The Orthodox Union’s message of Torah leadership and learning will permeate throughout South Florida the Shabbat of January 31-February 1, Parshat Terumah, when the Orthodox Union presents its annual Community Weekend. The Karasick Department of Synagogue Services will dispatch speakers to serve as scholars-in residence at Orthodox synagogues in the area. This year, the participating shuls are Anshei Emuna Congregation of Delray Beach; Anshei Chesed Congregation of Boynton Beach; Beit David Highland Lakes Shul; Beth Israel Congregation of Miami; Young Israel of Bal Harbour; Young Israel of Hollywood/Ft. Lauderdale; and Willie and Celia Trump Synagogue of Williams Island.
Also participating will be Boca Raton Synagogue; Boca Jewish Center/Shaaray Tefilla; Palm Beach Synagogue; Young Israel of Aventura; and Young Israel of Deerfield. All of these synagogues have or will have welcomed OU Executive Vice President Rabbi Steven Weil for their own community weekends this winter.
In addition, the previous weekend of January 23-25, the Young Israel of Deerfield Beach will welcome Rabbi Menachem Genack, CEO of OU Kosher. He will be discussing and signing his new book, “Letters to President Clinton,” recently published by Sterling Press and OU Press, as well as speaking twice over Shabbat about OU Kosher and Parshat Yitro.
“The Orthodox Union is proud to showcase the diverse services provided by the OU for the entire Orthodox community during our annual South Florida OU Weekend,” said Rabbi Judah Isaacs, Director of the OU Department of Community Engagement, which sponsors the program. “The OU has a large network of synagogues in South Florida, and the weekend provides an opportunity for their constituents to learn more about the vital work of the OU in enhancing Orthodox Jewish life in North America and in Israel. “
The program is as follows:
Anshei Emuna Congregation: Stephen J. Savitsky, Chairman of the Board, Orthodox Union
Friday Night Dinner: Major Challenges and Solutions Facing the Orthodox Jewish Community
Drasha: The Secret Mitzvah that Guarantees a Long Life
Seudat Shlishit: Outreach Versus In-Reach: Perspectives on Communal Growth
Anshei Chesed Congregation: Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin, Associate Director of Education, Orthodox Union
Friday Night Oneg Shabbat: The Torment of Time – A Jewish Perspective on Time and Pain
Drasha: Raiders of the Lost Arks: The Curious Case of the Second Aron
Seudat Shlishit: Outreach vs. In-reach: Perspectives on Communal Growth
Beit David Highland Lakes Shul: Rabbi Avi Berman, Executive Director of OU Israel
Friday Night Dinner: Could the American Community Have an Impact on Israel?
Drasha: Torah’s Relevance in Our Modern World
Beth Israel Congregation of Miami: Rabbi Steven Weil, Executive Vice President of the Orthodox Union
Friday Night Dinner: After the Pew
Drasha: Men are from Mars, Women from Venus-The Orthodox Version
Shabbat Lunch: The Great Psychologist
Seudat Shlishit: The Function and Purpose of the Kohen
Young Israel of Bal Harbour: Rabbi Dr. Tzvi Hersh Weinreb, Executive Vice President Emeritus, Orthodox Union
Drasha: The Mishkan and the Modern Jew
Seudat Shlishit: Abraham Lincoln and Menachem Mendel of Kotzk: Transforming Psychological Faults into Spiritual Strength
Melave Malka: My visit with Pope Benedict XVI: What I Said and What He Said
Young Israel of Hollywood-Ft. Lauderdale: Rabbi Yakov Horowitz, Founder and Dean of Yeshiva Darchei Noam of Monsey (NY); Director of Center for Jewish Family Life/Project YES and speaker at various OU events
Friday Night: Speaking to Our Children and Grandchildren about Personal Safety
Drasha: Shalom Bayit – Creating a Nurturing Home Environment
Shabbat Afternoon: Raising Spiritual and Respectful Children
Motza’ei Shabbat: Effective Parent-Child Communication
Willie & Celia Trump Synagogue: Dr. David Luchins, Chair, Department of Political Science, Touro College; Senior Vice President, OU
Friday Night: Kulturekampf – The Battle Over Religion in Israel
Drasha: Keynote Address
Shabbat Afternoon Class: Shifting Sands – Lessons from the “New Middle East”
For further information, contact Meira Albert at 212-613-8335 or {encode=”albertm@ou.org” title=”albertm@ou.org”}.