Olami MasortiAnnual Review 2009 World Council of Conservative / Masorti Synagogues – מסורתי עולמי Consejo Mundial de Sinagogas Conservadoras Conseil Mondial de Synagogues Massorti Reviewing 2009 – Rabbi Tzvi In this Annual Review, we present you with a Welcome messages Page 2 & 3 MERCAZ Highlights Page 12 Graetz, Executive Director taste of what has been done by individuals, Regional News: AMLAT Page 4 & 5 MAROM Highlights Page 13 Masorti and MERCAZ Olami by communities, by national movements, Regional News: Europe Page 6 & 7 NOAM Highlights Page 14 by our regions and by our movement’s Contents: Monthly highlights Page 8 & 9 Chaggim Page 15 Reviewing the past year is like a Cheshbon headquarters. Our rabbis, cantors and Around the world Page 10 Staff team update Page 15 Nefesh for our own movement. Have we lay people are the ones making it happen - they are the secret glue that binds all of In the press Page 11 done well ? Are we reaching our goals ? Are we getting more Jews to connect, to this into what’s called a movement. observe, to study and to do? As you read through this review, I I believe that the phenomena hope you will enjoy the interesting of Jewish communities around and inspiring local stories from In the past year, I have Dear Friends, the world is a true miracle. our kehillot, and appreciate the had the pleasure of As a partner with For 2,000 years, Jews have powerful transmission of our visiting many Masorti Masorti Olami in the practiced their Judaism in so tradition. kehillot around the work of the World many different languages, I want to thank all the dedicated world, and have been Zionist Organization, cultures and costumes that it staff and lay people of Masorti struck by the inspiring way in which Masorti the Jewish Agency for Israel and Keren is hard to believe we are still Olami, MERCAZ Olami and kehillot rose to the economic challenges of Kayemeth LeYisrael, MERCAZ Olami one people. So, what is the MAROM Olami who have who the past year. Even in these harder times, works on behalf of Conservative/Masorti glue that holds us to our Judaism ? I believe done a phenomenal job throughout the Masorti Olami succeeded in maintaining Jews throughout the world. We partner that keeping our traditions alive through the year. May we continue to grow and all of our core programs around the world. together to create a Zionist agenda for special approach of Masorti Judaism is the influence more and more. We achieved this by focusing our efforts, our Movement and to assist Masorti Jews secret to Jewish continuity and prosperity more than ever before, on funding and to create synagogues, schools, youth groups throughout the Diaspora. Kol Tuv, Tzvi fundraising, and are already seeing positive and adult education opportunities which signs of improvement. In the coming year our have significant impact upon their lives and priorities will continue to be the economic, the well-being of their community. Upcoming events practical and spiritual support that we As we prepare for the Zionist Congress in provide for our youth, our kehillot and Jerusalem (June 15-17, 2010), I urge us to be regions everywhere. involved in our local Zionist Federations and Thursday, December 10th, I am very proud that in May we finally support the work of our MERCAZ chapters in to the Nation Award. Go to 2009 : Masorti Olami Annual launched our new website, which is now the countries in which we live. Only through www.masortievent.org to see the Evening of Tribute the premier resource for finding Masorti/ a strong representation at the Congress can , at Park Avenue virtual journal for the event. conservative kehillot around the globe, we achieve our goals in Jewish education, Synagogue, Manhattan, NY. This Rabbi Friday, March 5th to Sunday, as well as having regular news updates in creating a tolerant form of Judaism and year, we will be honoring Jules & Navah Harlow March 7th, 2010 : Masorti about our Masorti world. To date we have in ensuring a strong Zionist component to with Rabbi Mordecai Waxman Europe Conference in London, UK had more than 55,000 page views from our lives. the more than 13,000 visitors in 139 countries, May we go from strength to strength, and Memorial Rabbinic and Community – “Hayeenu KeCholmim – we will Cantor Nancy showing real interest in our work. may the work of our hands be blessed. Leadership Award; be as dreamers - The strengths Abramson B’shalom, Rabbi Vernon Kurtz with the Hiddur of Masorti Judaism in European Alan H. Silberman President, MERCAZ Olami Mitzvah Award; and Mr. Michael Jewish Communities and vision President, Masorti Olami Abadi with Sherut L'Am Service of the future. Regional News: AMLAT (Latin America) Nofim Leadership Institute opens in Chile Marom and Masorti AMLAT (Latin America) opened the Nofim Leadership Institute in Regional meeting in Bogota, Columbia Santiago, Chile in August 2009. Nofim is a community-wide leadership training program In May, 2009 representatives of Masorti kehillot from around Central and South which will focus on teaching and training future America came together in Bogota, Columbia for the second regional meeting of Masorti leaders of the Jewish community. Sessions communities in Central & South America. In addition to Bogota, participants came from will be practical, theoretical and spiritual, Cali (Colombia), Guadalajara (Mexico), Quito (Ecuador) and Lima (Peru). The meeting giving participants a wide skill-set for their focused on dilemmas of lay-leadership, management models and engaging volunteers in the current and future leadership work in the kehillot, as well as issues of the regional movement. Ariel Blufstein, Executive Director of community. Masorti AMLAT and Yoel Schvartz, Continental Masorti shaliach, led National Va’ad HaKehillot in Chile sessions on strengthening the In August, 2009 the Jewish community of Chile organized a Communities of the Provinces identity and vision of the Masorti meeting - a national gathering for representatives of communal organizations from all around movement in the region. Scholar- Chile. Representatives in-residence, Dr. Daniel Fainstein, came to Viña del Mar Vice-Chancellor of the Hebrew from Masorti kehillot University of Mexico, made a in Santiago, Iquique, presentation about the origin and La Serena, Valparaíso, evolution of Masorti Judaism. Viña del Mar, Chillan, Los Angeles, Concepción, Temuco, Community Campaigns Valdivia, Osorno and Throughout the year, Masorti AMLAT has run a variety of Puerto Montt. recruitment and publicity campaigns for events, festivals New Siddur for Or Israel, Buenos Aires and celebrations in the different countries around the Members of the Or Israel kehillah in Buenos Aires, region. Graduate rabbis from the Seminario Rabinico under the guidance of Seminario student and Latinoamericano Marshall T. Meyer in Buenos Aires Shaliach Tzibur Diego Vovchuk, undertook assisted in producing content and the challenge of creating their own siddur materials for these in Hebrew, Spanish and in transliteration. campaigns, making Thanks to funding from the World Zionist them engaging and Organization, the kehillah, which successful. celebrates its 100th anniversary in Ma’akela vaKehila 2010, was able to produce the siddur – 1st choral festival in Argentina which was introduced during the FEDECC in Argentina organized Ma’akela vaKehila, its first High Holidays. Kehillah members ever Choral Festival, which took place in Buenos Aires on Patricia and Jorge Fojgiel shared November 5th, 2009. More than 200 people attended the a copy of the siddur with Masorti concert at the AMIA building to hear choirs from the Achdut Olami staff during a trip to Israel Israel, Amichai, Beit Hillel, Beit Israel, Dr. Herzl and Lehavat in September 2009. Chaim Masorti kehillot in the city. Regional News: Europe Social Action Exchange – MAROM Budapest with Jerusalem and New York 1 year volunteers to Germany from Ramah USA Masorti MAROM members in Budapest are involved in a 3 city exchange In October 2009, Masorti Germany started its first cycle of a volunteer program in which program that aims to educate participants in Jewish values of social graduates from Camp Ramah in the USA travel to Berlin, Germany for a year. The first justice, while at the same time involving them in practical volunteer work volunteers, Ruth Storch, Julie Edelman and Ben Sattin, and cultural dialogue with American and Israeli Jewish students. This will spend their time working in the Masorti kindergarten, two year program started in Budapest in November 2009, and includes Jewish primary school, Jewish high school, and at the Masorti bi-weekly study sessions in Budapest, followed by a week-long visit to synagogue in Berlin. They will also periodically travel to Jerusalem in January 2010, and New York in January 2011. Students smaller Masorti communities in other parts of the country. from Jerusalem and New York will visit Budapest in May 2010. Seven Masorti conversions France & UK youth in Ukraine exchanges On August 9th a special session Masorti kehillot in Paris of the Masorti Europe Bet Din was and the London area are convened in Munkatch, Ukraine to engaged in a youth exchange complete the conversion process program for 13 to 18 year of 7 candidates. Rabbis Reuven olds. In November 2009 the Resnick, Shlomo Zacharow and British youngsters went to Chaim Weiner (Director of the Paris, with their new French European Masorti Bet Din) were friends coming to the UK assisted by student rabbi and in December. This program Masorti Olami Schorsch Fellow, will further strengthen European Masorti Beit Din Reuven (Roma) Stamov. After studying hard over the connections between rabbis and the graduates of the the past 2 years, the candidates participated in one Masorti communities in the conversion course final seminar, individual interviews, and immersion in UK and France. the mikvah, a closing ceremony and celebrations.