Israel at 75

Israel at 75 co-chairs:

Zehava Galun: For me, Israel is home. I proudly served in the IDF. Tel Aviv is like my second home and I know it like the back of my hand. I’ve had the opportunity to celebrate many simchas in Israel. If you’ve never celebrated a wedding in Israel, you’re missing out on something special. My family is very connected to Israel, so much so that my son Benjamin made Aliyah.

Adam Hirsh: I most recently traveled to Israel in 2018 with the Jewish Federation of Cleveland’s Israel at 70 Mission. We started in Tel Aviv for JFNA’s General Assembly, followed by an amazing week touring Israel. A highlight of the trip for me was visiting Beit Shean, Cleveland’s partnership city, and seeing first-hand the impact of Cleveland’s partnership in their community. I’ll never forget our Shabbat in Jerusalem as it was the same day as the Tree of Life shooting in Pittsburgh. We all learned about the tragedy as we walked to spend dinner with a Holocaust survivor. That tragedy united us all together as we mourned for our community from the holy city of Jerusalem.

Israel Scholar-in-Residence Weekend
Dr. Ken Stein
ISRAEL: State Seeking, State Making, State Keeping
Friday, October 20-22

Dr. Ken Stein taught Middle Eastern History, Political Science and Israel Studies at Emory University. He is internationally recognized as an expert on Israel’s origins, its domestic politics and international relations. His expertise focuses on US foreign policy to the Middle East, Arab politics, the origins of modern Israel, Arab-Israeli negotiations and the teaching of Israel. Stein founded the Emory Institute for the Study of Modern Israel (ISMI), and the Center for Israel Education, Inc (CIE). Read his full bio here.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 20
6:00 pm - Shabbat Services
Peoplehood Preservation
7:00 pm - Mind-Full Shabbat Dinner
BJC Members/ $36 • Guests/ $40
(catered by Café 56)
Register by October 15 at: https://cutt.ly/mind-full-shabbat-oct23
8:00 pm - From the Abraham Accords to the Declaration of Independence: A Look at Historic Benchmarks and Mindsets

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 21
9:00 am - Shabbat Services
What a Difference 40 Years Make: 1939 - 1979
Noon - Congregational Luncheon
12:45 pm - Negotiations between Israelis and Arabs: Egyptians in the 1970s vs. Palestinians Today

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 22
8:00 am - Minyan
9:00 am - Breakfast - Registration encouraged at: https://cutt.ly/minyan-breakfast-speaker
9:30 am - Israel@75 - Where Has Israel Succeeded and What Remains Unfinished?

This weekend of learning is generously underwritten by the Weingold Family and by the Dobres-Berkowitz Israel Programming Fund. Our Mind-Full Shabbat Dinner is supported in part by the Rabbi Rudolph M. Rosenthal Memorial Fund.

GOLDA Sneak Preview Screening • Wednesday, August 23 • 7:00 pm
Cedar Lee Theatre

The deadline to purchase Golda Movie tickets is Wednesday, August 16 or while supplies last.

Join us for a special sneak screening preview of GOLD at Cedar Lee Theatre. This showing will also feature an exclusive 25 minute pre-recorded conversation between Guy Nattiv and Helen Mirren following the movie.
COST:  $12.50 per ticket
Includes:
Feature film with pre-recorded conversation following
Reserved group seating
(We will meet at Cedar Lee Theatre - 2163 Lee Rd., Cleveland, OH 44118)
Tickets are limited and once payment is received, you can pick up your ticket(s) at B'nai Jeshurun or contact Shani Kadis to work out other arrangements. 
REGISTER ONLINE
Hosted  by our Israel@75 Committee.

Shabbat & Schmooze • Friday, June 23 • 5:45 pm
Friends of Magen David Adom

Welcome in summer with a pre-Shabbat summer & schmooze. Join us for Ambulance tours, light refreshments, information and the opportunity to meet with Magen David Adom staff and leadership from Israel and Cleveland.  Our young families will hold a separate program at the same time where they will be able to hop aboard the Magen David Adom Ambulance and learn about how it helps people in Israel. We will have a story time with a PJ Library book followed with a special summer snack. Everyone is encouraged to stay afterward for our Shabbat services at 6:30 pm, where Yoni Yagodovsky MDA Director of International Relations will be speaking.

Rabbi Matthew Berkowitz • Guest Speaker • May 7 • 9:45 am
(Rabbi Berkowitz is the featured Artist/ Scholar-In-Residence for Rabbi Hal Rudin Luria's Installation Weekend.
To learn more about Rabbi Berkowitz, Please visit his webpage.

Rabbi Matthew Berkowitz will speak on "The "State" of Israel: Democracy or Theocracy". The session will begin at 9:45 am , but everyone is welcome to join for minyan (8am) and breakfast (9am). This session will conclude Rabbi Hal Rudin Luria's Installation Weekend. Everything is free, but we ask that you register online.
Available on Zoom, Meeting ID: 836 0300 8490
(Password is the same as Torah Cafe or email Shanikadis@bnaijeshurun.org 

Oren Heftetz - JNF's Israel Emissary • Shabbat Guest Speaker • March 18, 2023

Oren will speak about the years he spent in the Israeli Air Force as a helicopter pilot. When he retired from that role, he was introduced to JNF-USA when he managed the integration of Israel Defense Force soldiers from Special in Uniform into his air force base.

Oren now leads JNF-USA’s Central Negev Task Force which works to help the municipalities of Mitzpe Ramon, Ramat HaNegev, and Yerucham prioritize its needs. This includes promoting tourism, retaining families and attracting new ones by assisting with innovative housing options, developing a first-rate school system, and much more. 

Oren will speak during services and will be available after the kiddush for a Q&A.  

Israel Movie Night • Thursday, January 12 • 7:00 pm
We are kicking off Israel's 75^th birthday celebration with an Israeli Movie Night. Join us as we watch "The Women's Balcony"; a 2016 Israeli comedy film directed by Emil Ben-Shimon.  An accident during a bar mitzvah celebration leads to a gender rift in a devout Orthodox community in Jerusalem, in this rousing, good-hearted tale about women speaking truth to patriarchal power. This evening is free and includes the screening and movie snacks.  (This movie is in Hebrew with English subtitles)