Winter Retreat Schedule December 26-28 th, 2014 Stamford Plaza Hotel & Conference Center 2701 Summer Street Stamford, Connecticut
Friday, December 26 th 1:00pm 2:00pm 3:00pm Hotel Check-in, Registration, & Welcome Buffet lobby and Crown Ballroom Pool & FitneSS Options Women 2:00pm-2:50pm men 3:00pm-3:50pm Kabbalah and Its Relationship to Shabbat Rabbi Mordechai Becher Discovering Your Center (for women only) Esther Wein king David 4:13pm Candle Lighting Hosted by Ner Echad followed by brief remarks Shana Kramer Women are requested to bring a $1 bill with them to candle lighting LoBBy 4:20pm Mincha kabbalat Shabbat with The Maccabeats D var Torah Rabbi Mordechai Becher International West/Central 5:45pm Shabbat Dinner international East/central
Shabbat, December 27 th 7:00am 7:30am 8:00am 8:45am 10:45am 11:45am Daf Yomi Breakfast Buffet (ends 9:30am) Gazebo Shachris (Morning Services) international West/Central explanatory Service Rabbi Mat Hoffman Festive Kiddush following morning Services crown Ballroom Break-Out SeSSions Marriage Workshop: Making Good Marriages Great Dr. Brachie Hoffman & Rabbi Mat Hoffman international West Science and Torah: Some Common Ground Rabbi Mordechai Becher Finding G-d in Hawaii Allison Josephs State Ballroom Shabbat Lunch International west/central
1:30pm 2:30pm 4:00pm 4:20pm 5:25pm 5:50pm Break-Out SeSSions The Ten Commandments of Jewish Parenting Rabbi Mordechai Becher State Ballroom What Constitutes a Well-Lived Life: Part 2 (for women only) Esther Wein Afternoon Plenary What Would Moses Do? How diaspora Jews Should Relate to our Brethren in Israel Harry Rothenberg Mission Impossible: Is Jewish Unity Possible in the Knesset? Member of Knesset Yoni Chetboun international West/Central Mincha (Afternoon Service) international West/Central Seuda Shlishit Third Meal Buffet crown Ballroom Ma ariv (Evening Service) Shabbat Ends international west Havdalah The Maccabeats Gazebo
6:15pm 6:15pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm Kabbalah: The Hidden Dimension (a power-point presentation) Rabbi Mordechai Becher Pool and Fitness Options Women 6:15pm-6:55pm Men 7:05pm-7:45pm Children s Carnival (ends 10:30pm) State Ballroom Dinner Reception & Wine Tasting Sponsored by Kedem Wines LOBBY Awards Dinner international Ballroom Stephen Savitsky, Dinner Chairman The Partners in Torah Advantage Lionel Leventhal Keynote Address Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau Musical Entertainment Benny Friedman 10:30pm Dessert Kumzitz with Benny Friedman international Ballroom 11:00pm Late Night Tea (for singles only) Esther Bistricer Leah Bleiberg Tzipora Kloc
Sunday, December 28 th 7:00am 7:30am 7:30am 9:00am Daf Yomi Gourmet Breakfast Buffet (ends 9:45am) crown Ballroom Shachris (Morning Services) international west tapping Into Your Inner Greatness Charlie Harary international west/central 10:00am Keynote SeSSion international West/Central Charting a Path to Jewish Unity: a Personal Learning Experience Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau Finding Your Mission in Life Charlie Harary 12:00pm Hotel Check-out
Meet Our Speakers Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau Rabbi Israel Meir Lau is the Chief Rabbi of Tel Aviv-Yaffo and former Chief Rabbi of the State of Israel. Originally from Poland, he was liberated in Buchenwald by American forces at the age of eight. As a survivor, Rabbi Lau deals with Holocaust memory and commemoration through appearances worldwide, and in his writings, including his best-selling autobiography Out of the Depths. He is the author of numerous works on Jewish law and tradition. In 2005 Rabbi Lau received the Israel Prize for Lifetime Achievement. Mr. David Blatt Illusionist David Blatt has been entertaining packed audiences of all ages for years. His signature show features detailed mind reading, a series of extra-ordinary sleight of hand tricks, as well as ongoing humor. Young or old, you will be enthralled by his magic. Rabbi Mordechai Becher Rabbi Becher is an instructor in Jewish history and thought at Yeshiva University, and is a Senior Lecturer for Gateways. He has taught at Ohr Somayach and Neve Yerushalayim, and served in the IDF. His latest book, Gateway to Judaism is now in its seventh printing. Rabbi Becher presents a Talmud class on Shalom TV, and is known all over the world for his extra-ordinary grasp of Jewish concepts. Mr. Yoni Chetboun Member of Knesset Yoni Chetboun was born in 1979 in Nahariya, Israel, is married with six children, and currently lives in Jerusalem. He graduated with honors from the Interdisciplinary Center, Herzliya with a BA in Government, Diplomacy, and Strategy. He holds the rank of Major in the IDF, and is currently a member of several Committees and Lobbies.
Rabbi Eli Gewirtz Rabbi Eli Gewirtz is the founder and National Director of Partners in Torah. Rabbi Gewirtz previously served as Rabbi of the Twin Rivers Community Synagogue in East Windsor, NJ, and as the Dean of Students at Aish HaTorah in Jerusalem. He is a licensed marriage and family therapist, and lectures on parenting and issues of Jewish unity. Mr. Charlie Harary Mr. Charlie Harary, Esq. a prolific and popular speaker is the CEO of H3 Capital LLC, a private equity company. Mr. Harary is also an Associate Professor at the Syms School of Business in Yeshiva University, a member of the Executive Board of the OU, the Founding Chairman of its Young Leadership Cabinet and a member of the Conference of Young Jewish Presidents. Dr. Brachie Hoffman Dr. Brachie Hoffman has a PhD in Psychology. Her published research papers on Alzheimers in Neurology are some of the most cited articles in the field. She has taught Psychology in high school and college. Rabbi Mat Hoffman Rabbi Mat Hoffman is a trained relationship coach and is a SuperLawyer (rated in the top 5% of the lawyers in NYC). He is Rabbi of the Flame, and runs High Holiday services for beginners in New Rochelle. He and his wife counsel couples, and would be delighted to make themselves available to any during the weekend who would like to speak with them. Mrs. Allison Josephs Allison has been involved in Jewish Outreach for years, and is the Partners in Torah mentor to actress Mayim Bialik. She has been in many publications, including The Wall Street Journal, CNN, The Daily Beast, Huffington Post, and writes her own popular blog, JewintheCity.com.
Lionel Leventhal Lionel is a noted lay leader, serial entrepreneur, and philanthropist who is an officer and serves on the board of several non-profits, including being the Co-Chair of the Aish Center in New York City. He is a Managing Director and the Head of Royalty and Revenue Interest Financing at Houlihan Lokey. Lionel is an active Partners in Torah participant, is dedicated to its growth, and has taken on the responsibility of being the Founding Chairman of its Board. Mr. Salvador Litvak Salvador Litvak is a Chilean Jewtino who graduated from Harvard, NYU Law and UCLA Film. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife. Salvador s most recent film is the acclaimed, Saving Lincoln. Mr. Harry Rothenberg Harry is a 1988 graduate of Columbia College and a 1993 graduate of Harvard Law School, magna cum laude. As an attorney, Harry advocates on behalf of victims of catastrophic injury, and his firm is one of the leading personal injury firms in the United States. Harry lectures on Jewish topics across the world. His newest project, Harry s Video Blog, can be viewed at www.partnersintorah.org/media/video-blog. Stephen Savitsky Mr. Savitsky has been active with the OU for over 20 years, and has served as its President and Chairman of its Board. A dedicated Partners in Torah mentor since 2003, he is spearheading a joint OU-Partners in Torah initiative pairing NCSY Birthright Alumni with some of the over 400 mentors he has personally recruited. Mr. Savitsky is the Founder and President of ATC Healthcare.. Mrs. Esther Wein Esther Wein lectures widely, on an intellectually advanced level, and yet in a way geared for students of all levels. Drawing on great masters, she excites her audience with the ingenuity and profundity of the text. Her classes can be found on Torahanytime.com and OU radio.org. She lives in Lawrence, NY with her husband Hershel, a Senior Tax Attorney at KPMG, and children.
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