Masorti Judaism is an umbrella organization, which includes 12 Jewish communities in London and across the UK. Its members are largely 2nd and 3rd generation immigrants from Eastern and Central Europe. The organization seeks to maintain its members’ distinct cultural heritage as a religious and ethnic minority while engaging fully with contemporary British and European society and culture, contributing to a cohesive, democratic society, maintaining good relationships with other faith and cultural groups, and working for social justice and the common good. Its work focuses on community development, leadership training, adult education and youth work.
Two main issues challenge the work of Masorti Judaism:
1. Maintaining distinctive cultural identities in the face of contemporary secular, consumer society, while remaining open to the modern world and building positive relationships with the society around us.
2. Facing interfaith tensions, mainly the tensions between the Jewish and the Muslim communities around the conflict in the Middle East, and the tendency of some parts of the Jewish community to be inward-looking. Therefore Masorti Judaism is engaged in trying to build positive relationships between the Jewish community and other groups, through organizations such as Citizens UK, the Three Faiths Forum and the Council of Christians and Jews.
Masorti Judaism’s educational activities focus on the values and challenges outlined above. They include:
1. A Sunday morning teenage center in which young people aged 12-17 participate in educational programming based on the values outlined above, as well as leadership training courses.
2. Residential summer and winter camps for young people aged 9-16; these camps are located in the UK, France, Spain and Israel and feature a wide variety of informal educational activities. They are managed and led by other young people aged 17-22 who are graduates of our leadership training courses.
3. Informal educational activities for students: These activities combine study with social interactions. They are run by volunteer student leaders at university campuses around the UK.
4. Study days and conferences for adults: We run full-day conferences with a wide variety of study sessions aimed at adult learners.
5. Extended adult education courses: Many of our constituent communities run longer-term adult education courses on topics relating to religious and cultural identity and values, social issues and practical skills.
Email contact:
[email protected]
Site:
http://www.masorti.org.uk/
Two main issues challenge the work of Masorti Judaism:
1. Maintaining distinctive cultural identities in the face of contemporary secular, consumer society, while remaining open to the modern world and building positive relationships with the society around us.
2. Facing interfaith tensions, mainly the tensions between the Jewish and the Muslim communities around the conflict in the Middle East, and the tendency of some parts of the Jewish community to be inward-looking. Therefore Masorti Judaism is engaged in trying to build positive relationships between the Jewish community and other groups, through organizations such as Citizens UK, the Three Faiths Forum and the Council of Christians and Jews.
Masorti Judaism’s educational activities focus on the values and challenges outlined above. They include:
1. A Sunday morning teenage center in which young people aged 12-17 participate in educational programming based on the values outlined above, as well as leadership training courses.
2. Residential summer and winter camps for young people aged 9-16; these camps are located in the UK, France, Spain and Israel and feature a wide variety of informal educational activities. They are managed and led by other young people aged 17-22 who are graduates of our leadership training courses.
3. Informal educational activities for students: These activities combine study with social interactions. They are run by volunteer student leaders at university campuses around the UK.
4. Study days and conferences for adults: We run full-day conferences with a wide variety of study sessions aimed at adult learners.
5. Extended adult education courses: Many of our constituent communities run longer-term adult education courses on topics relating to religious and cultural identity and values, social issues and practical skills.
Email contact:
[email protected]
Site:
http://www.masorti.org.uk/