OU and Congregation Anshe Chesed of Linden, N.J. to Present Positive Jewish Marriages

22 Mar 2006

The Orthodox Union, in conjunction with Congregation Anshe Chesed in Linden, N.J., will present another in its series of Positive Jewish Marriages programs, Make Your Good Marriage Into a Great Marriage, on Sunday, April 30 from 9:30 a.m. – 2 p.m. at the synagogue, 1000 Orchard Terrace. Positive Jewish Marriages, is a program of the OU’s Department of Community and Synagogue Services.

The program is open to couples from the Linden community and beyond. Linden is 10 minutes from Elizabeth and Staten Island and 25 minutes from Edison/Highland Park, West Orange, and Brooklyn. Manhattan is 30 minutes away by car and 40 minutes by train.

According to Frank Buchweitz, OU Director of Community Services and Special Programs, “Positive Jewish Marriages serve as a reminder of how good marriages can be turned into great ones. Orthodox families live very hectic lifestyles with time and financial pressures that can tarnish the beauty of marriage. The purpose of these programs is to restore that beauty in full.”

The OU’s Positive Jewish Marriages program is geared for happily married couples who want to communicate and relate on an even deeper emotional level. “The focus is on the positive aspects of marriage, highlighting characteristics found in happy couples,” Mr. Buchweitz said. “The emphasis is taking a healthy marriage and making it even better. The purpose of the program is to enrich relationships, unite in decision making, strengthen bonds, enhance communication skills, and learn to understand and accept differences in a positive light.”

Congregation Anshe Chesed, an Orthodox Union member synagogue, has recently seen an increase in the number of young Orthodox couples and families who have moved into the community. The synagogue offers a wonderful place to raise children and the opportunity to play an integral part in the future of a vibrant, dynamic community.

The April 30 event is part of the OU’s national emphasis on programming to strengthen the Jewish family, which includes not only Positive Jewish Marriages but Positive Jewish Parenting conferences as well. “Clearly, whatever we can do to strengthen the Jewish family will help ensure the stability of our community in the years to come,” declared Rabbi Moshe D. Krupka, OU National Executive Director.

The following workshops will be offered at 10 a.m. and repeated at 11:10 a.m.

· Filled but Not Fulfilled, An In-Depth Exploration of Marital Intimacy, with Rabbi Cary Friedman, the rabbi of Congregation Anshei Chesed. Rabbi Friedman is the author of five books including: Table for Two and Marital Intimacy: A Traditional Jewish Approach.

· Ten Commandments to Great Communication, with Gila Zelinger, a clinical social worker in the child and adolescent unit at the Robert Yeager Mental Health Clinic in Ponoma, NY.

· How to Fight Fairly and Resolve Conflict, with Rachel Pill, MSW, co-founder and co-director of the Long Island Guidance and Wellness Center.

· Four Steps to a Great Marriage, with Meir Wikler, Ph.D., whose practice of psychotherapy and family counseling specializes in the treatment of Orthodox adults and children.

A highlight will be the keynote address, Secrets to Maximizing your Marriage, with Rabbi Reuven Bulka, Ph.D. He is a clinical psychologist and spiritual leader of Congregation Machzikei Hadas in Ottawa, Ontario and has written extensively in the fields of psychology, religion and health, including the book Jewish Marriage: A Halachic Ethic. Dr. Bulka is also the host of popular television and radio programs in Canada.