Reflections on Israeli Politics and Culture: A Podcast from Three TY Alumni
The Promised Podcast
Many overseas observers seek an insider’s grasp of the day-to-day in Israel, beyond the headlines of The Jerusalem Post and the English HaAretz, or the occasional article in The New York Times or The Jewish Week. The Promised Podcast, project of the new applied Israeli thinktank Shaharit, brings together three old friends from their Young Judaea youth movement days, who reflect on the events of the week and bring unique perspectives on Israeli politics and culture.
Our regulars are:
- Dr. Eilon Schwartz, Founding Director of Shaharit, Lecturer at Hebrew University, and Director of the Heschel Center for Sustainability;
- Don Futterman, frequent contributor to HaAretz, blogger for +972, and Israel Program Director of the Moriah Fund;
- Dr. Noah Efron, Sr. Fellow at Shaharit, former city council member of Tel Aviv, Huffington Post blogger and Lecturer at Bar Ilan University.
They and their occasional guests will bring you news about Israel and their insight into what it all means. The Promised Podcast is available to download on ITunes or to stream on the Internet.
The Young Judaea Connection
Born and raised in the United States, Don (Machon ’75), Eilon (Year Course ’76) and Noah (Year Course ’77) were active members of Young Judaea, and collectively spent 20 summers at Tel Yehudah, as chanichim, madrichim, and merakzim. They remember those days with great joy and mild embarrassments.
What is Shaharit?
“Shaharit is an independent think-and-do tank, the first in Israel to offer a fresh take on the Israeli reality, breaking down the dichotomies between left and right, Arabs and Jews, religious and secular, privatization and welfare, center and periphery — in order to break out of the stalemate of current Israeli political thinking. Shaharit is engaged in deep thinking about the fundamentals of Israeli political life, and seeks to reframe many of the central issues which plague the Israeli politic for at least a generation through an open conversation with individuals and groups throughout multicultural Israel. After a two year learning process traveling the country, we are now finishing six founding documents, outlining a vision for Israel’s future, which will be presented in the winter months. We are simultaneously launching a host of projects aimed at expanding the dialogue with ever-increasing circles of Israeli society, and translating our vision into initiatives that can change Israel’s political values.”
Tel Yehudah does not endorse any specific political positions or parties within Israel but we invite open discussion and debate about issues facing Israel and the Jewish people. So listen to the podcast and join the discussion below.
Register for Alternative Winter Break and Tzedek: Alternative Summer Break Today and Save Up to $400
Young Judaea and Tel Yehudah announce a unique opportunity to extend the work of tikun olam during the winter and summer.
Register by October 25th for Alternative Winter Break AND TY’s Tzedek: Alternative Summer Break and save up to $400:
| AWB Early Bird Discount | TY Early Bird Discount | ASB + AWB Combo Discount** | Total Savings | |
| AWB: Navajo Nation | $45 | $175 | $160 | $380 |
| AWB: New Orleans | $65 | $175 | $160 | $400 |
* Tel Yehudah Early Bird Discount ends on October 31st.
**Discount will be applied to Tel Yehudah’s Tzedek: ASB registration fee upon completion of AWB.
For more information about Alternative Winter Break in New Orleans or the Navajo Nation click here:
For more information about Tzedek: Alternative Summer Break at Tel Yehudah click here:
Repair the World with Tel Yehudah and Young Judaea this Winter
This is a time of year when we reflect and ask, “What have I done to help tikkun olam (repair the world)?”
Registration is now open for Young Judaea’s 5th Annual Alternative Winter Break! Tel Yehudah is once again a proud partner with Young Judaea as we extend the TY experience and commitment to tikkun olam to the winter months.
Throughout the years, Young Judaeans have dedicated themselves to changing the world. From helping build the Jewish State before independence, marching on Washington with Martin Luther King, rallying and fighting for the rights of Soviet Jewry, Sudanese Refugees and helping children who lost their home in last year’s Carmel fires. Sign up today for Alternative Winter Break or help spread the word and help this generation of Young Judaeans change the world.
Register for AWB by October 14th for the Early Bird Discount!
To learn more, or to register, go to www.youngjudaea.org/awb
Join Young Judaea’s 5th Annual Alternative Winter Break this December and earn 20-25 hours of community service hours while volunteering with and having fun with other Jewish teens from around the country!
*Fee does not include travel expenses to New Orleans, LA/Navajo Nation, AZ. Scholarships available, click click here or email WinterBreak@youngjudaea.org to inquire.
Shana Tova from TY
Wishing the entire TY family a healthy, happy and peaceful New Year. We look forward to seeing you in Barryville for Summer 5772.
TY 2011 Highlights
TY 2011 Highlights, a set on Flickr.
Check out all of the great moments from summer 2011 at Tel Yehudah. See you in 2012!
Tel Yehudah Unveils a New Schedule and All New Second Session Programs
We are very happy to announce a new camp schedule and a brand new set of innovative and exciting programs for Second Session. While in the past our first session and second session programs have been basically the same, we will be greatly distinguishing the two sessions starting in summer 2012. Our traditional, high-quality programs, Alumim, Yachad and Hadracha, will be back during a longer first session (four weeks). Second session (three weeks) will consist of a jam-packed set of new and specialty programs designed to meet the growing diverse needs of our campers. Below is a description of each of these new second session programs:
Kfir (rising 9th graders): Kfir focuses on learning about Jews and Jewish life in the modern world. Campers will explore recent Jewish history and the current reality and challenges of the Jewish people in both Israel and the Disapora. Highlights of the program include an extended hiking and rafting trip as well as a one-day visit to New York City to explore the history and current experience of American Jews.
Bonim (rising 10th graders): Bonim engages campers in the current culture, people and reality of modern Israel. Campers will participate in activities and experiences designed to deeply connect them with Israel and view themselves as potential participants in the ongoing building of the Jewish state. Bonim campers will also participate in a daily Ulpan, a hands-on, informal and fun way to learn Hebrew. (Hebrew groups will be divided based on language proficiency.) Highlights of the program include the performance of a play entirely in Hebrew and Special Interest Week, where all participants choose one of our challenging four day trips such as backpacking, biking, kayaking or volunteering. (No previous Hebrew knowledge necessary.)
Sayeret Olami: International Jewish Leadership Institute (rising 11th graders): Campers in Sayeret Olami will be recruited from the United States, Israel, the United Kingdom and around the world to create a community of Jewish teen leaders and activists. Like Hadracha, Sayeret Olami aims to develop campers’ leadership skills, such as public speaking, marketing, and programming, and provides a more sophisticated understanding of social responsibility and principled leadership. Campers are pushed to prioritize today’s most pressing global issues, organize around one issue of importance, and design an effective plan of action to achieve social change globally by acting locally. The highlight of Sayeret Olami is a trip to Washington, DC and New York City to advance their issue through participation in both the American and global political processes. Campers will engage members of the US Congress, visit the United Nations and campers’ home country embassies, and meet with prominent NGO’s (non-governmental organizations) relevant to their groups’ issues.
SPECIALTY PROGRAMS (Second Session Only/Enrollment Limited)
Solelim (rising 10th and 11th graders): Solelim provides campers the opportunity for exciting outdoor adventures while learning about environmental issues through a Jewish lens. Campers in Solelim will participate in extended kayaking, biking and backpacking trips as well as tzofiyut (Israeli scouting) activities. The program will also include hands-on environmental learning in the backdrop of the beautiful Delaware River Valley, where Tel Yehudah is located, along with discussions and debates on contemporary questions of environmental and Jewish values.
Tzedek: Alternative Summer Break (rising 10th and 11th graders): Tzedek is a unique program for Jewish teens that will take participants out of the everyday surroundings of Tel Yehudah and immerse them in an entirely different environment to engage in intensive, hands-on community service, youth leadership development and experiential Jewish learning that is both enriching and transformative. Campers will learn about community issues, participate daily in hands-on service projects in the local community and New York City, and leave with a deeper commitment to making the Jewish values of social responsibility (achrayut chevratit), social action (tikun olam), and social justice (tzedek) a part of their everyday lives. Campers in Tzedek will be eligible for community service hours.
Havurah Хавура(Компания) (rising 9th-12th graders with Russian Jewish heritage): Havurah provides an opportunity for teens from the North American Russian Jewish community explore and deepen their relationships with Israel, Jewish traditions, and Jewish culture and identity through their own unique ancestry. By the end of the program, participants become aware and appreciative of the fact that they are a part of a strong and vibrant Russian Jewish community, a larger American Jewish community, and develop a taste for ongoing exploration of their own heritage. **Prices listed do not apply, as Havurah is highly subsidized.
Watch Summer 2011 Highlight Videos
Relive all of the fun of summer 2011 at Tel Yehudah. Watch highlight videos from first and second session.
We would love to hear your comments about summer 2011.
2012 Registration is Now Open!
After another amazing summer at Camp Tel Yehudah, we turn our attention to next summer.
REGISTER NOW
Information about tuition fees, early bird savings and other discounts can be found here. Learn all about our new second session programs below.
Do Not Stand Idly By – A TY March and Rally
On Tuesday evening we witnessed an amazing display of empowered youth at Tel Yehudah – the national leadership camp of Young Judaea. This was not a staff sponsored or staff run event. Campers in our Hadracha (leadership) program approached staff and asked for permission to hold a LGBT Rights march and rally in camp. Most of these campers had been involved in one of our Hadracha Tikkun groups – a program in which campers select an issue of importance to lobby on during their trip to Washington, D.C. (Other issues included nuclear Iran, animal rights and poverty). We take very seriously the Jewish imperative of “tikkun olam” – fixing the world.
This group of campers wanted to draw attention to the issues of inclusion and acceptance of LGBT youth in our communities and in our society. Together they held a march against homophobia and for acceptance on Tuesday evening. Around 50 campers participated in this camper led march which included signs and the chant: “Hey Ho, Homophobia has got to go.” At the end of the march there was live music.
After a camp-wide BBQ dinner, there was a tremendous thunderstorm at camp. For the safety of the campers, we moved them all into the dining room where they sat on the floor. A few campers, and then staff members, got up to speak to the camp about personal experiences of discrimination because of sexual identity or about friends and schoolmates they lost to suicide as the result of bullying. These were powerful and personal speeches. A room with over 600 people was completely quiet and still as their friends called on each other to prevent bullying and promote a more accepting and inclusive society. I am proud that our campers understand the very important Jewish value of protecting the rights and dignity of each individual and the Jewish imperative of acting in the face of injustice.
This past year Jewish organizations across the political and religious spectrum (including diverse youth movements such as NCSY, USY, NFTY, Young Judaea and BBYO), pledged to speak out against homophobic bullying and intolerance. Tel Yehudah, along with Young Judaea, Hadassah and hundreds of synagogues and organizations were signatories to Do Not Stand Idly By: A Jewish Community Pledge to Save Lives:
As members of a tradition that sees each person as created in the divine image, we respond with anguish and outrage at the spate of suicides brought on by homophobic bullying and intolerance. We hereby commit to ending homophobic bullying or harassment of any kind in our synagogues, schools, organizations, and communities. As a signatory, I pledge to speak out when I witness anyone being demeaned for their actual or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity. I commit myself to do whatever I can to ensure that each and every person in my community is treated with dignity and respect.
I believe that on Tuesday night the TY community made good on this pledge.
David Weinstein, Director – Camp Tel Yehudah
Maccabiah First Session 2011
Check out all the fun at TY”s first session Maccabiah. Though the Red Team (Southeast) won, everyone had an amazing time.
