SOUTH FLORIDA.
AND WELCOME BACK.
SOUTH FLORIDA HAS A SIZABLE
JEWISH COMMUNITY.
THERE ARE 200 SYNAGOGUES TO
SERVE A HALF MILLION LOCAL
JEWS.
THE CENTRAL AGENCY FOR JEWISH
EDUCATION HAS BEEN PART OF THE
BROWARD COUNTY COMMUNITY FOR
SEVERAL YEARS PROVIDING
OPPORTUNITIES FOR CHILDREN AND
ADULTS TO LEARN AND CONNECT
WITH THEIR JEWISH FAITH.
JOINING US TODAY IS RABBI
ARNOLD SAMLIN WHO IS THE NEW
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR.
HE IS A PASSIONAL ADVOCATE OF
JEWISH EDUCATION AND IS TAKING
IT IN NEW DIRECTIONS IN THESE
CHANGING TIMES.
AND BARBARA JOHNSON IS A MEMBER
OF THE CAGEJE BOARD.
FORGIVE ME FOR THAT.
YOU HAVE ABOUT SIX MONTHS ON
THE JOB?
IS THAT RIGHT?
INDEED.
SO WHAT ARE YOUR INITIAL
IMPRESSIONS OF THE JEWISH
COMMUNITY HERE IN SOUTH
FLORIDA?
THE JEW JEWISH COMMUNITY IN
BROWARD IS A VERY ACTIVE AND
DIVERSE COMMUNITY.
WHAT WE ARE TRYING TO DO IS
REALLY TO REACH ALL SEGMENTS OF
THE COMMUNITY AND ENGAGE THEM
IN JEWISH LEARNING OF ALL SORTS
AND THE HIGHEST QUALITY OF
LEVEL POSSIBLE.
HOW DO YOU DO THAT BARBARA?
YOU TALK ABOUT A DIVERSE
COMMUNITY.
PEOPLE FROM DIVISIONS WITHIN
THE JEWISH COMMUNITY.
HERE YOU ARE TRYING TO EDUCATE
THEM ALL.
THAT SOUNDS LIKE A BIG TASK.
WELL, WE WANT TO RAISE
COMMUNITY MEMBER WHO'S ARE
ENGAGED IN QUALITY LIFELONG
JEWISH LEARNING AND THE WAY TO
DO THAT IS TO MAKE IT RELEVANT.
I MYSELF WAS A LATE JEWISH
LEARNER.
I CAME IN.
AND BECAUSE OF MY LEARNINGS
WITH SAGE IN THE LAST EIGHT
YEARS I HAVE BECOME PASSIONATE.
AND I WAS VERY UNCOMFORTABLE
WITH JUDAISM.
BUT I CAN EASILY PARTICIPATE IN
THAT NOW.
SO THAT IS HELPING ME TO GIVE
BACK TO THE COMMUNITY.
MAKE MYSELF A BETTER PERSON ALL-
STAR AROUND.
AND SHARE WITH THOSE AROUND ME.
AND THAT IS WHAT WE NEED TO
FOCUS ON.
I KNOW, RABBI, THERE IS A
FOCUS ON EDUCATING TEAMS.
EDUCATING HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS.
AND HERE WE ARE IN THE 21st
CENTURY WHEN YOU ARE COMPETING
WITH SOCIAL MEDIA AND STREAMING
VIDEO AND APPS AND YOU NAME IT.
HOW DO YOU BREAKTHROUGH ALL OF
THE CLUTTER AND TRY TO GET YOUR
MESSAGE ACROSS TO YOUNG PEOPLE?
PART OF THE WAY WE DO THAT
IS BY WORKING NOT AGAINST THE
STREAM, BUT WITH THE STREAM.
WHETHER IT IS IN PROGRAMS WE
OURSELVES RUN OR IT IS PROGRAMS
THAT ARE RUN BY OUR PARTNERS IN
THE FIELD, WHERE WE ARE
SOMETIMES, THE KNOWLEDGE AND
THE IDEAS BEHIND THE FRONT LINE
PEOPLE, WE ARE TRYING AS MUCH
AS POSSIBLE TO ENGAGE TEENS AND
TO HAVE OTHER PROFESSIONALS
ENGAGE TEENS IN WAYS THAT TOUCH
THEM WHERE THEY ARE.
RATHER THAN NECESSARILY BRING
THEM INTO OUR BUILDINGS, WE TRY
TO GO OUT TO WHERE THEY ARE AT.
WE ARE ACTUALLY TAKING A GROUP
THAT LEAVES SHORTLY TO POLAND
AND ISRAEL TO BE ABLE TO REACH
OUT, TOUCH, EXPERIENCE WHAT
WERE THE TRAGEDIES OF THE
HOLOCAUST AND THE CELEBRATION
OF THE STATE OF ISRAEL.
WE HAVE IDEAS THAT WE ARE
BEGINING TO IMPLEMENT NOW THAT
WILL BRING TEENS INTO THINGS
LIKE PHILANTHROPY AND
ENTREPRENEUR SHIP.
SO THAT IT IS NO LONGER SITTING
BEHIND A DESK OR SITTING IN A
CLASSROOM.
BUT IT IS REALLY BRINGING THE
LEARNING OUT INTO THE
COMMUNITY.
INTO THEIR WORLD.
AND BARBARA, I KNOW THERE
ARE PROGRAMS, TOO, THAT ARE
SPECIFICALLY FOR ADULTS.
TALK TO US ABOUT REACHING OUT
TO SOME PEOPLE WHO WERE AT BAR
MITZVAHS WHEN THEY WERE YOUNGER
BUT HAVE GONE ONTO CAREERS AND
FAMILY AND ARE BUSY PEOPLE WHO
SAY I DON'T HAVE TIME FOR
JEWISH LEARNING ANYMORE.
WE HAVE VERY DIVERSE
PROGRAMS.
ONE OF THE PROGRAMS WE DID
RECENTLY WAS AT WEST REGIONAL
LIBRARY WHERE WE DISCUSSED
ISRAEL AND THE MIDDLE EAST.
IT WAS A LIVING ROOM SESSION.
WELL BROUGHT A UNIVERSITY OF
MIAMI PROFESSOR IN TO SPEAK
ABOUT JUDAISM AND OUR
RELATIONSHIP WITH THE
ENVIRONMENT.
IT WAS FASCINATING.
YOU HAVE TO BE SOMEONE WHO
HERSELF WASN'T JEWISH COMING IN
TO TEACH SO IT IS GREAT.
WE HAVE A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO
AREN'T JEWISH.
WE ENGAGE EVERYBODY.
BUT RECENTLY, WE DID ENGAGE THE
YOUNGER GENERATION AND FOR THE
FIRST TIME EVER, RABBI SAMLIN
TOOK A GROUP ...
MET WITH A GROUP OF THE YOUNGER
GENERATION AND DID A TEQUILA
AND TALMUD.
IS THAT SOMETHING GOD WOULD
HAVE APPROVED OF?
INTERESTINGLY ENOUGH, WE
TALK ABOUT HOW THE TALMUD AND
THE RABBIS OF ANCIENT TIMES
LIVED IN THE REAL WORLD.
WHAT WAS GREAT AGAIN, WAS THE
ABILITY NOT TO WAIT FOR THESE
YOUNG ADULTS TO COME INTO OUR
WORLD AND INSTITUTIONS BUT TO
MEET THEM ON THEIR TURF AND ON
THEIR TERMS AND IT WAS A VERY
EXCITING EVENING.
TALK TO US.
WE HAVE THE PASSOVER HOLIDAY
ALMOST UPON US.
AND I JUST WONDER ABOUT THE
ENGAGEMENT OF THE JEWISH
COMMUNITY HERE IN SOUTH FLORIDA
AND AROUND THE COUNTRY.
THERE SEEM TO BE SO MUCH
SECULARISM AND SO MANY JEWS WHO
MIGHT IDENTIFY CULTURALLY WITH
THE RELIGION, BUT WHEN IT COME
TO PRACTICING IT, SITTING DOWN
WITH THEIR FAMILY, THEIR
FRIENDS, THEIR NEIGHBORS, HAVE
A PASSOVER, MAYBE THEY DON'T IT
TO THE WAY THEIR PARENTS OR
THEIR GRANDPARENTS DID.
WHAT DO YOU DO TO ENCOURAGE
PEOPLE TO GO BACK AND TO KEEP
THOSE TRADITIONS ALIVE?
I'M THINKING WE SHOULD TALK
ABOUT THE STUDY SESSION THAT WE
HAD FOR A GROUP OF OUR ADULT
LEADERS.
WE BROUGHT IN ALL SORTS OF
INTERESTING IDEAS ABOUT HOW THE
CONDUCT IT RANGING FROM SHOWING
CONTEMPORARY ROCK AND THE HIP
HOP VIDEOS RELATED TO THE
THEMES.
THE FACT OF THE MATTER IS THAT
A "GOOD JEW" DOESN'T JUST MEAN
RELIGIOUSLY ENGAGED.
IT MEANS HOLDING FAST TO THE
ASPIRATIONS OF THE JEWISH
PEOPLE.
IF A PERSON BELIEVES THEY ARE
PURSUING SOCIAL JUSTICE AND
FOLLOWING IN A JEWISH
TRADITION, THEY ABSOLUTELY ARE
DOING SO.
THANK YOU SO MUCH.
BARBARA JOHNSON, THANK YOU VERY
MUCH.
THE CENTRAL AGENCY FOR JEWISH
EDUCATION IN BROWARD COUNTY,
GREAT TO MEET YOU BOTH.