Central Synagogue of Afridar

2 Yehezkel Sonabend St.

The Central Synagogue of Afridar was dedicated in 1959 with support of the South African Jewish community.  It is an Ashkenaz Orthodox shul. The congregation is among the largest in Ashkelon. The grounds are fenced in and children play in the courtyard outside the shul or in the large park (the magnificent Desha Hagadol). The shul is located in Afridar, about a six-minute walk from HaShayetet/HaTayasim streets and about 12 minutes from Modiin St.  It is a popular choice for English speakers from the US, Canada, South Africa and the UK.

The shiurim will be given in English to men and women and light refreshments will be served.

There will be a 10-minute break between each shiur.

The program will end by 12:45 AM

Kehillat Netzach Israel

8 Harel Street

The Kehillat Netzach Israel grew in numbers, building a multi-ethnic membership including many English speakers. The Masorti shul offers an egalitarian, pluralistic and family-orientated approach to Judaism. Kehillat Netzach Israel is an active congregation with a wide range of social and educational programs with Jewish content, reaching out into the wider community. Rabbi Tsvi Arberman is the rabbi of the congregation.

The program starts at 8:00 PM with Tfillat Ma’ariv and the study sessions follow.
The topic is: Sexual Harassment/Coercion in the Jewish Sources. There will be two groups: one conducted in English (by Rabbi Don Levy) and one in Hebrew (Rabbi Tsvi Arberman) – same topic.
We end with wine and cheese social.
Approximate running time: two hours.

Beit Itzchak David

20 Yefe Nof St.

Beit Itzchak David is situated between the entrance to Delila Beach and the Marina, on Yefe Nof (on other side to the beach, 1st building next to the car park). The shul was started by Asher Zwebner, the first service being held on Shabbat Noah 2016 (5777) and is named after his late father. The community has families from Israel, UK, Canada, South Africa, Australia and America.

The shiurim will be given in English to men and women and light refreshments will be served.

There will be a 10-minute break between each shiur.

The program will end by 2:00 AM.

Many thanks to all of the organizers of these shiurim, especially Jonty Zwebner and Rabbi Don Levy. We’d like to say thank you to the wonderful roster of speakers, who are giving their time and sharing their knowledge with us for this year’s Tikkun Leil Shavuot.

Rabbi Tsvi (Paul) Arberman was born and raised in New York City. Before deciding on a vocation in the rabbinate, he worked as a congressional aide for then-Rep. Schumer in Washington, DC. After studies at Machon Schechter in Jerusalem, he was ordained a Masorti (Conservative) Rabbi and served communities in Netanya, Modi’in and Florida USA before coming to Netzach Israel in Ashkelon.

Zev Bitman studied Torah in the 1960s under Rabbi Shlomo Riskin at Yeshiva University. Throughout the 1970s Zev attended the Saturday night lectures of Rabbi Dr. Joseph Soloveitchik in Boston. He holds graduate degrees in medical research and computer software systems. Zev earned his doctorate in engineering management and served as a Technology Director at Johns Hopkins Hospital. He wrote the Torah Study Bible. Zev has been giving a weekly class in Tanach for the past three years in Ashkelon.

Alison Epstein grew up in a religious Southern Baptist home and converted to Judaism more than 25 years ago. She and her husband, Stephen, made Aliyah with their two daughters and currently live in Ashkelon. One of her best life experiences was hiking the Israeli National Trail, a journey of heart and mind through the land where so much Jewish history unfolded. When she’s not at her desk working as a graphic and web designer, she’s probably playing Pickleball.

Cliff Felig made Aliyah from the US in 1992, and is an attorney in Tel Aviv. He and his wife Minna live in Ramat Gan, when they are not in Ashkelon, and they are the proud parents of Noam (Shani), Yair, Daniella (Liam) and Maayan. They are especially proud that they are also the grandparents of Aviv, who joined the family just before Pesach.

Tali Frank Horwitz was born in Maryland. She did her graduate studies in NY receiving an M.S.W. from Columbia University and an M.A. in Judaic Studies from The Jewish Theological Seminary. She worked for more than 30 years in the field of social work. Most recently Tali was the director of a child development center. Over 28 years ago, after parachuting from an airplane, she took the leap and made Aliya. Tali met her husband Eitan. They have five children and four grandchildren. Pickleball is her new hobby.

Rabbi Don Levy was born in New York city and grew up in South Florida. He served as a US Navy cryptologist until receiving a calling to the rabbinate. Studying at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, after ordination, he served as a chaplain in the US Air Force. After retiring from the US military, he worked as a congregational rabbi in Colorado, USA and Queensland, Australia, before making Aliyah and moving to Ashkelon.

Rabbi Mois Navon is one of the founding engineers of Mobileye, where he designed the EyeQ family of SoC (System On a Chip) – the chip powering the autonomous vehicle revolution. He holds a B.S. degree in computer engineering from UCLA, an M.A. degree in Jewish Philosophy from Bar Ilan University and has rabbinic ordination through Yeshivat Mercaz Harav. Working at the intersection of Torah U’Madda, he is currently pursuing his PhD at the department of Jewish Philosophy at Bar Ilan University where his thesis seeks to apply Jewish philosophy to address the ethical questions arising in the field of artificial intelligence. In this vein, he teaches a course on “Ethics in Big Data and Artificial Intelligence” at Ben Gurion University. His work can be found at www.divreinavon.com.

Rabbi Ely Rosenzveig received smicha from Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik and went on to study law at the University of Michigan and at Harvard University. Ely was a congregational rabbi in the United States for 30 years, the last 16 of which were as the senior rabbi of Congregation Anshe Sholom in New Rochelle, NY. He is retired from the rabbinate and now works as a US tax attorney and lives in Bet Shemesh and Ashkelon with his wife Chani. He is blessed with five kids and 12 grandchildren who keep him young at heart.