The Loving Heart Fellowship

Jewish Unity Tour

 

The Loving Heart Fellowship is offering a National Jewish Unity Program called “The Jewish Unity Tour.” This tour will be coming to fifty (50) cities throughout the fifty United States.

 

We are presently booking the tour, and therefore, we are contacting key individuals in various cities to plan our itinerary.

 

This special program is subsidized by a variety of grants and sponsors, and therefore it is a wonderful opportunity for qualifying communities to enjoy the many benefits of this program at a greatly reduced expense.

 

Our Mission:

It is the purpose and mission of The Loving Heart Fellowship to increase unity within the greater Jewish community. Included in Unity are mutual understanding and respect, appreciation, cooperation, caring, and love for all Jews.

 

Our Values:

Most everyone is on a path or growth and development in relating with God, the Jewish people, and the world. We believe, as the Torah teaches us, that Ahavat and Achdut Yisrael – the love and unity of the Jewish people, is an essential part of Judaism – for all Jews, regardless of affiliation or tradition.

 

Our Method:

We believe that through education, cooperative contact, positive communal experiences, and joyous communal Jewish celebration, Jews of different backgrounds can come to understand and appreciate each other – and even work together for the good of the Jewish people, as well as for the world.

 

We, therefore, produce community experiences that facilitate unity and cooperation within diverse Jewish communities. We offer workshops for rabbis, teachers, and community leaders; Unity in the Community Multimedia Concerts; Shabbatons; and other community-wide celebrations. We also offer consultation and mediation by qualified and experienced professionals to help bridge the gaps between members of the community that may have found it hard to communicate effectively and productively.

 

Our Hope:

We hope that Jewish communities across America, and the World, will sincerely want to participate in our programs to increase Jewish unity, and enjoy the many benefits of having unity in their community.

 

Requirements and qualifications:

The Loving Heart Fellowship has put together certain requirements and qualifications to be able to be a sponsor/participant in the Jewish Unity Tour. The reason for this is that we want to maximize the effectiveness of this wonderful and innovative program. We believe that those communities who do qualify will be likely to be successful at increasing community unity and cooperation on an ongoing basis.

 

Community

We are looking for Jewish communities in which there is a diversity of Jewish identity and affiliation. Communities, which have synagogues of at least three movements of Judaism (Conservative, Orthodox, Reform, Chassidic, Renewal, Reconstructionist)

 

Leadership

We are looking for community religious and professional leaders (rabbis, teachers, community leaders) who truly care about Ahavat and Achdut Yisrael – the love and unity of the Jewish people, - and who are motivated to work at creating lasting mutually respecting and cooperating partners with all Jews and Jewish leaders in their greater community.

 

Commitment

We are looking for leadership who are willing to:

  1. Attend and participate in a Loving Heart Fellowship workshop on “Issues, Strategies, and Skills for Creating Unity in the Jewish Community.”
  2. Meet together at least three times a year to participate in a task force for creating unity in the community.
  3. Produce jointly facilitated community-wide Jewish events at least three times a year.

 

The Unity Tour Program

 

The Loving Heart Fellowship Unity Tour Program consists of the following:

  1. A workshop for Rabbis – Working Together With Godliness
  2. A workshop for professional community leaders – Creating Unity In the Jewish Community
  3. A workshop for teachers – Teaching Understanding, tolerance, Appreciation & Love
  4. A Multimedia Concert Event – for All Ages and All the Community – Featuring
    1. Original Music written to teach values of Jewish Unity and other Jewish values.
    2. Music of others teaching love & unity, including the late Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach, zt’l.
    3. Jewish teachings and stories, which inspire Jewish identity, involvement, unity, respect, and cooperation.
    4. Visual displays (slides, etc.) with narration, teaching about Jewish unity.

 

The process for a community to become a tour participant & sponsor.

 

Submission of application to be a tour participant.

To be considered as a sponsor/participant, community leaders fill out an application form and send it to The Loving Heart Fellowship. We are happy to help you with this process.

 

Once the application is approved, the advance-planning phase begins.

Advance planning 

         I.      Choosing participating community organizations (synagogues, Federation, JCC’s, Hillel, schools, etc.) and leaders.

       II.      Scheduling workshops for clergy, teachers, and community leaders.

      III.      Scheduling & Planning ‘Unity in the Community Concert’ event. (same week as workshops)

    IV.      Planning advertising and logistics (places for workshops, event hall, times, staffing, volunteers, supplies, and equipment).

      V.      Program evaluation methodology and evaluation process.

    VI.      Hospitality for The Loving Heart Fellowship staff.

 

Details:

Participants:

         I.      Choosing participating community organizations (synagogues, Federation, JCC’s, Hillel, schools, youth organizations, etc.) and leaders.

 

A.      At least three organizations, which represent three different Jewish movements are to become cooperating partners in this Unity in the Community Tour program, so that at variety of movements are represented.

B.      At least two persons need to be chosen to represent each organization, and participate in the Unity in the Community Workshop for Leadership. (Rabbi, President, professional leader, etc.)

 

Workshops:

       II.      Scheduling workshops for clergy, teachers, and community leaders.

A.                                                      Workshop for clergy - As many clergy as would like to participate are invited to do so at a two-hour workshop on Creating Unity in the Community.

 

B.                                                      Workshop for community leaders - As many community leaders as would like to participate are invited to do so at a two to three hour workshop on Creating Unity in the Community.

 

C.                                                      Workshop for teachers – As many teachers as would like to participate are invited to do so at a two-hour workshop on Creating Unity in the Community.

 

D.                                                      Your staff and ours will find mutually convenient times.

 

Concert Event:

      III.                                                      Scheduling ‘Unity in the Community Concert’ event.

A.                                                      Participating organizations choose a date, time, and hall for the ‘Unity in the Community Concert.’

B.      Rental of Sound System and any other equipment, as necessary.

 

 

    IV.                                                      Planning advertising and logistics (places for workshops, event hall, times, staffing, volunteers, supplies, and equipment).

 

We will help your community with approaches to advertising. We will let you know what supplies and equipment is necessary for the various events, and your staff will be responsible for supplying what is necessary. (e.g. a sound system)

 

      V.                                                      Program evaluation methodology and process.

 

We will supply pre and post questionnaires to be utilized to evaluate the program. Your community may want to create a means of evaluation as well (optional).

 

Hospitality for The Loving Heart Fellowship staff.

 

Please discuss with us arrangement for hospitality of our staff while in your community.

 

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If you would like to become a partner is this important and wonderful event….

Please contact us:

Email: unitytour@lovingheart.org

 

Or call: 310:597-4233

 

Thank you for your interest!

With blessings,

 

 

 

Rabbi Simcha Sheldon, Ph.D.

President