ECJS Newsletter

September 25,  2008 / 25 Elul, 5768   

http://www.ecjs.org   

Just One Shabbat - Hurry! Early-Bird Special Ending Soon!

Berlin New Year's 2009 Weekend
December 31, 2008 – January 4, 2009
Early Bird Special Until October 15th!

Party 5 amazing days away with other young Jews from all over the world in the cultural heart of Europe – Berlin. Located in a beautiful hotel in Berlin, the program will begin on New Year's Eve. Touring, culture, activities, and entertainment will last all through the program. If you like to party, socialize and have fun – this weekend was made just for you!

Registration is now open and in full swing for the fifth annual New Year's weekend: Just One Shabbat. Spaces are limited, so don't wait register today and book your tickets early while prices are still cheap! Click here for more details.

Back 2 Israel

Frankfurt, Germany
October 31-November 2
Places are filling up quickly!

ECJS is proud to present another fantastic European weekend! Back 2 Israel is an Israeli solidarity weekend - celebrated Israeli style. ECJS is bringing the Israel spirit to you - here in Europe! Visit www.ecjs.org for more details and registration. Great Israeli style party Saturday night organized by a Jewish student organization from Frankfurt.

We recommend that you register and book your tickets now while prices are cheap and rooms are still available. Buses will be arranged from Amsterdam, Antwerp, Brussels, Budapest and Vienna. Please e-mail info@ecjs.org for more information or if you would like to arrange a bus from your city.

Party Like a Jew


Brussels, Belgium
November 7 - 9
Registration Now Open!

ECJS has opened registration for the annual Brussels weekend. This year bigger and better than ever. During this weekend you will receive a delicious kosher meals, Friday dinner with over 300 others, a guided tour of Brussels and the Grand Synagogue of Brussels on Shabbat, entrance to UEJB's European Ball with 1000 young Jewish people and a tour of mini-Europe. You don't want to miss this one!

Register at www.ecjs.org.

ECJS Wishing You a Shana Tova


On behalf of the European Center for Jewish Students, we would like to wish you and your loved ones a Happy and Healthy New Year. This year ECJS has touched the lives of thousands of Jewish students from across Europe, but it was only possible through your participation and the help of a few private and generous philanthropists. Thank you for your encouraging words and appreciation of our work. We are dedicated to continuing our programs that ensure a future for European Jewry. May G-d bless you, your families and the State Israel.
 

The High Holidays

Rosh Hashana: September 29 (at sunset) - October 1.
Yom Kippur: October 8 (at sunset) - 9
Sukkot: October 13 (at sunset) - 22

Rosh Hashanah
     Rosh Hashanah --which means "Head of the Year" --is observed for two days beginning on the 1st of Tishrei, the first day of the Jewish year. It is the anniversary of the creation of Adam and Eve, the first man and woman.
     Each year on Rosh Hashanah it is decreed in the heavenly court, "who shall live, and who shall die... who shall be impoverished, and who shall be enriched; who shall fall and who shall rise." But this is also the day we proclaim G-d King of the Universe.
     The main service of Rosh Hashanah is the sounding of the shofar, the ram's horn, which represents the trumpets which announce the crowning of a king. The cry of the shofar is also a call for repentance; for Rosh Hashanah serves as the first of the "Ten Days of Repentance" which culminate in Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement.

Yom Kippur
     Yom Kippur is the holiest day of the year--the day on which we are closest to G d and most in tune with our souls. It is the Day of Atonement. For twenty-six hours we do not eat or drink, wash or anoint our bodies, wear leather shoes, or have marital relations. The closing Ne'illah service climaxes in the resounding cries of “Shema Yisroel – Hear O Israel” and a single blast of the shofar, followed by the proclamation, “Next year in Jerusalem.”

Sukkot
     For the forty years that our ancestors traveled in the Sinai Desert before reaching the Holy Land, clouds protected them from the dangers of the desert. We remember G-d's kindness by dwelling in a sukkah --a temporary hut with a roof made of branches--for the duration of the Sukkot festival (Tishrei 15-21). For seven days we eat all our meals in the sukkah.
     Immediately following the seven-day festival of Sukkot comes Simchat Torah (Rejoicing of the Torah). On this day we conclude, and begin again, the reading of the Torah. The event is marked with great rejoicing; we sing and dance with the Torah.
 

Do You Know Where to Go for the High Holidays?


Are you looking for a place to celebrate Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur or Sukkot but don't know where to go? ECJS will assist. Please e-mail us at info@ecjs.org and we will find a welcoming synagogue near you!

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