| YOZMA
- Tishrei 5766
As
we begin a New Year, we have the opportunity to take stock
and reflect on the past year and look forward to the year
to come. We hope it will be a year complete with fulfilled
initiatives. Towards that end, we are excited to re-introduce
a periodic newsletter to you, our supporters overseas, in
order to bring you up to date on all our happenings here.
Welcome
We are pleased to introduce new members of the YOZMA staff
to you: Yossi Aud, Nir Barkin, Dalia Ofek and Yarona
Rosenfarb. On the lay level, we also welcome Jay
Shofet as YOZMA’s new chairperson.
Yossi
joined us in February in the role of Executive Director.
Yossi came to us from the Movement for Quality Government,
bringing with him vast experience in building and managing
non-profit organizations. He has been involved in the establishment
of social and educational organizations throughout Israel
and has served as Managing Director of several Israeli companies.
It is this experience, combined with that of our existing
team, which will enable us to begin 5766 with a very promising
outlook. Yossi joins YOZMA in order to lead the initiative
to create a free Israeli society whose fundamental values
are an integral part of our daily life, our education and
our culture.
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Yossi
Aud, YOZMA's new Executive Director,
and Rabbi Kinneret Shiryon |
Nir,
a third year rabbinical student at the Jerusalem campus
of HUC-JIR, will be serving the community as Assistant Student
Rabbi. Nir served as Community Shaliach in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
from 1999 – 2003. Since returning to Modi'in, Nir,
his wife Anat and their three children have been actively
involved in the YOZMA community. Nir is teaching the adult
Beit Midrash based on Melton mini-school curricula as well
as the 3rd graders at YOZMA's new after-school enrichment
program in addition to his rabbinical responsibilities.
Dalia
assumed the role of Education Director of our pre-schools
and kindergartens at the beginning of the summer. Just as
our young classes were preparing for their summer fun and
break, Dalia hit the ground running in anticipation for
the new school year that was to begin on September 1st.
Dalia’s 18 years of experience working with the pre-school
system in Israel includes managing the operations of two
separate pre-school frameworks for the cities of Rosh HaAyin
and Modi’in and most recently teaching courses for
pre-school educators at several training institutes.
Yarona
formally joined YOZMA this year as Director of the After-school
program which was launched on September 1st. Yarona’s
Educational background and over 12 years of experience teaching
in elementary schools throughout Israel were key in helping
to develop and manage a top-notch program which would attract
children from throughout the city.
Jay
was elected and took office as Chairperson in late spring.
Originally from New York, Jay and his wife Barbara
Hurwitz, whom many of you know through her years
of dedicated service to YOZMA, made aliyah 19 years ago.
An active member for the past 6 years, Jay views YOZMA as
key to the fabric of community life in Modi’in; a
spiritual, educational and cultural center of pluralistic
Jewish values. Among the objectives Jay hopes to see happen
in the coming year are a new building for the Beit Knesset,
the opening of an elementary school and the continued growth
of YOZMA both in terms of members and influence.
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| Changing
of the Guard: (Left to Right) Arad May, previous YOZMA
Chairperson, Rabbi Kinneret Shiryon and newly appointed
Chairperson Jay Shofet |
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Back
to School 5766
Preschool
The new school year is well underway. Nearly 200 children
in 4 pre-school and 2 kindergarten classes have been learning
about the holidays through art, song and discussions. Friday
challah baking assures a sweet smell throughout the morning.
NEW - After-school
Enrichment Program
YOZMA continues to push forward with new alternative educational
environments for our children past kindergarten. As a stepping
stone to our ultimate goal of creating a YOZMA elementary
school, we successfully launched our new after-school enrichment
program. This groundbreaking initiative for 1st, 2nd and
3rd graders opened on September 1st with 70 children signed
up. These children are bussed in from all over Modi’in.
YOZMA’s
school committee, headed by Osnat Ziv,
is more optimistic than ever that we will realize our objective
of establishing a YOZMA elementary school by 5767 - the
coming academic year
As
with any YOZMA program, Jewish values, tolerance, and respect
for one another and the environment are an integral part
of all our educational frameworks.
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Who
says you can’t fight City Hall?
For several years, Kehillat YOZMA has been leading the struggle
for religious pluralism in the State of Israel by petitioning
the Supreme Court to force the municipality of Modi’in
to allocate funding for building a sanctuary for the city’s
Reform community, as it has for seven Orthodox communities
here in Modi’in. For further details about this struggle,
please contact
us.
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Beit
Eden
We continue our strong relationship with Beit Eden,
a home for mentally challenged children located in Ramle.
The social action committee organizes weekly visits to hold
an early Kabbalat Shabbat with the kids, and monthly birthday
parties for the children with birthdays in that month. For
the second year, several children from Beit Eden joined
YOZMA at its Tashlich ceremony during Rosh Hashana.
Last
year we held a Bar Mitzvah ceremony for one of the children
at Beit Eden. After a successful “aliyah” to
the Torah, YOZMA members took the Bar Mitzvah boy and his
family to the Kotel. A big celebration took place in the
evening with the kids from Beit Eden and many YOZMA members
at a catering hall. We hope to duplicate such a wonderful
lifecycle occasion for many children this year as we are
planning a “group” Bar / Bat Mitzvah “event”.
It
is with pride that we note that YOZMA is filling a very
important gap that existed in the lives of the residents
of Beit Eden.
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| Children
from Beit Eden with YOZMA members at the beach during
the Tashlich ceremony |
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Rabbi
Kinneret Shiryon
Rabbi
Shiryon continues to make us proud as she once again participated
in the recent Maccabiah games – not as an athlete,
but as the rabbi for Team USA. This is the second Maccabiah
in a row that Rabbi Shiryon had been asked to serve as the
team’s rabbi, providing them with the much needed
support so they could get out there and win some medals,
(which they did!)
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| Rabbi
Kinneret Shiryon |
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As
we near the end of our High Holiday celebrations, we pray
for strength and courage to renew our days in service to
others. In this spirit we pray “Remember us unto
life, O’Sovereign, who delights in life, and inscribe
us in the Book of Life for Your own sake, O God of life.”
Shana tova to you and your families…
may it be a year of health, happiness and peace.
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