Metro Briefs October 7

Metro Briefs October 7

Rebuild-U, Penn State’s first hands-on Jewish service group, launches the first annual Nadav Ezra Day of Giving on Sunday, Oct. 16, which will be a day dedicated to providing direct community service for the campus and surrounding neighborhoods with partnerships and support from more than 42 Penn State organizations.

Rebuild-U, founded by Pittsburgh native Rebecca Lerman, was inspired by her passion to grow community service, which she hopes will leave an impact and legacy of meaningful service to the university and its surrounding community.

Rebuild-U has worked closely with the State College community and local nonprofits to establish a diverse selection of projects that students can select to participate in based on their passions and skills.

The Nadav Ezra Day of Giving is dedicated in loving memory to Nadav Ezra, a former sergeant in the Israeli Defense Forces and close friend of Lerman. On Jan. 4, Nadav was killed in a car accident at the young age of 21. “Nadav” means “gives” and “Ezra” means “helper.”

Visit pennstatehillel.org/students/opportunities/rebuild-u or contact Hannah Giterman, Penn State Hillel’s director of community engagement at hbg12@psu.edu.

The Orchid Society of Western Pennsylvania will present its Fall Orchid Fest on Saturday, Oct. 15 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 16 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Phipps Garden Center, 1059 Shady Ave. (Fifth and Shady avenues). Admission is free; donations are appreciated.

Call (724) 873-1904 or visit oswp.org for information about the events and lectures.

The REA Tech Committee will hold a free workshop, “Digital Badging in Faith Contexts,” to consider the challenges involved in making learning and teaching visible. Learn what digital badges are, play with “gameful” learning and hear how experienced teachers from Jewish and Christian contexts have used digital badges to support specific learning tasks.

The workship will be held on Sunday, Nov. 6 from 10:30 a.m. to noon at the Wyndham Grand Pittsburgh, downtown.

Liron Lipinsky, director of the Joint Jewish Education Program, will be a panelist.

The workshop is free and open to the community; registration is required. Visit religiouseducation.net/rea20/badging for more information and to register.

Temple David of Monroeville is offering a trip to Central Europe from July 10 to July 21, 2017. The trip includes tours of Berlin, Warsaw, Auschwitz, Krakow, Trebic and Prague.

Rabbi Barbara AB Symons, spiritual leader of the congregation, sees the trip as a “pilgrimage” rather than as a vacation, she said, because “we will be in emotionally challenging places.” A guide to provide historical context on each leg of the trip will accompany the group.

Highlights of the trip include a tour of the former Warsaw Ghetto, the synagogues of Krakow, Prague’s uniquely preserved Jewish quarter, and Berlin’s Geiger College of Jewish studies.

This will be Temple David’s first trip to Europe, although the congregation has traveled together twice to Israel, and once to Cuba.

The price per person for members (land only) is $3,099. The price for nonmembers (land only) is $3,199.

Participants also will come together before and after the trip for learning and social opportunities, Symons said.

Call Temple David at 412-372-1200 for more information. The trip is open to everyone, and the deadline to register is Nov. 1.

Community Day School celebrated its 45th anniversary on Friday, Sept. 30 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony for new pole banners on the school’s Squirrel Hill campus with guest of honor City Councilman Corey O’Connor.

O’Connor was instrumental in helping Community Day School to obtain the necessary approvals for its new pole banners. He will be honored for his outstanding service to the community and civic leadership in February at the 2017 CDS Winter Gala. In addition, his late father, Pittsburgh Mayor Bob O’Connor, also played a vital role in the school’s history in helping CDS to acquire its current building in the former St. Philomena’s Church.

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