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Email this pageSaltz Center calendar bursts with activities in Israel and beyond
The World Union’s Anita Saltz International Education Center has been quite busy over the past several months, providing almost non-stop educational programs both at its headquarters in Mercaz Shimshon-Beit Shmuel in Jerusalem, and in communities around the world.
“Our mission is to connect Progressive Jews from around the world with each other and with Israel,” says Rabbi Rich Kirschen, director of the Saltz Center. “We do this through the study of Am Yisrael (the people of Israel), Eretz Yisrael (the Land of Israel) and Torat Yisrael (the Torah of Israel). The synergy between studying Judaism in Israel and studying around the world is what the World Union is all about.”
Recent programs have included long- and short-term seminars in Israel for such groups as the Union for Reform Judaism (annual URJ Israel Study Kallah), students from the various US campuses of Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion (preparatory programs for their year in Israel), and individual missions from Progressive, Reform and Liberal congregations from around the world. There have also been “identity seminars” for Netzer Olami, the World Union’s international Zionist youth movement; shabbaton programs for students at Hebrew University; a holiday study program for the URJ's E.I.E. year-in-Israel high school program; and ongoing activities in conjunction with Birthright Israel.
This past February it conducted numerous programs in Paris at the biennial conference of the European Union for Progressive Judaism, while in May it provided seminar and workshop activities at the biennial conference of the South African Union for Progressive Judaism. In March, Saltz center staff members travelled to North Western Reform (Alyth Gardens) Synagogue in London for a leadership weekend, while in May it was invited to Jackson, Mississippi, to run a board retreat for the URJ Henry S. Jacobs Camp. Also in May, staff members were in Stockholm teaching a liturgical workshop for lay leaders in Stockholm, moving on to Budapest to work with young Jewish leadership.
In June, the center expanded its range by running its first interfaith seminar with the Australian Council for Christians and Jews. The seminar was not only a success, but something that the council would like to repeat next year.
“We should be very proud of the work Rich and Saltz Center educator Paul Liptz provide,” writes Dr. Philip Bliss, a World Union vice chairman from Australia who led the group. “It was a wonderful experience for everyone, especially those who had never been to Israel before.
We were all much wiser and much more aware of Middle East politics, religions, and the interplay between all three faiths.”
Over the past year, the Saltz Center has gotten active on the Internet. It has been sending out regular cyber commentaries on the Torah portion of the week called Torah from Around the World, with guest commentators from around the world sharing their insight. It is now moving ahead with webinars that allow interactive study with its educational staff and with alumni and friends from around the world (see WUPJnews #386). In addition, the center now has podcasts that can be downloaded from its Web site.
The Australian interfaith group learns about the Temple Mount during an on-site visit led by the Saltz Center in June.
