February 2, 2004

Strengthening the Jewish Family: Orthodox Union to Present a Weekend Family Program in Los Angeles

Luxe Sunset Hotel, 11461 Sunset Boulevard, Bel Air

Friday and Saturday, February 27-28

Shalhevet School, 910 Fairfax Avenue
Sunday, February 29
8:45 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.

As part of the Orthodox Union’s emphasis on strengthening the Jewish family, the West Coast Region of the OU will present a family weekend in Los Angeles featuring Positive Jewish Marriages: A Marriage Enrichment Retreat, Friday and Saturday, February 27-28 at the Luxe Sunset Hotel in Bel Air; and Positive Jewish Parenting: Focusing on Teenagers, Sunday, February 29 from 8:45 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. at Shalhevet School.

The events are separate. Participants can attend either or both.

OU Executive Director for Programming Rabbi Moshe D. Krupka sees both events as prime examples of the OU’s increasing emphasis on programs directed towards the needs of the community. “We feel that an increasing part of our efforts should be targeted towards the individual members of our constituency,” Rabbi Krupka said. “Clearly, whatever we can do to strengthen the Jewish family will help ensure the stability of our community in the years to come.”

The LA Jewish community is a major OU priority and the West Coast Region has responded accordingly. “This is the second year that the Orthodox Union’s West Coast Region has provided programming that focuses on the needs of the family,” declared Rabbi Alan Kalinsky, Regional Director. “This past December, the theme of our 13th Annual West Coast Torah Convention was ‘The Secret to Jewish Survival: The Jewish Family,’” he said. “Last February a Marriage Enrichment weekend took place, and in March a Positive Jewish Parenting conference was sponsored for parents of elementary school children.”

“This year,” added Rabbi Kalinsky, “the dates of both events almost coincide – you can call it a Family Weekend. Families have always been at the forefront of Jewish life and their accomplishments as well as their problems are a major concern of the Orthodox Union. Many of the existing programs and new initiatives of the OU center on the family. The OU continues to offer programs around the country for couples and families, as well as programs that focus on younger children and teens.”

According to Rabbi Kalinsky, the “Shabbat of February 26-28 will feature a unique and exciting Marriage Enrichment Retreat at the Luxe Sunset Hotel. The attendees will be 50 happily married couples who are looking for ways to enhance their relationships and communicate with their spouses more effectively,” he declared. Further, he said, psychologists who specialize in counseling for couples – Dr. Mordechai Glick of Montreal and Drs. Marcy and Sylvan Schaffer of New York – will lead the sessions. “There will even be a modified version of the ‘Newlywed Game,’” Rabbi Kalinsky promised.

Following last year’s Positive Jewish Parenting for younger children, attention turns to teens. “Sunday, February 29, will be Positive Jewish Parenting day for parents of teenagers,” Rabbi Kalinsky said. “The event will be at Shalhevet School where clinical psychologists will present interactive seminars which address an array of issues relating to raising teens.”

Admission to the Marriage Retreat is $350 per couple, which includes all Shabbat meals, as well as a buffet Saturday evening, catered by the hotel chef. For reservations, please contact the West Coast office at 310-229-9000, ext. 6.

Admission for the Parenting Program is $10 in advance, and $18 at the door. For information and advance registration, please call 310-229-9000, ext. 3.

The Marriage Retreat will include these innovative sessions:

• Blueprint for a Great Marriage: What Good Marriages Are Truly Like, led by Rabbi Dr. Mordechai Glick;
• Communications Strategies That Really Work, led by Rabbi Dr. Mordechai Glick;
• Impact of Money, In-Laws and Blending Families on Marriage, led by Drs. Marcy and Sylvan Schaffer;
• The Art of Conflict Negotiation and Compromise, led by Drs. Marcy and Sylvan Schaffer;
• Ethics in Marriage: How it Enhances Your Marriage, led by Rabbi Aron Tendler;
• “Not So Newlywed Game: How Well Do You Really Know Your Spouse?” led by Drs. Marcy and Sylvan Schaffer; and
• Men are From Minsk, Women are From Pinsk: Understanding Gender Differences, led by Rabbi Dr. Mordechai Glick.

Rabbi Aron Tendler, rabbi of Congregation Shaarey Zedek in North Hollywood, is a recognized champion against domestic violence. He is a member of the Jewish Family Services Domestic Violence Task Force.

Rabbi Dr. Mordechai Glick is a clinical psychologist in Montreal and is rabbi of Montreal’s Congregation Ahavat Yisroel.

Drs. Marcy and Sylvan Schaffer, both of New York, are clinical psychologists in private practice and specialize in family and marital psychotherapy. Sylvan is also an attorney specializing in family law and holds professorships in clinical psychology at NYU School of Medicine and Albert Einstein College of Medicine.

The Parenting workshops will include the keynote address, Raising Children of Character: How to Help Our Children Develop Good Judgment, Integrity, and Other Essential Virtues, given by Dr. Thomas Lickona of the State University of New York at Cortland, as well as these critical topics:

• Developing Positive Body Image, Self-Acceptance, and Preventing Eating Disorders, led by Vicki Helfand;
• Lows and Highs: Alcohol, Drugs, and Teen-Age Depression: How to Be Part of the Solution, Not Part of the Problem, led by Shirley Lebovic, LCSW;
• Rotten Kids or Clueless Adults? What Every Parent Should Know About Adolescent Moral Development, led by Dr. Sam Gomberg;
• Religious Conflict: When Your Child Becomes Less (or More) Religious Than You Are, led by Rabbi Steven Weil;
• Staggering Through the Day: How to Help Your Over-Committed Adolescents Manage Their Time and Get Some Sleep, led by Sari Abrams, M.A., and Michelle Porjes, Ed.S; and
• The Making of a Mentch, led by Dr. Jerry Friedman.

Sari Abrams is a doctoral candidate in clinical psychology at Long Island University in New York and is currently teaching developmental psychology to high school students. She has facilitated parenting workshops and discussions on topics such as sibling relationships, communication within the family, and fostering a Jewish identity in your child.

Dr. Jerry Friedman founded Shalhevet School, an experimental high school predicated on Torah and a cognitive developmental approach to moral education. He also founded and served as President of the Association for the Advancement of Jewish Education in Montreal and Vice President of the Los Angeles Bureau of Jewish Education.

Dr. Sam Gomberg has lectured throughout the United States, Japan, and Israel on moral developmental theory and its applications. He is recognized as a leading proponent of the moral education theory and research.

Shirley Lebovic is a licensed clinical social worker in private practice in Beverly Hills where she offers counseling to adults, families, and children. Her area of expertise is in the field of domestic violence, trauma, and anger management. She has also written extensively on these topics.

Dr. Thomas Lickona is a renowned developmental psychologist and Professor of Education at the State University of New York at Cortland, where he has initiated award-winning work in teacher education. He has also been a visiting professor at Boston and Harvard Universities.

Michelle D. Porjes, Ed.S, is a credentialed school psychologist and licensed education psychologist. She is currently the Coordinator of Student Services at the Pressman Academy of Temple Beth Am where she specialized in consultation, academic remediation, and behavioral interventions.

Rabbi Steven Weil is Senior Rabbi at Beth Jacob of Beverly Hills. He has rejuvenated the youth department, established a young couples club and initiated many new social and educational programs. He is very active in the community and is always reaching out to the unaffiliated.

The Orthodox Union, now in its second century of service to the Jewish community of North America and beyond, is a world leader in community and synagogue services, adult education, youth work through NCSY, political action through the IPA, and advocacy for persons with disabilities through Yachad and Our Way. Its kosher supervision label, the , is the world’s most recognized kosher symbol and can be found on over 275,000 products manufactured in 68 countries around the globe.

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