BS"D Great Fun & Free Things to Do -------------------------- 1. Jewish Seminars The friendly atmosphere and interesting topics at many Jewish seminars make it easy to learn about Judaism and make friends at the same time. The Jewish Heritage Center holds seminars, lectures and outings to help you to get more acquainted with Judaism. Several of my friends attended their seminars and were very pleased with the activities and the company. The JHC's recent newsletter lists their activities as: Seminars - Adult Classes - Weekend Retreats - Missions to Israel - Book and Tape Libraries - Jewish Information Service - Hebrew Reading - Prayer Services - Shabbos Hospitality - Singles Events - College Programs - Beginners Classes - Charity Drives - Community Service. That can keep you busy for a while. Their motto is Guided Growth Through Torah. The newsletter also boasts "The JHC celebrates approximately 20 marriages of its students a year!" The Jewish Heritage Center of Queens and Long Island is directed by Rabbi Naftali Portnoy and Rabbi Moshe Turk. It is located at: 68-29 Main Street Flushing, NY 11367 718-575-3100 tel / 718-575-2728 fax e-mail: JHCemail@AOL.COM If you are in the city - Manhattan - The Flame may interest you. They hold convenient classes on topics such as Bible Stories, Jewish History, Judaism and Love, Women in Judaism, Nine questions about Judaism, etc. They are located on the New York University campus, at the Loeb Student Center at West 4th Street. To register for classes call Susie Garber at 718-268-2448. Or speak with Rabbi Mat Hoffman at 212-303-9029. Other organizations that you may contact to find out about seminars, programs and lectures are: Agudath Israel 212-797-9000 x 53 - Seminar information Aish HaTorah 718-377-8819 - Discovery Outreach & Summer / Israel Programs Arachim 800-722-3191 - Weekend Seminars 914-356-2766 Center for Return - Torah programs 718-263-3551 Council of Jewish Organizations - Jewish programs 718-591-8978 - 152-45 Melbourne Avenue, Flushing Havurat Yisrael 261-5500, 09 - Outreach Synagogue Ohr Sameach 212-213-3100 - Summer / Israel / Year Learning Program Queens Jewish Center - Outreach Synagogue 459-8432, 830-9024 Shalheves 800-998-0400 - Rabbi Ezriel Tauber's 914-425-2094 - Weekend Seminars 2. The Jewish Educational Program JEP - the Jewish Educational Program - is dedicated to outreaching and teaching children about Torah and our heritage. During the school year they regularly visit public schools to give the kids a feel for Judaism. They give lectures and explain concepts in small groups. JEP also sponsors shabbatons - in which a group of children are invited to spend Shabbat at an observant families homes. They sing, play games, learn and enjoy. In the summer JEP runs a camp for Boys and Girls called Camp Negeelah. Call 516-374-1528 for more information. The staff of JEP is friendly and helpful. Once I called JEP to ask about Jewish schools in the neighborhood. I chanced to speak with Rabbi Katz. 718-941-2600. He gave me some information and told me that if I know anyone who is having difficulties getting their child into a Jewish school that he could help them. If you have such a concern, take him up on it. There are JEPs in Long Island, Monsey, Montreal, Queens, Staten Island, Toronto and Weschester. JEP is a program of Agudath Israel. For more information call 212-797-9000. fax 212-269-2843 3. Visit a Jewish Library In Brooklyn, the Jewish Youth Library can keep you busy enjoying for days and days. The Jewish Youth Library is not only for the young and the young at heart. It is for old, grumpy people as well. Just Joking. Their brochure states: The Jewish youth library opened its doors in 1979 to meet the demand for popular material on Jewish subjects. ... [It holds] Popular children's books, Jewish history books. Books about Torah and the Talmud, Biographies of great heros... journals. Books about Jewish life and Jewish culture. Books in English, Hebrew, and Yiddish. It is located at 1461 46th Street in Brooklyn, NY. You might as well take the zip also: 11219-2633. Call them at 718- 435-4711. Inspiration, education and exhilaration are at your fingertips at the Queens Torah Library. They feature a large selection of Children's Books, Music Tapes, Video Tapes, Rabbi Wein's History Tapes, Daf Hayomi (Talmud page of the day program) Tapes and much more. Located at 68-09 Main Street in Flushing, NY, they are across the street from the Mobil Gas Station. Because of their selected hours, call before you go. A recent flyer stated their hours: Sunday 9 AM - 1 PM, Monday 8 PM - 10 PM, Tuesday 9:30 AM - 11:30 AM, Thursday 8 PM - 10 PM. Call them at 718-263-0852 4. Spend Shabbat at a friendly family's home You can read about Shabbat for years and years, but you don't feel the delight until you actually experience one firsthand. Hospitable organizations and individuals open their arms to you to get the feeling of Shabbat. Jewish Outreach Professionals can guide you to a family or an organization that welcomes you in for a Shabbat or Jewish Holiday. Whether you are in California, Boston, or any other place in the continental United States, they can refer you to a hospitable home. They can be reached at Jewish Outreach Professionals, 341 Route 306 Monsey, NY 10952-1443, 914-354-0100 The National Jewish Outreach Program hosts the Turn Friday Night into Shabbos experience. It includes a delicious Shabbos meal, with kiddush, challah, singing and dancing. For more information call 212-986-7450. NJOP also offers Beginner Services which is a special Shabbat for newcomers to Synagogue life which introduces our traditions through group prayer and open discussions. It holds a Course in Hebrew reading, where you can learn to read Hebrew in five free lessons, and a Crash Course in Basic Judaism, where you can learn about the philosophy and wisdom of Judaism in five free sessions. 5. Get a free Jewish Educational Materials catalog Torah U'Mesorah is a national organization for Hebrew day schools. They have an excellent catalog of Jewish materials for children - they include beautiful posters, books, informative videos, charts, stencils, cassettes, and more. The catalog is also great for the newly acquainted to Judaism. Flipping through the pages of the catalog, I feel like ordering some things myself. You can also get a comprehensive directory of Jewish day schools - Elementary and Secondary - for the United States and Canada. This Directory costs about $12.00. Totally worthwhile, for those who want their children to learn the heritage of their grandfathers. Torah U'Mesorah Publications is at 5723 18th Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11204, 718-259-1223 tel / 718-259-1795 fax 6. Call the Torah Phone Call 718-435-3492. All sorts of options are open to you on the Torah Communication Network's Torah Phone. Basically, using your touch-tone phone you select either a Torah lesson (Shiur), a dial-a-daf (page of Talmud) or a Mishna (Jewish law) to learn. These are samples. They offer subscriber service as well. To find out more about their services call 718-436-4999 or fax 718-435-0191. When you call listen to the menu. The selections I made were 3 for a sample, 3 for dial a shiur (Torah lesson) in English, and 13 for a Hashkafa Shiur (Torah philosophy lesson) by Rabbi Yonathan Alton. But you have many other alternatives like: Mesilath Yesharim - The Path of the Just by Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzatto on Jewish Ethics; Jewish History and Biographies, Stories, Rabbi Ezriel Tauber's Lectures, Psalms, Torah insights, and much more. There are other Torah lesson phone providers as well: Torah Sion Torah Phone offers interesting lessons around the clock at 212-330-7030. Dial and learn. They offer lessons in English and Persian. 7. Bracha (Blessings) List The Chofetz Chaim was a great sage who lived approximately 100 years ago. He wrote books on Jewish laws, on doing acts of loving kindness (Ahavat Hesed) and books on guarding one's speech. An organization named after him distributes - among other things - a pocket brochos guide. If you want to know what brochos to say for Cheerios, it is in there. They also distribute material and cassette tapes on guarding one's speech. I have one of their standing cards on my desk. It speaks about Loshon Tov (good speech) - Words that build, Words that Heal. I couldn't resist quoting from it here. "When we speak to family, friends, even strangers, in a gentle, considerate way, our words become conductors of tremendous positive power. We can alleviate loneliness and despair, build self-confidence and respect, and even turn a tense volatile household into a peaceful harmonious one. ... By gearing our speech to accomplish these positive effects, we have the ability to create tremendous good in our world." On the other side of the card it includes quotes. One, from Midrash Mishlei, says "If someone speaks well of the angels speak well of him before G-d." You can get the Pocket Brochos, from the Chofetz Chaim Heritage Foundation, 620 Coney Island Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11218. 718-871-6700. The brochos list can be used in many ways. A great way to teach children the trait of appreciation is to ask them to say the Bracha's before they eat food. Explaining to them that Hashem (G-d) created a delicious fruit or food and that we should thank Him for it by saying the Bracha - gives them a greater sense of satisfaction from life. When children from my family come over my home, I sometimes ask them who created the food and ask them to say the bracha. After they say it, I say "That was so good" and shower some praise upon them. It teaches them to appreciate the food, to appreciate Hashem and to gain a better feeling towards being Jewish. It also helps to develop more self-confidence. The Orthodox Union also distributes a comprehensive "Guide to Blessings". It may have a minimal cost. Call them at Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America, 333 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001-5004. 212-563-4000. The OU is the organization that gives Kosher supervision approval. They also provide other services as well. ie, Singles services, Passover information, Summer learning programs, and more. 8. Jewish Outreach Hotline Up to date information on upcoming seminars, classes and other outreach activities and resources is available from the outreach hotline. Want to find out the nearest, upcoming seminar on raising children, family purity, marital relationships - they can help you. The Hotline number is 1-800-KIRUV-84. That's 1-800- 547-8884. 9. Prayer Hotline to Jerusalem Refuah Yeshuah offers a free public service to those who have a concern on their mind. They offer prayers at the Western Wall for those with an illness, a pending surgery, a crisis, a success or any occasion. "Our sages say "Prayer Helps" especially Tehillim, recited with a minyan (group of 10 men) when said at the Western Wall." Their phone number is 1-800-545-PRAY. That's 1-800-545-7729. 10. Free Mincha Map You find yourself in the middle of Manhattan and realize you that time for Mincha (the Afternoon prayer) is coming. You want to pray with a Minyan (a group of 10 or more men). What do you do? Just take out your handy Mincha map and look up the nearest Minyan. You can get one by contacting: Agudath Israel of America 84 William Street New York, NY 10030 212-797-9000 Agudath Israel also provides other services like help for Jewish professionals and others to find a job. They run camps and youth programs. They provide services for the elderly. AI maintains Jewish archival resources. They provide aid to women in financial crisis. They also have a Jewish law hotline. If you want answers to your Jewish law questions, they have a competent staff of Rabbis that are ready to answer. ---- from: The Jewish Education Network at: http://www.aquanet.co.il/vip/mc e-mail: jenet@iname.com date: 17 Tamuz 5758 / July 12, 1998 ver: 1.1 The Jewish Education Network - A Jewish Education Counts, Matatia Chetrit, Copyright (1998) Please feel free to copy this document. We only ask that you keep it intact and leave this message on it. Thanks