Jewish Learning Connection of Central New Jersey committee members gathering with their chair, Rabbi Avrohom Herman, rear, second from left, are, from left, rear, Gregg Rothstein, Dr. Richard Lewis, and Rabbi Matt Tropp; and, front row, Hindi Hecht, Franki Shuman, Yanina Haas, and Debbie Sarasohn.
If you go
What: How To Stay Sane in an Insane World, launching the Jewish Learning Connection of Central New Jersey
Who: Dr. David Lieberman
Where: Wilf Jewish Community Campus, Scotch Plains
When: Sunday, Feb. 22, 4-5:30 p.m.
Cost: Free; baby-sitting and art activities for children will be available.
Contact: For more information or to register a child for free baby-sitting, contact 908-355-4850, ext. 108, or info@jlccnj.org.
Advertisement
February 12, 2009
When it comes to Jewish learning, there is no such thing as too much. That’s the attitude behind a new program of Torah education for adults that begins this month.
The Jewish Learning Connection of Central New Jersey, organized by volunteers from the Jewish Educational Center in Elizabeth, aims to reach out to the broader Jewish community, regardless of level of observance, Judaic knowledge, or affiliation.
“There might be many good programs being offered already, but if there are about 40,000 Jews in this area, how many of them are attending such courses?” asked Rabbi Avrohom Herman, leader of the JEC’s Elmora Synagogue, at a recent meeting of the JLC steering committee in Elizabeth. “There’s always room for more.”
The program will be launched at the Wilf Jewish Community Campus in Scotch Plains on Sunday afternoon, Feb. 22, with a lecture by Dr. David Lieberman, an expert in human behavior and interpersonal relationships. His talk — How To Stay Sane in an Insane World — will explore Jewish teachings that offer keys to finding love, happiness, and peace of mind in difficult times.
Herman is heading up the committee of lay volunteers running the JLC. At their Jan. 28 meeting, he and others in the group discussed what inspired them and what they hope to achieve.
Within the JEC community, Herman said, there is plenty of learning going on, but that does not seem to be the case in other communities.
“Learning has always been the strength of the Jewish people,” he said. “The emphasis has been on teaching our children, but if Jewish education stops at adolescence and doesn’t continue into adulthood, that weakens the community. The more learned the parents are, the more able we are to raise the next generation.”
Inspiration to reach out and share that passion for study came from Dr. Richard Lewis. He is a dentist who lives in Westfield and belongs to the Reform congregation there, Temple Emanu-El. But his practice is in Elizabeth, and he also belongs to the JEC. A few years back, two different courses of Torah study led by Orthodox teachers were offered at the temple. Both courses, he said, drew as many people as they could accommodate, and it started him thinking about the appetite for such study.
Last August, discussions began at the JEC, and by September, Lewis and Herman had assembled a committee to shape a lineup of courses. Their goal: to have teachers of the highest caliber offering classes that are “affordable, accessible, and attractive.”
The group members said they also wanted to reach across the divide between the Orthodox and non-Orthodox segments of the community and to overcome what they perceive as a wariness — almost a defensiveness — from those who are less observant.
Herman stressed that the courses would be non-threatening. “The point is not to indoctrinate anyone,” he said. “We’re not going to be telling them what to do. They are free to choose to respond to the information however they choose.”
Committee member Yanina Haas of Elizabeth pointed out that Leil Iyun, the annual evening of Jewish learning hosted by the Jewish Federation of Central New Jersey, is popular — but it is just one evening.
“This will provide a year-round opportunity for that kind of study,” she said. “If we can kindle that pintele Yid — that little spark of Jewishness — if we can extend our passion to the rest of the community and show them how wonderful this kind of study can be, it will help bring us together.”
She added: “And Israel is stronger when the Jewish people are united.”
Gregg Rothstein of Hillside, who is a vice president of the federation, said, “This is about teaching — sharing information, not lecturing people on how to behave.”
He grew up in a home with little Jewish observance and discovered the joy of Torah observance as an adult. He said there is also a deeper purpose to the JLC — to sustain the tradition of Torah study. “To be part of the Jewish community, it’s good to give money, but it’s not enough. We have a responsibility to see that our traditions continue, if the community is to survive.”
The introductory lecture will be followed in March by two courses meeting simultaneously on four consecutive Wednesdays at the JEC itself. One, conducted by Lieberman, will deal with personal relationships and raising happy and resilient children. The other will be led by Rabbi Simcha Barnett, a senior executive in New York City for the Executive Learning Program of the Jewish education organization Aish International, and will deal with the rituals, traditions, and spiritual significance of Passover. The cost for each course is $25.
Throughout the year, other courses will be offered, each one focusing on a different holiday.
Rabbi Matthew Tropp, who teaches outreach techniques with Aish HaTorah, has helped formulate that JLC lineup. Other members of the committee include David Cheslow, Dr. Robert Fuhrman, Dr. David Hirschorn, Sheila Nashofer, Ari Romanoff, Debbie Sarasohn, Franki Shuman, Dr. Bernard Weinstein, and Jane Wolin.
Comment: comments@njjewishnews.com
--TOP--
