, Richard Gilder Senior Curator, and VP for Museum Programs 10:50 AM – Board Monticello shuttles for mountaintop 11:00/11:05/11:10 AM - Start times for staggered guided house tours (with time to explore the grounds and gardens before and after house tours) 12:30 PM Board shuttles and return to Visitor Center for boxed lunch in the Pavilion and free time to explore interactive exhibitions: Making Monticello, Tor Try All things, and Boisterous Sea of Liberty 1:30 PM (promptly)- Conversation between Rabbi Soloveichik and Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Jon Meacham, former Editor-in-Chief of Newsweek and author of Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power in the Milstein Theater 2:15 PM- Board shuttles for mountaintop 2:30 PM- Private tour of Mulberry Row 3:00 PM – Visit the gravesite of Rachel Phillips Levy on Mulberry Row. Kaddish at Monticello’s Jewish grave for the first time in nearly two centuries. Rabbi Soloveichik leads kaddish and a memorial service for all the members of the Phillips family and for the Jews whose heroism embodied Jefferson’s declaration 4:00 PM – Bus depart Monticello with stops at Reagan airport and Union Station (evening services on the bus)