Rabbi Alan Silverstein of Congregation Agudath Israel teaches a Rimon class on the Book of Judges at the Aidekman campus in Whippany.
Sidebar
For a full schedule of Rimon events or to obtain a copy of the fall 2008 Rimon catalogue, visit www.rimonnj.org or contact Rabbi Robin Nafshi at 973-530-3489 or rnafshi@jccmetrowest.org.
September 11, 2008
A community-wide adult learning project is expanding, adding funders and partners to meet a hunger for Jewish education.
Since its launch in the fall of 2007, Rimon has garnered a total of 50 partners in the MetroWest area, including synagogues and local Jewish agencies.
It also expanded its base of funders this past spring thanks to targeted fund-raising by the Jewish Community Foundation of MetroWest, the planned-giving arm of United Jewish Communities of MetroWest NJ.
According to JCF executive director Joshua Rednik, to date the foundation has helped raise a total of $148,000 for Rimon — $74,000 from private donors matched dollar-for-dollar by Ed and Barbara Zinbarg of Short Hills. The couple has committed a total of $100,000 in matching funds.
Rimon, which means “pomegranate” in Hebrew, aims to combine resources from among its partners. Partners host classes, provide representatives to serve on the Rimon committee, and issue joint publicity of offerings at other institutions.
Rimon helps its partners develop classes, lectures, Shabbatons, and scholar-in-residence programs.
“We know we’ve made tremendous inroads in some places, and in other places we still have a lot of work to do,” said Rimon director Rabbi Robin Nafshi. “I think this is a tremendous statement about Rimon’s impact and the importance and desire in our community for synagogues and agencies to work together on bringing adult learning to the community.”
A Rimon class in conversational Hebrew is taught by Rachel Kushner at the Cooperman JCC in West Orange.
This year, Rimon will launch a Jewish Exploration program to encourage participants to study topics across a range of disciplines and subject areas, from texts and languages to history, spirituality, and culture.
Rimon will offer certificates to those completing various levels of study.
“What we’re hoping is people will use this to study broadly,” Nafshi said, “to take a taste here and there.”
A highlight of Rimon’s new programming is a set of five panel discussions with rabbis from all denominations weighing in on personal questions. The first, What Does Spirituality Mean to You?, will take place today, Sept. 11, 12:30-2 p.m. at the Cooperman JCC in West Orange. The rabbis on the panel will be Amy Small, Helaine Ettinger, Mark Mallach, and Avraham Bechor.
“Our goal is really to have a range of clergy speaking from different denominations and perspectives. It’s not a debate — there’s no right or wrong answer — it’s really an opportunity for a personal look at things,” Nafshi said, adding that “Rimon seems so well situated to bring together clergy from the different denominations and perspectives.”
If the panels are successful, Nafshi said, she hopes to make them into a monthly event. So far clergy members gave an enthusiastic response to the program, and some of the speakers for the upcoming panels have already been determined.
“I think we really touched something that the community is yearning for,” Nafshi said. “This is really, we hope, a model for the community on pluralism and interdenominational dialogue.”
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