Fwd: Biennial Convention and Evening of Appreciation; The Unbearable Price of Freedom; Let’s Get Real

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From: Shabbat Shalom <shabbatshalom@ounetwork.org>
Date: Thu, Feb 13, 2025, 9:05 PM
Subject: Biennial Convention and Evening of Appreciation; The Unbearable Price of Freedom; Let's Get Real
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Plus: Cutting Vegetables on Shabbat PARSHAT YITRO February 14-15, 2025 / 17 Shevat 5785  FEATURED Biennial Convention and Evening of Appreciation Earlier this week, we held our Biennial Convention, where the OU Board of Directors and Board of Governors for the 2025-2026 term were confirmed, including 12 new members. The business meeting was followed by An Evening of Appreciation: Beyond the OU Symbol, which celebrated the OU's 125-year legacy of strengthening and elevating Jewish life that extends far beyond our renowned kosher certification.   More than 250 members of the OU community, including lay leaders, synagogue delegates, NCSY participants, supporters and OU professionals joined us for this meaningful event that highlighted the communal impact of our programs through personal stories shared by NCSY, JLIC, Impact Accelerator, Women's Initiative and Halacha Initiatives participants. The program featured inspiring reflections from keynote speaker Sivan Rahav-Meir and our Executive Vice Presidents, Rabbi Moshe Hauer and Rabbi Dr. Josh Joseph, who discussed the OU's strategy and vision to identify and fill the needs of our community and ignite passion for Judaism as we move these communal solutions forward together. Watch Recap Video View Event Photos  AROUND THE OU Ashiva Let's Get Real Join a candid conversation on the dating journey with our EVP Rabbi Moshe Hauer, YUConnects Director Efrat Sobolofsky and researcher Channah Cohen on Tuesday, February 25, in New York City. View Invitation Tri-State NCSY The Unbearable Price of Freedom Rabbi Gideon Black, CEO of Tri-State NCSY, was wounded years ago in a bus bombing that killed his cousin, Yoni, and five others. The terrorist who murdered his cousin now walks free. Rabbi Black reflects on the painful cost of freeing terrorists to save hostages – and the unbreakable bond that drives Israel to do it. Read in The Free Press Order Your OU Guide to Passover 2025 The OU's much-anticipated annual guide to everything you want or need to know about Passover is now available to order! Order Now Institutional Advancement Carob Trees and Lasting Legacies In the famous story of Choni HaMe'agel, the circle-drawer, Choni found a world with carob trees and, just as his ancestors planted, he too planted. By giving tzedakah, both regularly in our lifetimes and through proper estate planning, we are planting seeds that will bear fruit for many years to come. Read More Women's Initiative Thousands of Women Worldwide to Study Sefer Tehillim Thanks to the OU Women's Initiative's Torat Imecha Nach Yomi program, 15,000 women worldwide, from 28 countries and 38 U.S. states, have committed to daily Torah study since the program's inception in 2020. Now in its third cycle, participants will begin learning Sefer Tehillim on February 15. Read in the Jewish Link Sign Up to Learn Sefer Tehillim OU Torah HaShoneh Halachos 2: Mishneh Torah Surpasses 3,500 HaShoneh Halachos 2: Mishneh Torah celebrates two halachos from the Rambam paraphrased in the vernacular, every day without fail, for nearly ten years! We're currently learning the laws of maaser sheini but you can find Shabbos, kashrus, taharas hamishpacha and more in our archives. Read it Online Sign Up for Our Daily Email! OU-JLIC Inside JLIC Yale's Historic Evening with Naftali Bennett Former Israeli PM Bennett engaged in an unprecedented student dialogue at Yale, where two powerful sessions brought about candid exchanges about Israel's future. Read the Full Story Jewish Action What's The Truth About… the Luchot? Most contemporary synagogues and institutions have no qualms about depicting the Luchot in a format that originated in non-Jewish art. Read More  UPCOMING EVENTS SPIRIT Retirement and Estate Planning in the New Political Landscape Tuesday, February 18, 12 noon EST Register Now SPIRIT SPIRIT Mission to New Orleans Monday, March 17 – Wednesday, March 19 Register Now Halacha Initiatives Women's Chevra Kadisha Leadership Conference Monday, May 12 Apply Now  TORAH L'Kadsho Cutting Vegetables on Shabbos What is a mandolin slicer and can you use one on Shabbos? Rabbi Aryeh Lebowitz investigates! Plus, Rabbi Yosef Zvi Rimon on the melacha of me'amer (gathering), and more! Cutting Vegetables on Shabbos – Listen Now More on L'Kadsho Rabbi Moshe Hauer Awareness of God and Man There is absolutely nothing important enough to make us overlook the pain of others. Read More Rabbi Menachem Genack Hearing But Not Understanding? The Jewish people heard the Aseret Hadibrot all at once, and then one at a time. But what was the purpose of hearing them all at once if they could not understand them? Read in Hebrew Rebbetzin Dr. Adina Shmidman The Kedushah of Our People: Bridging the Infinite Divide Unlike the angels, whose praises are perfect and unwavering, human beings approach Hashem through prayer – through longing, yearning and struggle. Read More Rabbi Aaron Goldscheider A Heart Bursting With Love The Jewish people share an internal, metaphysical identity, because every individual Jewish soul is a piece of one greater, universal soul. Read More Rabbi Jack Abramowitz Yisro, the Ten Commandments and Tu b'Shevat Enjoy three timely, real-life reader questions on Moshe's father-in-law, the Ten Commandments and the new year for trees! Read More Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks zt"l The Custom That Refused to Die The custom of including the Ten Commandments as part of the