Interfaith Outreach

Introduction to Judaism
"After we converted, two other members of the class and I had aliyot at Melissa's (another classmate's) bat-mitzvah. I had a really wonderful experience in the class and that day in June was so special. We had all gone through this life transition together. It was so worth the time."
- Gretchen Putman, Gloucester

This free 20-week course, offered in partnership between the North Shore Rabbinic Association and the Jewish Continuity Committee of the Robert I. Lappin Charitable Foundation, is designed for people wishing to explore Judaism and those seeking conversion. The course is taught by local Conservative and Reform rabbis, allowing people the convenience of studying in their community. Offered in the fall, topics include Bible, Jewish holidays, customs and ceremonies, Jewish history, Hebrew and mitzvot (obligations).
For more information on Introduction to Judaism, call Deborah Coltin at 978-740-4428 or email dcoltin@rilcf.org.

Conversions to Judaism, Subsidies for Related Costs
“I went to the mikvah and I had the ritual circumcision which was really less painful than taking a drop of blood from a fingertip, yet very meaningful. I said the blessings and it was a real growth experience, a real point in my life that I never will forget.”
Ed Budelmann of Beverly

Under the supervision of a sponsoring rabbi, costs related to conversions to Judaism are fully subsidized for men (non-surgical), women and children. For more information on subsidized conversions,call Deborah Coltin at 978-740-4428 or email dcoltin@rilcf.org. or contact your rabbi.

Welcome to the Community Gift
“I felt like the gifts were really important and valuable because they made me feel so welcome. I felt like the Jewish community was really happy I had joined them.”
- Charlotte Gordon, Gloucester

New converts to Judaism are welcomed into the Jewish community with a gift basket, consisting of religious items of their choice, up to $150 in value. Individuals may choose from such items as a mezuzah, candlesticks, seder plate, tefillin, tallit and other items. For more information on a Welcome to the Community Gift, call call Deborah Coltin at 978-740-4428 or email dcoltin@rilcf.org.

Grants to Agencies for Interfaith Outreach
“Our grant from the Lappin Foundation has allowed us to train a member of
the congregation to do outreach to intermarried couples, in cooperation
with the Conservative Federation of Jewish Men's Clubs. Our keruv
coordinator has planned a number of events to bring these couples together and get them thinking about the value of affiliation with the Jewish community.
Our working assumption is that "belonging comes before believing."
- Rabbi David Klatzker

North Shore Jewish agencies are invited to apply for grants to develop their own interfaith outreach programs, such as holiday workshops and Jewish parenting for interfaith families. Click here to apply online, or for more information call Deborah Coltin at 978-740-4428 or email dcoltin@rilcf.org.

Programs for Families
“They offer a truly amazing sense of Jewish community and act as the extended family that I lack in this country. I want the Jewish community spirit.”
- Ester Awnetwant-Esperon, Boxford

The Magic of Sh’ma
“The magic of the Sh’ma is in the power of these six words to transform your lives. Reciting the words makes you stop and think about what it means to be a Jew, a member of a great and unique people. The words connect us through the ages, transform us in time from the present to the past and forward to our future.”
- Deborah Coltin, Peabody

The Magic of Sh’ma is a new program designed to encourage people of all ages to pledge to recite the Sh’ma Yisrael, words that have tied the Jewish people together for thousands of year, twice a day for a week, with the objective of it becoming a life-long habit.
Sh’ma Week will take place from August 13 to 20, 2005, with the goal of having hundreds of Jewish people, children and adults, across the North Shore pledge to recite the Sh’ma Yisrael twice a day, morning and evening. Participants will receive a free, beautiful full-color Sh’ma Yisrael magnet and free laminated wallet card to remind them of the everlasting six words.
Click here to register for the The Magic of Sh’ma or register by calling Deborah Coltin at 978-740-4428 or email dcoltin@rilcf.org. Deadline for registration is August 5.

Sh’ma Teach-Ins for Adults and Teens
Want to learn more about the Sh’ma Yisrael and how to make it part of your daily life? Attend a free program for adults and teens. Participants will receive a free kosher mezuzah from Israel valued at $35 and a free, beautiful full-color magnet and laminated wallet card with the words of the Sh’ma Yisrael. Click here to register online or call Deborah Coltin at 978-740-4428 or email dcoltin@rilcf.org.

Introduction to the Sh’ma Yisrael taught by Deborah Coltin
• Monday, May 16, 7:30 p.m. Temple Ner Tamid Peabody
• Thursday, May 19, 7:30 p.m. Marblehead JCC
• Thursday, June 2, 7:30 p.m. Temple Ahavat Achim, Gloucester

Advanced Study of the Sh’ma Yisrael taught by Robert Tornberg, Head of School, Cohen Hillel Academy
• Wednesday, May 18, 7:30 p.m., Cohen Hillel Academy, Marblehead

Sh’ma Teach-Ins will take place in Jewish schools across the North Shore. Older children will receive a beautiful, free Sh’ma Yisrael poster and younger children will receive Sh’ma Yisrael pillowcase, reminding them to recite the words when they go to sleep and when they wake up. For more information on The Magic of Sh’ma, call Deborah Coltin at 978-740-4428 or email dcoltin@rilcf.org. .


Sukkat Shalom
“My sukkah was decorated with the sea, earth and sky. My kids were thrilled with it and we had a party the first night. We sat out there and it was a lovely warm night. It made us feel more connected to the holiday.”
- Shelley Sackett, Swampscott

Celebrate the Festival of Sukkot at your home with family and friends in your own sukkah. Before the holiday, families are offered an educational workshop to learn how to celebrate Sukkot in a meaningful and spiritual way. You receive an easy-to-assemble, free sukkah valued at $100, free lulav and etrog valued at $35 and free educational materials valued at $12 to create a joyous holiday tradition. Over the past four years, 220 sukkot have been distributed to families across the North Shore. For more information, call Julie Newburg, 978-740-4404 or email jnewburg@rilcf.org.

Jewish Beginnings
“I am very excited for the opportunity to have books to explain the Jewish holidays so our children can be educated about them”
-Shari Reiser McStay, Danvers

The Jewish community is here to welcome your new baby to the community and make him/her a part of their larger Jewish family. Jewish Beginnings lets new parents of Jewish and interfaith families know that the community is here to help and support raising Jewish children. Parents may choose any one of the following gifts, valued up to $50, free of charge: The Jewish Parents’ Almanac, a kiddush cup, a mezuzah for the child’s room, collection of Sammy the Spider holiday books, child’s menorah or child’s tzedakah box. For more information, call Deborah Coltin at 978-740-4428 or email dcoltin@rilcf.org.

Great Shofar Blowout
“It feels so wonderful to be among all these Jews. This is a wonderful unifier.”
- Ronald Pressler, Amesbury.

The Jewish Continuity Committee holds the Guinness World Record for most number of shofars blown in unison! The world record was set on August 17, 2004, Rosh Chodesh Elul, a day when Jews traditionally start to blow the shofar daily leading up to the Jewish new year, Rosh Hashana. It was set during the Great Shofar Blowout on Kings Beach in Swampscott, attracting a crowd of nearly 1,000 people with 386 officially registered shofar blowers coming from all over Massachusetts, other states and Israel.
For assistance in holding a Great Shofar Blowout or challenging the world record of 386, call Deborah Coltin at 978-740-4428 or email dcoltin@rilcf.org.

Rekindle Shabbat

Programs for Teachers
”I realize what an honor it is to be a teacher, especially a Hebrew teacher. I understand the important role we play in the lives or our students and how in many cases, we are the main source of their Jewish upbringing. This role cannot and should not be taken lightly.”
Lauren Goldman, Swampscott

Inspirational Jewish Teaching
“I saw so many wonderful teachers and we all needed that support and recognition as teachers. I really almost gave up on being recognized as a Hebrew teacher, but that night I felt like everyone wanted to have better Hebrew school and make the kids happier in Hebrew school.“
- Rachel Jacobson, Swampscott

Inspirational Jewish Teaching, valued at $300 per teacher, is a free class designed for Jewish educators who are teaching in the community’s congregational religious schools, grades three and above. The goal is to motivate Jewish educators to create exciting places of learning, which will inspire our children to want to learn the richness and beauty of the Jewish heritage and take pride in their Jewishness.
By offering the course free and in the community, Inspirational Jewish Teaching attracted 47 teachers from 13 different Hebrew schools around the region. Teachers receive a stipend for participating in the course.
Jewish educators are a critical link in enhancing Jewish pride in our children. The time our children spend with their teachers in Jewish schools should be quality time, full of energy and excitement and wonder. Topics include Bringing God into the Classroom, Translating Torah Text into Meaningful Classroom Experiences, Hebrew Games, Educating All our Jewish Children and Celebrating Rosh Chodesh.
Inspirational Jewish Teaching, offered free is valued at $300 per teacher and open to educators teaching in any of the religious schools on the North Shore. For more information, call Deborah Coltin at 978-740-4428 or email dcoltin@rilcf.org. .

Early Childhood Institute
“It inspired me to delve into Torah study with younger kids and adapt it to their level. And, I adapt teaching methods to the individual learning styles of my students. It brought me a wealth of knowledge.”
Cindy Rosenberg, Marblehead

Recognizing that preschool teachers serve as inspirational Jewish role models to our children and their families, the Robert I. Lappin Charitable Foundation formed a partnership with Hebrew College to bring Jewish education for our preschool teachers into the community, removing cost as a barrier to participation. In the current course, “The Spring Holidays: Purim, Pesach and Shavuot,” teachers will learn how to go from the text to the tangibles as they translate holiday concepts into hands-on classroom curriculum. Teachers will receive one college credit, either graduate or undergraduate, for their participation in the class, as well as credit for professional development.

Preschool teachers are often the first connection for young children and their families to the organized local Jewish community and to the larger Jewish family.

Early Childhood Institute is offered free and valued at $220 per teacher. It is open to all preschool educators at any of the Jewish preschools on the North Shore. For more information, call Deborah Coltin at 978-740-4428 or email dcoltin@rilcf.org.

Grinspoon-Steinhardt Award for Excellence in Jewish Education
“I am so encouraged to learn and to be respected for learning in this environment. I find a huge support system in this community.”
- Gayle Solomon, Swampscott

Do you know a teacher of excellence, who inspires our children and works to help keep them Jewish? Please consider nominating him or her for the 6th annual Grinspoon-Steinhardt Awards for Excellence in Jewish Education.

Presented in Jewish communities across North America, the Grinspoon-Steinhardt Awards are designed to recognize, honor and support outstanding Jewish educators in day schools and other formal Jewish educational settings on a local and national level.
To be eligible for the Grinspoon-Steinhardt award, a Jewish educator must:
• Demonstrate a commitment to our mission of helping to keep our children Jewish
• Demonstrate exceptional achievement in Jewish education
• Have made a significant impact on students and the community
• Have a minimum of three years experience in the field
• Teach at least eight hours per week in a Jewish day school, religious school or preschool (teachers can fulfill the requirement in more than one institution)

2005 Grinspoon-Steinhardt award winners receive:
• $1000 cash prize, which is sponsored by the Jewish Continuity Committee of the Robert I. Lappin Charitable Foundation.
• $1,500 professional development stipend OR a free trip to Israel to participate in Kivunim, a two-week Israel Experience Program for Education made possible by the Harold Grinspoon Foundation and the Jewish Life Network.
• An all-expenses paid invitation to attend the JESNA National Awards Ceremony and Seminar

In 2004 there were 56 Grinspoon-Steinhardt award winners from across North America. Past award recipients from our community include:

2004: Marla Mindel and Gayle Solomon
2003: Rachel Jacobson
2001: Lynn Rubenstein
2000: Deborah Coltin
Please visit www.grinspoonsteinhardt.org to download a nomination form or call Julie Newburg at 978-740-4404 for more information. Nominations forms must be emailed to Julie Newburg, 978-740-4404 no later than May 16.

Subsidies for Professional Development
“The more we help educators become better at our jobs, the more we show that we value them and the better they can teach our children. The benefit of educating Jewish professionals provides value to an entire community far beyond the cost.”
- Marian Gorman

Jewish educators may receive a subsidy of up to 50 percent for participation in any approved course of professional development in the area of Jewish education. To apply for a subsidy,call Deborah Coltin at 978-740-4428 or email dcoltin@rilcf.org.

Youth to Israel
“What Israel left me with was a deep love I didn’t know was possible toward a small piece of land … Not only did I learn Jewish history, but I found the path I had been seeking for a long time. … I have found out who I am, a Jew, what I believe in, Zionism, and my second home, Israel.”
- Charlee Bianchini of Gloucester

Youth to Israel (Y2I) is a year-long program designed to help keep our children Jewish by enhancing Jewish pride, connecting teens to Israel, instilling a sense of belonging to the Jewish family, and building community. It works by providing a year of education, for parents and teens and community service highlighted by a once-in-a-lifetime free trip to Israel or Eastern Europe with Israeli teens. Y2I is open to Jewish sophomores and juniors who live in the service area of the Jewish Federation of the North Shore. (LINK to Federation web site). Teens have the choice of going on a community trip or using a $4,650 one-time subsidy towards travel on another approved Israel program, typically a youth movement or camp trip.

Y2I is a program partnership of the Robert I. Lappin Foundation and the Jewish Federation of the North Shore. For more information,
call Marla Gay at 978-564-0729 or email mgay@jfns.org.

Community Trips
• The Y2I European Adventure began in the summer of 2001 as an alternative for families not comfortable sending their teens to Israel at the time. To preserve the important connection to Israel, the entire program is a mifgash, or encounter, between the Israeli and American teens, who travel together and bond with each other along their common Jewish history. North Shore teens develop meaningful and lasting friendship with Israelis. They spend two weeks exploring the history and culture of Eastern Europe with emphasis is on the Jewish communities of these countries, their history, the Holocaust and their future.

• Next Stop Israel (NSI) brings teens to Israel where they make lasting friendships with Israeli teens as they travel the country from north to south, experiencing all that our Jewish homeland has to offer. From the beauty of the land to the hospitality of the people, the sights, sounds and spirit of Israel leave a lasting impression.

JEWISH PRIDE RESOURCE MATERIALS
Building a strong foundation of Jewish pride is key in helping to keep our children Jewish. To order free Jewish pride resource materials, call Deborah Coltin at 978-740-4428 or email dcoltin@rilcf.org.

Jewish Pride Posters
“The posters have such a simple message, beautifully done. We have used them in our religious school and passed them to the public school.”
- Rabbi Barbara Aiello of Temple Beth El in Bradenton, Fla.,

To instill Jewish pride in students all over the country, the Robert I. Lappin Charitable Foundation has mailed a set of five Jewish pride posters to more than 1,800 Reform, Conservative and Reconstructionist Hebrew schools and day schools.
The posters depicting teens have a great time in Israel, are available for free. Four of the posters depict American teens enjoying themselves in Israel. Two of the images include rock climbing and floating in the Dead Sea, with the phrases, “It’s a Challenge to Be Jewish,” or “It’s Cool to be Jewish.” A fifth poster shows the map of the Middle East, highlighting Israel as a small country and a world population pie chart showing Jews as .2 percent of the world population with the words, “We are small in numbers and size … but we are a great and unique family.”
These posters are ideal for Jewish schools, camps, JCCs, museums, Federations, Hillels, and other Jewish venues. To order a free set of Jewish pride posters,call Deborah Coltin at 978-740-4428 or email dcoltin@rilcf.org.
Click here to see posters!!

Great Jewish Achievers Documentary
QUOTE NEEDED
This hour-long, five-segment documentary, geared to children ages 10 to14, highlights great Jewish achievers and how their achievements, in every field of human endeavor, have made the world a better place. Children are very proud to learn that despite our small numbers, we are a great people. More than 2,500 copies of the documentary and user’s guide have been distributed free of charge to Jewish schools, camps, JCCs, museums, Federations, and other Jewish venues across the United States, Canada and Europe. While designed for children, people of all ages love this documentary. To order a free copy of Great Jewish Achievers, call Deborah Coltin at 978-740-4428 or email dcoltin@rilcf.org.

Great Achievements of the Jewish People—Coming Soon!
Order your copy now! This 45-minute documentary highlights the great achievements of the Jewish people throughout the ages. Viewers swell with Jewish pride at the accomplishments of our people - the re-birth of the State of Israel, the survival of the Jewish people against all odds, the ageless lessons of Torah and much more! Viewers travel through time in a time machine with three young narrators as they highlight the great achievements of the Jewish people. Geared to young adults, ages 11 to 14, this documentary will surely interest people of all ages.
Documentary will be ready for distribution in the fall of 2005. To order a free copy of Great Achievements of the Jewish People,call Deborah Coltin at 978-740-4428 or email dcoltin@rilcf.org.

Sh’ma Yisrael Poster
“I want to get this poster framed and hang it in my classroom. The topic of the Sh’ma can be taught on so many age levels.”
-Stefanie Gladstone, Marblehead

The six words of the Sh’ma Yisrael have inspired the Jewish people for millennia and connect them from generation to generation. This beautiful poster is a reminder to recite the words twice a day, morning and evening. The words of the Sh’ma are written in Hebrew, English and transliteration making this poster a useful teaching tool. To order a free poster,call Deborah Coltin at 978-740-4428 or email dcoltin@rilcf.org.

Programs for Schools
Subsidized Trips to Holocaust Museum

“I’m very glad I went and got the experience. Some of the exhibits were unspeakably amazing. You went in and were awestruck for a moment. I had to stop for a moment think that in my life I might worry about getting a Gameboy for Hanukkah. They didn’t have anything during the Holocaust.”
- David Steinberg, Danvers, Mass.

Young teens and their parents culminate study of the Holocaust with a subsidized trip, up to $150 per person, to the U.S. Memorial Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C. or the Museum of Jewish Heritage in New York. This opportunity is available to every Jewish school on the North Shore. Experiences like these create memories for our children and facilitate Jewish conversations between parents and children.
For more information on applying for a grant for a subsidized trip to the Holocaust Museum,call Deborah Coltin at 978-740-4428 or email dcoltin@rilcf.org.

Tefillin for Teens
“I felt connected to a tradition and it made me think that it is important to carry on the traditions of the Jews.”
- Daniel Katz, 13, of Wenham
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Tefillin are described as the “ties that bind” and learning to use them is part of the curriculum in many of the seventh grade Hebrew school classes on the North Shore. Seventh grade is the year when most children celebrate becoming a Bar/Bat Mitzvah and learn many of the traditions that tie them to their great and unique Jewish family, both in the past and the future.
That is why the Robert I. Lappin Charitable Foundation offers the “Tefillin for Teens,” program to every Jewish school, offering students a free, beautiful tefillin bag from Israel, valued at $150 per child. The students who wear them say they feel more connected to prayers such as the Sh’ma and it makes them feel that they are continuing a Jewish tradition started thousands of years ago. For more information, call Julie Newburg, 978-740-4404 or email jnewburg@rilcf.org.

Babaganewz
“Our philosophy is to be Jewish seven days a week and the Babaganewz and all the news in there helps us to do that, to realize that there is a world outside of Hebrew school and they are part of it and can change the world a little bit at a time.”
- Rachel Schwartz

We provide Jewish schools with free subscriptions, valued at $5 each, to this lively, informative and relevant current events magazine for students in grades five to seven. For more information, call Julie Newburg, 978-740-4404 or email jnewburg@rilcf.org.

Tiku Shofar
The shofar calls us to action. Young teens learn the mitzvah of the shofar and receive their own free shofar from Israel and supplemental educational materials, valued at $40. Students are invited to participate in the shofar service at local temples and are encouraged to visit nursing homes and hospitals to sound the shofar for others during the High Holy Days. For more information, call Julie Newburg, 978-740-4404 or email jnewburg@rilcf.org.

B’nai Tzedek
“I thought it would be a good program for giving me responsibility to give money and where to give. My family felt good about me donating my money.”
- Hillary Levine, Peabody

Philanthropy rocks. Give it away with B’nai Tzedek, a hands-on program of Jewish philanthropy for teens. A $500 philanthropic fund is established in teen's name with a donation of $200 from teen's Bar/Bat mitzvah gifts and a $300 donation from the Jewish Continuity Committee of the Robert I. Lappin Charitable Foundation. For the next 20 years, teens make annual contributions to local Jewish charities of their choice. A beautiful membership certificate is presented at teen's Bar/Bat Mitzvah service. For more information, call Julie Newburg, 978-740-4404 or email jnewburg@rilcf.org.

Hebrew Literacy for Adults
"I can read Hebrew now for the first time in 36 years. I started doing it because my son started Hebrew school and it is important to me. It is another extension of what we started as a family with our Judaism."
Lisa Cohen, Peabody

Grants of up to $800 per course are available to Jewish schools for the development and implementation of adult Hebrew literacy programs, geared for parents of preschool and Hebrew school students. For more information on applying for a grant, call Deborah Coltin at 978-740-4428 or email dcoltin@rilcf.org.

Jewish Education for Parents
“The amount of energy generated by this program is phenomenal. We have a preschool program where parents come in once per month for stories and crafts. The parents have an opportunity to see what’s happening. They study with the Ulpan specialist and they are as excited as can be about learning.”
-- Lynn Rubenstein

Grants of up to $800 per course are available to Jewish schools for the development and implementation of multi-session, in-depth courses of Jewish study for parents of preschool and Hebrew school children. For more information on applying for a grant,call Deborah Coltin at 978-740-4428 or email dcoltin@rilcf.org.

• Early Childhood Institute
• Great Achievements of the Jewish People   Documentary
• Great Jewish Achievers Documentary
• Inspirational Jewish Teaching
• Introduction to Judaism
• Jewish Beginnings
• Jewish Pride Posters
• Lulav and Etrog
• Rekinde Havdalah
• Rekindle Shabbat Educational Workshop
• Sukkat Shalom
•The Magic of Sh’ma
• Welcome to the Community Gift

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• Early Childhood Institute
• Great Achievements of the Jewish People   Documentary
• Great Jewish Achievers Documentary
• Inspirational Jewish Teaching
• Introduction to Judaism
• Jewish Beginnings
• Jewish Pride Posters
• Lulav and Etrog
• Rekinde Havdalah
• Rekindle Shabbat Educational Workshop
• Sukkat Shalom
•The Magic of Sh’ma
• Welcome to the Community Gift   

  Back to top