400 young European Jews, ages 18-35, enjoyed an extended weekend in Dublin. The annual European Center for Jewish Students (ECJS) “Just One Shabbat” New Year’s event took place December 31, 2009 – January 3, 2010.
Thursday the program commenced with a Dublin City tour including major sights such as Merrion Square, Dublin Castle, Trinity College, Temple Bar, Ha’Penny Bridge, National Gallery of Ireland and Dublinia. The Old Jameson Distillery demonstrated the manufacturing process of the Irish whisky to the group. An evening snow storm blanketed the city in white in time for the ACT New Year's Ball which featured the phenomenal Or LeIsrael band.
The next day the program included the famous Guinness Storehouse with explanations about the ingredients, brewing process and the history of Guinness advertisements. The glass-enclosed Gravity Bar provided an excellent view of Dublin while basking in sunshine, with protection from the frosty temperature.
After services Shabbat evening, Rabbi Meyer May, Executive Director of the Simon Wiesenthal Center (SWC), led an informative talk called "Keeping Popes, Kings and Rulers in the Loop (and not forgetting the rest of us, too)." Rabbi May shared some of his experiences meeting heads of state and leading government officials around the world, as well as some of the most prominent corporate leaders and philanthropists of our time. The delicious Shabbat dinner was followed by an ECJS social dessert reception lasting into the early hours of the morning.
Shabbat day services were followed by an entertaining and enlightening talk, "Goodness, it's confusing: How do I know when it's right?", by Rabbi Yossi Ives of Richmond Synagogue in London who is a qualified life coach, specializing in relationship coaching. His talk offered some powerful dating advice. After a leisurely lunch, Rabbi Yossi Ives discussed impressive and surprising achievements of the State of Israel during the "Top of the Pile - Israel's Ranking in the World" interactive lecture.
The evening featured "Unlikely Heros" which is a Moriah film highlighting five extraordinary people whose unique and inspiring stories cast a new light on Jewish resistance during the Holocaust. During the gala dinner on Saturday night, the 26 represented countries were announced with much fanfare from participants, and Rabbi Zalman Lent of Dublin addressed the attendees. The program concluded on Sunday with a goodbye breakfast and visit to the Jewish Museum and Synagogue.
Click here for complete article.
Annual Brussels weekend, November 26-28. A weekend full of fun with plenty of sight seeing, good times, and a HUGE party with UEJB!
Police decoys have helped reduce street crime. The “decoy Jew” has now been added to the police attributes.
Despite volcanic disruptions to European air travel, 150 Europeans traveled to New York for the first transatlantic ECJS event May 6-10.
Ostrove told the Winnipeg Jewish Review that he had the opportunity to talk to a lot of European Jewish students, ages 18-35, about the their concerns, including anti-Semitism.
