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Conferences
• Kisufim - Jerusalem Conference of Jewish Writers
(2007)
Beit Avi Chai, Jerusalem, April 16-19 2007 (in cooperation
with the journal Dimui, published by Beit Morasha) - Kisufim, the Hebrew
word for 'longing' and the acronym for “Jerusalem Conference of Jewish Writers
and Poets”, brings together Jewish writers from different countries and diverse
backgrounds, who share a sense of Jewish consciousness, to explore together the
connection between Jewish identity and text, the interplay of culture and
Jewish identity, what defines a Jewish writer and what characterizes Jewish
writing. During three days and nights of readings, discussions, and cultural
events, renowned and established writers alongside promising young writers in
many different styles and languages, share their works with colleagues and with
the general public and clarify textual and cultural issues. The conference is
interdisciplinary, with opportunities to integrate music and works of art and
documentary films about Jewish writers and poets from around the world. One of
the conference goals is to establish an international umbrella organization of
Jewish writers and poets that will promote the exchange of multilingual Jewish
literature, publishing and translation.
Watch a segment of the conference ( Video
/ Audio )
• Russian-speaking Jewry in Global Perspective: Power, Politics
and Community (2006)
Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel, October 17-19 2006 - The
Conference brought together prominent researchers from Israel, USA, Canada, the
CIS, Europe and other countries, and focused, among other issues, on
Russian-speaking Jewry and Power Structures in Contemporary Israel and the
Diaspora; Models of Social Identity and Political Integration of
Russia-speaking Jews in Israel, the CIS and countries of the "new Russian
Jewish Diaspora"; The "Host Societies": Mutual Political, Social and Cultural
Experience; Models of Institutionalization in Russian Jewish Communities;
Social and Demographic Factors, Social, Cultural and Political Influence pf
Russian-Jewish Entities in Different countries of the World; Organizational and
Political Structuring of the "Global Russian Jewish Community"; Russian Jewish
Media; Russian Jewish Communities as a factor of World Politics and
International Relations.
• Contemporary Responses to Intermarriage (2005)
The conference, chaired by Prof. Gerald Cromer, was designed to provide an
opportunity for in-depth analysis and discussion of contemporary Jewish
responses to intermarriage. Academics, rabbis, educationalists and journalists
from Israel and abroad will examine topics such as communal boundaries,
reactions in different communities around the world, rabbinic responsa,
intermarriage in Israel and Israel as a prophylactic to intermarriage in the
diaspora, and rationales for opposition to intermarriage. The concluding
session was devoted to a consideration of future joint research and action
projects.
• Russian speaking Jewry in Global Perspective: Assimilation, Integration
and Community Building (2004)
The conference was held on June 14-16, 2004 and hosted dozens of senior
scholars from Israel and abroad as well as activists in various organizations
and bodies dealing with Russian-speaking Jewry. Dr. Ze’ev Khanin was conference
chairman. Following the conference many of the participants suggested that The
Rappaport Center host a bi-annual public academic conference in order to
continue tracking and analyzing developments in this important segment of world
Jewry.
• Rabbis and the Challenge of Assimilation: Historical and Contemporary
Approaches (2003)
The conference, chaired by Dr. Adam Ferziger, was held on June 23-24, 2003 and
hosted scholars and rabbis from around the world. A noteworthy session was the
one on Denominational Perspectives which hosted representatives from various
denominations: Rabbi Prof. David Ellenson, the president of Hebrew Union
College (Reform), Rabbi Reuven Hammer, President of the Rabbinical Assembly of
the Conservative Movement, Rabbi Shlomo Riskin, Chief Rabbi of Efrat/Ohr Torah
Institutions, and Rabbi Dr. Naftali Loewenthal from London [A Chabad chassid
and a leading expert on the Chabad movement].
• Israeli Assimilation: The Absorption of Non-Jews into Israeli Society and
its Influence on Collective Identity (2002)
Israeli assimilation is the mirror image of the Diaspora Jewry case: The
phenomenon prevalent here is that of assimilation of non-Jews into the Jewish
majority. Most Israelis are not aware of the scope of this phenomenon in spite
of its significant influence on the character and identity of the majority at
present and more so in the future. The findings presented in the conference –
held on June 12-13, 2002 and chaired by Dr. Asher Cohen - indicated the need
for a re-evaluation of Israel’s immigration policy and of The Jewish Agency’s
worldwide modus operandi, especially in East European countries. The conference
also raised public awareness of obstacles to the possibility of conversion to
Judaism that exist in the Jewish world today.
Seminars
• Training Young Diaspora Rabbis: New Approaches to Interactions with Jews
who are not affiliated with the Jewish Community
This training seminar for orthodox rabbis serving in Diaspora communities was
held in the summer of 2003. The rabbis attended lectures and training sessions,
toured the country and learned how to plan various community projects. This was
an operative program aimed at in-service training for rabbis, on analytical and
practical considerations and methods for interacting with assimilated Jews. The
seminar focused on the acquisition of new approaches to interaction with Jews
who are unaffiliated with any Jewish community. The concept which lies at the
core of the program reflects a unique approach to training community rabbis,
one which combines a deep commitment to the Jewish tradition and a thorough
understanding of the cultural appeal of other contextual worlds. The aim is to
enable community rabbis to engage the vast number of Jews who maintain very
little contact with the Jewish community or none at all. Following the seminar,
several of the participants launched trial counter-assimilation projects in
seven communities worldwide, under the supervision of the Rappaport Center [see
below]
Leadership Development
• Teaching Judaism to Young Adults in Europe – In Collaboration with
Paideia, The European Institute for Jewish Studies in Sweden
The Paideia framework, launched in 2000, aims at providing new directions for
young Jews of leadership potential from throughout European Jewry. This
approach includes the study of sources of Jewish culture, openness to
contemporary Jewish art and literature, and a commitment to a new Jewish
future. 25 young men and women from countries such as Russia, Hungary,
Slovakia, Poland, The Czeck Republic, Germany, Italy, Britain, Denmark and
Sweden study in Paideia every year. The Rappaport Center offers assistance in
developing the graduates' skills of analyzing the problems faced by their
communities and of initiating new methods and activities to address these
pressing issues. In May 2004 and May 2005, The Rappaport Center, together with
Paideia, held alumni conferences in Stockholm dedicated to the subject of
responses to assimilation. Prior to the conferences, the graduates had
conducted studies of assimilation in their communities; the conferences were
devoted to presentation and discussion of these studies and their implications.
• Rabbis Leading Projects for Counter-Assimilation in Jewish Communities
Abroad
Following the seminar for young orthodox rabbis from the Diaspora held in the
summer of 2003 [see above], trial counter-assimilation projects were launched
in five Jewish communities abroad (Oakland, California; Mexico City; Guatemala
City; Vancouver, Canada; Oslo, Norway) coached by Rabbi Don Peterman and
supervised by Dr. Adam Ferziger.
• Collaboration with the Amiel Program for training Diaspora Community
Rabbis
The Rappaport Center contributes to the enrichment of the Amiel Diaspora Rabbi
Training Program, headed by Rabbi Eliahu Birnbaum. The Center’s scholars are
invited to present lectures and lessons to the rabbis being trained for service
in Jewish communities in the diaspora. Amiel graduates serve as community
rabbis around the world and stand in the forefront of the struggle against
assimilation.
In May 2005, a joint intensive in-service training event was held by the
Rappaport Center and Amiel, for almost thirty young rabbis serving in North
America, and their wives. Rabbi Dr. Adam Ferziger of the Rappaport Center
played a major role in the conference, providing insight and guidance for these
rabbis serving in communities throughout the United States and Canada,
especially with regard to the role of rabbis in responding to the challenges of
assimilation. In December 2005 a similar event was held in Montevideo, Uruguay,
for rabbis serving throughout Latin America. Prof. Gerald Cromer represented
the Rappaport Center at this conference and provided teaching and guidance
especially in regard to the issue of intermarriage that he had researched for
the Rappaport Center.
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