Jerusalem Follow-up
The Weekly Alumni Newsletter of
The Jerusalem Fellowships

4 Adar, 5759 February 20,1999

Hi Fellowshippers:

This past weekend our New York office was pleased to host another Fellowships Reunion Shabbaton. On behalf of our entire staff we'd like to thank everyone who came and made our Shabbat so very special. It was great seeing so many familiar faces, and we look forward to hosting you again in the future.

Here's some feedback that our Administrative Assistant, Hilary Levin received about the Shabbaton from Karen Wenshelbaum:

Hilary,

It was so nice to meet you finally this weekend. I had such a great time and met some great new friends - including you! Just wanted to let you know. Keep in touch.

Love, Karen

We host Reunion Shabbatons throughtout the year. We'll let you know about upcoming Shabbatons in future issues.


UPCOMING EVENTS

The dates are official for both the men's and women's Return and Learn programs!

Men: May 17th -- June 17: July 5 - August 8th
Women: May 24th - June 30: July 5th - August 8th

By popular request, here's the Return and Learn Official Policy

For alumni who can not stay 3 or more weeks:

Return and Learn is FREE! (but you'll have to pick up the cost of your airfare)

For alumni who can stay 3 or more weeks:

Return and Learn is just $500 (INCLUDING AIRFARE FROM NY) when you receive a scholarship from Aish HaTorah's Keren Avraham Fund -- a scholarship fund which makes monetary grants exclusively for past participants on Aish HaTorah's programs to return to Israel to continue their Jewish studies.

It's never too early to call us at 1-800 FELLOWS to ask for an application to the R&L program and the KA Fund Scholarship.

also...

Those of you interested in participating as Student Leaders on our JFIL and JF programs this summer, please call for an application. If you're accepted your cost will be just $500 including airfare from NY.

Employment Opportunity at Aish HaTorah New York

Aish HaTorah, New York, located on the Upper West Side is looking for a Recruitment Coordinator. This individual must have a good phone voice, be organized, be a people person and be an all around team player. The ideal candidate wants to work in Kiruv.

This person will be taking reservations for various events and must be able to communicate all the events that are occuring at the Center and be able to develop relationships with our students. Computer skills a plus.

Please contact Sharon Lynn at 212.579.1388x15.

EMAIL ADDRESS CHANGES AND UPDATES

Hi, old friends, this is Sarah Guzick,(June 94,SLT Dec 97)

I owe apologies for being a horrible communicator, moving around alot makes life crazy although it's no excuse. Well, here is my info. I am happy in Chicago, I teach religious school 6 hrs. a week in Skokie, and I make it as entertaining and inspiring as I can. I am starting to get involved in the theatre community slowly but surely, and I live within blocks of 3 shuls, a modern orthodox, a conservative and a reform. I have a doggie (a Pekineese)named Moishe who I got the day before Pesach last April and he is my current life partner and roommate.That's about it. Missing Israel as always and hoping to return in Sept. to experience the high holidays Jerusalem style. Love to all-Sarah

Sarah Guzick
540 W. Roscoe #488
Chicago,IL 60657
(773) 528-2390
sguzick@mindspring.com

----------------------

Shalom from Los Angeles

its Alex Berger (July 98) just writing to thank you again for the effort put into the news letters. i recently put my photos from israel on my desk, so they are more accesible. i miss the people and the land, and i am currently in negotiation with my parents about this summer. everything is going good. although, i have had problems contacting yehuda michelle over the past few weeks. if you hear from him, ask him to contact me. i hope everything is good by you. i thought you might need some jokes, so i transfered some that were forwarded to me. i thought they were pretty funny. hope you enjoy them. (Please see the Joke of the "Weak" for Alex's jokes)

Alex Berger
Aldogg@aol.com

Joke of the "Weak"

(This week thanks to Alex Berger)

A journalist assigned to the Jerusalem bureau takes an Apartment overlooking the Wailing Wall. Every day when she looks out, she sees an old Jewish man praying vigorously. So, the journalist goes down and introduces herself to the old man.

She asks, "You come every day to the wall. How long have you done that and what are you praying for?"

The old man replies, "I have come here to pray every day for years. In the morning I pray for world peace and then for the brotherhood of man. I go home, have a cup of tea, and I come back and pray for the eradication of illness and disease from the earth."

The journalist is amazed. "How does it make you feel to come here every day for 25 years and pray for these things?" she asks.

The old man looks at her sadly. "Like I'm talking to a wall."

---------------

Syrian Airline Pilot

The captain of a Syrian airliner sends out a Mayday message:

"This is Syrian Airlines 174 announcing we have lost an engine and

want to land at any airport in the mid east OTHER than Israel."

No answer.

A short while later he announces, "This is Syrian Airlines 174

again. We have lost TWO engines and urgently ask permission to land at

any airport in the Mideast OTHER than Israel."

Silence.

A while later the captain announces, "This is Syrian Airlines 174.

We are desperate. We have lost three engines and need permission to land at airport in the Mideast OTHER than Israel."

Still no answer.

Finally, the captain calls, "Help! This is Syrian Airlines 174, we have only one engine left and it is rapidly failing. Unless we can land we are going to crash. We need permission to land at ANY airport in the Mideast, INCLUDING Israel."

Shortly thereafter, a voice is heard in the Syrian airline cockpit: "Shalom Syrian Air 174 - This is Tel Aviv airport. We would like to help."

"G-d bless you," says the Syrian pilot. "What should we do?"

"Repeat after me: Yitgadal, v'yitkadash..."

Inspiration


From the Aish HaTorah Daily Lift


When you help someone else financially, realize that the money you are giving away is not really yours. Really the money belongs to the person to whom you are giving it! The Almighty has merely made you His messenger to collect that money and give it to its rightful owner.

Today, write a check to your favorite charity and tell yourself, "I am God's messenger!"
(see Rabbi Chaim Zaitchyk - Maayanai Hachaim, vol.3, p.138; Rabbi Pliskin's "Consulting the Wise")

To subscribe to the Daily Lift, visit the Aish HaTorah website at www.aish.edu. It's also a great source for everything you need to know about Purim, Passover, and the entire Jewish calendar.

YAAKOV'S CAMPUS CORNER

(Rabbi Yaakov Singer joined our North American Fellowships staff this past summer as our Campus Coordinator. If you are currently in college and would like to get more involved in our campus programming, please contact him by email at ysinger@aish.edu, or call him toll free at 877-472-5412. Yaakov is a regular contributor to our Jerusalem Follow-up Newsletter)

Yaakov is on the road, visiting our alumni at the University of Maryland, and preparing for our first ever Campus Outreach Leadership Training seminar, taking place in Passaic, NJ this weekend. He'll be back next week with a new edition of Campus Corner.

Have something you'd like to say? An article, a bad joke, a Mazel Tov? Send it in and we'll include it in the next issue. Our email address is jf@aish.edu. Now here's the Weekly...

B"H


AISH HATORAH'S
Shabbat Shalom Weekly

4 Adar, 5759 February 20, 1999

Over 4,900 Internet Subscribers! Over 100,000 Readers Worldwide!
Aish HaTorah -- To Light the Fire of Torah in Every Jewish Heart!

GOOD MORNING! Perhaps with Purim coming up I can justify to myself the space to share with you the following two humorous pieces. Please, do NOT write me about my wasting this week's edition and that you're missing a spiritual uplift. Humor is also a spiritual uplift (if it is uplifting humor...). Secondly, my wife agrees with you and has already expressed your opinion with clarity and sufficiency.

MURPHYS LAWS OF COMPUTING


1. When the going gets tough, upgrade.
2. He who laughs last probably made a back-up.
3. If at first you don't succeed, blame your computer.
4. A complex system that does not work is invariably found to have evolved from a simpler system that worked just fine.
5. For every action, there is an equal and opposite malfunction.
6 .The number one cause of computer problems is computer solutions.
7. When you need to send an email quick, that's when the modem won't connect!
8. When computing, whatever happens, behave as though you meant it to happen.
9. To err is human... to blame your computer for your mistakes is even more human.
10. A computer program will always do what you tell it to do, but rarely what you want it to do.
11. When you get to the point where you really understand your computer, it's probably obsolete.
12. The first place to look for information is in the section of the manual where you least expect to find it.

OLD & NEW CONCERNS FOR THE BABYBOOMER GENERATION

Then: Long hair.
Now: Longing for hair.

Then: Keg
Now: EKG.

Then: Acid rock
Now: Acid reflux.

Then: Paar.
Now: AARP.

Then: Getting out to a new, hip joint.
Now: Getting a new hip joint.

Then: Moving to California because it's cool.
Now: Moving to California because it's hot.

Then: Our president's struggle with Fidel.
Now: Our president's struggle with fidelity.

Then: Watching John Glenn's historic flight with your parents.
Now: Watching John Glenn's historic flight with your kids.

Then: Trying to look like Marlon Brando or Elizabeth Taylor.
Now: Trying not to look like Marlon Brando or Elizabeth Taylor

TORAH PORTION: Terumah, Exodus 25:1 - 27:19

This week's reading is an architect's or interior designer's dream portion. It begins with the Almighty commanding Moses to tell the Jewish people to bring an offering of the materials necessary for the construction of the Mishkan, the portable sanctuary.

The Torah continues with the details for constructing the Ark, the Table, the Menorah, the Tabernacle (the central area of worship containing the Ark, the Menorah, the Incense Altar, and the Table), the Beams composing the walls of the Tabernacle, the Cloth partition (separating the Holy of Holies where the Ark rested from the remaining Sanctuary part of the Tabernacle), the Altar and the Enclosure for the Tabernacle (surrounding curtains forming a rectangle within which was a large area approximately 15x larger than the Tabernacle).

DVAR TORAH: based on Growth Through Torah by Rabbi Zelig Pliskin

The Torah states, "In the rings of the Ark shall be the poles; they shall not be removed from it" (Exodus 25:15). However, the Torah teaches us that the poles of the brass altar were removed. Why were the poles of the ark treated differently than the poles of the brass altar?

The Chizkuni, a 13th century French rabbi, writes that the poles of the brass altar were removed because it was located in a place where people had to pass by; protruding poles would have inconvenienced them. The Ark, however, was located in the Holy of Holies where only the High Priest entered on Yom Kippur. Therefore, the protruding poles would not inconvenience anyone else.

What is our lesson? We must be sensitive in our actions and with our possessions regarding others. This has particular application as to how we park our cars in a parking lot or where we stop to pick up or let off people. We must be careful not to block others.

AISH NEWS:

What does the movie 2001 Space Odyssey have to do with Judaism? What's the story with Codes in the Bible? Want to know about one of the best programs for Jewish college students in Israel -- Jerusalem Fellowships? How about the latest on upcoming holidays? Want to see what's happening live at the Western Wall or send a note to be placed into the Wall? Check out www.aish.edu

CANDLE LIGHTING: Jerusalem 4:52 Miami 5:59 New York 5:17 LA 5:23 Hong Kong 6:05 London 5:06 Moscow 5:23 Singapore 7:02 Guatemala 5:45 Honolulu 6:13 J'Burg 6:15 Melbourne 7:56

"QUOTE OF THE WEEK": You were born an original. Don't die a copy.

Shabbat Shalom,
Rabbi Chanan Kaufman

Dedicated in Honor of
Paul S. Levy
For His Tremendous Support Of The Jewish Community
And His Sponsorship Of The Jerusalem Fellowships


Jerusalem Follow-up
2124 Broadway, Suite 224
New York, NY 10023
1-800 FELLOWS
jboretsky@aish.edu
jf@aish.edu

Archives at www.jerusalemfellowships.org/alumni.htm

Compiled by Rabbi Josh Boretsky
Edited by Rabbi Chaim Dubin