FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Debra Kolodny, Executive Director, ALEPH

DATE: Wednesday, May 31, 2006

Phone: 301-565-0719

Email: DebraRuth@mac.com

Dear Editor:

Enclosed is the May 2006 ALEPH News Service. We hope you run one or more of the following articles, and look forward to hearing from you if you do. This release contains:

1. ALEPH’s Inaugural Jewish Renewal Israel Birthright Trip a Huge Success

2 Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi/Eve Ilsen Shabbaton Brings Heaven to Earth

3. Eighth ALEPH Caravan Inspires Congregation Bet Haverim in Davis, California

About ALEPH: ALEPH acts as the headquarters of the Jewish Renewal movement by organizing and nurturing communities, developing spiritual leadership, ordaining rabbis, cantors and rabbinic pastors, creating liturgical and scholarly resources, holding retreats and festivals and working for social and environmental justice.

ALEPH has attracted and energized thousands of seekers returning to Judaism and thousands who are deeply engaged but looking to elevate their current practice. ALEPH has 42 affiliated communities and its projects include two biennial gatherings: the Kallah and Ruach HaAretz; the Sacred Foods Project, C-DEEP: The Center for Devotional, Energy, and Ecstatic Practice, the Bet Midrash (producing siddurim, publications, videos and CDs from our founder Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi and other Jewish Renewal teachers) and Kesher (supporting twenty and early thirty year old leaders). In addition to its projects, ALEPH also produces one-day Jewish Renewal festivals in communities around the US and Canada called Caravans. It is home to OHALAH: The Association of Rabbis for Jewish Renewal and a Rabbinic Studies Program, educating future rabbis, cantors and rabbinic pastors.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or would like additional information. ALEPH looks forward to working with you,

Debra Kolodny /s/

ALEPH’s Inaugural Jewish Renewal Israel Taglit/Birthright Trip a Huge Success

Thirty-nine vibrant, creative and inspiring American Jews between the ages of 18 and 26 participated in the first Jewish Renewal Birthright trip from May 18-28. A collaboration between ALEPH: Alliance for Jewish Renewal and Israel Outdoors, the trip provided an intimate and exciting spiritual encounter with Israel.

Working with the traditional Birthright itinerary carefully designed by Israel Outdoors for maximum and meaningful contact with the land, the trip included prayer at the Kotel (Western Wall,) floating in the Dead Sea, a traditional Bedouin feast, a camel ride, several hikes, a kayak trip, a walk through Hezekiah’s water tunnel in the City of David, dancing on the Sea of Galilee, wine tasting in the Golan, a visit to Tzfat, 5 days with Israeli peers on leave from military service and stirring lectures on the history and geography of the country by an amazing guide, Eyal Yaskirovitch.

ALEPH’s Jewish Renewal agenda added a beautiful opening Shabbaton with Ruth and Michael Kagan, Ohad Ezrahi and peace-makers Gaby Myer, Eliyahu McLean and Carol Grossman. Every morning participants could start the day with a Renewal shacharit service and hours were spent on the bus chanting and singing and hearing teachings on the counting of the Omer, eco-kashrut, prayer and healing.

Walking through Hezekiah’s tunnel the group chanted group leader Holly Shere’s ‘Holy Holy’ chant for 45 minutes in no less than 4 part rounds, with sound and spirit reverberating off the walls. Later that day, after hearing about trip leader Debra Kolodny’s encounter with God at the Kotel, participants chanted Rabbi Shefa Gold’s “Me Olam Ad Olam” (Psalm 90) in the courtyard before approaching the wall. The next day the women and men separated for mikva experiences in a natural pool and waterfall in the Golan. That afternoon they had a spirited discussion about war and peace in the Middle East following a film about the Yom Kippor war.

The morning in Tzfat proved far too short for the depth and breadth of the teachings. Participants first met with Moshe-Tov Krepps and his colleagues at the Center for Healthy living and learned about permaculture, organic farming, Chinese medicine and more. Yehudit Goldfarb closed the session there with a teaching on Otiyot Chayyot-Living Letters-a tai chi inspired series of movements for each of the Hebrew Letters. Yehudit then escorted the group to visit Avraham Lowenthal and David Friedman, two amazing Kabbalistic artists who wowed everyone with their enthusiasm and depth of knowledge.

Other Renewal highlights included a powerful Yizkor (memorial) service at Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Memorial Museum, a sunrise morning service at Matzada, and a participant inspired variety show with dueling rappers, an improvised skit by a professional performance artist, a break dancer, a samba artist, a yogi, a concert violinist and more, followed by a night filled with dancing and drumming with a class of middle school Arab children-an oasis of joyful peace.

At the end of the week the group shared powerful stories of spiritual awakenings, heart openings, deeper connections to Judaism and the start of a life long relationship with Israel. ALEPH looks forward to our next Birthright tour, as well as Renewal tours for those older than are eligible for this remarkable free experience. Visit www.aleph.org for more information.

Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi/Eve Ilsen Shabbaton Brings Heaven to

Earth

Nearly 500 people from the United States, Canada, Israel, Brazil and more gathered in Philadelphia from May 12-14 to experience a profound transmission of Jewish learning, prayer, celebration, humor and song that only a master could provide. Joined by many of his senior and most accomplished students, Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi along with his wife, Rebbitzen Eve Ilsen presided over a magical weekend where heaven really was experienced right here on earth.

Highlights of the weekend included beautiful prayer services with repeated experiences of simultaneous English and Hebrew davennen, several seudah shlishits (third meals of Shabbat) led by a variety of teachers and Reb Zalman’s urging that participants commit to a meaningful weekday prayer practice with the help of his English language weekday siddur at the Sunday morning service.

The May Shabbaton featured teachings from leading lights in Jewish Renewal, including Rabbi Marcia Prager (Dean of the ALEPH Rabbinic Program) who joined Reb Zalman and Eve to lead the Erev Shabbat service with her husband Cantor Jack Kessler. Accompanied by their son Aaron and master drummer Akiva Wharton the service welcomed participants into a sweet and deep Shabbat experience. Rabbi Prager taught a workshop on Davennology the next day, inviting participants into the pleasures of prayer.

Rabbi David Ingber joined Reb Zalman and Eve to lead the morning service and then taught on the delights of weekday spirituality. Rabbi Steve Silvern, (ALEPH Board Vice Chair and Rabbinic Program Academic Council member) led a workshop on Credo of a Modern Kabbalist. Rabbi Shaya Isenberg (Co-Director of the ALEPH Sage-ing Project) led a workshop on Deep Ecumenism. Rabbi Shohama Wiener (Director of the ALEPH HASHPA’AH/Spiritual Direction Program) led a workshop on Meditation and Rabbi Elliot Ginsburg (Member of the ALEPH Rabbinic Program Academic Council) led a workshop on bringing Shabbat into the rest of the week.

Gifted spiritual leaders performed a joyous concert escorting the Shabbos Queen to her dwelling place in our lives for the rest of the week. Rabbis Shawn Zevit, Arthur Waskow (Director of The Shalom Center) and Geela Rayzel Raphael joined Rebbitzen Eve Ilsen and Yofiyah for an evening of song, dance and great joy.

Eighth ALEPH Caravan Inspires Congregation Bet Haverim in Davis, California

Congregation Bet Haverim hosted a day of Jewish Renewal teachings, music, food and fellowship designed in collaboration with ALEPH: Alliance for Jewish Renewal on April 30. Rabbis Hanna Tiferet Siegel and Shefa Gold were joined by Cantor Richard Kaplan to invite the community into a richer relationship with prayer. All internationally known for their creativity, master level liturgical composition and groundbreaking work in deepening congregational life, the teachers made a lasting impression on Bet Haverim.

Event organizer Jane Rabin said of the event, “The Caravan was an inspiration to our synagogue and perhaps a transformative event. It offered new ways of experiencing what we do as a spiritual community, and I am encouraged to think it might change the way we do things. We look forward to the next Caravan event in the not too distant future. Thanks to ALEPH and the rabbis for offering this gift.”

On Saturday evening the visiting rabbis led the community through Havdalah, counting of the Omer, chant, song and celebration. On Sunday Rabbis Tifferet Siegel and Gold led a beautiful morning service followed by three workshops.

Cantor Richard Kaplan taught “Unlocking the Secrets of the Siddur: Working with the Deep Structure of the Traditional Service.” Participants explored the liturgy and gained a deeper understanding of the siddur as mystical text.

Rabbi Hanna Tiferet Siegel, singer/composer, liturgical artist and yoga teacher, led a healing workshop that gave participants an experience of a healing circle and taught them how to design and facilitate their own circles in their community.

Rabbi Shefa Gold led a workshop on “Ecstatic Chant,” where participants experienced chant as a form of meditation to open doors of the heart, clear the mind of clutter, focus and refine intentions, and connect to each other.

ALEPH Executive Director and Caravan organizer, Debra Kolodny said, “Working with Jane and with Bet Haverim Rabbi Greg Wolfe was a dream. Their vision and capacity for building a spiritually invigorated community is a model for synagogue renewal in this country. It is clear that they will take the experience of this Caravan and reap significant benefits for years to come. One can only hope that other congregations look to them for guidance and inspiration!”

The ALEPH Caravan travels throughout the United States, tailoring events to meet the needs and interests of local communities with the goal of supporting deeper spiritual meaning in Jewish practice. Caravans feature prayer, song, chant, dance, meditation, Hassidic text study and kabbalistic practice, bringing the best that Jewish tradition has to offer through the expert leadership of Jewish Renewal rabbis.