ARZA will have a booth at this year’s Greater Chicago Jewish Festival. Please stop by and say hello (and send your friends to come join ARZA! )

Interested in volunteering at the booth for an hour or two? There are still slots available!! Contact me at mdodinval@arza.org or 847-239-6974.

Jewish Calendar of Culture for 2012

For those traveling to Israel and to view Israel Beyond the Conflict

International Writer's Festival
May 13-17, 2012
Part of Jerusalem's Season of Culture, the festival will feature multi-lingual workshops and discussions by authors from Israel and around the world at various locations in Jerusalem's Mishkenot Sha'ananim neighborhood. www.jsoc.org.il

Houses From Within Project
May 18-19, 2012
A unique collection of Jerusalem's normally closed houses, synagogues and gardens will open to the public as part of the Houses from Within project. www.batim-il.org

Musrara Mix Festival
May 22-24, 2012
Musrara Nagar School of Photography, Media and New Music will host multidisciplinary events featuring music, video art, dance and photography works by artists from Israel and around the world. www.musrara.co.il


Israel Festival
May 22 - June 10, 2012
One of Israel's most popular annual attractions, the Israel Festival will showcase three weeks of specially commissioned music, dance and theater performances, including a tribute concert to Israeli singer Yossi Banai; a chamber music marathon featuring works by Brahms; and a performance by Japanese drum troupe YAMATO, at various venues and outdoor stages around Jerusalem. www.israel-festival.org.il
Jerusalem Light Festival
June 6 - 14, 2012
The Light Festival will illuminate Jerusalem with various light-based performances, including a production of Verdi's La Traviata at the ancient Zedekiah's Cave; and a daily performance by world-renowned dance troupe Mayumana. www.lightinjerusalem.org.il



In-House Festival
July 3-6, 2012
Jerusalem's most intriguing homes will open their doors to travelers during a four-day festival featuring intimate dance, theater, music and poetry performances. www.jsoc.org.il
International Film Festival
July 5-14, 2012
The 10-day film festival will showcase special screenings of films from around the world, as well as guest panelists, lectures, workshops and film-related festivities. www.jff.org.il


Contact Point
July 12, 2012
Jerusalem's world-renowned Israel Museum will present Contact Point, featuring specially commissioned dance, music and spoken-word performances incorporated into its art collection and architecture. www.jsoc.org.il


Wine Tasting Festival
July 3 - August 2, 2012
Hosted by the Israel Museum, the festival will host special wine-sampling stations serving vintages from more than 35 wineries around Israel in the museum's unique sculpture garden. www.imjnet.org.il



Mahane Yehuda Market Balaboosta Festival
Every Monday
The Mahane Yehuda market will host its weekly Balaboosta Festival every Monday, featuring a series of live performances, special tours and multi-ethnic culinary delicacies. www.jsoc.org.il

Puppet Theater Festival
August 5-10, 2012
The annual Puppet Theater Festival will present Israeli and international artists in a series of family-friendly puppet performances. www.traintheater.co.il

International Arts & Crafts Festival
August 6-18, 2012
Jerusalem's Hutzot Hayotzer Center will host the annual International Arts & Crafts Festival, featuring works by hundreds of artists from Israel and around the world at the Mitchell Gardens and Amphitheater in the Sultan's Pool. www.artfair.jerusalem.muni.il

Jerusalem Beer Festival
August 22-23, 2012
Jerusalem's old train station will be transformed into a lively event space boasting local and international breweries offering a diverse variety of beers, as well as special concerts and lighting structures. www.jerusalembeer.com
Jerusalem Opera Festival
September 6-11, 2012
Opera-lovers from around the world will arrive in the Old City for the Jerusalem Opera Festival, featuring classic and interactive opera performances at the Sultan's Pool. The festival will showcase Puccini's La Boheme (September 6); Pretty Woman Meets the Fifth Element, a multi-media opera music performance (September 10); and a cantoral music performance featuring world-renowned vocalists. www.jerusalem-culture.com

Jerusalem Chamber Music Festival
August 31 - September 14, 2012
The annual Chamber Music Festival will bring together classical musicians from around the world for various performances at the historic Jerusalem YMCA.




Jerusalem Knights Festival
October 18 & 25 / November 1 & 8, 2012
The Jerusalem Knights Festival will transform the Old City into a medieval atmosphere with knights, kings, princesses, magicians, troubadours and court jesters and other Middle Age characters in dance, acrobatics, theater and pyrotechnics performances. www.jerusalem-oldcity.org.il

Manofim Project
October 18-25, 2012
Part of the Jerusalem Art Season, the Manofim Project will feature dozens of exhibitions and art events in various galleries and outdoor venues around the Old City of Jerusalem. www.manofim.org




International Oud Festival
November 8-22, 2012
Jerusalem will host the International Oud Festival with various our (a classical Middle Eastern stringed instrument) and guitar-based music performances at the city's Confederation House. www.confederationhouse.org





Hamshushalayim Winter Festival
December 2012
Jerusalem will host a variety of theater performances, special museum tours and concerts over several weekends in December. www.jerusalem.muni.il

Leket was one of our social action projects on our recent trip to Israel as well as last months Tzedakah for the congregation.

Below is a note sent to us from Leket Israel's Project Leket (which took place during our recent pilgrimage to Israel).

Shalom Temple Chai,

I am writing to thank you for volunteering with Leket Israel’s Project Leket with the Temple Chai Mission to Israel: gleaning fruits/vegetables for distribution to Israel’s needy. Attached, please find photos from your time in the field. It was truly a pleasure to meet you and work together.

We greatly appreciate your participation, hard work and enthusiasm. Together you managed to pick an amazing 600 kg of clementines, helping to feed well over 300 families that week. Please feel free to spread the word and tell your friends and colleagues to join us on their future trips to Israel. . Perhaps you would like to include your time volunteering with Leket Israel in your childrens’ school newsletter or bulletin or a local paper; please let me know if I can assist. Also, please feel free to spread the word and tell your friends of your time spent in the fields.

As you may already know, Leket Israel, Israel’s National Food Bank and leading food rescue network, actively works to alleviate nutritional insecurity through its many food rescue and redistribution projects. Leket Israel provides food and nutritional support to 60,000 people daily with an annual distribution of 18 million pounds of produce and perishable goods, 700,000 hot meals and 1.5 million volunteer prepared sandwiches for school children.

We look forward to greeting you again in the near future.

All the best,

Danelle

News...

Female Reform rabbi seated on Jerusalem suburb’s religious council

May 16, 2012

JERUSALEM (JTA) -- A female Reform rabbi took her place on the religious council of Mevasseret Zion, a suburb of Jerusalem.

Rabbi Alona Lisitsa said she did not feel hostility from the rest of the representatives -- all Orthodox -- of the local religious council, according to reports. 

The Reform Mevasseret Zion Congregation put forth Lisitsa's name to join the council nearly a year ago. The appointment was delayed in the Ministry of Religious Affairs until the courts became involved and ordered the ministry to approve the appointment. The community's population is mixed secular-religious. "I came with much optimism and hope, and indeed I found a different Mevasseret community," Lisitsa said in an interview with Israel Army Radio.

"We talked about the need for cooperation and the need to ignore internal differences for the residents. This is a triumph for Israeli democracy. " 

Lisitsa told Army Radio that the members all introduced themselves to her, and that she had a "long conversation" with one of the representatives of the haredi Orthodox Shas party. Lisitsa works at the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Jerusalem, according to her Facebook page. 

Religious councils supervise kashrut, and are the central address in their communities for marriage registration, synagogues, mikvehs and burials. Israel has more than 170 religious councils.

- reported by www.JTA.org 

NEW YORK, NY - March 12, 2012 - "Iran threatens America as well as Israel with its efforts to create a nuclear weapon, its ongoing support of terrorism like the groups in Gaza that are sending rockets into Israel currently, and its support of Islamic fanaticism aimed at the destruction of the West," stated Rabbi Robert Orkand, President of ARZA, The Association of Reform Zionist of America, after returning from two weeks in Israel as a member of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations and the Boards of the Jewish Agency for Israel and the World Zionist Organization. Iran and the turmoil in the Middle East dominated every conversation with Israeli leaders and foreign policy experts.

Recent research conducted by Young & Rubicam of the brand positioning of 55 countries shows that there has been significant positive changes in Israel's brand position.

Israel's brand has expanded to include both basic AND modern values.

Most interesting is the nearly 20% increase in perception that Israel is "cutting edge" and the 16% increase in perception that Israel is "superior." And there's been a 10% increase in Israel's appearance as being an "outgoing" and "chic" country.

In the study, Israel is characterized as visionary, trustworthy and reliable....a daring leader.

Recap of Top Ten 2011 Israel Scientific Accomplishments.
http://israel21c.org/technology/the-top-10-science-stories-of-2011

SKIP
Send-a-Kid-to-Israel-Partnership

Forms and Payments are due mid-December. Students in 3rd-6th grade are eligible to enroll.

$255 per year is contributed to an interest bearing account to help pay for a student's Israel Experience (to be used by age 26).
Families $145
Temple Chai $25
JUF $85
(The family's contribution is refundable, with interest, at any time.)

SKIP Brochure
New Enrollment Form
Affording sending a kid to Israel

For more information please contact Debbie Moore, School Administrator.

TEMPLE CHAI ISRAEL TRIP

Rabbi Hart and Mendy will be traveling to Israel in December 2013 with Temple Chai congregants.  Contact Steve Sukenik at kahoona999@aol.com to find out how you can be in on the next trip.

TA'AM YISRAEL 

Ta'am Yisrael: A Taste of Israel is a program designed by the CFJE to give a select number of 8th graders a meaningful, intense and focused taste of their heritage, through a seven day "HANDS-ON" EXPERIENCE IN ISRAEL. Get more information here.

PLANT A TREE IN ISRAEL

JNF, in partnership with Arza, will donate 20% of your tree purchase to the Temple Chai Israel Action Fund when you use our GoNeutral link. Help offset your environmental footprint by arranging for your tree purchase online. Click to find out more.

ISRAEL LINKS