Beth Am Holds Shabbaton, BBYO Stages Global Shabbat, AFHU Announces Cohort

Last month, Temple Beth Am held its fifth annual Kol Tefilla Shabbaton, gathering Conservative movement leaders for a weekend of innovation, spirituality and meaning around prayer. 

About 150 participants from all over the country turned out for the Dec. 9-11 program, held in partnership with United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism (USCJ).

“Focusing on modalities of prayer and spirituality, Beth Am hosts Kol Tefilla to teach, model and provide experience for others to grow their community’s spiritual practice,” Beth Am Associate Rabbi Rebecca Schatz said. “Beth Am continues to be a traditional Conservative Jewish community that thrives in making innovation part of tradition.”

The weekend’s highlights included learning led by Rabbi Bradley Shavit Artson, dean of the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies; a community Shabbat dinner; and a Saturday night concert featuring the Moshav Band. 

On Sunday, USCJ board members convened for the USCJ General Assembly. 

American Friends of the Hebrew University (AFHU) has announced the second cohort of its prestigious Leadership Empowerment and Development Program (LEAD).

An exclusive and immersive 18-month experience, AFHU LEAD develops future leaders into ambassadors of Hebrew University, Israel’s premier research institution. Cohort members are tasked with promoting AFHU’s mission as well as the Jewish State’s bright future.  

Members of the latest group include: Los Angeles lawyer Jesse Levin, a litigation partner at Glaser Weil; Burbank resident Julia Cherlow, an attorney at the law firm Bird Marella; Ariel Anson, a Los Angeles County deputy district attorney; Gali Grant, a litigation partner at Glaser Weil; David Wulkan, associate at the law firm Mitchell Silberberg and Knupp; and Marissa Lepor, vice president at investment bank the Sage Group. 

“My family has been actively involved with Hebrew University for many years,” Lepor, one of 14 members of the cohort, said. “I look forward to establishing my own personal connection with the university and its impactful initiatives through the AFHU LEAD program.”

As part of their participation, the group will travel to Israel in June. 

AFHU, a national nonprofit based in the U.S., provides supporters, Hebrew University alumni and the public with programs and events. The organization’s activities support scholarly and scientific achievement at the university, create scholarships, fund new facilities and assist efforts to recruit new faculty. 

Around the world, more than 10,000 teens recently participated in BBYO’s Global Shabbat 2022, featuring innovative programming and the unprecedented participation of young people across six continents.

The theme was “Everyone. Everywhere.”

“This year’s celebrations reflected the power of our global teen movement to explore critical social issues, to feel empowered by a commitment to Judaism, and to be inspired to make a difference in their communities,” BBYO Vice President of Enrichment Strategy Liron Lipinsky said. “Now an established and celebrated anchor of BBYO’s annual program calendar, Global Shabbat offers a beautiful platform from which teens, families and guests can unite for a moment of rich Jewish tradition while embracing their role as a part of something bigger than themselves.”

Held from Dec. 9-10, the weekend of 112 gatherings included teen-led Shabbat services, conversations with Holocaust survivors, challah making and tzedakah projects while marking the first time since the start of the COVID pandemic that BBYO was able to offer a fully in-person Global Shabbat experience. 

BBYO, a pluralistic youth movement, has more than 21,000 members throughout the world. Its Pacific Western Region is comprised of more than 15 chapters in Southern California, representing over 400 Jewish teens in the area.