28 June 2006

Yemei Iyun in Bible and Jewish Thought

Rav Yoel Bin-Nun speakingTuesday 27 June 2006 was the first day out of the three-day Yemei Iyun in Bible and Jewish Thought hosted by Yeshivat Chovevei Torah. The three-day conference is being held at the Ma'ayanot school for girls in Teaneck, NJ (directions). While the conference is mainly geared towards educators, it is also open to students as well as to the public (registration for Wednesday 28 June and Thursday 29 June is still available).cassette tapes and CDs of the lectures are available for sale at the conference
Both Tuesday's and Wednesday's program features five or six options in Tanakh or pedagogical topics in five time slots. Thursday's program features three time slots with four options in each one on topics on Jewish thought. For more, you may check out the schedule.
In addition to the lectures going on at the conference, one may purchase for $5 each, audio recordings of lectures from this year's conference, as well as some presentations from last year's conference.
Also, numerous books are also being sold at the conference, including the forthcoming YCT Tanakh Companion to Samuel (pictured).
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21 June 2006

Yom Iyun on Orthodoxy and Modernity Announced For September

YCT will be hosting a Yom Iyun on Orthodoxy and Modernity in Allentown, PA on Sunday 17 September. The program fully-entitled "Yom Iyun on Orthodoxy and Modernity - Can the Two Walk Hand in Hand?: A Day of Exploring the Challenge and Promise Of Open Orthodoxy" will explore such topics as "Committing Ourselves to the Letter and Spirit of Halakha", "Cooperation Between Orthodox and Non-Orthodox Movements", and "New Vistas for the Role of Women in Judaism".
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12 June 2006

Last Day of 2005-2006 School Year

Yeshivat Chovevei Torah finished up its last day of school for the 2005-2006 school year on Friday 9 June 2006, having started the year in August. Featured as part of the morning, in addition to learning, was a שיעור (lecture) given by Rabbi Nathaniel Helfgot on הבדלה (Havdallah) (lecture can be downloaded here), as part of the ongoing series on מצות עשה של שבת (positive commandments of Shabbat) throughout the year in conjunction with the halakhic cycle of Shabbat for years 2-4 of the yeshiva. Following the lecture was a lunch held which featured some דברי תורה (words of Torah) by rebbeim and graduating rabbis.
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11 June 2006

Hag haSemikhah - YCT Graduates 7 New Rabbis

Rabbi Yaacov Love speaking to and about Nissan Antine as he is about to receive semikhah while Rabbi Avi Weiss and Rabbi Dov Linzer look onToday, on Sunday 11 June 2006, seven students of Yeshivat Chovevei Torah graduated as rabbis. The ceremony, held at Columbia University's Lerner Hall, was MCed by graduate ('05) Rabbi Marc Gitler.
The list of graduates is made up of the following new rabbis:
- Rabbi Nissan Antine (pictured)
- Rabbi Seth Braunstein
- Rabbi Yonatan Cohen
- Rabbi Zev Farber
- Rabbi Aryeh Leifert
- Rabbi Ari Leubitz
- Rabbi Jason Weiner
These S. Daniel Abraham Semikha Fellows of 2006 will be going out to serve כלל ישראל (lit. the entirety of [the people of] Israel) throughout America. (All placements to be listed are from the program booklet passed out at the ceremony.) Rabbi Antine will be heading out to Beth Shalom Congregation and Talmud Torah in Potomac, MD as an assistant rabbi and director of education. Rabbi Braunstein will be the rabbinic associate at the Hebrew Institute of White Plains in New York, as well as continuing as the director of the Szarvas Fellowships Program. Rabbi Cohen has yet to decide where he will be going. Rabbi Farber will be headed out to Atlanta, GA to be the Rosh Kollel at the Torah MiTzion Kollel there, as well as studying dayyanus with Rabbi Michael Broyde. Rabbi Leifert will be serving as the assistant rabbi at Congregation Rodfei Sholom in San Antonio, TX. Rabbi Leubitz will be going out to Los Angeles, CA to serve as the assistant rabbi at B'nei David-Judea Congregation. Rabbi Weiner will also be reportedly headed out to Los Angeles.
Rabbi Chaim Marder, director of YCT's professional development curriculum, gave the invocation for the ceremony, Dr. Michelle Friedman, director of pastoral counseling at YCT presented the דבר תורה (lit. thing of Torah), Howard Jonas, chair of the Board of Trustees gave his greetings and thoughts to the crowd, with B.T. Roi presenting the gifts to the new graduates. Graduate Ari Leubitz spoke upon the yeshiva experience and fellow graduate Yonatan Cohen spoke on rabbinic aspirations. And to finish off all of the proceedings, the dean and founder of YCT, Rabbi Avi Weiss, spoke the final remarks.
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08 June 2006

YCT Marches in Salute To Israel Parade

For the second year in a row, YCT has marched in the New York Salute to Israel Parade (with the Halakhic Organ Donor Society). This year, the march took place on Sunday 4 June.

(pictured are, from right to left, Rabbi Jason Herman ('05), Drew Kaplan, Yonah Berman, Aryeh Leifert, chairman of the board of trustees Howard Jonas, Zev Farber, head of YCT Pastoral Counseling Dr. Michelle Friedman, and HODS director Robbie Berman)

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YCT Students At Darfur Rally

On Sunday 30 April, around a dozen YCT students (there were more there than made it into the picture to the left) went to Washington, DC to attend the rally to support ending the genocide going on against the people of Darfur. A few students stayed on another day to help lobby the OU with other rabbinic students.

Ben posted on his perspective at the rally.
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