10/20/07

In just over two weeks, the Jewish Learning Institute (JLI) will feature perhaps its most challenging course to date, titled “Beyond Never Again – The Holocaust: A View from the Soul.” Rather than focusing on history, the course will offer a different look at the Holocaust by exploring the continuing relevance of the Holocaust in a new century. Themes such as altruism, the nature of anti-Semitism, the existence of evil, and the search for meaning in the face of suffering are addressed in the six lessons.

Many people are afraid to take a Holocaust course - they don't want to plunge into something that is depressing. There is a place for getting in touch with what happened during the Holocaust, but there is also a place to hear the Holocaust's echoes, to see the meaning that it has for society and our lives, sixty years later. That's exactly what this course will offer and we hope you will join us, 6 consecutive Wednesday evenings, 8:15 - 9:30 pm, beginning November 8th, at Chabad of the Five Towns.

This course is in no way an attempt to answer why the Holocaust happened. Instead we're asking, ‘What does it mean to have faith in a post-Holocaust world?' We're looking at how it can serve as a template for each of us to overcome personal challenges. This revolutionary and creative approach carries the enthusiastic endorsement of institutions from Washington, DC's United States Holocaust Memorial Museum to Los Angeles, CA's Simon Wiesenthal Center to Israel's Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial Museum and Bar-Ilan University Finkler Institute of Holocaust Research, as well as Holocaust Centers in cities throughout the United States.

Because the courses are offered simultaneously at all JLI affiliate sites, students can move from one of the Institute's 160 sites to another, from Birmingham, Alabama, to Stockholm, Sweden, without missing a beat. Every student that signs up for the course is also given access to the JLI website where the discussions continue on a broader platform. It enhances the learning experience and makes JLI participants part of a global learning community.

Take advantage of our early bird special today: register by October 28 and pay only $79.00. For further information and registration, visit www.myJLI.com, email [email protected] or call (516) 295-2478. I look forward to your participation in this meaningful course!

Best wishes for a Shabbat Shalom & Chag Same'ach,
Rabbi Zalman Wolowik

Everyone needs a friend. Chabad of the Five Towns will help make that happen for children with special needs and their families. Beginning on October 30, Chabad will begin the “Friendship Circle”. Whether you're a teenager who wants to make a difference, a parent whose Jewish child has special needs, a professional willing to devote your time or a member of the community who would like to offer financial support, there's a place in Friendship Circle for you!

Chabad welcomes Jewish teens from local high schools to come and become a part of this unique, uplifting and fun program. Teens will receive special training from therapists and will then visit children with special needs on a regular basis. This also allows the parents of these children some precious free time. The teenage volunteer learns to cherish the value of giving and of making a difference in a child's life.

While our volunteers help others, they also have lots of fun. The Friendship Circle rewards their altruism with a vigorous, round-the-year program of exhilarating social outings and activities just for them. Teenagers will form a special bond, both with the families, the children they help and with their co-volunteers.

Approximately 30 Chabad Centers throughout the U.S. have this program and now Rabbi Meir and Hadassah Geisinsky, Chabad of the Five Towns' Youth Directors look forward to doing it here in the Five Towns. Together, the volunteers, children, parents, staff and supporters who make up the Friendship Circle can perform miracles

If you know of a teen who would like to volunteer, or a child with special needs, please contact Hadassah at (516) 295-2478 ext. 20 or at (516) 458-3694. You may also e-mail [email protected].

The first meeting for teens (grades 9 -12) will take place at Chabad of the Five Towns; 74 Maple Avenue; Cedarhurst, NY on October 30th, from 8:00-9:00 p.m. Please note there is no charge for volunteering or taking part in this program.