The name "Har-El" means "Mountain of God." Har-El Institute is a new worship and study concept for the 21st century, designed to complement and enhance the lifestyle of the contemporary Jew. There is a rich history to the Har-El concept. Following World War One, Franz Rosenzweig, Jewish philosopher and educator, founded the Freies Judisches Lehrhaus (Independent House of Jewish Study) in Frankfurt-on-the Main. Students were encouraged to design their own courses based on their interests and questions. Rosenzweig died in 1929 and, in 1933, Martin Buber became head of the Lehrhaus. Forced to leave Nazi Germany in 1938, Buber went to the Hebrew University of Jerusalem where he became Professor of Social Philosophy.
I, together with our Board and the Galen Har-El Trimester Advisory Committee, invite you to enjoy this form of study either as a member of Har-El or as a participant in the Helene and Louis Galen Har-El Trimester Series of courses, Symposium: Fridays With A Scholar and Fortnight of Learning. We believe you will find Har-El as rewarding today as in 1929.
Warmly,
Rabbi Richard A. Zionts, Ph.D., Spiritual Leader and Founding Rabbi
SHABBAT EVENTS
Services are held from 5:00 to 5:30 pm Friday afternoons.
by Evelyne Klein When our (fabulous) Membership Director asked if I would host a Shabbat dinner at our house, as a way to have long-standing members meet new members, I thought: What a terrific idea!! There were so many new members we did not know, and members we saw at temple events only. What better way to bring old and new together, get to know other members better, than around the Shabbat dinner table? I was amazed at the synergies between the old and new members who came: the conversation flowed around the table, with everyone introducing themselves, and topics ranging from the impact of Hillel on college students to training for boards, to activities for disabled youngsters and numerous other topics, both personal and otherwise. The conversation was lively and vigorous the entire evening. When our kids were young, my father would insist we come for Shabbat dinner on [...]
by Craig Parks I am a very rare breed in the Reform Movement. Out of over 900 congregations I am one of the very few full time Directors of Youth Programming that has been in my job over ten years. I have now spoken at my third national Biennial in a row and do so with great fervor. When those attendees come to my presentations and hear about the 60 -70 kids coming to our Teen Shabbat Jam 2 hour Friday night service once a month or our well over 100 9-12 graders participating in our programs such as the social action youth group Tikkun Project, or the summer camp that brings in gobs of kids and teens who work on staff I sometimes have to reach for napkins to wipe the drool off the faces. I can’t even tell you how many times I have heard the phrase “Can [...]
The Obama’s dog? No, it’s not that “Bo” my friend We’re talking Torah! In this week’s portion Pesach observance described A law for all time Kids are gonna ask What’s this seder mean to you? You must answer them Exodus 12:26-27 Your children may ask you, ‘What is this service to you?’ You must answer, ‘It is the Passover service to God. He passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt when He struck the Egyptians, sparing our homes.’
by Rabbi Henry Jay Karp In my first installment in this series, I spoke about the merger discussions between our congregation and the Tri City Jewish Center. At that time I stated that since I addressed institutional reasons for why the resulting congregation should affiliate with the Reform movement in my answers to the Merger Task Force’s questionnaire, therefore in this series I would restrict the focus of these articles to personal ideological reasons for my love of and commitment to Reform Judaism. However, as I now conclude this series, I wish to remove that self-imposed restriction and revisit why I feel so strongly about our congregation’s connection to the institutions and organizations of Reform Judaism. While ideology, practice, culture, all are important, they do not exist in a vacuum. They do not spring up overnight, born of thin air. Rather they are the product of like-minded people coming together [...]
Jewish World News
SPECIAL EVENTS & REMINDERS
A special program of the Union for Reform Judaism, "A Taste of Judaism--Are You Curious?" will be offered by Har-El. The program will be offered to non-members in the Greater Coachella Valley, with the curriculum provided by the Union for Reform Judaism. Har-El believes that there is a tremendous value in this type of outreach program opportunity that benefits the Coachella Valley and those who are seeking a way into the Jewish Reform Community. It targets unaffiliated Jews and interfaith couples, as well as those with no denominational preference. The program will be offered over 3 weeks, beginning October 13, 2010. The program will be conducted by Rabbi Richard Zionts, Ph.D., Presiding Rabbi, Har-El. For more information contact Har-El, 760-779-1691 or e-mail harelurj@aol.com.
Full course description of the the 2010-2011 courses will be posted over the summer. Synopsis of the courses and registration form can be accessed by clicking on the Galen Trimester Catalogue button (above).
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The name "Har-El" means "Mountain of God." Har-El Institute is a new worship and study concept for the 21st century, designed to complement and enhance the lifestyle of the contemporary Jew. There is a rich history to the Har-El concept. Following World War One, Franz Rosenzweig, Jewish philosopher and educator, founded the Freies Judisches Lehrhaus (Independent House of Jewish Study) in Frankfurt-on-the Main. Students were encouraged to design their own courses based on their interests and questions. Rosenzweig died in 1929 and, in 1933, Martin Buber became head of the Lehrhaus. Forced to leave Nazi Germany in 1938, Buber went to the Hebrew University of Jerusalem where he became Professor of Social Philosophy.
