What's Happening

Share your successes.

Let us know what you've heard.

We want to hear from you if Project Reconnect has made a difference. Let us know what you've experienced. Send your stories, photos and videos to us at reconnect@uscj.org.

Rabbi Jeremy Wiederhorn, past president of Far West USY, leads a prayer for the Joint Session of Congress

Rabbi Wiederhorn, currently Rabbi of The Conservative Synagogue of Westport, Weston and Wilton in Connecticut, led the Joint Session of Congress in prayer on May 24th, the same day Israeli President Benjamin Nethanyahu addressed the body. Yasher Koach to Rabbi Wiederhorn!

In a related development, Rabbi Wiederhorn is apparently reaching out in even more creative ways. The Rabbi introduced Rep. Jim Himes, the Presbyterian Congressman who invited the Rabbi to speak, to homemade Cholent!

Conservative Rabbi Joyce Newmark, wins $29,200 on Jeopardy!

Rabbi Joyce Newmark with host Alex Trebek (Jeopardy Productions, Inc.)

Teaneck New Jersey's own Conservative Rabbi Joyce Newmar, was recently a contestant on the TV game show Jeopardy!, and won $29,200 in her first night! She returned a second night but came up unfortunately came up short. In addition to her success answering questions, she around host Alex Trabek's curiousity about her being a female rabbi. He wanted to know how long the ordination of female rabbis has been going on and if there are any female Orthodox rabbis.

Newmark expected the fact she wears a kippah to be topic of conversation, but it turned out not to be. "The interesting thing is that nobody said a thing about the kippah," she explained. "Since I was introduced as a rabbi, they may have just thought it was normal."

Newmark graduated from the Jewish Theological Seminary in 1991, and has served congregations in Lancaster, PA and Leonia, NJ. She is currently concentrating on writes and lectures. You can check out an article she wrote on Parsha Emor by clicking here.

Eric Schorr - Spokesman for Israel on Campus

Photo Courtesy of thejewishweek.com

Eric Schorr, 22, has been making a name for himself by sticking up for Israel on his Columbia University campus. A USY Alum who served as President of HaGesher, and spent a year on Nativ College Leadership Program in Israel, Schorr was visiting Israel during Operation Cast Lead in Gaza in 2009.

Once Eric returned to school, he came face to face with anti-Israel protests lead by pro-Palestinian groups on campus. He took it upon himself to organize counter-protests and joined campus activist group LionPac as their public relations director, eventually rising to the role of president. A recent Op-Ed of his, entitled "No Partner for Peace" analyzed the Palestinian interpretation of Israel's birth as a "nakba," Arabic for catastrophe.

Eric partially attributes his affection for Israel to his family roots. “My passion stems from a lot of ability to get up in front of others and speak out. The fact that my mother was born in Haifa and I have dual citizenship is a big part of it. I’m born of two worlds and caught between them.”

He would also like to fulfill his dream of serving in the IDF after college. “Nothing is guaranteed, but I’d like to serve in the spokesperson’s unit. Israel needs more Americans speaking on its behalf. We need American student activism infused into the IDF and that’s what I hope to bring.”

Project Reconnect is very proud of Eric, and hopes that his unyielding dedication to our homeland will inspire others to become active in their own communities.

Rabbi Josh Sherwin - Bringing Pesach to Kabul and Torah to the World Over

Rabbi Josh Sherwin leading seder. Photo courtesy of jtsa.edu.

Rabbi Josh Sherwin, Lieutenant-US Navy Chaplain and USY Alum, is on his second annual special mission to host a Passover Seder for American troops serving in Afghanistan! We thank him for his service to the Country and to the Jewish People as a whole. We wish Rabbi Josh and all the men and women serving in the military a meaningful chag and a speedy and safe return home. Next year in Jerusalem indeed!

Lt. Sherwin, whose father is Rabbi Richard Sherwin of Congregation Beth Am in Longwood, Florida, and whose maternal grandfather, Rabbi Kassel Abelson, will be honored during USY's 60th Anniversary year for his efforts in creating what became the nucleus of USY, is also breaking new ground in a meaningful way. He recently participated in dedicating the torah that is kept in the built-in aron kodesh aboard the USS George H.W. Bush. America's newest aircraft carrier is the first ship of its kind to have a permanent home for a torah instead of just a portable ark. Kol HaKavod Rabbi Josh Sherwin!

METNY Alum enters Creative Story contest

Metny alum, Efrem Epstein has entered the Creative Fiction Story Contest and his submission was one of those accepted.

Efrem is very proud of his entry, entitled, " From The Smallest Of All Creatures" and would love for his fellow alum to read it, hopefully enjoy his creative efforts and if so inclined to even vote for his entry to win the popular reader's choice award.

To read this year's selections for the Creative Story Contest, including Efrem's entry, go to http://www.soa.org/news-and-publications/newsletters/technology/pub-8th-speculative-fiction.aspx .

Project Reconnect Israel Alum Authors New Book

We are privileged and proud to bring to your attention a new book, entitled: "Jerusalem, A Neighborhood Street Guide", authored by our own Israel alum, formerly from Teaneck, N.J., Chanoch Shudofsky. This book constitutes an historic journey through the annals of Jewish History .The names of the streets and neighborhoods are way-stations in history, extending from the period of the Biblical forefathers and foremothers and ending in our own time, with the very people and events that brought about the establishment of the State of Israel.

The up-to-date guide, including some 2,500 streets, squares, roads and alleyways in the city, is listed according to the neighborhoods for the Jerusalemite and the tourist alike. It is divided into two parts: the first is an alphabetical listing of the streets and the second is an alphabetical listing of all of the neighborhoods in Jerusalem, each one presented with its streets.

The book has been critiqued as very user friendly and highly recommended as a guide for community library travel collections and for anyone wishing to visit the Holy City. Click here to order your copy today!

T'fillin in Action!

Rabbi Jeremy Weiderhorn, a former Far West USY regional president who is now the spiritual leader of Congregation Midbar Kodesh n Henderson, Nevada, teaches congregant Jordon Doctors how to lay tefillin for the shul’s Sunday morning minyan. Jordon’s mother, Tiffany Welt Doctors, also used to belong to Far West USY.

NERUSY Presidents Unite!

Through the almost magical powers of Facebook, 14 past NERUSY presidents have been collected in a small group. Rachel Wilgoren and I connected and now I am delighted to say that we are colleagues! Rachel is the Associate Attorney, and I am the Paralegal, of Riemer and Associates, a disability law firm located just across from Grand Central in Manhattan. She is also active in good and important work outside of the office, raising awareness of and funds for pulmonary fibrosis in memory of her mother Toby Neipris Wilgoren (z"l); learn more at www.TeamToby.net. In my spare time I enjoy continued involvement in my sorority (Delta Gamma) alumnae network, my alma mater (JTS, BA '04), as well as trying to make Rachel join me at alumni events for Brandeis (Rachel: BA '95, Audrey: MA '07) and Columbia (Rachel: MSW, JD '02; Audrey: BA: '04)! --Audrey Shore

Bogrim Program Reconnects alumni

The Bogrim Program was just launched and unexpected "reconnecting occurred". In helping a synagogue in Crusy/Great Lakes and Rivers Region, Project Reconnect Chair Jackie Saltz inadvertently got reconnected with friends from high school and will now be having lunch together with four of them now living in California and one living in New York City.

Crusy Regional Manager Noah Sudow, living in Ohio, reconnected with an old friend who was the daughter of a synagogue Bogrim Chair in Michigan.

North American Yellow Pages And People Finder Success Story

You never know what you may find and how you may reconnect when searching through the Yellow Pages and People Finder.

An alum discovered names she was looking to contact with in her region by searching the People Finder. She wanted to reconnect with people after having been away from her home town for quite a length of time while completing her professional studies. She contacted a friend from her USY days and they decided to meet up and do lunch together. In checking our North American Yellow Pages he discovered that she is a pediatrician and he and his wife were looking for one. She is now the pediatrician for his two small children. They joined the same shul and are now in the same havurah. She now uses his law firm. They also discovered an alum physician who is the emergency room doc at the hospital closest to them. They are all now talking car pool for USY events when their kids get to be old enough.

An alum is making movies

Have you seen the movie The Illusionist? Did you know that Joey Horvitz was one of the executive producers of the award winning film? Joey is a Far West Region USY and Nativ alum and has been in contact with many of his old friends since discovering Project Reconnect. He promised to let us know when his next film is being released and we shall be sure to keep you posted on "Have You Heard?".

Metny Alum Co-Authors Best Seller

Eli Spielman (former Metny USY President 1970-71) just co-authored a book with Jim Nantz, the great CBS sportscaster. It's called "Always By My Side" and it made the NY Times Best Seller list this past week at #11. It's a wonderful story told by Jim Nantz about father-son relationships.