Yeshiva University's CJF June 2014 eNewsletter

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Dear Friends, Our hearts and souls are focused on Gilad, Naftali and Eyal with prayers and hopes for their safe return. The remarkable unity of Am Yisrael in supporting their families and in Tefilla inspires all of us. Please take a moment to explore the suggested shiurim on YU Torah relating to prayer and Jewish unity, and may the merit of our Torah learning and Tefilla keep our soldiers safe and #BringBackOurBoys. I recently returned from an extraordinary journey to Germany with 18 Yeshiva University students, led by our Director of Jewish Service Learning, Ms. Aliza Abrams. The experience provides the opportunity to engage multiple leaders of the German government in an effort to understand how contemporary German society confronts its horrific past. The YU students questioned, challenged, and debated with these leaders with thoughtfulness, passion, and great insight. We also visited concentration camps and Holocaust memorials, providing poignant moments of deep reflection, and opportunities for students to emotionally connect to the broader narrative of the Jewish people. Finally, we were hosted by the Berlin Jewish community throughout the week, and spent an inspirational Shabbos in Leipzig. The students met Rabbinic, educational, and lay community leaders, and learned of the ambition and sacrifice necessary to build a new Jewish community in the diaspora. Our Shabbos in Leipzig was highlighted by the YU students leading singing and dancing in the only remaining Shul of Leipzig, (18 of the original 19 were destroyed by the Nazis)and was truly overwhelming. These experiences expand the scope and depth with which our students think about and engage the Jewish community. They cultivate a deep sense of responsibility for the continuity of our people, and train our future leaders in how to engage the broader world. In anticipation of Shavuos, CJF was proud to initiate the #EmpoweredLearning program, created by Rabbi Ari Sytner, which allowed Jews from across the spectrum of affiliation to engage YU Torah scholars in an interactive online learning environment. The CJF had the distinct honor of hosting Rav David Lau, the chief Rabbi of Israel, who spoke with our senior staff regarding shared goals of engaging Jewish communities and building rabbinic leadership in America and in Israel. CJF continues to provide exceptional experiences for our students and community, and I hope you enjoy learning more about these dynamic programs and their transformational impact of the future of the Jewish people. Rabbi Yaakov Glasser Associate Dean for CJF and University Life Center for the Jewish Future, Yeshiva University TORAH LEARNING 2.0 Center for the Jewish Future’s #EmpoweredLearning Program Aims to Engage and Inspire Torah Learners   What gets people excited about learning Torah? How can we harness technology to engage a worldwide audience of learners and inspire them to want to learn more? Those are some of the questions Rabbi Ari Sytner, director of Community Initiatives at Yeshiva University’s Center for the Jewish Future (CJF), set out to answer when he created a new online program that aims to bring an interactive Torah-learning experience to a wide group of users within the YU community and beyond. ASHKENAZI CHIEF RABBI VISITS YU Rabbi David Baruch Lau Meets with Roshei Yeshiva, Center for the Jewish Future Staff   On May 8, Rabbi David Baruch Lau, the Ashkenazi chief rabbi of Israel, visited Yeshiva University. The chief rabbi met with Roshei Yeshiva at YU-affiliated Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary and YU President Richard M. Joel. He also spoke with YU’s Center for the Jewish Future senior staff about their work around the world with rabbis, communities and students, and toured the Wilf Campus and the Jacob and Dreizel Glueck Center for Jewish Studies with students. GERMANY CLOSE UP Students Gain Unique Perspective of Germany And Connect With Local Jewish Community on CJF Program   As the spring semester drew to a close, a select group of 16 students traveled to Germany May 25-June 2 as part of “Germany Close Up,” a week-long program organized by Yeshiva University’s Center for the Jewish Future (CJF) for participants to learn about Germany’s contemporary Jewish community and the effects of the Holocaust on its growth. RABBINIC ENRICHMENT Beth Israel of Miami Beach hosts annual Alumni Rabbinic Yarchei Kallah   35 rabbis from across North America came together February 17-19 in Miami Beach for the annual Yarchei Kallah program, led by Rabbi Jacob J. Schacter. In addition to Rabbi Schacter’s sessions with Drasha materials, he presented on the our relationship with other major religions, Dr. Yocheved Schacter led sessions exploring personal tensions rabbis face, Shuki Taylor presented on Experiential Jewish Education, and Rabbi Kenneth Brander presented “Colonial American Synagogues: What We Can Learn From Their Successes and Failures” LEARNING TO DEAL WITH DIFFERENCES Cardozo, Present Conflict Resolution Workshop For Rabbis   A group of rabbis convened in New York City for a three-day seminar, May 19-21, on mediation training, organized by Yeshiva University’s Center for the Future (CJF) – Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary (RIETS), in conjunction with the Kukin Program for Conflict Resolution at YU’s Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law. DATING 2.0 YUConnects hosts “A Conversation on Dating”   Over 100 men filled a large classroom in Glueck Beis Medrash on April 1 for a wonderful program spearheaded by Isaac Attia, President of SOY-JSC, called “A Conversation on Dating.” The event was sponsored by SOY-JSC, YUConnects, RIETS and the YU Counseling Center. The panelists included Rabbi Ari Sytner, Director of Community Initiatives, CJF, Rabbi Zvi Sobolofsky, Rosh Yeshiva, Dr. Efrat Sobolofsky, Director of YUConnects and Rabbi Shmuel Maybruch, Rebbe at SBMP. BRINGING TORAH TO THE MASSES From Tape Cassettes to Mobile Apps: How YUTorah Grew Into The Leading Site For Online Torah Study   It started with one semicha [rabbinic] student. While studying at Yeshiva University-affiliated Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary, Rabbi Marc Spivak was training for a career as a pulpit rabbi outside the tri-state area—but he didn’t want to miss out on the advanced learning and shiurim [Torah lectures] he loved at YU. He began taping shiur after shiur at the University, building a collection of Torah lectures he’d be able to listen to anywhere, any time. ADULT EDUCATION MILESTONE Kohelet Fellowships Program Graduates Cohorts in Two Cities   A few weeks ago, Yeshiva University Center for the Jewish Future completed its third year inspiring day school parents through the Kohelet Fellowships. As of this year, 28 day schools, 12 Preschools and over 1100 day school and preschool parents have participated in the Kohelet Fellowships program. Participating communities have included Boca Raton, Philadelphia, Manhattan, Long Island, Memphis, Denver, Kansas City, and Atlanta.

Let us add our voices to the prayers and learning focused on the speedy and safe return of Naftali Frankel (Yaakov Naftali ben Rachel Devorah), Gilad Shaar (Gilad Michael ben Bat Galim) and Eyal Yifrach (Eyal ben Iris Teshura) #BringBackOurBoys Shiurim on Jewish Unity from YU Torah have been compiled Rabbi Dovid Miller: The Importance of Unity as a Prelude to Prayer Dr. David Pelcovitz: Communal Response to Adversity and Tragedy Rabbi Michael Rosensweig: Kol Yisrael Areivim Zeh Bazeh Rabbi Aryeh Cohen: Feeling the Pain of Acheinu Bnei Yisroel Rabbi Yisroel Kaminetsky: Feeling your Friend's Pain Rabbi Eliezer Lerner: Feeling the Pain of Others Rabbi Steven Pruzansky: Many Communities, One Nation Rabbi Jake Vidomlanski: Feeling Other People's Pain Rabbi Andi Yudin: Feeling Your Brother's Pain @YUCJF @RabbiBrander @YUTorah @eJewishEd @ChampionsgateYU YUCJF YUTorah Experiential Jewish Education YUConnects yu.edu/CJF Yeshiva University's Center for the Jewish Future home page YUTorah The Marcos and Adina Katz YUTorah, with over 60,000 shiurim YUConnects Resources for shidduchim and relationships YUSpeakers  The Yeshiva University Speakers Bureau Kollel Yom Rishon  The Abraham Arbesfeld Kollel Yom Rishon Sunday Morning Learning Program for Men Midreshet Yom Rishon  The Millie Arbesfeld Midreshet Yom Rishon Sunday Morning Learning Program for Women Experiential Jewish Education  Certificate Program in Jewish Experiential Education Torah Tours Torah Tours registration for synagogues and YU students Championsgate Championsgate Leadership Conference Chicago Torah The Yeshiva University Torah Mitzion Chicago Community Kollel Toronto Torah The Yeshiva University Torah Mitzion Zichron Dov Community Beit Midrash of Toronto Rabbanan.org Rabbinic resources, drasha materials and more The CJF YouTube Channel Watch videos from all our programs and events

Our mission is to shape, enrich and inspire the contemporary Jewish community by convening the resources of Yeshiva University, infusing the student body with a spirit of leadership and a sense of responsibility to the Jewish people and society in general, building, cultivating, and supporting communities, and their lay and rabbinic leaders, and creating a global movement that promotes the values of Yeshiva University Yeshiva University's Center for the Jewish Future 500 West 185th St. Suite 419 • New York, NY 10033 • 212.960.5263 • cjf@yu.edu

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