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We want to hear from you if Project Reconnect has made a difference. Let us know what you've experienced. Send your stories, photos and videos to us at reconnect@uscj.org.


This just in from Guinness World Records:

“We have approved the record for:

The most dreidles spinning simultaneously for at least 10 seconds is 734, and was achieved by United Synagogue Youth, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, on 28 December 2011.

Guinness World Records congratulates you on your achievement and the certificate will be sent you shortly”

Mazal Tov to USY!!



Check out the inspiring story Rabbi Moshe Rudin, the spiritual leader of Temple Hatikvah in Flanders, as he helps 29-year-old Eric Denholtz and friends rekindle the spark of Judaism in their lives.

With funding help from a USCJ Young Adult Micro Grant, they formed “JSummit,” a “new group that involves other young Jews hoping to rediscover their roots and the relevance of Judaism in their lives.”

To find out more about the mirco grants, go to http://www.uscj.org/YouthYoungAdults/BuildingCommunity/MicroGrantApplication.aspx.

You can read about the complete story from the Mount Olive Chronicle by clicking here.



The following is a letter from JTS Chancellor Arnold M. Eisen to the JTS Community.

Dear JTS Community,

I am writing to share news about two important developments within the JTS administration.

After 40 years of dedicated and extraordinary service to JTS, and more than 25 years in his current position, Rabbi Michael Greenbaum, vice chancellor and chief operating officer, will be transitioning into a new role. As of July 1, 2012, he will become vice chancellor emeritus and special adviser to the chancellor, counseling me on issues in which he has decades of experience and acting as liaison to specific Conservative Movement institutions and organizations.

Under Rabbi Greenbaum’s operational leadership, JTS has seen major milestones and accomplishments. Among them, Rabbi Greenbaum oversaw operations through three different administrations; professionalized our internal infrastructure institution-wide; directed construction of the JTS Library complex and Kripke Tower; provided active counsel and supervision to the Ramah camping movement; served on the search committees for two chancellors; developed the JTS Grants Office; and represented JTS on the boards of various organizations, including The Jewish Museum, Joint Retirement Board, National Ramah Commission, Association of Theological Schools, Middle States Commission on Higher Education, United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, Auburn Theological Seminary’s Center for the Study of Theological Education, MERCAZ, Leadership Council of Conservative Judaism, and the Executive Council of the Rabbinical Assembly.

Rabbi Greenbaum is a respected scholar and recognized expert on Louis Finkelstein (JTS chancellor 1940−1972), having published the groundbreaking book, Louis Finkelstein and the Conservative Movement: Conflict and Growth in 2001. He has taught courses in Conservative Judaism and nonprofit management to generations of JTS students. Rabbi Greenbaum is a beloved member of the community and has proven himself to be a trusted adviser, manager, administrator, and friend in the five years he and I have worked together. With great admiration, appreciation, and affection, I thank Michael for his extraordinary service over the years and look forward to our continued work together in his new position.

I am excited to report that Marc Gary, a highly accomplished corporate leader and valued member of the JTS Board of Trustees, will be joining the administration as executive vice chancellor and chief operating officer, effective July 1, 2012. Mr. Gary has served on the JTS Board of Trustees, which has long been the backbone of our institution, for the past six years and chaired the task force that developed the new strategic plan for our institution two years ago. He also holds or has held leadership roles with a variety of other Jewish organizations, including United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, Solomon Schechter Day School of Greater Boston, American Friends of the Hebrew University, and the Shalom Hartman Institute of North America. For the past 15 years, he has served as a member of the Rabbinical Assembly Committee on Jewish Law and Standards.

Mr. Gary presently serves as executive vice president and general counsel of Fidelity Investments, and before that was executive vice president and general counsel for BellSouth Corporation. Marc was a partner at Mayer Brown and Platt, an international law firm, for close to 20 years. He also served in the federal government as a special prosecutor, and has devoted a significant portion of his professional life to the cause of securing access to the legal system and to equal justice through leadership positions in organizations such as Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, Equal Justice Works, and Greater Boston Legal Services.

I am extremely pleased that Marc will bring the benefit of his vast professional accomplishments and experiences to his new role, that of supervising all business operations and other nonacademic functions for JTS. We are the proud beneficiaries of Marc’s decision to change his career path, and I look forward eagerly to Marc joining our leadership team.

JTS and Conservative Judaism have long prided themselves on locating the proper balance between continuity with the past and imaginative change to meet present and future challenges. Please join me in welcoming Michael and Marc to their new responsibilities, as we continue to ensure that JTS─like the two of them─goes from strength to strength.

Sincerely,

Arnold M. Eisen
Chancellor
The Jewish Theological Seminary



Rabbi Wiederhorn, currently Rabbi of The Conservative Synagogue of Westport, Weston and Wilton in Connecticut, led the Joint Session of Congress in prayer on May 24th, the same day Israeli President Benjamin Nethanyahu addressed the body. Yasher Koach to Rabbi Wiederhorn!

In a related development, Rabbi Wiederhorn is apparently reaching out in even more creative ways. The Rabbi introduced Rep. Jim Himes, the Presbyterian Congressman who invited the Rabbi to speak, to homemade Cholent!

Rabbi Josh Sherwin leading seder. Photo courtesy of jtsa.edu.

Rabbi Josh Sherwin, Lieutenant-US Navy Chaplain and USY Alum, is on his second annual special mission to host a Passover Seder for American troops serving in Afghanistan! We thank him for his service to the Country and to the Jewish People as a whole. We wish Rabbi Josh and all the men and women serving in the military a meaningful chag and a speedy and safe return home. Next year in Jerusalem indeed!

Lt. Sherwin, whose father is Rabbi Richard Sherwin of Congregation Beth Am in Longwood, Florida, and whose maternal grandfather, Rabbi Kassel Abelson, will be honored during USY’s 60th Anniversary year for his efforts in creating what became the nucleus of USY, is also breaking new ground in a meaningful way. He recently participated in dedicating the torah that is kept in the built-in aron kodesh aboard the USS George H.W. Bush. America’s newest aircraft carrier is the first ship of its kind to have a permanent home for a torah instead of just a portable ark. Kol HaKavod Rabbi Josh Sherwin!

Posted on May 23, 2011 | in Have You Heard |

Rabbi Joyce Newmark with host Alex Trebek (Jeopardy Productions, Inc.)

Teaneck New Jersey’s own Conservative Rabbi Joyce Newmar, was recently a contestant on the TV game show Jeopardy!, and won $29,200 in her first night! She returned a second night but came up unfortunately came up short. In addition to her success answering questions, she around host Alex Trabek’s curiousity about her being a female rabbi. He wanted to know how long the ordination of female rabbis has been going on and if there are any female Orthodox rabbis.

Newmark expected the fact she wears a kippah to be topic of conversation, but it turned out not to be. “The interesting thing is that nobody said a thing about the kippah,” she explained. “Since I was introduced as a rabbi, they may have just thought it was normal.”

Newmark graduated from the Jewish Theological Seminary in 1991, and has served congregations in Lancaster, PA and Leonia, NJ. She is currently concentrating on writes and lectures. You can check out an article she wrote on Parsha Emor by clicking here.

Posted on May 19, 2011 | in Have You Heard |

Photo Courtesy of thejewishweek.com

Eric Schorr, 22, has been making a name for himself by sticking up for Israel on his Columbia University campus. A USY Alum who served as President of HaGesher, and spent a year on Nativ College Leadership Program in Israel, Schorr was visiting Israel during Operation Cast Lead in Gaza in 2009.

Once Eric returned to school, he came face to face with anti-Israel protests lead by pro-Palestinian groups on campus. He took it upon himself to organize counter-protests and joined campus activist group LionPac as their public relations director, eventually rising to the role of president. A recent Op-Ed of his, entitled “No Partner for Peace” analyzed the Palestinian interpretation of Israel’s birth as a “nakba,” Arabic for catastrophe.

Eric partially attributes his affection for Israel to his family roots. “My passion stems from a lot of ability to get up in front of others and speak out. The fact that my mother was born in Haifa and I have dual citizenship is a big part of it. I’m born of two worlds and caught between them.”

He would also like to fulfill his dream of serving in the IDF after college. “Nothing is guaranteed, but I’d like to serve in the spokesperson’s unit. Israel needs more Americans speaking on its behalf. We need American student activism infused into the IDF and that’s what I hope to bring.”

Project Reconnect is very proud of Eric, and hopes that his unyielding dedication to our homeland will inspire others to become active in their own communities.

Posted on May 19, 2011 | in Have You Heard |

We are privileged and proud to bring to your attention a new book, entitled: “Jerusalem, A Neighborhood Street Guide”, authored by our own Israel alum, formerly from Teaneck, N.J., Chanoch Shudofsky. This book constitutes an historic journey through the annals of Jewish History .The names of the streets and neighborhoods are way-stations in history, extending from the period of the Biblical forefathers and foremothers and ending in our own time, with the very people and events that brought about the establishment of the State of Israel.

The up-to-date guide, including some 2,500 streets, squares, roads and alleyways in the city, is listed according to the neighborhoods for the Jerusalemite and the tourist alike. It is divided into two parts: the first is an alphabetical listing of the streets and the second is an alphabetical listing of all of the neighborhoods in Jerusalem, each one presented with its streets.

The book has been critiqued as very user friendly and highly recommended as a guide for community library travel collections and for anyone wishing to visit the Holy City. Click here to order your copy today!

Posted on May 19, 2011 | in Have You Heard |

Rabbi Jeremy Weiderhorn, a former Far West USY regional president who is now the spiritual leader of Congregation Midbar Kodesh n Henderson, Nevada, teaches congregant Jordon Doctors how to lay tefillin for the shul’s Sunday morning minyan. Jordon’s mother, Tiffany Welt Doctors, also used to belong to Far West USY.

Posted on May 19, 2011 | in Have You Heard |

Have you seen the movie The Illusionist? Did you know that Joey Horvitz was one of the executive producers of the award winning film?

Joey is a Far West Region USY and Nativ alum and has been in contact with many of his old friends since discovering Project Reconnect. He promised to let us know when his next film is being released and we shall be sure to keep you posted on “Have You Heard?”.

Posted on May 19, 2011 | in Have You Heard |