The Global Day of Jewish Learning 2012/5773
Gratitude and Blessings
Sunday, November 18
9:00 am – 1:00 pm
The Springs Preserve
333 S. Valley View Boulevard
Las Vegas, NV 89107
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to sign up and choose sessions.
Join with community members from across the Las Vegas Valley for the 3rd Annual Global Day of Jewish Learning taking place simultaneously in 300 communities across the world. Everyone is invited! Children, teenagers and adults. This year’s theme is "Gratitude and Blessings" …an exploration of Jewish learning through art, community service, text study, film, theater, and more. Learn about the connections between saying different types of blessings, expressing individual prayers and community building.
The Global Day of Jewish Learning is free and open to all levels of learners.
9:00 am Check-In
9:30 am Opening program and Global Day of Jewish Learning film
10:00 am Choice of Eleven Sessions
11:00 am Choice of Ten Sessions
12:00 pm Communal Gathering
Advance registration requested. For more information please contact Elliot Karp at elliot@jewishlasvegas.com.
Sponsored By the Jewish Federation of Las Vegas
Full Session Descriptions
10am Options
1. High School-Adults: Finding God, Finding Gratitude: How to Appreciate our Everyday Lives
Explore the idea that it is gratitude that connects us to ourselves, our community and God. Led by Rabbi Felipe Goodman, spiritual leader of Temple Beth Sholom.
2. High School-Adults: Gratitude and Birkat HaMazon (Grace after Meals)
Explore the blessings we say when we are done eating and our plates are cleared. Led by Rabbi Shea Harlig, spiritual leader of Chabad of Southern Nevada.
3. High School-Adults: Is There a Recipe for Prayer? A Lesson In Picking Perfect Words
Explore the concept of prayer whether from a prayer book or spontaneous cries from the heart. Led by Rabbi Sanford Akselrad, spiritual leader of Congregation Ner Tamid for 25 years.
4. High School-Adults: Growing Your Garden of Gratitude
Explore the critical role an awareness of blessings and the attitude of gratitude play in our lives and the success of our community. Led by Hadassa Lefkowitz, a Jewish educator in the Clark County School District for 14 years.
5. Middle School-Adults: Film Excerpts and Discussion “Praying with Lior”
A tender documentary film about Lior Liebling, “the little Rebbe” who has Downs syndrome and has spent his entire life praying with utter abandon. The movie poses difficult questions such as, what is a “disability,” and who really talks to God? Led by Noa Peri-Jensch, President of The Global Momentum, a firm that specializes in high-performance teamwork.
6. Middle School-Adults: Tour of The Springs Preserve
Explore the amazing “green” buildings of the Springs Preserve, a symbol of our gratitude for God’s creation. Led by Jeff Roberts, the award winning architect of the Springs Preserve LEED Platinum Certified Desert Living Center.
7. Adults: Project Angel Faces – Shift 1
Roll up your sleeves to build containers out of reclaimed wood to be used in a vegetable garden at an inner-city community center. Led by Rhonda K. Killough, Founder and Director of Project Angel Faces which supports “at-risk” community members by growing and distributing produce.
8. Newborns-2nd grade (parents MUST accompany children): City Lights Music Together
“Words are the pen of the heart but Music is the pen of the soul.” (Shneur Zalman) Calling all children birth through 2nd grade to bring the grown-ups who love you for some singing, dancing, jamming, music-making fun with City Lights Music Together! Share the joy of family music! Led by Melanie Ron Agatstein, Director of City Lights Music Together in Las Vegas who has been teaching the internationally acclaimed Music Together® program for over 10 years throughout the Valley. Parents MUST accompany children for this session.
9. Grades 3, 4, 5: Experience a Blessing Scavenger Hunt!
In adult supervised teams find some of the amazing aspects of God’s creation for which we have gratitude on the Springs Preserve’s ground. Led by Rabbi Dani Locker, Director of Youth Programming for the Las Vegas Kollel.
10. Grades 6, 7, 8: Blessings Through Art
This is an inspiring practical workshop where young people will create their own pieces of art on the theme of Blessings and Gratitude. Led by Michelle Martel-Kusnier, art teacher at the Solomon Schechter Day School of Las Vegas and former art director at Desert Torah Academy and the JCC of Southern Nevada’s Camp K’helah.
11am Sessions
1. High School-Adults: Blessing the Bad: How Do We Relate to Bad Things?
Must we believe that everything is for the best? Explore the philosophical, religious and textual responses to the existential question of blessing the bad. Led by Rabbi Malcolm Cohen, spiritual leader of Temple Sinai and Chair of Las Vegas’ Global Day of Jewish Learning.
2. High School-Adults: Celebrating Differences: An Artistic Interpretation of Blessing Those Who are Unique
Explore how blessings deepen our ability to appreciate the world around us, as well as the differences between respect, honor and love. Led by Rabbi Sadie Reuben, Assistant Rabbi/Educator at Congregation Ner Tamid.
3. High School-Adults: Exploring Blessings: A Look at Some of Our More Creative Blessings
Our sages believed that every unusual sight deserved its own blessing. Explore how blessings can help us to slow down and appreciate the world around us. Led by Rabbi Dovid Kitainik, Educational Director for The Las Vegas Community Kollel.
4. High School-Adults: Life is Great
This practical workshop will reveal 7 secrets to a more joyful you. A concrete path of wisdom and skills to help you to be a happier person. Led by Rabbi Yitz Wyne, the founder and spiritual leader of Young Israel Aish Las Vegas.
5. Middle School-Adults: Eco Mezuzah Project
Each participant will make their own, unique, eco-friendly mezuzah, as a memento of this day of blessings and gratitude. Led by Rabbi Yocheved Mintz, spiritual leader of Congregation P’nai Tikvah and President the Las Vegas Board of Rabbis.
6. Adults: Project Angel Faces – Shift 2
Roll up your sleeves to build containers out of reclaimed wood, to be used in a garden at an inner-city community center. Led by Rhonda K. Killough, founder and director of Project Angel Faces.
7. Newborns-2nd grade (parents MUST accompany children): PJ Library – All Of Me
Explore themes of gratitude using the book "All of Me" by Molly Bang specifically being grateful for the wonders of the body. We will also be doing a fun, hands on, craft project related to the book to take home at the end of the session, designed to encourage discussion and action within the home. Led by Marni Unger, Coordinator of Las Vegas PJ Library Coordinator. Parents MUST accompany children for this session.
8. Grades 3, 4, 5: Blessings Through Art
This is an inspiring practical workshop where young people will create their own pieces of art on the theme of Blessings and Gratitude. Led by Michelle Martel-Kusnier, art teacher at Solomon Schechter Day School of Las Vegas.
9. Grades 6, 7, 8: Experience a Blessing Scavenger Hunt!
Find with your team some of the amazing aspects of God’s creation for which we have gratitude around the Springs Preserve. Led by Rabbi Dani Locker, Director of Youth Programming for the Las Vegas Kollel.
12pm Communal Gathering
A performance of The Sabbath Prayer scene from “Fiddler on the Roof”. This scene attests to our gratitude for Shabbat as a blessing and an everlasting covenant throughout the generations. Led by Beverly Ron, a graduate of Columbia University’s Theatre School who has been acting, choreographing and directing teen musical theatre for over 50 years. She is currently a volunteer in the dance program at Opportunity Village.
