 |
 |
 42 HUC-JIR Students to lead Passover celebrations in the Former Soviet Union in program co-sponsored by HUC-JIR and World Union for Progressive Judaism This April, 42 rabbinical, cantorial, and education students from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR) will travel to the Former Soviet Union (FSU) on a mission to provide a meaningful Passover celebration for thousands of underserved Jews. This program, now in its fifth year, is a partnership between HUC-JIR and the World Union for Progressive Judaism and provides programs and unique learning opportunities for the growing Reform Jewish communities in the Former Soviet Union. The World Union for Progressive Judaism, which unites and supports all Reform congregations world-wide, coordinates and oversees the trip. The students will travel to over 40 communities throughout Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus to lead Passover seders and educational programs and bring much-needed Jewish resources to the communities. The goals of the FSU Pesach Project are to:
This significant project began 5 years ago. Stacey Nolish Blank, who helped develop the program with classmates as a first-year rabbinical student, says, "We felt it was important for future leaders of the Jewish people to feel ourselves part of a worldwide network of Reform Jews. I am overwhelmed by how the program has grown over the past five years. The students bring Judaism to corners of the world that are really hard to reach, bridging language and cultural gaps and, themselves, return with a greater appreciation of all the blessings of Jewish resources that we have in our communities." This year, first-year rabbinical student Matt Cohen and his wife, Erin are participating in the FSU Project. "I am really looking forward to this special experience. It is a joy and an honor to pass on the traditions of Passover to our fellow Jews in the FSU," says Matt. Support for this noteworthy endeavor can be made through tax-deductible donations. Please send your check payable to HUC-JIR (with FSU Pesach Project marked on the memo line) to: HUC-JIR Attn: Diane Bongard 3101 Clifton Avenue Cincinnati, OH 45220 Founded in 1875, Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion is the nation's oldest institution of higher Jewish education and the academic, spiritual, and professional leadership development center of Reform Judaism. HUC-JIR educates men and women for service to American and world Jewry as rabbis, cantors, educators, and communal service professionals, and offers graduate and post-graduate programs to scholars of all faiths. With centers of learning in Cincinnati, Jerusalem, Los Angeles, and New York, HUC-JIR's scholarly resources comprise renowned library and museum collections, the American Jewish Archives, biblical archaeology excavations, research institutes and centers, and academic publications. HUC-JIR invites the community to an array of cultural and educational programs which illuminate Jewish history, identity, and contemporary creativity and which foster interfaith and multiethnic understanding. Visit us at www.huc.edu |
