Thousands of Israelis across the country are being brought together this Chanukah (and all year round!) through innovative, appealing initiatives run by the Yachad Jewish Identity program’s Jewish Cultural Facilitators all over the country, from the northern border with Lebanon all the way down to Eilat. Each person comes with their own light and quickly discovers… Continue Reading A Thousand Words – December 3, 2018
145,000 Israelis Embrace New Year with Joy, Meaning and Unity OTS’s Yachad Program for Jewish Identity brought the beauty of Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur, Sukkot and Simchat Torah to more than 145,000 Israelis this year through their annual “Holidays are for Everyone” initiative, designed to ensure that Jewish traditions are accessible and meaningful for all… Continue Reading 145,000 Israelis Embrace Heritage with Joy, Meaning and Unity
Prior to Simchat Torah, Jewish identity coordinators from the OTS Yachad Program brought a Torah scroll to secular Israeli schoolchildren, encouraging them to take ownership of their sources and their heritage. #HandsOnLearning#YachadMeansTogether#TheTorahSpeaksToEveryone#SimchatTorah#OTSLearningLivingLeading
Shofar to Come to Hundreds of Parks Throughout Israel “Shofar in the Park” will bring the spirit of the festival to more than 200 parks, central squares, community centers and public spaces throughout Israel. BY JPOST.COM STAFF September 5, 2018 On both days of Rosh Hashana, Ohr Torah Stone network’s “Yachad” program will run the “Shofar… Continue Reading Shofar to Come to Parks – JPost
There is a shofar for everyone The growing demand for Shofar in the Park, which will take place in 270 centers, proves that – contrary to public opinion – Israelis are far from being afraid of religion. Shimon Cohen, September 3, 2018 (Translated from Hebrew) A “Shofar in the Park” event will be held in… Continue Reading There is a Shofar for Everyone
The long, lazy Friday afternoons of Israeli summer are being imbued with meaning as hundreds of Israelis partake in Yachad Program festivities celebrating the coming of Shabbat. In community centers and parks across the country, Yachad’s 32 Jewish Cultural Facilitators are inviting Israelis of all ages and backgrounds to welcome the approaching Shabbat through music,… Continue Reading Lighting Candles in all the Worlds
Can you recite all Ten Commandments? How do they impact on your daily life? These are some of the questions that OTS’s Yachad Program for Jewish Identity posed to Israelis of all ages and backgrounds during the week preceding the Festival of Shavuot and on Shavuot night itself. The activities were part of a nationwide initiative… Continue Reading “Ten Commandments” – Yachad 2018
According to statistics, a mass exodus took place this past Pesach. But unlike the Biblical Exodus which Pesach is meant to recall, this exodus was comprised of half a million Israelis who responded to sweet vacation deals promising “true freedom” on this Festival of Freedom by swapping their matza for French croissants and their four… Continue Reading Why was this night different?
CLICK FOR PHOTOS Hundreds of Israelis across the country participated in exciting, festive candlelighting events this Chanukah, thanks to 32 Jewish Cultural Facilitators from OTS’s “Yachad” Program. From the north to the south, spanning 80 communities including Katzrin, Yokneam, Petach Tikva, Rechovot, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Ashkelon, Arad and even Eilat, the Yachad facilitators brought… Continue Reading Yachad: Celebrating Chanukah Together
Out of the Synagogues and Into the Public Realm: Rosh Hashana for Everyone (click for photos) “Tens of people gathered around to hear me blow shofar in the public park,” recounts Mordechai Harel, the Yachad Program Jewish Cultural Facilitator in Hod Hasharon. “Right after I started, I noticed a family on bicycles that stopped still, dismounted… Continue Reading Out of the Synagogues and into the Public Realm
Limitless Love to counter Baseless Hatred: Tisha B’Av 2017 What relevance can a fast marking the destruction of the Temple 2000 years ago possibly have for modern secular Israelis? How can one really be expected to mourn over something one has not personally loved, cherished or revered? This past Tisha B’Av, Ohr Torah Stone’s Yachad… Continue Reading Limitless Love
“I cannot fall asleep, I keep looking at the photos from this evening’s ceremony and phrases from the various things that were said keep popping into my mind. I see my grandmother’s face before me and my mother’s, and I feel happy, somehow… safe? Because I know that my precious daughter, Lihi, has embraced her… Continue Reading Strong Links in the Chain
