Teaneck’s own Dr. Shimmy Tennenbaum and Rachel Friedman will be playing lead roles in arranging and engaging discussions on the future of Orthodox Jewry in the United States and around the globe at this year’s Orthodox Union Convention, taking place Friday, December 26 through Sunday, December 28 at the DoubleTree Hotel in Tarrytown, New York. The focus of the convention will be to develop a deeper understanding the issues facing the worldwide Jewish community and how we can work towards global Jewish unity.

“After war broke out in Israel this summer and the resurfacing of virulent antisemitism around the world, it’s been so troubling and painful. We have an obligation to discuss what’s going on with global Jewry. This is an 800-pound gorilla,” said Dr. Tennenbaum, chairman of the OU Convention. “Jews in America have a comparatively easier and more pleasant diaspora, but do we have all the facts? What needs to be done on our part as Jewish Americans?”

In light of the convention’s over-arching theme, Ms. Friedman, who is the director of the Lamdeinu Center for Jewish Learning, will be presenting a lecture on “Revisiting Shema, A Prayer of Unity.”

OU President Martin Nachimson of Los Angeles declared, “As the Orthodox Union convenes for its biannual National Convention, we face a world of virulent and undeserved hostility to Israel and to the Jewish people. At such a time, for there to be even a shred of disunity among the Jewish people is a terrible misfortune. With enemies on every side–including on college campuses where our own Seif Jewish Learning Initiative on Campus (JLIC) programs are located–can we be our own enemies as well? Our Convention will deal with global Jewish unity and when we leave late on Sunday, December 28, we should leave encouraged that the Orthodox Union is doing all it can in the interests of promoting Am Echad–One People.”

To help put a human face on the plight of our brothers and sisters abroad, a plenary of rabbis will be the keynote speakers on Shabbat, including Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis, chief rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth (Great Britain); Rabbi Daniel Oppenheimer, chief Ashkenazic rabbi of Buenos Aires; and Rabbi Dr. Elie Abadie, MD, who leads the Edmond J. Safra Synagogue in Manhattan.

Rabbi Mirvis, who will also speak during Shabbat morning services, pronounced himself “delighted that the theme of working towards global Jewish unity has been chosen as a key element of the Convention, as this must be one of our key aspirations.”

Other leading rabbinic and communal figures will address some of the most pressing issues facing Jewry today, from the escalation of terrorism in Israel and rampant antisemitism across the globe, to the internal challenges facing the identities of American Jews.

Rabbi Hershel Schachter, senior halachic decisor (posek) for OU Kosher and Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshiva University’s Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary (RIETS), will discuss “Laws of Shmittah for the Consumer,” and “Mitzvot Bein Adam L’Chaveiro-Tzedakah and Chesed” (“Commandments Between Man and his Fellow Man–Righteousness and Loving Kindness”). Orthodox Union Executive Vice President, Emeritus Rabbi Tzvi Hersh Weinreb, a noted speaker and psychologist, will open the program.

Presented in two parts–a full Shabbat open to families, couples, and synagogue delegates with a global perspective and a Sunday morning program geared towards American Jewish challenges–the weekend will feature seminars, panels, Q&A sessions, and classes. Rabbi Moshe Elefant, COO of OU Kosher and well known for his Daf Yomi shiur on OUtorah.org with its worldwide audience, will present the shiur on Shabbat and Sunday.

“Bringing Orthodox Women into the Leadership Table” will be a highlight of the Sunday session, dedicated to brainstorming viable options for observant women to have a stronger voice in leadership decisions. Chani Neuberger, chief risk officer of the United States National Security Agency (NSA) will join Rabbanit Chana Henkin, founder and dean of Nishmat, the Jeanie Schottenstein Center for Advanced Torah Study for Women in Jerusalem, in this discussion.

Sessions addressing other pulsing issues of our community will be presented by Rabbi Leonard Matanky, president of the Rabbinical Council of America; Rabbanit Henkin; and Rabbi Ya’akov Trump, assistant rabbi at the Young Israel of Lawrence-Cedarhurst. Cantor Yanky Lemmer of Lincoln Square Synagogue will lead Shabbat davening.

Issues facing the global Jewish community and what we can do about them will be engaged from lay and rabbinical perspectives.

Malcolm Hoenlein, executive vice chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, together with Richard Stone, former chairman of the Conference of Presidents, will speak Friday evening.

With a focus on Jewish family and communal life in America, Sunday’s seminars will offer unique, goal-oriented insights. Workshops on Sunday will include “Progress in the Field of Jewish Day School Affordability,” “Instilling Spirituality into Our Children’s Lives,” “Pre-Nuptials and Post-Nuptials,” and “Navigating Caring for Your Children and Your Parents at the Same Time.”

Childcare options are available for Shabbat and Sunday. Certain convention costs may be tax deductible for shul delegates as per IRS regulations. Consult your tax advisor.

To register and for more information, visit www.ou.org/convention.

By Batya Rosner