OJC’s 14th mitzvah mission
Rockland synagogue volunteers visit Israel for hard, satisfying work
While most people probably go to Israel to visit its historical sites and beautiful terrain, there are some who go there to work. Not because they have a professional connection, but because they love the country and are willing to roll up their sleeves to do what it takes to help beautify it.
For the past 14 years, the Orangetown Jewish Center in Orangeburg has brought some of those workers to prune vineyards, visit centers for abused children (while beautifying those very centers), and this year build a rock garden at a home for the severely disabled.
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Rockland honors donors and legacy team members
The Jewish Rockland Legacy Society will celebrate on Tuesday, December 3, at 7 p.m., at the Schwartz Family Social Hall on the Jewish Community Campus, 450 West Nyack Road in West Nyack.
The celebration will recognize the commitment of 145 individuals and families who have signed letters of intent and demonstrated their commitment to the future of the Jewish community in Rockland County. Through Life & Legacy, a partnership between the Jewish Federation & Foundation of Rockland County and the Harold Grinspoon Foundation, members have included their favorite Jewish agencies or synagogues in their wills, trusts, retirement accounts, or life insurance policies. Retired Army Col. Kevin McMahon will discuss “Gratitude and Giving for the Future.” A dessert reception follows.
For reservations, call Barry Kanarek at (845) 362-4200, ext. 170.
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Being a rabbi is more than degrees
I have none of my diplomas hanging in my home. Having learned that in professional circles it’s good to display your credentials, my undergraduate degree, graduate degree, and ordination certificate hang on the walls of my office.
There is, however, one certificate on display in my home: my father’s rabbinic ordination. Signed by three luminaries of the Yeshiva University universe of the 1950s, including Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik, “the Rav,” the diploma is testimony to my father’s hard work and determination. At a time when exit exams for ordination were more demanding than they are today, and with the distinct disadvantage of not receiving a yeshiva high school education — there were no Jewish high schools in Pittsburgh in those days — my father, Rabbi David Weinbach, put in what must have been seemingly endless hours of study and preparation over several years to achieve his goals, all the while building a career in Jewish education and summer camping.
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‘Global Day of Learning’ December 8
The Jewish Federation & Foundation of Rockland County in West Nyack joins many communities in different countries for a “Global Day of Learning” on Sunday, December 8, at 9:30 a.m., at the JCC campus. It is the joint initiative of the Aleph Society and Rabbi Adin Even-Israel Steinsaltz. This year’s curriculum is “Speaking Volumes,” with Rabbis Dan Pernick, Benjamin Sharff, Brian Leiken, Joshua Finkelstein, and Paul Kurland, as well as Miri Burman and Dr. Marty Cohen.
The first Global Day in 2010 celebrated the completion of Rabbi Steinsaltz’s translation of the Talmud. Its purpose is to encourage the study of Judaism’s shared texts and to set one day a year aside to highlight the beauty of studying together, no matter where in the world, across many diverse, Jewish communities. Sign up online or call
Emma Lebowitz
at (845) 362-4200, ext. 180.
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Tuesday, Dec 3, 7PM
Jewish Community Campus, West Nyack
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Tuesday, Dec 3, 7:30PM - 9:00PM
Chabad Lubavitch of Rockland, New City
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Thursday, Dec 5, 7PM
Rockland Community College, Suffern
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Friday,
Dec 6, 6PM-8PM
Temple Beth Sholom, New City
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Saturday, Dec 14, 6:30PM - 8:00PM
JCC Rockland, West Nyack
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Saturday,
Dec 14, 7:30PM - 10:00PM
Montebello Jewish Center, Montebello
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Sunday,
Dec 15, 10:00AM - 12:00PM
The Rockleigh, Rockleigh
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