CGI Campers at the Denver Zoo summer 2011

Exciting Sustainable Curriculum Comes to Colorado’s Trendsetting Jewish Day Camp

Camp Gan Israel of the Rockies (CGI), the premiere Jewish day camp in Colorado, is going green, with comprehensive sustainable practices being implemented throughout its innovative summer programming. The camp, which serves ages 2.5 through 13 years old, will take place from June 25-July 27, 2012, at the state-of-the-art Ryan Elementary School in Lafayette, Colorado.

Camp Gan Israel of the Rockies is a joint project of Chabad of Longmont and Chabad of NW Metro Denver serving children from Boulder County and beyond, and is part of the largest and fastest growing network of Jewish day camps in the world. Gan Israel enjoys a well-earned reputation as a trendsetter with innovative ideas, creative programs, and new activities. But the true magic of the camp lives in the the comprehensive program designed to expose children to the richness of their Jewish heritage with highly qualified and caring staff, exciting programs, and cultural tradition. The camp has three different age divisions: Mini Gan Izzy (ages 3-4), Sabras (5-9), and Pioneers (10-13).

Introducing recycling to camp will nicely complement our curriculum of Jewish values and holidays,” says Leah Brackman, co-director of CGI Rockies, and despite the extra work and cost involved, it will be well worth the effort.

The decision to “go green” emerged out of Chabad Jewish Center of Longmont’s recent participation in Hazon’s Sustainable Audit program, which the center conducted over the last year. The audit included an overall assessment of the center’s current sustainable practices, as well as new initiatives for education and green practices that have been enthusiastically embraced by the community. At the recent Purim celebration, recycling and composting bins were prevalent, as well as traditional Mishloach Manot, or Purim goody bags prepared for friends and family, made out of recycled material.

For the 2012 camp season, CGI has committed to extending the green effort into the day-to-day operations of the camp, which provides healthy, kosher lunches and snacks, as well as branded water canteens. In addition, sustainability will be woven into the camp curriculum, as CGI of the Rockies believe that it is every member of a community, from the youngest to the oldest, can participate in environmentally-friendly practices. Lastly, the camp will be offering bus to and from key locations to help families with the high price of gasoline, as well as to lower the camp’s carbon footprint throughout Boulder County.

To learn more about Camp Gan Israel of the Rockies, please visit: http://www.jewishkidscamp.com or call 303.429.5177.

Giora and Edna Shaviv

Edna Shaviv, of Israel, received the 2012 Passive Pioneer Award:

The American Solar Energy Society has established this award for passive solar pioneers. It honors those in the passive field whose pioneering work set the stage for others to follow. Honorees are men and women who developed the theories, early research efforts, new concepts, and opportunities for later researchers to develop. Their foresight, innovative thinking, and creativity opened the doors for others.

Over the last 40 years, Shaviv has created software, integrated ideas on community design, and initiated research in the United States and in Israel changing the way buildings perform. Edna and her husband, Giora, lived in Boulder in the late 1970s.

Frank Kreith

Frank Kreith Professor Emeritus of Engineering, University of Colorado – Boulder, was honored with the Hoyt Clarke Hottel Award,

Dr. Abbot was a prominent researcher in solar energy. During his lifetime of 101 years, he developed a number of instruments for measuring insolation, determined the solar constant with great accuracy, and contributed greatly to the understanding of the solar resource on earth.

Dr. Kreith was honored for his innovative thinking that spurred many technology advancements. He has publicly promoted solar energy for decades while inspiring generations of young engineers. In addition to CU-Boulder, he has taught at Lehigh University, University of California, and in Israel “when there were only quonset huts in Be’er Sheva.”

The awards were presented during the World Renewable Energy Forum in Denver.

Congregation Har HaShem is excited to announce that U.S. Senator for Colorado Michael Bennet will join nationally recognized journalist and blogger Jeffrey Goldberg and Congressman Jared Polis on Sunday, May 20th at 10:30 am for a presentation on U.S.-Israel foreign policy.

Jeffrey Goldberg is national correspondent for Atlantic Magazine and columnist for Bloomberg. A leading expert on Islamic fundamentalism and terrorism, he will be joined by U.S. Congressman Jared Polis and U.S. Senator Michael Bennet to address “A Coming Conflict or a War of Words? Israel, Obama and Iran’s Nuclear Program.”

Don’t miss this unique opportunity to hear about foreign policy from national experts in Boulder! A suggested donation is $10 to help build the Congregation Har HaShem Scholar in Residence Fund. For information, contact (303) 499-7077. RSVP online HERE.

Jeffrey Goldberg, Har Hashem Scholar-in-Residence May 18th and May 20th.

Congregation Har HaShem, Boulder’s Reform Jewish congregation, will host nationally recognized journalist and blogger Jeffrey Goldberg for two presentations on Israel as Scholar in Residence May 18th and May 20th.

“It is not every day that a journalist of national prominence comes to Boulder to talk about some of the most important issues facing American Jewry and Israel,” said Congregation Har HaShem Senior Rabbi Joshua Rose.

Jeffrey Goldberg is national correspondent for Atlantic Magazine and columnist for Bloomberg. A leading expert on Islamic fundamentalism and terrorism, Goldberg is well known for his appearances on shows such as the Colbert Report, Meet the Press and NPR. He has been named twice to the “Forward 50” and is a recipient of the National Magazine Award for Reporting. He was named by a Columbia Journalism Review editor as the most influential journalist/blogger on matters related to Israel. In addition to his writing and speaking about Israel, Jeffrey Goldberg was one of four writers invited to write commentaries in Jonathan Safran Foer’s and Nathan Englander’s newly released New American Haggadah.

I started reading Jeffrey Goldberg’s work because I was tired of the black and white simplicity of the debate on Israel. His writing and thinking recognizes the complexity of Israel’s situation in a way that so much writing from the left and from the right does not. It is so important that Jewish discourse about Israel avoid naiveté and complacency. It was refreshing to have a journalist challenge conventional wisdom in such an interesting way,” said Rabbi Rose.

On Friday, May 18th at 6:00 pm, a special dinner and presentation, “Do American Jews Still Care about Israel,” will follow Shabbat services at Congregation Har HaShem, 3950 Baseline Road in Boulder. Mr. Goldberg will discuss changes in the American Jewish attitude toward Israel, challenge conventional wisdom about the meaning of these changes, and reflect on the implications of the new American Jewish relationship for Israel’s future. He will be joined for part of the discussion by Rabbi Rose.

On Sunday, May 20th at 10:30 am, Jeffrey Goldberg will be joined by Congressman Jared Polis to address “A Coming Conflict or a War of Words? Israel, Obama and Iran’s Nuclear Program.” The situation between Israel and Iran is one of the most potent in Israel’s history. Jeffrey Goldberg’s access at the highest levels of the Israeli and American governments have made him a go-to source for understanding this tricky three-way relationship. The language from Netanyahu has been bellicose, Iran’s tone dangerous, and the stakes enormously high. In addition to its potential danger to the Jewish state, the Iran situation poses difficult challenges for the United States as it navigates the complex challenges of how to use its power in the region, and how to navigate its changing relationship with Israel.

RSVPs are required for both events. Seating is limited for May 18th dinner. The cost is $12. Kids 13 and older are encouraged to attend. RSVP online at www.harhashem.org. Suggested donation for May 20th is $10 which will help build the Scholar-in-Residence Fund. For information, contact (303) 499-7077.

To usher in Shabbat, we’ll gather as a community to light candles and say hamotzi (the blessing over the challah bread) together. Grape juice and challah will be provided. The evening will continue with a catered meal from Falafel King, Israeli dancing and crafts for the children.

Shabbat in the Park is a great family-friendly way to celebrate Shabbat with your neighbors. The Boulder JCC has held these events in Nederland, Longmont, Superior and Erie. Superior resident, Rina Tilzer shared, “My husband and I both grew up in families that were active in the Jewish community. We are hoping to pass on a strong Jewish identity to our children by being active in the community ourselves. By sending our children to the Boulder JCC Preschool along with attending JCC events throughout the year we hope to lay a strong Jewish foundation. The neighborhood shabbat dinners are a great way for us to get to know other Jewish families in our immediate neighborhood.”

To attend, please register at www.boulderjcc.org by Monday, May 14.  The cost is $8 per adult; $5 per child (2 and up). This program qualifies for a MazelTot discount. This program has been made possible through a grant from Rose Community Foundation.

l-r: Jonathan Lev, Shari Edelstein and Larry Cohn

Boulder’s community Yom Ha’atzmaut celebration of Israel’s Independence Day was a big success Thursday night, drawing over a hundred adults and children to Congregation Har HaShem’s south building.

l-r: Rabbi Marc Soloway, Rabbi Deborah Bronstein, Rabbis Nadya and Victor Gross

The event, a collaboration organized by Jewish Together -Boulder and including 18 Pomegranates, featured Israeli food, games and crafts for kids of all ages, a GaGa pit, all before a candle-lighting ceremony, singing and prayers, and finally a performance by Robbie Gringras.  The crowd featured many Israeli families, a lot of conversational Hebrew, and perhaps a record number of Boulder rabbis in one place at one time.

Leah Boonin leading Boulder JCC Preschool kids.

The ceremony featured Boulder JCC Preschool kids singing a song, followed by the traditional menorah lighting symbolizing the various faces of Israel and the Jewish community.  The candle lighters represented Kehilath Aish Kodesh, Congregation Beth Ami, Congregation Bonai Shalom, past and present IDF soldiers, Congregation Har HaShem, Congregation Nevei Kodesh and Congregation Pardes Levavot.  Hanan Nayberg, Director of CU Hillel, read a prayer for the State of Israel, and Holli Berman, Cantorial Soloist of Har HaShem, wrapped up the ceremony by leading the assembled crowd in Hatikva.

Menorah Lighting Ceremony

Here are more pictures of the event:

Dr. Zilla Goodman

Dr. Zilla Goodman, of the CU Center of Jewish Studies, is speaking at Congregation Bonai Shalom on Friday, May 4th, 2012.  Dr. Goodman will explore what is often neglected in discussions about the relationships between Arabs/Palestinians and Jews in Israel — the common cultural ground that may provide some opening for contacts between these two groups. While early Zionist thinkers suggested some ways to think about this, today, especially in the person of Israeli poet/author/activist Almog Behar, these ideas are finding a fresh new voice. This talk will address the historical attempts at cultural unity, focus on Behar’s contemporary thinking, and then open for a community discussion about the viability and usefulness of this novel approach to fostering contact between the two groups.

Dr. Goodman was born in Cape Town, South Africa, and grew up there and in Ramat Gan, Israel. She received her doctorate in modern Hebrew literature from the University of Cape Town, South Africa. She has published articles on Hebrew and Jewish literature and culture and has taught Hebrew and Jewish studies at a number of universities in the United States and abroad. At present, she teaches at the University of Colorado where she is a member of the Executive Committee in the Center for Jewish Studies.

Services begin at 6:00 pm, dinner at 7:00 pm. Reservations for this dinner must be made in advance to info@bonaishalom.org. Dinner is $15 per adult, $12 per child (under 13 years old), $50 maximum per family.

Rabbis Richard Rheins (Temple Sinai) and Salomon Gruenwald (HEA), together with Professor Caryn Aviv (University of Colorado and Judaism Your Way) and Yona Eshkanazi (Stand With Us) will discuss diverse approaches to supporting Israel in the 21st Century.

Former Denver Post Columnist, Mike Littwin will serve as moderator, and Rabbi Bruce Dollin (HEA) will open the program with an overview of the issues involved. No charge. For additional information call J Street Colorado at 303-748-4815.