Search results for: Liturgy

A first-of-a-kind symposium has opened today, July 8, 2015, focusing on tefilah in Jewish day schools. Aleinu Leshabe’ach, organized by the Pardes Center for Jewish Educators, has brought together 17 tefilah facilitators, across all grades, from Orthodox, Conservative and Community day schools, to spend six days exploring the challenges and new possibilities for tefilah education.

What Jewish educator has not struggled with the challenges inherent in helping learners to find tefillah (prayer) a compelling experience? In this issue of Gleanings, outstanding teachers and leaders of tefillah, including graduates of the William Davidson Graduate School of Jewish Education, The Rabbinical School, and H. L. Miller Cantorial School and College of Jewish Music of The Jewish Theological Seminary, portray successes in this important field. Each writer focuses on different dimensions of the tefillah experience. They attend, variously, to the nature of the prayer community; the relationship between tefillah and music; the kinds of music that can touch us; and the place that deep understanding of the words of the siddur (prayer book) has in touching our souls.

This issue of HaYidion focuses on prayer, tefillah. The authors in this issue struggle with the fact that prayer in school is often rote, devoid of meaning, emotionless, irrelevant to the pray-ers. They analyze the causes of the impoverishment of what should be a transcendent experience, and they offer creative and often passionate suggestions for the enhancement of the prayer experience. Their analyses are cogent and enlightening, and offer meaningful pathways to enhance and enrich davening.

The Israeli Institute for the Advancement of the Deaf and the national-religious rabbinic association Tzohar joined together on Purim to hold for the first time a sign-language megila reading for the deaf and hard of hearing. More than 600 people turned up to the Tel Aviv International Synagogue on Saturday night for the unique reading of the Book of Esther, one of the central customs of Purim.