Rockville, MD - The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington is pleased to announce that on October 13, 2010 its new Network Division will officially be launched, coinciding with the start of Federation’s 2011 Annual Campaign. The dinner event, sponsored by local industry leader, The Meltzer Group, will feature bestselling author Stephen Dubner.

Dubner is the co-author of Freakonomics and Superfreakonomics. His first book, Turbulent Souls, is a memoir of his spiritual journey from Catholicism to Judaism. Dubner was raised by two Jewish parents who each converted to Christianity before they met. His is a story of seeking and finding in a complex world of choices.

Stuart S. Kurlander, Vice President of Financial Resource Development, is looking forward to the launch and believes it is the beginning of a new and important direction for The Federation, stating “We can become a significant nexus for people who want to grow their careers, network and develop friendships and make a difference by supporting Federation at the same time.”

This kickoff event has been made possible thanks to generous underwriting by financial services industry leader, The Meltzer Group. Jason M. Shames, Chief Development Officer at Federation, is grateful that “This generous sponsorship from The Meltzer Group enables Federation to use charitable dollars towards program and service delivery rather than administrative or overhead expenses. It also helps us bring more public awareness to the community and our partners”
The event will be held at the Grand Hyatt Washington on October 13th at 6 pm. For more information, visit: http://www.shalomdc.org/thenetwork2010

Rockville, MD – The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington is pleased to welcome Anton Goodman as the new community shaliach, an ambassador from Israel who will work to strengthen ties between our community and Israel. While in Greater Washington, Goodman will develop both formal and informal educational opportunities for students, campers, educators, policy makers and professionals linking them with their counterparts in Israel.

He will also serve as the lead professional for Federation’s Partnership 2000 relationship between Greater Washington, Bet Shemesh/Mateh Yehudah and South Africa, a role which will require Goodman to coordinate incoming delegations for Israeli P2K groups to the Greater Washington area. In addition, he will have an ongoing collaboration with the Embassy of Israel to maximize the presence of Israel in the community. 

“Our community has been very fortunate to have benefited from top notch professional schlichim who bring enthusiasm and energy to our community,” said Ina Miller Lerman, Director of The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington’s Israel and Overseas Department.  “Anton wants everyone to feel that Israel is their personal homeland; he wants to challenge perceptions about Israel; he wants to widen the circle of people who feel connected to Israel.”
Anton made aliyah nine years ago from Oxford, England. His passion for Israel led him to become the founder and director of the Leadership Institute, part of World B’Nei Akiva, the largest youth movement in the world dedicated to creating a strong Jewish Zionist identity among young Jews. This won’t be Anton’s first experience as a community shaliach – in 2005, Anton was a shaliach in Perth, Australia heading informal education in the Jewish Day School.
Anton, his wife, Anat, and their two children, Noam and Nitai arrive in late August. 

For more about Anton Goodman, you can see an interview with him at: http://www.shalomdc.org/page.aspx?id=224448

September 8, 2010 marks the beginning of the Jewish New Year, and the High Holy Days of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. If you are not a member of a congregation and want to attend services, The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington’s JConnect can help you find Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur services in Washington, D.C., Maryland and Northern Virginia.

A complete listing of synagogues and services can be found at shalomdc.org/highholidays  or by calling JConnect at 301-348-1356 or 703-286-1022.

The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington’s JConnect program is your connection to everything Jewish.  We are here to serve our community at the High Holy Days and throughout the year, JConnect is an important resource, providing a range of services from donation sites to kosher caterers to informational packages for new parents.

List of Congregations with High Holiday Tickets available to Non-Members >>

Today, the Prime Minister's Office released the following statement:

"In the weekly cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that he will oppose the proposed conversion bill as it could cause a split in the Jewish people. The Prime Minister said he will try to reach an agreement to have the proposed bill removed from the Knesset's agenda, but if that proves unsuccessful, then he will call upon the Likud faction and the factions of the other coalition partners to oppose the bill."

We congratulate the prime minister for his leadership on this issue and for his comment to the unity of the Jewish People.

References to this statement have been made in the mainstream Israeli media. Examples can be seen here (and copied as text at the end of the email), and the prime minister’s office posted this statement on his website, linked here as well:

• http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3921239,00.html
• http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/conversion-bill-will-tear-the-jewish-people-apart-netanyahu-warns-1.302602
• http://www.pmo.gov.il/PMOEng/Communication/Spokesman/2010/07/spokeconlaw180710.htm

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The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington expresses its strong opposition to the proposed conversion law that is currently being considered by the Israeli Knesset and supports the ongoing efforts of The Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA) to prevent the proposed bill from becoming law. This legislation would have the most unfortunate effect of dividing the Jewish community and weakening the essential connection between Israel and Jewish communities in the Diaspora, by placing unnecessary and harmful
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