Voices of Conservative/Masorti Judaism
Spring 2012 

by Judy Dvorak Gray

Throughout the years, Gina Milano of New Jersey has shared her teaching expertise by volunteering in countries around the world. Last summer, she thought, “Why not volunteer in Israel?” Because she teaches English to foreign students at a local university, Gina works with many African refugees seeking to improve their lives in the United States. She was aware of the challenges African refugees and asylum seekers who live in Israel face, and she wanted to do something to help. Thanks to a volunteer placement through Skilled Volunteers for Israel, Gina, who is Jewish, was able to share her experience by leading workshops in Tel Aviv and Eilat on behalf of HIAS (the Hebrew Immigration Aid Society). The classes are for African refugees and asylum seekers who teach English to their peers as a way to supplement their incomes. She was teaching the teachers.

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Voices of Conservative/Masorti Judaism
Winter 2011 / 2012 

by Nance Morris Adler

In 2007, I took a course at the Conservative Yeshiva at United Synagogue’s Fuchsberg Jerusalem Center. I so enjoyed the class, taught by Rabbi Gail Diamond, that I hoped I would be able to study with her again. That opportunity came in January 2011.

I was a new fourth-grade Jewish studies teacher at the Jewish Day School in Seattle, and our curriculum included Hallel. I had begun using the inquiry approach – a question- based student-guided teaching style – and I felt that Hallel would be a natural topic for one of my units. I didn’t want to teach the kids just the words and some tunes for Hallel; instead, I wanted to help them understand why it is that these particular psalms are sung on the pilgrimage festivals, each rosh chodesh, and every day of Chanukah. That is not an easy task when you are teaching 10 year olds, but it was a challenge I was willing to take.

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