Hanukah

In building dreams, the challenges one faces are myriad and formidable. Dreamers always seem to be treading a fine line between fantasy and reverie.

There is no festival like Hanukah that so underscores the motif of light in granting us strength and faith, allowing us to make major changes in our community, society, country and nation. After all, every flame starts out as a single small spark.

Aharon David Gordon wrote: "Light will not prevail over darkness as long as we do not recognize the simple truth that instead of fighting darkness we must enhance light." In the society in which we live it is not enough to intensify light and there are times when we are compelled to fight darkness. Nevertheless, light has a strength that is tens of times more powerful than the strength needed to combat darkness.

May we learn how to reinforce the good in us and see the good in others.

Wishing you a happy festival of lights.

Rabbi Yoav Ende
Director
Hannaton Educational and Spiritual Center

It Happened Here

SILENT MEDITATION RETREAT

Over 40 people participated in Tovana’s 3-day silent retreat designed for people with chronic pain and illnesses.  Thanks to our generous donors, we were able to open our “Tent of Avraham” for the first time to be used for meditation and healing sessions.  The "Tent of Abraham" was recently donated in honor of Mervin Gray's 90^th birthday by Barry and Adrienne Gray and members of the Gray family.

MITZVAH SEMINAR

Kudos to Viki Langbeheim, coordinator of the Age of Mitzvah seminar, for two more successful programs.  In October, over 60 Israeli 6^th grade students from Yokneam and Gevah Binyamin. participated in our Bar/Bat Mitzvah program run in conjunction with the TALI Educational Fund.  Students deepen their connection to Jewish peoplehood through a circuit of experiential stations including Jewish prayer, rituals and the synagogue, Jewish values, inspirational Jewish characters, Shabbat, women in Judaism, and Torah.  Upcoming groups include schools from Carmiel and Jerusalem.

MASORTI MISSION

David Lissy, CEO and executive director of the Masorti Foundation for Conservative Judaism in Israel, brought approximately 40 Masorti mission participants to visit Hannaton for a “Lunch and Learn” program.  During a tour of the renewed kibbutz, Mr. Larry Ritter ceremoniously donated a Torah to the Kibbutz Hannaton synagogue.  We thank Mr. Ritter for his generosity!

Upcoming Events

JEWISH MINDFULNESS RETREAT

On December 5-12, 2010, join Rabbis Jeff Roth and James Moshe Jacobson-Maisels for a 7-night Jewish silent meditation retreat.  The retreat will take place at Neve Shalom and is sponsored by the Awakened Heart Project and co-sponsored by the Hannaton Educational and Spiritual Center.  For more information please contact Rabbi Roth at jeff@awakenedheartproject.org or Rav Jacobson-Maisels at heartconsciousness@gmail.com or +972-54-780-8731.  SAVE THE DATE: The next 7-night Jewish silent meditation retreat with Rabbis Jeff Roth, Joanna Katz, and James Moshe Jacobson-Maisels will take place on March 7, 2011.  Stay tuned for details and registration information!

LEADERSHIP AND RABBINICAL SEMINARS

During Chanukah, the Hannaton Educational and Spiritual Center will host the NOAM youth leadership seminar (over 180 participants) and a spiritual Shabbaton for 75 rabbinical students from Hebrew Union College, the educational and intellectual center of Reform Judaism.

Meet a Member of Hannaton

VIKI LANGBEHEIM

Viki Langbeheim is the “Age of Mitzvah” coordinator at the Hannaton Educational and Spiritual Center.  She was born in Israel and served in the I.D.F. as an educator in the paratrooper unit.  She has a B.A. in education from Tel Chai specializing in both special and art education.  She was the educational coordinator and manager for the Society of the Protection of Nature in Israel.  Viki and her husband, Avi are members and live on Kibbutz Hannaton with their son, Omri.

Partner with Us

We wish to thank the Gimprich Family Foundation for their recent grant to support the “Age of Mitzvah” project.  The vision of this project is to subsidize 10 schools to participate in 2011 with plans for the number of schools to grow each subsequent year.