CHESED '07 SUMMER CAMP

WELCOME TO COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT PARTNERS FOR THE AMERICAS, Hune Margulies, Ph.D., President.

Prescott College And The Martin Buber Institute (MBIDE): M.A. In The Humanities With A Concentration In Dialogical Ecology.

PLEASE REVIEW AND DOWNLOAD THE CHESED '07 PROGRAM REGISTRATION AT HTTP://HIGHSCHOOLCHESED.BLOGSPOT.COM

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High School Summer Chesed Program in Jewish Argentina.
July 18-August 19, 2007.

Community Development Partners For The Americas, (CDPA), a Westchester, NY based organization, in conjunction with Jewish Community Centers in Argentina, invite Jewish High School students to join us for a Summer of Chesed, Culture, Ecology and Fun in Jewish Argentina. The Chesed Program Director is CDPA's president, Hune Margulies, Ph.D. (please see a short biographical note on Dr. Margulies at the bottom of the Application page.)

Following our previous years successful Summer Chesed Programs in Jewish Argentina, we are now accepting applications for Chesed 2007. We will travel to Argentina from July 18 to August 19, 2007. Our program is glatt-Kosher and shomer Shabbat.

Our Summer program combines chesed work in Buenos Aires, ecological adventures in the heart of mountains and glaciers, skiing and sailing, tours, trips, cultural interaction with the people of Argentina, Jewish learning, Spanish classes, Tango classes, social interaction with Jewish teens and many more fun, sports and recreational activities.

Students will again experience first hand the mitzva of working on behalf of needy Argentinean Jews. Our participants will delight in the personal and warm friendships they will make with their peers and be an important part of the mission of helping to rebuild this proud community

Registration is now, and we urge you to apply early. Spaces are limited to a maximum of 45 participants. For more information please read the other links in this blog, and/or write to Hune margulies, Ph.D., Program Director, at CDPA@cdpa-americas.org, 914-833-7787. We will gladly meet in person with families and students and participate in parlor meetings.

The Chesed '07 tuition for the entire Summer program, including round trip international air fare is only $4,757.00. After March 18, tuition will be 4,957.00. Tuition includes international round trip air fare, lodging, 3 meals a day, all tours and trips, all activities and all taxes (except for $18.00 passport tax payable at departure from Argentina).

I'd be happy to attend parlor meetings in your home and visit your schools and communities . Please follow the links to your right for more detailed information on the program.

Thank you for considering us and I look forward to seeing you in CHESED '07. PLEASE VISIT OUR SITE AT HTTP://HIGHSCHOOLCHESED.BLOGSPOT.COM

Updates and Announcements:
Our Central Community Service Project

Every year we try to select one central Chesed project to devote to it special attention and efforts. Around this time of year I solicit from the Shuls and JCCs in Argentina proposals for projects.

Normally I receive a long list of requests and it is my job to read through them and select the ones we feel we can do something about. You should know however that when it comes to the chesed part of the program we try to devote at least 1 day to most of these many worthy projects. I wanted to share with you some of the chesed proposals I received and tell you that it would be useful for me to know what your preferences are before selecting our main project or projects.

The list of projects include items such as food packaging and delivery to elderly jews before Shabat, toys distribution to poor Jewish kids, work in the free pharmacy for needy Jews, distribution of clothing to needy Jewish families, minor repair work in abandoned Jewish schools, etc. We will devote at least one day to each of these activities, but the idea now is to select one special project for the chesed '06 program.

Here is a partial list of special projects:

1. refurbishing and painting some of the dorm buildings at the Hebrew Home for the needy-Aged.
2. photographic documentation of old Jewish buildings throughout the city and its outskirts for archival records and preservation purposes.
3. work with "Ha Makim Sheli", the award winning school for Jewish kids with multiple disabilities
4. archival work at the Holocaust Museum of Buenos Aires
5. help with the delivery of large furniture items stored in the warehouse of the "Tzedakah Foundation".

I will be sending more requests for proposals in the next few days and I will share then with you as well. in the meantime do share with me your preferences.

More Updates and Announcements:

Ten days ago, while I was leading the Mamaroneck High School tour to Argentina and Chile, I met again an old acquaintance who is one of a dwindling group of people born in the Jewish agricultural settlements of the north of Argentina. In the 1880's the Baron Hirsch purchased extensive tracks of land in "Entre Rios" to build settlements for Russian and Polish Jewish immigrants. From the Baron's perspective he was building a precursor to the future Jewish State in Palestine, and in any case, Palestine was more difficult as a refuge for the Jewish masses of eastern Europe. Later on Theodor Herzl dreamt of a temporary Jewish state in either Uganda or Argentina.

The Baron created communities called "Moisesville", "Avigdor", and others such, and built in them shuls, mikvahs, kosher butchers and everything else a Jew needs to call a place home. The streets had Yiddish names and even the Mayors were Jewish!. Over time, the younger generations abandoned these communities and moved to Buenos Aires to attend Universities or establish businesses. Three years ago I took one of our Chesed groups to visit old Moisesville. The place looks and feels like a regular Gaucho community, only the Jewish signs all over may remind some of the Shtetls of the old world. There are still some Jews there and by municipal tradition, the official language in the town is Spanish and Yiddish. In any case, we are making the arrangements for our group to travel North (about 4 hours from BA) and spend 2 days in one of those rural communities. We will do an overnight in a beautiful estancia (country estate) with horses, gauchos, BBQs and everything a true gaucho, Jewish or not, desires. They need us to help with their efforts to restore the old Hirsch synagogues and to establish the basis for the Jewish museum of settlements in Argentina. This is something of historic significance for Jewish diaspora culture and very exciting as well.. I invite you to read the book "The Jewish Gauchos" by famed writer and historian of Jewish Argentinean culture Alberto Gerchunoff.

Other than that our Jewish counterparts in Argentina are eager to see us again and the program will be a great combination of chesed work in Buenos Aires and in the settlements, ecology in the magnificent south and culture all around. As soon as the registration period closes I will send you forms to sign up for the optional social and fun activities during the evenings and other information as well.

Please don't hesitate to call me at 914-833-7787 or write me back with any questions or ideas.

HELPING REBUILD OLD BUILDINGS AND THE LIFE OF THE COMMUNITY

CHESED: ECOLOGY, CULTURE AND SOLIDARITY.
THIS IS CDPA'S CHESED PROGRAM!

Please contact CHESED '07 at CDPA@cdpa-americas.org / 914-833-7787. http://highschoolchesed.blogspot.com