Margy-Ruth Davis is Executive Director of the Aleph Society, Inc. mrdavis@steinsaltz.org and Rachel Weiss-Berger, Project Director, Global Day of Jewish Learning (rachel@steinsaltz.org. Please visit www.1people1day.org to learn more.
For a moment, imagine the Jewish people assembling at Mount Sinai. In the 21st century.
It is difficult to imagine that all Jews would converge at the foot of a single mountain. Instead, there would more likely be congregations dispersed in locations throughout the world. You would expect the Internet to play a role; Facebook and Twitter would be abuzz with excited chatter.
And of course, in the face of centuries of disunity, gathering the entire Jewish population for a singular occasion would be itself a momentous statement of solidarity.
On November 7, 2010, we will make that statement.
Right now, an initiative – unprecedented in scale – is underway to unite Jews from around the world in the celebration of their shared culture, texts, and history. The Global Day of Jewish Learning, a partnership of the Aleph Society, the Joint Distribution Committee, United Jewish Communities, and the Jewish Community Center Association, will be an opportunity for us to come together, learn together, and grow together. With the support of the Wexner community, we can ensure the involvement of all walks of Jewish communal life.
The Global Day of Jewish Learning was conceived to mark the completion of Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz’s historic Talmudic commentary. On that day, Rabbi Steinsaltz will write the final lines of his prodigious work, bringing to a close a 45-year project, spanning nearly four dozen volumes. As his commentary is completed, Rabbi Steinsaltz’s voice, and the voice of our generation, will join a millennia-old conversation.
Much like the dialogue that has spanned centuries, on November 7, 2010, it will span continents. Study halls and dining halls, classrooms and community centers – all will come alive in the simultaneous, joyous study of common themes. On that day, the walls around us will reverberate with the questions, discussions, and discoveries that have sustained us as a people since we stood together at Sinai. The purpose of the Global Day of Jewish Learning, therefore, is twofold: to spark and nourish a love for Jewish learning, and to celebrate the unity that Jewish learning can engender.
The initiative has taken enormous strides: throughout the world, dozens of communities are joining in and already enlisting volunteers and educators. We’re now turning to community leaders to lead the charge at home, ensuring that the Global Day of Jewish Learning reaches – and represents – those around you.
The members of the Wexner community have a deep commitment to Jewish learning. Your support in championing the mission of the Global Day of Jewish Learning is integral to the realization of this vision.
The Global Day of Jewish Learning is meant to imbue an appreciation for the texts that define us, and to inspire hope in the commonalities that unite us. Guided by the values of Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz – that Jewish texts should be available to all Jews, that the Torah belongs to us all – the events of November 7, 2010 will remind us that although we may be dispersed across the globe, we shall always stand together.
Whether you interpret Mount Sinai as mythical or actual, intellectual or spiritual, the Global Day of Jewish Learning invites you to contribute the unique tools and relationships you’ve gained from the Wexner community to make this vision a reality.
To learn more, and become involved, please visit: www.1people1day.org, or contact Rachel Weiss-Berger, Project Director at 614-559-3225 or Gabriela Lupatkin, Community Coordinator at 212-840-1166.
