Okay, here is a summary of some of the speakers that I found especially interesting. I was prepared to be quite cynical about the whole thing and I was pleasantly surprised by the high quality of the speakers, and the choice of topics.

The first session involved some procedural matters and short talks by Emunah notables. Yehudit Huebner, the first president of Emunah, spoke about the denial of Judaism and Zionism within Israel. She said that sometimes people act as if we were born 50 years ago when the country was founded. She said that we can’t cut down the tree we are sitting in–meaning that it was the “galut” (diaspora) Jews who founded the state of Israel and built it, and now Israeli Jews tend to devalue the diaspora Jewish community. She also made the point that we must explain to those outside of Israel (she was Israeli Ambassador to Norway) what rights Israel has to our land.

Liora Minka, Chairwoman of Emunah, for the last five years and about to begin her second term, spoke about her forebears. Adam lo ever nenutak meha-avar shelo: Man is not a limb detached from his past. This was a theme that recurred throughout the day. She pointed out that some people say that women’s organizations are anachronistic yet there are so many areas where the government falls short. She listed all of Emunah’s activities and it is quite impressive; they include day-care centers, classes on Judaism on all levels, training women to give parenting courses, couples’ courses, and so on, the Emunah Women’s College for the Arts, programs for the elderly and new immigrants, and much more. You can check out their website for details.

After that we were treated to a performance by the choir from the children’s home in Afula. The children clearly enjoyed themselves, and it saddened me to think that these Jewish children’s parents are unable to care for them on a daily basis. In many cases the parents are drug addicts, prostitutes or mentally ill. Emunah runs several similar homes where they strive to provide as much of a family atmosphere as possible, to the point of providing funding for university and staying in touch long after they have graduated high school. The children generally attend school in the local community.

Next post on the session topic: The family in the shadow of national crisis.

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