At least 16 people – 10 of whom have been identified as terrorists – were killed in riots along the border between Gaza and Israel on Mar. 30.
Around 30,000 Palestinians protested along the border as part of “the March of Return” to protest the displaced Arabs from Israel’s 1948 War of Independence. Anarchy ensued when some protestors began burning tires, hurling rocks at Israel Defense Force (IDF) soldiers and attempted to weaken and penetrate the border fence.
Consequently, the IDF designated the area as “a closed military zone” and clamped down on the rioters. The Palestinian health ministry is claiming that over 1,400 Palestinians were injured in the riots, but the IDF is pushing back by saying that the number of injured Palestinians is overstated since most were simply rattled by the riot control measures taken by the IDF.
Among the 16 dead, the IDF has identified 10 of them who were involved in terror organizations. Eight of the identified terrorists were a part of Hamas, one was involved in Islamic Jihad and the other was part of the al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades. Hamas has already begun celebrating the killed terrorists.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised the IDF for their actions.
“Israel acts vigorously and with determination to protect its sovereignty and the security of its citizens,” Netanyahu said.
The violence on the border has declined significantly since, but Friday’s riots could be a precursor to something larger. According to CBN News, the “March of Return” is part of a six-week campaign involving Hamas using civilians as shields to breach the border and start another war with Israel.
“The immediate objective of the prospective fence-stormers is not so much to kill Israelis (though if that can be achieved, even better), but to get killed themselves,” Bar-Ilan University Prof. Hillel Frisch wrote in the The Begin Sadat-Center for Strategic Studies. “Their hope is that Israel will resort to force to maintain the border (as would any sovereign state) and thereby create the graphics and funerals that delegitimize Israel.”
Frish added that Hamas is hoping that Israel taking such action will result in another intifada from Palestinians in the West Banks and Arabs residing in Israel.
The Palestinian Authority (PA) is reportedly continuing their practice of funneling money to terrorists and their families despite the recent passage of the Taylor Force Act, which states that the United States will cut off funding to the PA if they continue to pay terrorists.
Palestinian Media Watch (PMW) reported that shortly after the Taylor Force Act’s passage, a PA spokesman declared that they would be defying the law, stating, “In the eyes of our people, our nation, and our cause, the martyrs and prisoners are sacred symbols of freedom, struggle, protecting human dignity, and resistance to submission and humiliation. They constitute a right that is guaranteed to all people, and they cannot be bought and sold for all the money in the world.”
Furthermore, according to PMW, almost 8% of the PA’s 2018 budget uses money toward their fund to pay terrorists and their families.
Legislators in Israel and the United States are irate that the PA’s policy is still ongoing, with Knesset Member Oren Forer telling the Washington Free Beacon that any peace deal reached between Israel and the PA should ensure that such payments end.
“It is impossible that our so-called peace partners are paying and incentivizing murder, while pretending to talk peace,” Forer said.
The Taylor Force Act was signed into law on Mar. 23 as part of an omnibus spending bill. It was named after a U.S. veteran who was murdered at the hands of a Palestinian terrorist in March 2016. The terrorist, 22-year-old Bashar Masalha, is being paid $400 a month by the PA.
The PA paid Palestinian terrorists and their families $347 million overall in 2017. The PA received $357 million from the U.S. in 2016.
What do Henry Kissinger, Mel Brooks and Carl Reiner and half a million American Jews have in common?
They all served in the U.S. armed forces during World War II, representing 11 percent of the Jewish population in America at the time. Some 11,000 did not live to celebrate the victories over Germany and Japan in 1945.
Their deeds and presence on the battlefields and rear echelons of Europe and the Pacific are recognized in the national PBS special “GI Jews: Jewish Americans in World War II,” premiering on the PBS network, and locally on PBS SoCal KOCE, at 10 p.m. April 11.
PBS says the documentary is “in honor of Holocaust Remembrance Day,” which commemorates the uprising of Jews in the Warsaw Ghetto against Nazi troops in 1943. Britain and most countries of the European Union mark Holocaust Memorial Day on Jan. 25, the date Russian troops liberated the Auschwitz death camp in 1945.
The 90-minute-long special will evoke different emotions and remembrances, depending mainly on a viewer’s age and life experiences.
For those of us who served in the American armed forces from 1941 to 1945, it will resurrect a time, some 75 years ago, when we had full heads of hair, no wrinkles, and spent a lot of time thinking and talking about what comic strip hero Li’l Abner used to call “females of the opposite sex.”
For civilians of the era, it was a time when the country was solidly united. The clearly demarcated enemies were the “Nazis” or “Krauts” and the “Japs.” The movies featured John Wayne and similar macho types mowing down hundreds of evil-looking enemies without suffering a scratch.
The era’s popular songs promised everlasting peace and uninterrupted bliss, once the boys (and gals) came home again.
To its credit, the film pulls no punches about the anti-Semitism encountered by most of the Jewish men and women in the service. Their tormentors wore the same uniform. Many had never met a Jew before but had imbibed the stereotype of the ugly Jew with their mother’s milk.
Carl Reiner’s barracks mates couldn’t believe that the future comedian, director and writer was Jewish because “everyone” knew that Jews were draft dodgers.
Alan Moskin’s fellow soldiers frequently addressed him as “kike” or “Nigger lover,” while other Jewish soldiers were clearly worried when one of their number, Isaac Ashkenazi, insisted on praying aloud in Hebrew three or four times a day.
During this reporter’s basic training in Camp Blanding, Fla., a fellow GI asked what church I belonged to. When I said “Jewish” his eyes widened in disbelief because I didn’t have a crooked nose, didn’t lend money at exorbitant interest rates and didn’t have horns growing out of my forehead.
Finally convinced, my buddy put a hand on my shoulder and, delivering his highest compliment, said, “Tom, you’re a WHITE Jew.”
Obviously, not all gentile GIs disliked Jews, and some stood up for them when it counted. One was Master Sgt. Roddie Edmonds from Knoxville, Tenn., who had been taken as a prisoner of war, along with 1,292 other U.S. soldiers, during the war’s last German counteroffensive in the Battle of the Bulge.
As the highest-raking noncommissioned officer among the POWs, Edmonds was ordered by the German commander of the camp, a Major Siegmann, to have all the Jewish soldiers fall out in formation the next morning.
Edmonds realized what fate awaited the 200 Jewish POWs and, instead of separating them, had all 1,292 U.S. soldiers line up in front of their barracks. The enraged Major Siegmann turned to Edmonds and insisted, “They can’t all be Jews,” to which Edmonds responded, “We are all Jews.”
At this, Siegmann pointed his pistol at Edmonds’ forehead, but the American calmly informed the German officer that “according to the Geneva Convention, we only have to give our names, rank and serial numbers. If you shoot me, you will have to shoot all of us, and when we win this war, you will be tried for war crimes.”
At this, Siegmann turned around and left. After the war, Yad Vashem, Israel’s Holocaust museum, inducted Edmonds into the ranks of its Righteous Among the Nations.
In general, anti-Semitism was not the top concern of most Jewish GIs. Comedian-writer-composer Mel Brooks, wearing the uniform he sported as Cpl. Melvin Kaminsky, asked an interviewer after finishing off his first cheeseburger, “Why did the Jews deny me this all my life?”
Long-time producer Lisa Ades, in a phone interview, cited two major influences in tackling “GI Jews.”
“I saw ‘Night and Fog,’ the French documentary on Nazi concentration camps, when I was a child in Hebrew school, and it deeply affected my sense of Judaism,” Ades said. A more contemporary factor was her marriage to Prof. James E. Young, a distinguished American Holocaust scholar.
Observing that a major portion of the Jewish GIs were children of immigrants, Ades said the documentary had special relevance today, a time when anti-immigrant voices are being raised in the United States.
Despite considerable production and publicity assistance by WNET, the PBS flagship station in New York, it took Ades almost five years to obtain sufficient financing to make the film. Major grants came from the National Endowments for the Humanities, the Corp. for Public Broadcasting and the Righteous Persons Foundation.
Despite the documentary’s eyewitness interviews and extensive research, it appears its creators could not resist romanticizing and over-simplifying the impact the war had on its participants.
“After years of battle, these pioneering servicemen and women emerged transformed: more profoundly American, more deeply Jewish, and determined to fight for equality and tolerance at home” — states the film’s press release, a statement that appears to be more retroactive hope than reality.
This is not the time and space for a deep analysis of what makes men go to war (though draftees had little choice in the matter) and the impact of their experiences. But most veterans can probably vouch that, having spent up to five years in the service, they were fully focused on mundane goals such as getting an education, starting a family and paying for a home.
It is also quite doubtful that their wartime experiences motivated Jewish vets to participate in the civil rights struggles or become markedly more religious.
Nor did the war spell the end of anti-Semitism in America or full acceptance of Jews as equal citizens. That momentous change was arguably due to other factors — the civil rights struggle and Israel’s battlefield victories that radically changed the world’s perception of Jews as fighters.
Indeed, as Ades said, “This film is not the end of the story.”
“GI Jews” airs on KOCE at 10 p.m. April 11 and at 1 p.m. April 15. The documentary can also be viewed online at www.pbs.org/gijews for four weeks, beginning April 12.
“The world is not as worthy as the day on which the Song of Songs was given to Israel, for all the writings are holy, but the Song of Songs is the Holy of Holies.”
So said Rabbi Akiva (2nd century Palestine), who understood that The Song of Songs is an allegory between two lovers, God and Israel.
The Kabbalistic tradition teaches that the love in the Song reflects higher events inside God’s metaphysical structure. It is read each year on the Shabbat during Pesach, and we at Temple Israel of Hollywood will celebrate the Song of Songs and our community’s milestone wedding anniversaries this Friday evening, April 6 at 6:30 PM in our Shabbat services.
Shelly Fox, our Director of Music and Cantorial Soloist, with our quartet and pianist Michael Alfera will present some of the most beautiful musical settings for the Song of Songs. Many of the melodies were composed in pre-statehood Palestine.
Our milestone wedding couples (celebrating 5 to 65 years of marriage will read love poetry.
If you live in Los Angeles, come and celebrate with us.
From the Song of Songs
O for your kiss! For your love / More enticing than wine, / For your scent and sweet name -– / For all this they love you. /
Take me away to your room, Like a king to his rooms — / We’ll rejoice there with wine. / No wonder they love you! /
Like a mare among stallions, / You lure, I am held /
Your cheeks framed with braids / your neck traced with shells /
I’ll adorn you with gold / And with silver bells“
How fine / you are, my love, / your eyes / like doves’. /
How fine / are you, my lover, / what joy / we have together. /
How green / our bed of leaves, / our rafters of cedars, / our juniper eaves./
Marcia Falk, The Song of Songs – Love Poems from the Bible (New York & London: Harcourt Brace Javanovich, 1977). Pages 1, 4, 6.
Known for her supporting roles in the television series “Gang Related,” “The Last Ship,” “Prison Break” and “Underemployed,” Israeli actress Inbar Lavi takes center stage as the star of the dark comedy “Imposters,” now beginning its second season on Bravo. She portrays the chameleon-like Maddie, a con artist who seduces her targets, gets them to marry her, cleans out their bank accounts, and vanishes, adopting a new persona.
But as Season Two begins, Maddie has doubts about the life she’s chosen. “Maddie is determined to …live a life of her own after living other people’s lives for a long time. She realizes that leaving the life of a con is more difficult than living it,” Lavi told the Journal. “She wants a little stability but she doesn’t know what it means or how to get it. It’s all a little scary for her.”
Lavi relishes the many disguises and range of emotion that the part requires. “She’s not black or white. There are so many different shades to her,” she said. “In one scene she can be the most confident person in the room and in the next she could be completely broken, stripped down and lost. I love that. And I’ve been able to explore a lot of dark areas in myself through Maddie that I wouldn’t have been able to otherwise. What I look for most in my work is honesty, and I get to be very honest with this character.”
Always captivated by movies and inspired by the success of Israeli actresses Natalie Portman and Ayelet Zurer, Lavi, 31, knew she wanted to perform at an early age. She studied ballet first and then enrolled at the Sofi Moskowitz Acting School in Tel Aviv. Exempt from army service due to an old dance injury, she moved to New York at 17 and headed west after eight months when she got a scholarship to attend the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute in Los Angeles.
She’s still close with the family friends, Iraqi-American Jews, who gave her a place to stay when she arrived. “I didn’t have family here, and this beautiful family welcomed me into their home. We do Shabbat dinners and the holidays. It means the world to me,” Lavi said, noting that she’d celebrate Passover with them.
Of Polish heritage on her father’s side, and Moroccan on her mother’s, Lavi was raised with both Ashkenazi and Sephardic Jewish traditions. “They’re very, very different and sometimes they collide. But it’s a nice blend. I’m really lucky to have both sides in me,” she said.
“I love any project where I get to push myself and learn new things. Any time I push through a fear, I’m proud of that.” – Inbar Lavi
“I grew up in a home where my dad was very liberal and my mom was very traditional. On my mom’s side, my grandparents kept Shabbat and the holidays. My dad was the complete opposite of that. I’m somewhere in the middle. I find great joy in tradition and in fact, I seek it. I gain so much from those traditions. But I have my own faith and belief system,” Lavi said.
Lavi’s Jewish roots “affect and influence everything that I am—the way I think, my values. I’m very family-oriented. I’m very aware of freedom, especially because we [Israelis] have to fight for it,” she said, noting that she visits her mother, sister and brother in Israel “as much as I can.” (Her father moved to Florida after her parents divorced.)
Between shooting “Imposters”, Lavi acted in the independent film “Sorry For Your Loss,” a dark comedy in which she portrays a new mother dealing with postpartum depression. But as much as she loves acting, “You do your job and then it’s out of your hands. It’s tough for a control freak like me,” she said, laughing.
“That’s why I’m getting involved in producing. I want to generate my own material, tell my own stories. I’m starting to shadow directors who I’ve worked with in the past, and I’m excited to learn more about being behind the camera,” she said. Directing an “Imposters” episode next season tops her wish list.
As for future on-screen work, “I love any project where I get to push myself and learn new things,” Lavi said, citing the stunts and Russian dialogue she learned for “Gang Related.” She learned to play guitar and sing for her role in “Underemployed. “It was terrifying, but I did it. “Any time I push through a fear, I’m proud of that.”
Lavi, who is single, shares her L.A. home with her dog Chilly, a part-Havanese rescue. “I’m not seeing anyone at the moment. But there’s beauty in being alone as well. You get to know yourself better and can think about who you want to spend your time with,” she said. “I would love to have a family one day. I think I flourish the most when I’m in love and in a partnership. But I’m also quite picky. It’s hard to find the right person but he’s out there and I can’t wait to meet him.”
Right now, she gets her greatest joy from “waking up early, with the sun, and cuddling with my puppy for 10 minutes. It’s been a really pleasant, happy moment and way to start my day,” she said. “I lie there and say ‘thank you’ for being healthy.”
Immigrating to Israel is not easy. Alongside mastering Hebrew, finding a Job and making friends, one of the biggest challenges is simply to integrate, to find your place, to feel like a local. If you’re an artist immigrating here, it can be even more difficult. If language is not your medium, art is certainly always a cultural thing – and the divide can easily become a chasm.
Nonetheless, Tel Aviv has become a vibrant multi-national city, and it seems that English speakers are thriving here. Even if you’re an Israeli English speaker, so long as you’re present on social media, you can’t escape the stream of immigrant produced content emanating from Israel. And at the top of that chart, sitting comfortably on her throne, is Renny Grinshpan – the benevolent queen.
Renny Grinshpan is an actor, creator and a model who made aliyah 4 years ago. Since then she’s been scorching Israel’s facebook feed with hilarious viral videos, mainly as part of the Israeliot group, making her one of the most known and influential local internet stars. Renny graduated the Columbia School of Journalism. She’s created videos for the Jewish Daily Forward and the Tross Creative House.
Renny Grinshpan is here with us today to answer the age old question: chocolate or vanilla? Also, will there be peace in the Middle East.
“When I look at even a tiny scrap of paper in all the ‘clutter’ I can’t part with,” my cousin reflected, “the whole memory comes rushing back, completely reconstructed.” I was having a heart-to-heart discussion with her about hoarding and clutter in general. Being a “declutterer” par excellence I wanted to understand more about savers, and possibly more about why I am so “Spartan”( as a saver friend of mine puts it). So when I asked my cousin why it was so hard even to part with what she admitted were “no longer necessary things like the three extra coats my mother had and which are just sitting there in the closet,” she gave me a moving answer: “If I throw something out, I am so afraid I will lose the memory.”
I think my cousin would highly appreciate what some wise aliens had to say to a human visitor who could not fathom why memories of a pleasant event are “just as good” as the event itself. In Out of the Silent Planet by C. S. Lewis, the alien patiently explains to the human that memory is not separate from the event remembered:
“A pleasure and the memory are all one thing…What you call remembering is the last part of the pleasure. When you and I first met, the meeting was over very shortly, it was nothing. Now it is growing something as we remember it. But still we know very little about it. What it will be when I remember it as I lie down to die, what it makes in me all my days until then—that is the real meeting. The other is only the beginning of it.”
Now that may be going too far, but so much about Judaism, and perhaps all religions, is about remembering, and by so doing, reenacting the event. The example that comes most readily to mind is Passover, where the principal purpose of the Seder is to relive the story of transitioning from slavery to freedom. Shavuot, which commemorates receiving the Torah, asks us to feel as if on that very day of the holiday we were receiving and hearing the words of the Torah for the very first time, re-experiencing its revelation to us. Even the Sabbath is about recalling the opening moments of Creation and the refreshing break that God took after all that work, which goes for us too at the end of each week. That is a lot of remembering!
When we lose someone, they die. But our memories of them can last throughout our own lifetime. True, they are a distant remove from the “real thing”, but we cling onto whatever we can. Maybe that is why we do whatever it takes to make these memories as enduring as possible. As Jews, we do not want to “forget” the pivotal events that make up our identity and understanding of who we are such as becoming a free and distinct people and receiving the Torah. As individuals, we want to remember our loved ones through letters (I can’t seem to bring myself to say “emails”), photos, videos, conversations with others who knew them, and through things they owned such as jewelry, awards, or things they created. Yes, things can add up and become clutter. And yes, saving too little can imperil those cherished memories, causing a secondary death.
But whether you are a “saver” or a “declutterer,” there is another even more enduring way to keep them alive. Bear in mind the Hebrew expression, “Zichrono/a l’bracha,” used in referring to someone who has recently died. Literally this means, “Remember him/her for blessing.” Setting aside the exact technicalities of this phrase, to many Jews, this suggests that whatever mitzvot we perform as a result of the influence of our loved ones perpetuates their legacy. Just as whenever we read Torah we can ponder what is being revealed to us at that moment, when we carry out the good deeds that our loved one has done and has modeled for us to do, these bring our loved one to life anew.
Rabbi and board certified Chaplain Karen B. Kaplan is author of Encountering the Edge: What People Told Me Before They Died (Pen-L Publishing, 2014) a series of true anecdotes capped with the deeper reasons she chose her vocation. She has also recently published a collection of science fiction stories, Curiosity Seekers (Createspace Independent Publishing, 2017). She has submitted multiple entries published in Expired And Inspired.
Rabbi Karen B. Kaplan
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Gamliel Café
Gamliel Students are invited to an informal online monthly session, held monthly. On the third THURSDAY of each month, different person(s) will offer a short teaching or share some thoughts on a topic of interest to them, and those who are online will have a chance to respond, share their own stories and information, and build our Gamliel Institute community connections. This initiative is being headed up by Rena Boroditsky and Rick Light. You should receive email reminders monthly. The next scheduled session of the Gamliel Café is April 19th.
Register now for our 2018 series, Your’re Gonna Miss Me When I’m Gone: Jewish Practices of Remembrance. The series features Rabbi Stuart Kelman, Rabbi SaraLeya Schley, Maharat Victoria Sutton, Rabbi Yonatan Cohen, and Jacob Klein of Keshet. They will be discussing topics such as Sephardic Customs, Understanding the Mourners Kaddish, an Alternative Yizkor Service, Disenfranchised Grief, and Trans Day of Remembrance, all relating to remembrance and memory.
The series began Sunday evening, February 4, and will continue on Sunday evenings, generally one session per month, at 8 PM Eastern time and 5 PM Pacific time. Each session runs approximately 90 minutes. Upcoming sessions are:
April 8: Jewish Trans Day of Remembrance – Jacob Klein
April 29: Disengranchised Grief – Rabbi Yonatan Cohen
May 27: An Alternative Yizkor Service – Rabbi SaraLeya Schley
If you cannot attend a session, no worries! They are recorded and made available to those registered.
Registration for Taste of Gamliel is mandatory to access the sessions. The sessions are free, but there is a suggested minimum donation of $36 for the entire series.
Those registered will be sent the information on how to connect to the sessions. To register, click here: register.
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Gamliel Institute Course 1
Chevrah Kadisha: History, Origins, & Evolution
This course will begin April 10th and run for 12 weeks. There is an orientation session on April 3rd. Register now at https://www.jewish-funerals.org/gamreg. If you want to know how the Chevrah Kadisha developed and why we do what we do today, this is for you!
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Gamliel Continuing Education Courses
Gamliel students should be on the lookout for information on a series of Gamliel Continuing Education Courses, advanced sessions focusing in on different topics. These will be in groups of three sessions each quarter (three consecutive weeks), with different topics addressed in each series. The goal is to look at these topics in more depth than possible during the core courses. The first course took place in Fall 2017, focusing on Psalms.
The next course will be April 25, May 2nd and May 9th, and will look at death as seen in the Zohar, taught by Beth Huppin.
Registration is required, and there will be a tuition charge of $72 for the three sessions. Contact us for information, by email info@jewish-funerals.org, or call 410-733-3700, or simply register online at www.jewish-funerals.org/gamreg/.
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16th annual Kavod v’Nichum Chevrah Kadisha and Jewish Cemetery Conference and Gamliel Day of Learning
Mark your calendar and hold the dates! June 3-5, 2018, in the Washington D.C. area. Click here to register
Location – The conference will be at Congregation Beth El in Bethesda, Maryland (just north of Washington, DC)
Dates and Times – The main part of the conference will be from noon on Sunday June 3 to 1pm on Tuesday June 5, 2018. There will be tours and hands-on workshops on Sunday morning.
The Gamliel Day of Learning will be from Tuesday at 2pm through Wednesday at noon. You will not want to miss this – we have arranged for Erica Brown to teach at this event on Tuesday – this day of learning is going to be fantastic!
Who Should Attend? Consider attending the conference if you:
are interested in the fields of community organizing, consumer advocacy, bikkur cholim, chaplaincy,rabbinic texts, thanatology, hospice care, grief therapy, funeral direction, cemetery management, and legacy planning
recognize the importance of liturgy and ritual in ensuring that the spiritual dimension of the end-of-life continuum is appreciated, and that the work of the Chevrah Kadisha is done with full regard for the respect and dignity of all involved
want to learn more about the entire end-of-life continuum – dealing with life-threatening illness, legacy and preparation of ethical wills, preparing for death and at the time of death, care for the body- taharahand shmirah, care for relatives and friends, funeral and burial, mourning, grieving, remembering and providing comfort – with underlying themes of communal obligation, care for the poor and elderly, consumer protection, and Jewish continuity.
believe it is essential to shift the culture surrounding continuum-of-life issues in the Jewish community – from an attitude of denial and neglect around death, to a more open attitude towards death that includes increasing awareness, acceptance, and healthy integration into family and community life.
want to participate in the development of a strong Jewish corps of professionals and volunteers to become communal leaders who work to inspire, support, organize, teach, and advocate for the full range of Chevrah Kadisha work in synagogues and communities.
Workshop Leaders – If you are interested, or know someone else who might be interested in leading a workshop, suggest it to us with a short paragraph of explanation – send to info@Jewish-funerals.org
Organization Pricing – is available if three or more members of an organization are attending the whole conference and the organization has paid membership dues of $180. You can cover the cost of organizational membership right on the registration form. Even if you don’t have three members attending the conference, we appreciate your organization’s support as a member.
Books – This year you can pre-order and pre-pay for books right on the registration form.
Exhibits – If you, or someone you know, would like to exhibit at the conference, let us know by sending us an email – info@Jewish-funerals.org
Meals – In addition to Sunday brunch, we provide six supervised Kosher meals as part of the conference registration. Please let us know if you have allergies or special dietary needs.
Flights – Many cities have direct flights to National (DCA), Baltimore Washington (BWI) and Dulles (IAD).
Ground Transport – Direct connections to the Metro are available from National Airport. We’ll update the website mid-January with additional ground transportation options.
Hotel – We have negotiated a great hotel rate at American Inn. Contact them at 301-656-9300 and give them group booking code KNG or email or phone our hotel contact Minoli, Minoli.Muhandiramge@baywoodhotels.com who is at extension 111. Our group rate is $139 plus 13% tax per room per night for singles or doubles. There are a limited number of doubles.
Home Hospitality – will be available. Let us know if you are interested.
Shabbat – If you would like to be connected to a family for Shabbat dinner, home hospitality, and synagogue services, let us know.
Refunds: 90% of the registration fee will be refunded if you cancel in writing before May 1; 80% before May 15; 50% May 15 or later, only if you have a really good excuse!
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DONATIONS
Donations are always needed and most welcome to support the work of Kavod v’Nichum and the Gamliel Institute, helping us to bring you the annual conference, offer community trainings, provide scholarships to students, refurbish and update course materials, expand our teaching, support programs such as Taste of Gamliel, the Gamliel Café, and the Gamliel Continuing Education courses, provide and add to online resources, encourage and support communities in establishing, training, and improving their Chevrah Kadisha, and assist with many other programs and activities.
You can donate online at http://jewish-funerals.org/gamliel-institute-financial-support or by snail mail to: either Kavod v’Nichum, or to The Gamliel Institute, both c/o David Zinner, Executive Director, Kavod v’Nichum, 8112 Sea Water Path, Columbia, MD 21045. Kavod v’Nichum [and the Gamliel Institute] is a recognized and registered 501(c)(3) organization, and donations may be tax-deductible to the full extent provided by law. Call 410-733-3700 if you have any questions or want to know more about supporting Kavod v’Nichum or the Gamliel Institute.
If you would like to receive the periodic Kavod v’Nichum Newsletter by email, or be added to the Kavod v’Nichum Chevrah Kadisha & Jewish Cemetery email discussion list, please be in touch and let us know at info@jewish-funerals.org.
Be sure to check out the Kavod V’Nichum website at www.jewish-funerals.org, and for information on the Gamliel Institute, courses planned, and student work in this field also visit the Gamliel.Institute website.
RECEIVE NOTICES WHEN THIS BLOG IS UPDATED and When Other Relevant Items are published!
If you have an idea for an entry you would like to submit to this blog, please be in touch. Email J.blair@jewish-funerals.org. We are always interested in original unpublished materials that would be of interest to our readers, relating to the broad topics surrounding the continuum of Jewish preparation, planning, rituals, rites, customs, practices, activities, and celebrations approaching the end of life, at the time of death, during the funeral, in the grief and mourning process, and in comforting those dying and those mourning, as well as the actions and work of those who address those needs, including those serving in Bikkur Cholim, Caring Committees, the Chevrah Kadisha, as Shomrim, funeral providers, in funeral homes and mortuaries, and operators and maintainers of cemeteries.
“The world is not as worthy as the day on which the Song of Songs was given to Israel, for all the writings are holy, but the Song of Songs is the Holy of Holies.”
