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HAZAK Wins Silver as One of Nation's Best Chapters.........posted Jul 26, 2007

Tikvat Israel's HAZAK chapter, which serves the educational and cultural interests of the congregation's senior members, has earned the silver medal in the national Solomon Schechter Awards Program sponsored by the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism.

The award will be presented to TI at USCJ's 2007 Biennial International Convention at the Rosen Shingle Creek Resort in Orlando, Fla., Nov. 29 to Dec. 3. HAZAK has brought a vital component to programming at TI over the short time the chapter has been in existence.

TI’s HAZAK chapter, chaired by Sara Harris, convened for the first time in December 2005 and received its charter a month later. Monthly chapter meetings since then have addressed a wide range of subjects and interests.

Education programs -- all planned and carried out by volunteers -- included a presentation by a consumer affairs official in Montgomery County government on ways of protect yourself from scams against senior citizens; a tour of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum; and a lecture and video presentation (by TI’s Rabbi Howard Gorin) on the Jews of Nigeria. A speaker from AIPAC discussed the current threats facing Israel and how Americans can take action to mitigate the threats.

The chapter also toured the Jewish chapel on the grounds of the Naval Academy in Annapolis, screened Israeli films and celebrated Hanukkah through stories and song. The chapter also hosted a HAZAK Shabbat with a dinner and guest speaker.

The Solomon Schechter Awards, named after the founder of United Synagogue, has been given to hundreds of congregations since 1950. The awards recognize excellence in synagogue programming and spotlight models that other synagogues might emulate. This year’s selections were made using various criteria, including imaginative use of resources and the chapter’s impact on congregation membership.