Meor at Yale

After barely any sleep, a week of outrageously fun and intense outdoor challenges, powerfully deep concepts, real character building, incredible bonding with incredible people, and outstanding meals – we were more than satisfied.

Check out the video here

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Don’t miss Saul’s debut at The Vaad on October 22nd! Click here to apply.

Topic: Judaism as a springboard for a successful Hollywood career

Shmooze and Q&A

Saul has worked on many hit Disney films, including Pocahontas, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Mulan, Tarzan, Winnie the Pooh: Springtime with Roo and the hilarious Kronk’s New Groove, as well as the action-adventure series Spy Groove for MTV.

For a taste of how participants feel and reflect upon their Meor Israel experience, here is an article, originally published in The Jewish Voice & Herald, by one of our friends from last summer’s (2011) trip, when we partnered with Brown University. (This May we’re going for an all-Yale Israel trip which promises to be sublime in all its custom-made-for-Yale glory! Click here for more.)  Below is the original text of the article and a link to the original as well. Enjoy!

Click here to go to the original article

Rediscovering my Jewish identity
By Nava Winkler
Tuesday, 20 September 2011 02:48
Israel program reinforces desire for Jewish connections

This past summer, I was given the opportunity to take part in an amazing program in Israel called MEOR, which is Hebrew for “light.” My initial reasoning for participating in MEOR was its attractive cost ($500 for the entire program including roundtrip airfare), but by the end of the first week, I was thoroughly impressed.

For two-and-one-half weeks we were based in a four-star hotel in Jerusalem, only a 10-minute walk from the Old City. In the mornings, we heard lectures on different Jewish topics; in the afternoons, we traveled to different sites in Israel. Our speakers came from a variety of backgrounds and provided an atmosphere of open discussion. I was fortunate to be part of a group of bright students from Brown, Stanford, Berkeley, Yale and Northwestern universities. Although most of us were non-observant Jews, we all shared a sense of relief at having an outlet to discuss all of our deepest questions about Judaism.

Two years ago, I was 20 and exhausted; I had finished my military service in Israel and was eager to start a new chapter of my civilian life. Although I had just gone through a challenging period, I realized that I was as clueless about my identity as any other fresh face on campus. The question, “but who am I really?!” was the dominant theme of my first two years of college, and this struggle led me to courses with cliché titles, such as “On Being Human” and “Existentialism,” which I tackled with such urgency you’d think I was on death row. The feeling only increased after a friend of mine died. He had also been a former IDF soldier who moved to Rhode Island to study at Brown University. His tragic death caused me to reevaluate my life and what was truly important to me.

I focused my attention during this period on many different aspects of my identity, but there was one in particular that I had trouble figuring out on my own: my relationship to Judaism.

While growing up in Rhode Island, I would have called Judaism my most cherished association. It had characterized my set of values, provided me with a supportive community and gave me an outlet for my spirituality. But sometime during my travels, Judaism had lost its hold on me. For a while, I reveled in the relief of aimlessness, but by the time I returned to Providence from my military service in Israel, I had grown tired of feeling rootless. I felt less like a “free bird” and more like a “free balloon.”

During the MEOR trip, I was able to express this deep-seated urge to redefine what Judaism meant to me because there was a supportive atmosphere to ask all the questions for which I needed answers. Not only did MEOR successfully juggle Jewish learning with sightseeing, it was so carefully designed that it managed to hold the attention of 24 cynical students from several of America’s most prestigious universities. My fellow students impressed me; although we had diverse personalities and backgrounds, everyone was deeply curious and engaged in discussions of their Jewish identities. Some, like me, were already thinking about these issues before the program began, but for most, these concerns were newly revealed during the trip.

My desire to learn more about my Judaism stayed with me, even as I traveled back to Rhode Island. I plan to continue my Jewish learning throughout this fall semester and stay in touch with the friends I have made on the trip.

I am thankful to those individuals who designed the MEOR program and to the generous donors who make such a highly valuable trip affordable. I also owe much to the kind and supportive staff and to an amazing group of people who shared their insights and stories with me. Although I am still grappling with questions of identity, I am thankful to at least have Judaism back on the radar.

Nava Winkler, a junior at Brown University, is a resident of Pawtucket.

Contact her at nava_winkler@brown.edu.

Every aspect of the Shabbaton, from the chicken soup to the comfy beds, give students an opportunity to recharge after a stressful week of classes.

This past weekend, 16 Yale undergraduate and graduate student learners in the Vaad/Vaad II programs traveled to Passaic, New Jersey for an intercampus Shabbaton, joining Meor students from Yale, Brown, Penn, and NYU. On Friday afternoon, we were greeted by our gracious hosts. Every host I met was so excited to open up their home to us for the weekend. After relaxing at our hosts, we went to welcome in Shabbat with a song-filled Kabbalat Shabbat service. A delicious home-cooked Shabbat dinner followed, where we had the opportunity to share a meal in small groups with families in the Passaic community. Afterwards all the campuses regrouped for a fascinating talk given by Rabbi Dr. Akiva Tatz, a renowned Jewish medical ethicist, and an Oneg with lots of socializing, and more tasty foods and drinks. Late that evening, we returned to our hosts for a peaceful Shabbat rest. After waking in the morning, we met for more food and a talk with Rabbi Tatz on the Jewish approach to risk in medical procedures, specifically cosmetic surgery. A meal later, we had the opportunity to learn with Rabbi Gershenfeld on the teachings of Purim. This was followed by another meal and a Havadalah service full of beautiful and energetic singing and dancing.

I would say this Shabbaton, or really any, has three main themes: hospitality, rest, and learning. By hospitality I primarily mean food. Everywhere we turned, we were being fed. Nobody goes hungry on a Shabbaton. But more significantly, the Passaic community really loves opening up to its guests. Our hosts were genuinely interested in making sure we were comfortable and having a great experience. Everybody I met was welcoming students back for future Shabbat stays. The Shabbaton also allows us to briefly escape the pressures of school-there are no calls, emails, or assignments. Every aspect of the Shabbaton, from the chicken soup to the comfy beds, give students an opportunity to recharge after a stressful week of classes. The Shabbaton also proves that it is possible to have an academic experience while being totally relaxed. Rabbis Tatz and Gershenfeld each spoke about very deep topics that could be studied for years, but they are both such talented teachers that after a brief session, we were able to walk away with a grasp of a fascinating and new aspect of Judaism. The Shabbaton is certainly not an experience to be missed.

-Josh Kalla, ’13