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Posts Tagged ‘Eternal Jewish Family’

250 Jewish Students Hear Plea to Marry Jewish in Major Shabbaton in Odessa

Written by Admin on October 15, 2009 – 11:26 am -

ODESSA, UKRAINE- An amphitheater overflowing with Jewish students was the background for a plea “to preserve your ties with our eternal Jewish family and to Our Father,” by Rabbi Leib Tropper, Chairman of the Rabbinic Committee of the Eternal Jewish Family. Speaking via a live hookup on Thursday September 3rd, Rabbi Tropper received wide applause when he pleaded: “Do not sever your ties to our glorious past and even more to what will be a glorious future.” The Shabbaton was part of a major initiative by EJF to stem the tide of assimilation and intermarriage in Jewish communities around the world. It was sponsored in conjunction with Nefesh Yehudi, funded by the Wolfson and Horn Families, and Tikvah, the local kiruv organization. Rabbi Tropper was followed by Menachem Lubinsky, President of LUBICOM Marketing Consulting and special consultant to EJF. Noting that it was the week marking the 70th anniversary of the beginning of the systematic destruction of Eastern European Jewry by the Nazis, Lubinsky noted: “What better time than now to reaffirm our commitment to Jewish eternity.” The session was introduced by Rabbi Shlomo Baksht, the chief rabbi of Odessa and the architect of the remarkable resurgence of Jewish life in Odessa.

In an inspirational and festive Shabbos that included singing and dancing to traditional zemiros, the students also heard lectures by prominent renowned lecturers. They included Rabbi Mordechai Neugroschel, Rabbi Chaim Cohen, Rabbi Doron Kornbluth and Rabbi Eli Ilani. Most of the students are enrolled in the Jewish University of Odessa, which is part of the network of Torah institutions established by Rabbi Baksht. Some 900 Jewish children are enrolled in the institutions, as well as 200 youngsters who are in the three orphanages sponsored by Tikva. Many of the orphans were found on Odessa’s streets without any hope for their future.

Tags: EJF, Eternal Jewish Family, jewish eternity, kiruv, rabbi tropper
Posted in Preventing Intermarriage | No Comments »

Fourth Eternal Jewish Family Dayanim Conference Scheduled for November 8-10 in New Jersey

Written by Admin on October 13, 2009 – 12:06 pm -

PREPARATIONS WENT into high gear for the fourth EJF Dayanim Conference, which is scheduled to take place November 8-10 at the Sheraton Meadowlands in Secaucus NJ. Some 40 dayanim and Roshei Yeshiva will gather to confront crucial halachic issues that arise involving universally accepted Jewish conversion standards in intermarriage.

Most of the dayanim are part of a growing network of independent batei din in North America that have adopted the Jewish Conversion standards of leading poskim, as is being promulgated by EJF International. The Batei Din function in cities such as Baltimore, Monsey, Philadelphia, Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, New York, Los Angeles, Milwaukee, Montreal, Miami, Lakewood, Dallas, Toronto, Houston, and Vancouver. Last year’s conference was addressed by such prominent Torah personalities as:

Harav Shmuel Kaminetsky, Rosh Yeshiva of the Yeshiva of Philadelphia and a member of the Moetzes Gedolei Hatorah of Agudas Yisroel

Harav Reuven Feinstein, Rosh Yeshiva of Mesivta of Staten Island and Chairman of the Halachic Committee of EJF

Harav Dovid Olewski, Rosh Yeshiva of the Gerer Mesivta (Brooklyn)

Harav Betzalel Tuvia Wettenstein (Belzer Dayan of Monsey)

Rabbi Eliyahu Levin (Lakewood)

Tags: dayanim conference, EJF, Eternal Jewish Family, Jewish conversion, universally accepted conversion
Posted in EJF Conferences | No Comments »

Living To a Different Tune

Written by Rochel Weinstein on September 23, 2009 – 9:49 pm -

Sitting in a church as a young girl, Linda felt distant to the environment and rituals. The other congregants had come to express faith in their religion; she was there to please her grandmother. Young Linda grew up without much spiritual satisfaction, yet deep within was an inherent belief in the existence of G-d. Linda never imagined that one day it would manifest itself within every corner of her life.

It all started with her Jewish fiancé, David. Based on similar interests in classical music, a mutual friend introduced them and the professional orchestra players formed an immediate bond. Religious barriers were non-existent: Linda considered herself on a spiritual quest that had nothing to do with her religion of origin; David’s intrinsic disinterest in Judaism meant that they would date for months before Linda would casually discover that he was Jewish. While this detail shocked Linda, it simultaneously planted within her the desire to learn all she could about the mysterious religion of her future husband.

A visit to the library was the first step. But the only information available lacked the meaningful spiritual dimension she desperately sought. Intrigued by the family dynamics of Jewish intermarriage, Linda was startled to discover that many children raised with two religions eventually keep neither, since the choice of a religion is often equated with the choice of a parent. Based on her research, there was no question that she would want to raise their children with one consistent religion – Judaism. Now all she had to do was convince not only her future husband but also her Lutheran family that this was, indeed, the right thing to do.

At first, David was ambivalent about Linda’s decision; agreeing to it would guarantee alienation from his vehemently anti-orthodox family. Her own family was devastated that she wanted to leave their religion altogether. But Linda was determined.

So she contacted a rabbi to map out the process of Jewish conversion. He inquired whether clergy from another religion would be involved in their wedding ceremony. Without any exposure to the true nature of Jewish conversion and all the halachic requirements that must be met, Linda intuitively knew that something was amiss. By the time it was over, she was amazed at how much of an emotional investment was required to make it all a meaningful endeavor.

Moving Through the Rhythms of Life

Linda and David eventually married, joining together not only a fantastic classical CD collection, but also the similar goal of building a Jewish home. David’s commitment was just budding, so Linda was eager for them to become involved with the reform congregation that had facilitated her conversion to Judaism. Guitars and female cantors, however, left the new couple uninspired. Instead, she felt drawn to learn more about the people walking home from shul in the orthodox part of town. But how?

When the first of her two children was born, Providence led Linda to a “Mommy and Me” playgroup at the local JCC. There she met a diverse population of Jewish mothers, including those from the orthodox community who invited her and David to discover the beauty of Shabbos and the true meaning of hachnasas orchim.

The couple eventually purchased a house within the eruv, making it easier for them to walk to shul and visit their friends on Shabbos. As Linda immersed herself in the Torah way of life, she came to a realization that rocked her world: The procedures of the conversion had not been enough to make her, or her young toddler, Jewish.

Linda had not come this far to give up on her spiritual quest - it had always been an uphill battle. In her youth, she faced the emotional challenge of her parent’s tumultuous divorce. And when, as an adult, she was in the midst of constructing a meaningful Jewish life, relatives and in-laws disowned the couple. (Although suffering emotionally from their parents’ disapproval, Linda says that the most difficult thing about her conversion to Judaism was seeking out new “family” to sort of “replace” those family members who rejected their desire to live a Torah life.) David was challenged with relating to his family as his wife attempted to pull them into new spiritual realms. At times, the pressure of standing up to their parents was too much – something the couple couldn’t endure.

Interestingly, David’s own family was a major player in Linda’s steadfast motivation. In the early 1900s, his great grandfather had left Lithuania to serve as the rabbi of a Midwestern town. Although the local school board resisted his efforts, he went on to establish a Talmud Torah. Still, the environment was not conducive to the spiritual survival of his family: out of his nine children, no descendants remained connected to authentic Torah Judaism – except Linda and David.

While Linda’s learning flourished, David’s spiritual growth was still being affected by his disappointed family. It was getting more difficult to stand up to them, but Linda tried to be patient, wanting David to take on lifestyle changes for himself alone.

Linda’s best efforts were not enough to make her Jewish, but she had not come this far to give up on making it happen. This time, Linda wanted a curriculum that ensured the certainty of a completely acceptable conversion in all spectrums of Judaism. She approached the shul’s assistant rabbi and bonded with his wife, who eventually served as her teacher and mentor. The shul’s chazzan and his wife also warmly welcomed the family.

How to Orchestrate a Kosher Jewish Conversion

The regional bais din was contacted and Linda proved to them her sincere desire to become a Jew. Ten years after the reform conversion, she underwent her second and final conversion – Linda became Leah. The road had been long, but now she had what she had always dreamed of: unquestionable Jewish status within any community. Leah could not wait until her children had the same precious gift.

But there was another bend in the road: the bais din determined that the children could not be converted since David’s commitment was lacking. Soon after, the bais din dismantled altogether, leaving Leah to search for help elsewhere. With renewed determination, she set out to accomplish yet another goal in her family’s spiritual existence.

A friend of Leah’s, who also had to search for a different solution in order to complete her own conversion to Judaism, directed Leah to Eternal Jewish Family International, an organization which assists intermarried couples who are sincerely dedicated to building Jewish homes. Leah sought the approval from her rabbi who had no doubt that EJF could accomplish what she could not do on her own.

That such a support system existed was a dream come true. The couple contacted Rabbi Dovid Jacobs, EJF’s executive director, whose understanding and foresight was pivotal in guiding the family. He arranged a meeting with various rabbanim from Daas Mishpat, a bais din in Monsey, New York, in order to determine the specific halachic standards that would have to be met.

EJF confirmed that David’s personal dedication to mitzvah observance needed to be strengthened. Leah knew that there was little she could do to influence her husband. She had always been advised to guide him without pressure. But now she utilized the one thing in her power that could directly invoke change: She prayed.

To Leah’s surprise, David’s commitment began to grow. Soon he rearranged his work schedule to accommodate his commitment to keep Shabbos as a sacred day and opened himself to learn more about his precious heritage.

Reaching For Spiritual Harmony

When David’s company informed him of a position on the East Coast, Rabbi Jacobs advised the couple to take it. He informed them that there was an orthodox community nearby, and living there would facilitate the process of their children’s conversions to Judaism. The couple saw this opportunity as a direct sign that Hashem was clearing the way to their goal.

David took the position and left alone to set up their new life. Leah stayed behind with the kids to pack up the house. This separation would be a blessing in disguise: on his own, without his wife’s influence or his parents around to sabotage his growth, David was finally able to nurture his own spiritual commitment. With the help of a kiruv rabbi, he immersed himself in adult Jewish studies, carving time from his schedule to learn each day.

From the beginning, EJF remained in constant contact with David’s rabbi, monitoring his learning schedule in order to verify his motivation and commitment. It provided standard halachic guidelines in learning and the resources needed to accomplish them.

When the family was finally united, they continued their spiritual growth, which was nurtured and closely monitored through EJF. At the local orthodox day school, the children blossomed. EJF was crucial in the family’s integration into their Jewish community. Leah and David claim that, if they hadn’t had EJF to navigate the process, it may have been months or even years before they would have accomplished their goal. Personally, Leah had waited long enough.

Finally, in March of 2009, the children’s Jewish conversion was complete. It was especially meaningful that another 28 years would not have to go by for them to fulfill the mitzvah of birchas hachama as a family.

At the ceremony, Leah and David accepted upon themselves the awesome responsibility of raising their children as Torah Jews and proud members of klal yisroel. They were told to make Judaism enjoyable in their home and to remember that any spiritual investment into their children will be passed on to their descendants.

An older version of Linda sits among the congregation. Attending shul is just one of the many areas in her life where she expresses her commitment to her religion. Her young son and daughter sit beside her, following along as she points out the spiritual beauty of their prayer. Most of all, she wants them to connect the words with the understanding that G-d is waiting to hear their requests and that, with His help, the impossible can become a joyous reality.

Tags: convert to judasim, EJF, Eternal Jewish Family, Jewish conversion
Posted in EJF, Jewish Conversion Stories | No Comments »

World’s Largest Jewish Outreach Organizations Join Eternal Jewish Family in New Major International Effort Against Intermarriage

Written by admin on August 24, 2009 – 10:56 am -

The Eternal Jewish Family International (EJF) has launched a major initiative on three continents to stem the tide of soaring intermarriage in Jewish communities in the US, Israel and Europe.  Eternal Jewish Family is partnering with the largest and most successful kiruv (outreach) organizations, such as Ohr Somayach — Jerusalem, Hidabroot, Lev L’achim and Nefesh Yehudi in reaching out to large numbers of Jewish youth “with a direct message on the threat of intermarriage to themselves, their families, and the Jewish future”.  In the US, Eternal Jewish Family will team up with Gateways in reaching vulnerable youth.  “This epidemic of intermarriage can only be confronted with ‘straight talk’ about the  dangers of intermarriage”,  said Rabbi Leib Tropper, Rosh Yeshiva of Kol Yaakov/Horizons and the chairman of the Rabbinical Board of Eternal Jewish Family.  “We can no longer afford to beat around the bush in the hope that the anti-intermarriage message will somehow penetrate”.  In many instances, Eternal Jewish Family will be cosponsoring seminars and Shabbatonim for the Jewish youth where special sessions will be devoted to the dangers of intermarriage. The first such Shabbaton in March was held in Baden, Austria in a joint program with Nefesh Yehudi for more than 100 Israeli medical students in Central and Eastern Europe.  Eternal Jewish Family will be joining the outreach (kiruv) organizations in many similar seminars in the coming months.

Tags: Eternal Jewish Family, intermarriage, outreach, rabbi tropper
Posted in EJF | No Comments »

Eternal Jewish Family Presents Exhibit at Torah Umesorah Convention

Written by admin on August 23, 2009 – 11:02 am -

EJF HAD PROMINENT exposure when it presented an exhibit at Torah Umesorah’s Annual Leadership convention which took place at the Friar Tuck Inn in Catskill, New York.  “It was a great opportunity to meet educators from around the world and brief them on our availability as an important resource in their work,” said Mrs. Rochel Weinstein, Director of Communications for Eternal Jewish Family.  According to Mrs. Weinstein, participants were “gratified to discover the existence of an organization that can help them deal with some of the consequences of improper conversions to Judaism and direct potential halachic Jewish converts to qualified rabbonim and batei din.  ”Educators from both remote and mainstream Jewish communities throughout the United States expressed the same common struggles with yuchsin issues in their own schools. “The general public may be surprised to learn that Jewish conversion issues occur in every spectrum of the Jewish educational system”, said Mrs. Weinstein.  “No one knows it more than these educators who frequently have the painful task of identifying families with improper conversions to Judaism.”

Tags: conversion to judaism, Eternal Jewish Family, jewish converts
Posted in Jewish conversion | No Comments »

Rabbonim Resolve to Battle Intermarriage and Assimilation in Worldwide Effort

Written by admin on August 19, 2009 – 4:13 pm -

IT WAS BY ALL accounts an unprecedented gathering of leading kiruv rabbanim from around the world, as well as rabbanim in cities and towns throughout Israel.  The event took place from June 15–17, 2009 at Jerusalem’s Inbal Hotel. The sponsor was the Eternal Jewish Family International, which is in the midst of a major global expansion of its activities to support rabbanim and batei din involved with intermarried couples who genuinely strive for a halachic conversion to Judaism. It also assists kiruv organizations that are on the front lines in the fight against assimilation, such as the co-sponsors of the event:

Arachim

Ohr Somayach

Hidabroot

Lev L’achim

Shuvu

Nefesh Yehudi

In the U.S., it also includes the Gateways organization.

The rabbanim deliberated on such topics as “Worldwide Assimilation: Today’s Spiritual Holocaust”, “Building Barriers Against Fictitious Conversions to Judaism,” Anti-Semitism and Assimilation: Cause or Effect?”, and “Determining the Status of Certain ‘Jews’ in the Community”.   The rabbanim, who represented numerous cities around the globe, expressed their deepest concern over the grave issue of world-wide assimilation.  In addition, they addressed a growing problem in Israel where many young people return from study abroad with non-Jewish spouses. Kiruv experts spoke of the dangers facing Israeli youth in Israel. They resolved to step up the educational efforts to hopefully thwart this growing trend. The tone of the historic conference was set by Eternal Jewish Family’s chairman, Menachem Yitzchak (Tom) Kaplan who noted that “in my wildest dreams I could not imagine such a rapid and broad acceptance by rabbanim all over the world of the vision we laid out with the help of the leading Torah authorities”.  Kaplan said that he was “committed to do whatever it takes to take on assimilation and problematic conversions to Judaism wherever the problem exists”.  Rabbi Leib Tropper, the organization’s chairman of the Halachic Committee, spoke of the successes of Eternal Jewish Family in “raising the bar on conversions to Judaism and successfully uniting rabbanim and dayanim from disparate backgrounds in preserving kedushas yisroel”. The theme of kedushas yisrael was also addressed by some of the notable gedolei yisrael and leading rabbanim who participated in the conference.

A strong letter supporting Eternal Jewish Family by Rav Aaron Leib Shteinman, which was also signed by Rav Yosef Sholem Eliyashiv, was read at the conference.  It strongly supported the anti-assimilation theme of the conference and warned of the dangers of assimilation to the future of klal yisroel.  Rav Zvi Elimelech Halberstam, the Sanzer Rebbe of Netanya, in his letter supported the new initiative to involve kiruv organizations in a direct war against intermarriage.  When the conference ended, there was a great sense of accomplishment in dealing with some of the most critical issues facing the Jewish nation.  A new program called “Tochnit Kaplan” was warmly received.  It will be a joint partnership between Eternal Jewish Family and the kiruv organizations to include “straight talk” in their educational programs on the dangers of intermarriage.  Eternal Jewish Family will be co-sponsoring seminars around the world to promote this message.  More than 300 Israeli rabbanim of cities and towns all over Israel signed on to a resolution that they will “intensely investigate” the halachic integrity of conversions to Judaism before signing on a marriage certificate.

Tags: conversions to Judaism, Eternal Jewish Family, intermarriage, rabbi tropper
Posted in EJF | No Comments »

Morristown Seminar Reaches Out to Mechanchim and Kiruv Professionals

Written by ejf on August 18, 2009 – 8:55 pm -

Eternal Jewish Family Holds a 2 Day Seminar for Outreach Organizations

ON MAY 24th, Eternal Jewish Family responded to the spiritually devastating impact of intermarriage and assimilation on many Jewish communities around the world by hosting a two day interactive seminar for educators and professionals from leading kiruv (outreach) organizations. Renowned lecturers and leading gedolei yisroel presented practical advice and concrete ways to face the fallout of improper conversions to Judaism, such as families who suddenly discover they are not Jewish, broken engagements and denied citizenship in Israel.

Rabbi Tropper and Harav Reuven Feinstein Speak about Challenges in Outreach and Jewish Conversion

The lecturers called upon the rabbanim to recognize their responsibility of ensuring that each geirus in klal yisroel is halachically valid. Rabbi Leib Tropper, Chairman of Eternal Jewish Family’s Rabbinic Committee, mentioned Eternal Jewish Family’s accomplishments in the US, Europe and Israel, whose office is flooded with requests for help from numerous individuals regarding issues in intermarriage and Jewish conversion. He stressed that, while geirus (Jewish conversion) is a complex and often controversial concept, klal yisroel has an obligation to meet its challenges. Harav Reuven Feinstein, chairman of Eternal Jewish Family’s Halachic Committee, expressed the hope that while the kiruv movement has responded to the need to provide each Jew with the opportunity to learn about their Jewish heritage and identity, much more needs to be done to head off potential intermarriage. “All Jews count. Klal Yisroel is obligated to utilize all of its resources to be mekareiv baalei teshuva and ensure the proper lineage of every Jew,” said Rav Feinstein. He noted that Eternal Jewish Family has filled a need in the world of kiruv, which regularly confronts issues regarding the yichus of baalei teshuva.  Harav Feinstein and others mentioned the psak that permits one to be mekarev the non-Jew in intermarriage for the sake of simultaneously being mekarev the Jewish spouse.

Harav Kaminetsky Gives Eternal Jewish Family a Brocho

Harav Shmuel Kaminetsky, Rosh Yeshiva of the Philadelphia Yeshiva, gave a brocha to Eternal Jewish Family for its work and mentioned the “vast problem we are dealing with here in America because of intermarriage and Jewish conversion.  To illustrate the accomplishments of a proper geirus, Harav Kaminetsky used the example of Ruth, whose Jewish conversion (geirus) escorted her to the pinnacle of greatness among the Jewish people. Other presenters included Rabbi Nota Schiller, Rabbi Nachum Eisenstein, Rabbi Yonasan Rosenblum, Rabbi Dovid Shochet, Rabbi Dovid Gottleib, Rabbi Mordechai Fishberg, Rabbi Mordechai Neugroschel, and Rabbi Doron Kornbluth.

Tags: Eternal Jewish Family, intermarriage, Jewish conversion, outreach, rabbi tropper
Posted in EJF Seminars | No Comments »

Eternal Jewish Family Launches a Blog

Written by admin on February 5, 2009 – 10:46 am -

Welcome to Eternally Jewish, the official blog of the Eternal Jewish Family.

Tags: EJF, Eternal Jewish Family, Rabbi Leib Tropper
Posted in EJF | 2 Comments »