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Our Community
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One of the NHC Summer Institute’s greateststrengths is the diversity of its participants.We aremusicians,doctors,students,furniture makers,re-tirees,Jewish professionals,homemakers,teachers,activists,and just about everything else.At the 2008Summer Institute,the youngest participant was anewborn,and our oldest was over 80,with manyparticipants from all age groups in between.TheNHC Summer Institute includes Jews from birth, Jews by choice,people committed to both tradi-tional and non-traditional Jewish practice,non-Jews,and people exploring Judaism.NHC Summer Insti-tute participants have a variety of identities includ-ing LGBTQ and straight;people of color,Sephardi,Mizrachi,and Ashkenazi;urban,rural,and suburban;Conservative,Orthodox,Reconstructionist,Re-form,Renewal,secular,and Jewish without labels.NHC Summer Institute participants also have a va-riety of Jewish learning backgrounds,from thosewith no formal Jewish education to those withPh.D.s in Talmud.The dynamic process of exploringtogether what Judaism and Jewishness means in ourlives is a highlight of the Summer Institute.
A Day at the Institute:
•Take morning and afternoon classes with dynamicteachers and engaged classmates•Attend (or lead!) stimulating optional workshops•Kids Camp for children ages 6 months to 12 years•Exciting prayer,Havurah davening,text study,andyoga options every day•Enjoy delicious,kosher vegetarian food,servedcafeteria-style•Walk,swim,hike,or work out at the fully-equipped indoor gym•Spend free time relaxing in a beautiful naturalsetting•Participate in evening programs andentertainment•Make and renew friendships,have great conversa-tions,laugh,think,sing,dance,and learn
A Sample Day at theNHC Summer Institute:
7:00–Traditional Egalitarian services7:30 – Breakfast8:30 – Yoga9:30 – Morning Class:Introduction to TalmudStudy11:00 –Kippah Crocheting Workshop12:30– Lunch1:30 – Afternoon Class:Jewish Memoir Writing3:00 –Building Interfaith Families Discussion4:30 –Swim with children in the lake5:30 –12 Step Meeting6:15 –Dinner at Yiddish Language Table7:00 –Mincha /Ma’ariv prayer services8:00 –Community program combining textstudy and the arts9:00 –Klezmer Jam
Courses
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At the center of the Institute are a wide array of courses offered in morning and afternoon sessions.Each course has a maximum of 20 students and isled by a teacher who is also an Institute participant,presenting material that she or he loves in an inclu-sive style that encourages everyone to participate.Choose from classes in traditional texts,Jewish pol-itics,poetry,Jewish ethics,dance and singing,Judaismand world religions,and contemporary topics.
We are committed to making the Summer Institute financially accessible to all.Last year,our new financial aid,scholarship,and work-study op-tions were a success in making it possible for us to have one of the largest and most diverse Institutes ever.This year,we are hoping to sustainour commitment to making the Summer Institute accessible.See pages 4 and 12 for full details.If you can’t come to the Summer Institute thisyear,please consider making a contribution to help someone else come.Donations can be sent to the NHC office:7135 Germantown Avenue,2nd floor,Philadelphia,PA 19119,or contact us at institute@havurah.org (phone:215-248-1335) or donate online:www.havurah.org/donate.
WELCOME TO THE NHC SUMMER INSTITUTE!
The National Havurah Committee (NHC) is a network of diverse individuals and communitiesdedicated to Jewish living and learning,community building,and
tikkun olam
(repairing the world).Since the 1970s,the NHC Summer Institute has been bringing together Jews from across NorthAmerica to envision a joyful grassroots Judaism and provide the tools to help them create empow-ered Jewish lives and communities.The NHC is a nondenominational,multigenerational,egalitar-ian,and volunteer-run organization.The NHC’s flagship program,the week-long Summer Institute,is a unique opportunity for seriousstudy,moving prayer,spirited conversation,late-night jam sessions,singing,dancing,swimming,med-itation,and hiking – all in the company of more than 300 people from a wide range of backgrounds.Each year,participants leave the Institute reinvigorated and excited to return to their home com-munities to share new ideas,skills,and experiences.Our 2009 theme is
Lalechet b’chol derachav/ Walking in all Your ways
(Deuteronomy 10:12 and 11:22).This summer we will explore thistheme together:How do we make decisions about the paths we take? What does it mean for something to be one of “Your ways”? How do wemanage the challenges of being in a pluralistic community in which there are many paths? Is it possible to walk in many “ways” at once? As a com-munity,we will grapple with these issues and learn from each other’s lived experiences and understandings.At the Summer Institute,every teacher is also a student and every student is a teacher.People who are usually called “rabbi” or “professor”throughout the year go by their first names here.And people who rarely take active leadership roles in their communities discover that they,too,can teach and contribute to the community.We look forward to creating community with you at this year’s NHC Summer Institute!
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