Third annual global day of Jewish learning

The third annual Global Day of Jewish Learning, held on Sunday, November 18th, was an overwhelming international success and inspiration for thousands of Jews throughout the world. An initiative of the Aleph Society and world-renowned scholar Rabbi Adin Even-Israel Steinsaltz, the Global Day of Jewish Learning unites Jews from all backgrounds to celebrate and study foundational Jewish texts.

This year’s theme of “Blessings and Gratitude” coincided with the beginning of the “Page-A-Day” (Daf Yomi) seven year cycle of studying the Talmud. The first tractate (volume) is ‘Berakhot’ (Blessings) of which Rabbi Steinsaltz has recently completed his English translation and commentary. The themes were especially poignant in reflecting on the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.

“The structure of giving thanks on a regular basis, even in hard times, encourages us to focus on the positive side of life. It does not mean we forget the dark side, just that we keep a true perspective, giving the positive side its due,” said Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz. “In doing so, we find an inner strength that carries us through difficult times, all the while allowing us space to feel warmed by expressing feelings of gratitude.”

Individuals in more than 330 communities in over 50 countries – and across 6 continents –collaborated in a day of celebration and learning. Hundreds of events took place in communities across the United States - from New York to California, Texas to Florida - in South America, Europe, Canada and Israel, as well as in the Middle East, Africa, Australia and the Former Soviet Union.

Utilizing workshops, family educational programs, seminars and breakout sessions, parents and children alike across the interdenominational spectrum joined in these community-wide events. Furthermore, this year’s use of virtual class rooms developed an online community of individuals joining together from every corner of the world.

“In Judaism, when an act is repeated three times, it is known as a chazaka, a reinforced behavior that may even become tradition,” said Karen Sponder, Global Day Director, “which is what makes this third annual Global Day even more fulfilling. Our interest for this event was to spark and nourish a love for Jewish learning and to unify communities worldwide. I found it so heartening to see these Jewish communities join together yet again as they rejoiced in learning the texts and sharing the precepts of the day’s central themes.”

Curriculum

Centered on the theme of “Blessings and Gratitude”, the Global Day Curriculum Guide offered topics, source materials and questions for conversation to facilitators managing study groups or cultural events, who adapted them to suit the educational backgrounds and interests of their groups.

The Global Day Curriculum, published with the generous support of author, educator and Holocaust survivor Fanya Gottesfeld Heller, was developed by highly experienced educators for students at all stages. The curriculum can be downloaded in its entirety or by topic at www.TheGlobalDay.com.

Partners

The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) was a key international partner with the Aleph Society. Organizing partners included the Jewish Education Service of North America (JESNA), Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA), Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life, and the Shefa Institute in Israel. The Jewish Agency for Israel joined this year’s Global Day activities as a Community Partner.

Visit www.TheGlobalDay.com for the full list of partners and participating communities.

The Global Day of Jewish Learning’s supporting partners include the governing bodies, leadership and ordaining institutions of the Reform, Conservative and Orthodox movements of Judaism.

Highlights of Global Day 2012 include

NY, New York – 250 people representing a wide range of Jewish Life and observance, from Reform to Orthodox, attended Global Day events co-hosted by Mechon Hadar and Drisha Institute. The day consisted of a series of sessions sponsored by Institutions from across the city with 27 different speakers. For a complete list of classes visit: mechonhadar.org/globalday or drisha.org/globalday.php.

P2G – Partnership 2gether, sponsored by the Jewish Agency of Israel, is a program partnering global Jewish communities directly with Israeli communities. November 18th turned out to be the single harshest day of “Pillar of Defense”. Of the 25 Partnerships 21 went ahead with their P2G Global Day of Jewish Learning joint activity – some have sent videos and photos from their activity. FL, Hollywood – Children from Temple Solel learned about the Talmud and the importance of creating Blessings of Gratitude through five unique programs.

Ukraine, Cherkassy – Hosted by the Jewish Charitable Fund “Hesed Dorot”, children and adults participated in events surrounding the theme of Blessings and Gratitude. Ukraine, Donetsk – Participants in Global Day expressed their gratitude to G-d by writing messages on stickers affixed to balloons. Together as a collective group the balloons were released into the sky at the conclusion of the program.

Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz is a world renowned distinguished scholar, teacher, mystic and social critic. He has written over 60 books and hundreds of articles on the Talmud, Kabbalah and Chasidut. His work has been translated into English, Russian, French, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish, Italian, Chinese and Japanese. His translations of the Talmud into Hebrew, French and Russian have sold more than a million copies. The first volume of the new Koren Talmud Bavli with Rabbi Steinsaltz’s English translation and commentary was launched in May 2012.