** Please Note This Page is Being Continuously Updated **

Check Back Frequently for the Most Up to Date Information  (Times are subject to change)

Click Here for Schedule Grid

22^nd Annual International AJOP Convention

January 10-11, 2010

Sheraton Inner Harbor Hotel - Baltimore, MD

 

Sunday, January 10, 2010 - 24 Teves 5770

 

7:00 am-7:45 am         Shacharis

                                 Harborview Ballroom

 

8:00 am-9:45 am         Registration & Breakfast 

                                    Foyer & Chesapeake Ballroom

 

 

Severn I                     See You On Shabbos

                                 Rabbi Benzion Klatzko, Afikim Foundation Monsey, NY

 

                        In this session, get a comprehensive tutorial on a web-site which will transform the lives of thousands. Learn how to search for Shabbos guests, sign up as a Shabbos host, book your shabbatons and change the lives of unaffiliated Jews across the globe. Rabbi Benzion Klatzko is the innovator behind a website which "helps people find their challah”, and their Judaism.

 

Camden II                  Guided Connections: Women’s Networking (For Women Only)

                                 Mrs. Aliza Bulow, Ner Le’Elef Institute Denver, CO

                                

                                 Effective networking is full of opportunities! This AJOP favorite provides a springboard for sharing and learning new ideas, making empathetic friends and learning new methods of dealing with the many situations we encounter. Placed at the start of the AJOP Convention, we encourage all women to attend so that we can meet each other and utilize the many talents present.

 

 

Severn I                     See You On Shabbos

                                 Rabbi Benzion Klatzko, Afikim Foundation Monsey, NY

 

                        In this session, get a comprehensive tutorial on a web-site which will transform the lives of thousands. Learn how to search for Shabbos guests, sign up as a Shabbos host, book your shabbatons and change the lives of unaffiliated Jews across the globe. Rabbi Benzion Klatzko is the innovator behind a website which "helps people find their challah”, and their Judaism.

 

Severn II & III              The Power of E-Mail Marketing: 7 Keys to Success

                                 A Presentation by Constant Contact

                                 Gina M. Watkins, Regional Development Director, Constant Contact

 

                                 Build the relationships that are the key to your business success with easy, inexpensive and highly effective email marketing! In this seminar, we will provide tips to increase your email deliverability and open rates, write good headlines and content, and perhaps most importantly, strategies for getting -- and keeping -- high quality prospects, customers and members. You will learn how to become a trusted email sender in the eyes of your prospects, customers, and members. Additionally we will provide tips on how to build your list to find and keep your subscribers, and get them to open and read your emails. We’ll show you how to turn your readers into more frequent buyers/supporters/donators and how to target your communications –- how to get the right message to the right people at the right time. Finally, we’ll give you tips on how to use email communications to improve customer/member loyalty.

 

Camden I                   Budgeting Is Not A "Dirty Word”: Achieving Peace of Mind through a Hands-on Approach to Personal Finance

Mr. Alex Barron, Van Sant & Mewshaw, Inc. RIA / Mesila of Baltimore

 

When many of us hear the word budgeting, we conjure up feeling of either extreme guilt or helplessness. Others feel it is a hopeless cause and resign to a life plagued with stress and ever mounting debt. During these continuing economic challenges, awareness to budgeting and debt reduction is all the more critical; not only to the families of our communities, but even more so to the families and staff of non-profit organizations, that have felt the economic impact ever so more. Come learn that budgeting is not a "dirty word” through a practical, hands-on approach to personal finance.

 

Camden II                   The Other Side of Fundraising: A Donor’s Perspective

                                 Mr. Richard Horowitz, Los Angeles, CA

                                 Mr. Howard Tzvi Friedman, Baltimore, MD

                                 Mr. Yosef Davis, Chicago, IL

 

                                 The Do’s and Don’t’s of soliciting donors one-on-one—what works and what doesn’t. Hear what it sounds like from the other side of the table.

 

Loch Raven II                The Unique Challenges of the Baal Teshuvah Household: A 28 Year     Perspective

                                 Rabbi Avraham Braun, Menahel Yeshivas Ohr Somayach Monsey, NY

This workshop will shed light on the issues that newly observant couples often face which can impact their Sholom Bayis.  Hands-on approaches will be presented to address these conflicts. Topics covered will include, the birth of a new child, visits with non observant family, intermarriage in family, disparity in observance levels between spouses, planning a ‘frum simcha’ and including non-frum relatives, integration into an observant community and raising children. A question and answer discussion session will follow the presentation.

 

 

Severn I                     Staying Sane in the Kiruv World

                                 Rabbi Sholom Kamenetsky, Yeshiva of Philadelphia

                                 5:30-7:00 pm

 

                                 Rabbi Shalom Kamenetsky has been on "the front lines" of the kiruv world, and at the same time has served as a guide, Rebbe, Posek, and caring ear for mekarvim and Rabbanim throughout the world. He will give his eitzah and hadracha in helping us navigate the precarious leap from Kollel to Kiruv while maintaining our sensitivities, levels of kedusha, and correct priorities.

 

Severn II & III              Torah Based Family Counseling Part I

                                 Rabbi Mordechai Twerski, Rav Ateres Shlomo Cong., Brooklyn, NY

 

                        Explore the fundamentals of marriage counseling so you can help couples in your      community through relationship challenges big and small. Learn about active listening, the 10 commandments of communication and how someone can express himself without hurting their spouse’s feelings.

 

Camden I                   How to Effectively Teach the Unteachable and Most Important Thing: Jewish Values

                                 Rabbi Dr. Nachum Amsel, Destiny Foundation Jerusalem, Israel

 

                        Rabbi Dr. Nachum Amsel has spent a lifetime teaching Jewish values using a new methodology. Now, for the first time, these trigger videos, lesson plans and sources, used extensively by NCSY with great success, are being offered to schools as special packages by theme, at reasonable rates. In this session, you will learn the theory of the methodology, understand how to use this modular program in various contexts, and walk out with an instant lesson to use immediately. Appropriate for grade 5 through adult.

 

Camden II                   12 Out of the Box Ideas for Effective Low Cost Outreach in Your Community

                                 Rabbi Alexander Seinfeld, Founder Jewish Spiritual Literacy

 

                                 Come and learn about out of the box ideas that will invigorate your community, most of which have been tested. You will be able to come away with an information sheet for each program on how to make it successful, whom to contact for support, etc. Have your own out-of-the-box idea? Come share it during the brainstorming discussion. The key to all of these ideas are: Toras Chayim, high-impact and low-cost

 

Loch Raven I              What Everyone’s Talking About But No One Wants To Say: The Real Issues Facing Our Community Today     

 

                                 Rabbi Ronnie Greenwald

         Rabbi Zecharya Geenwald

         Rabbi Yerachmiel Milstein, Project Chazon

 

Loch Raven II              Entrepreneurial Fundraising

                                 Rabbi Pesach Lerner, Executive Vice President National Council of Young Israel, New York, NY

                                

                                 In these tough economic times, the non-for-profit organization must, and can look to the business world for resources, ideas and dollars. Learn how USP-Unique Selling Propositions can work for you. Maximize your tax exempt 501(c)3 tax status. Learn to think out-of-the-box.

           

 

Severn I                     How Successful Are We: Re-Evaluating Our Methods

                                 Rabbi Yehoshua Kohl, Afikim Foundation, New York

 

Severn II & III               Torah Based Family Counseling Part II

                                 Rabbi Mordechai Twerski, Rav Ateres Shlomo Cong., Brooklyn, NY

                                

                                 Explore the fundamentals of marriage counseling so you can help couples in your community through relationship challenges big and small. Learn about active listening, the 10 commandments of communication and how someone can express himself without hurting their spouse’s feelings.

 

Camden I                   The Quad: A Roundtable Discussion on Collegiate Integration and Follow-Up

                                

Moderator: Rabbi Moshe Efros, Ner Le’Elef Institute

Rabbi Benzion Klatzko, Afikim Foundation

Rabbi Akiva Rutenberg, EMET

 

                                 With kiruv coming into its own, the time has come to seriously consider our follow-up plan. Thousands of people come through our programs and work for our organizations to ensure that the strides made are not lost. This roundtable discussion will feature mekarvim who have excelled in integration and follow up, and to share their most successful action plans and ideas.

 

Camden II                  Mentoring Programs to Overcome Gender Confusion

                                 Dr. Arthur Goldberg, Co-Director, JONAH, Bergenfield, NJ

                                 Board Certified Professional Counselor and Relationship Specialist

                                 5:30-7:00 pm (*Note later ending time)

 

                                 What do you do when someone approaches you with a form of sexual confusion? What answers do the Torah, Talmud, and modern psychological practice provide? Arthur Goldberg, author of Light in the Closet, Torah, Homosexuality and the Power to Change, and a Board Certified Professional Counselor and Certified Relationship Specialist will lead a discussion on how Rabbis and outreach workers ought to respond to those struggling with issues of sexual confusion, including information on referral resources.

 

Loch Raven I              HisChadshus: Keeping it Fresh While You’re Leading & Teaching Others

                                 Mrs. Aliza Bulow, Ner Le’Elef Institute Denver, CO

 

Loch Raven II             Motivating Ourselves to Fundraise in a Turbulent Economy

                                 Rabbi Simcha Scholar, Executive Vice President Chai Lifeline New York, NY

In this timely and appropriate session, learn from Rabbi Simcha Scholar, Executive Vice President of Chair Lifeline how to explore new strategies for fundraising in a changed world. Learn how to assess all that was attempted to do in the previous year in order to increase funding and fiscal responsibility for the upcoming year. Additionally, this session will address how to deal with the practical problems of growth in an unstable economy.

 

 

Harborview                 Chomeir Ruach: A Multi-Media Presentation on Jewish Values

                                

                                 Rabbi Raphael Butler, Afikim Foundation New York

 

                                 Chomeir Ruach is a multi-sensory film experience which integrates 3D projection, interactive wireless remotes, laser lighting and special effects to present meaningful insights into God's mastery of the world and is designed to trigger thoughtful introspection and personal inspiration.

 

Potomac                    Touching Hearts, Touching Souls: A Musical Presentation by the Women’s Band, Ayelet HaShachar For Women Only

                                 Ayelet HaShachar Women’s Music Ensemble

 

Music is a powerful and highly-effective tool for awakening the neshama. Nothing bypasses the brain and goes straight to the heart like a joyous song or haunting melody. Join the Jewish women's band, Ayelet HaShachar, for an experiential presentation on the heart and soul-stirring power of music to help women connect to their Jewish essense. Ayelet HaShachar features Lisa Aronson Friedman, Shalomis Koffler Weinreb and Stephanie Rabinowitz.

 

Loch Raven II             Armchair Discussion: Entrepreneurial Fundraising

                                   Rabbi Pesach Lerner, Executive Vice President National Council of Young Israel

 

                                 Come and join Rabbi Pesach Lerner in a frank, open discussion with him and your kiruv colleagues about fundraising. In this relaxed atmosphere, learn the ins and outs of successful monetary solicitation and solutions that will work for you and your organization.

22^nd Annual International AJOP Convention

January 10-11, 2010

Sheraton Inner Harbor Hotel - Baltimore, MD

 

Monday, January 11, 2010-25 Teves 5770

 

7:00-8:00 am              Shacharis Harborview Ballroom

 

 

 

Severn I                     Starting From Scratch: The Challenge of Creating A Jewish Culture Where None Existed Before

                                 Rabbi Josh Spinner, Founding Director Lauder Yeshurun Berlin, Germany

 

                        In this session, Rabbi Josh Spinner, the Founding Director of Lauder Yeshurun in Germany, will address issues relating to creating a Torah inspired Community in a place where none existed before. Drawing on his experiences in Berlin, topics including "normative" behavior, standards of observance and conduct, conflict management, the establishment of chinuch mosdos, and much more will be covered. 

 

Severn II & III              Is There a Long Term Future for Me in Kiruv?
What will I look like in three years?

                                 Rabbi Avaraham Edelstein, Ner Le’Elef Institute

 

The long-term sustainability of a life in kiruv is increasingly reflected in a generation that began their kiruv over 30 years ago. But, not everyone makes it. Is there a certain profile of the life-long mekarev? Is there a career path in kiruv? Is it financially sustainable with a large family? Is one destined to move to a bigger city when kids reach a certain age, no matter what the job prospects and work satisfaction? How does one discern the long term effects of few or no playmates for one's kids? How does one distinguish between short and long term burnout? Hear the answers to these and many other variables addressed by Rabbi Avraham Edelstein, Director of Ner Le'elef Institute.

 

Camden I                    The Power of Email Marketing: 7 Keys to Success

                                  A Presentation by Constant Contact

                                 Gina M. Watkins, Regional Development Director

Build the relationships that are the key to your business success with easy, inexpensive and highly effective email marketing! In this seminar, we will provide tips to increase your email deliverability and open rates, write good headlines and content, and perhaps most importantly, strategies for getting -- and keeping -- high quality prospects, customers and members. You will learn how to become a trusted email sender in the eyes of your prospects, customers, and members. Additionally we will provide tips on how to build your list to find and keep your subscribers, and get them to open and read your emails. We’ll show you how to turn your readers into more frequent buyers/supporters/donators and how to target your communications –- how to get the right message to the right people at the right time. Finally, we’ll give you tips on how to use email communications to improve customer/member loyalty.

Camden II                  Ask the Rabbi: For Women

                                   Rabbi Dovid Cohen, Morah D’asrah Cong. Gevul Yaabetz

         Brooklyn, NY

 

                  The Posek is here for an opportunity for AJOP women to address
questions and receive guidance from AJOP's Halachik Posek, Rav Dovid Cohen.While there may be an opportunity to ask additional queries during the session, to make the most of the time allotment, please submit written
questions in advance.

 

Loch Raven I              Orthodoxy and its Relationship to the Secular World

                                 HaRav Asher Weiss

 

Loch Raven II             Harnessing the Power of the Internet to Reach and Engage Jews

                                 Mr. David Greenberg, Simpletoremember.com

 

                        Collectively, the Kiruv world has almost no presence on the Internet compared to its potential. Find out how this is so and what you can do to change the situation. Learn how to leverage the Internet to reach your goals. Learn cutting edge Internet marketing from an expert in the field. Learn how to leverage social media like Facebook to find Jews in your town who are interested in Judaism. Learn Internet strategies the business world is using and apply them to your Kiruv efforts. Learn about free time saving technology and how you can use it to further your goals.

 

 

 

Severn I                     Transforming Families Through their Child’s Summer Camp Experience

 

                                 Moderator: Rabbi Ronnie Greenwald

Rabbi Elisha Lewenstein, Oorah

 

                        Family kiruv is a complex art. Each member must be dealt with as an individual and as part of the family. Learn why a recommendation to attend a kiruv camp can literally lead to a family transformation. Learn how to present these camps to your families, and what incentives are available to help them make the decision. Learn how you can take advantage of this kiruv secret that has already dramatically improved the "success" of many kiruv programs.

 

Severn II & III              Leading Your Organization! Bringing Out the Best in Others, Working with Goals & Avoiding Common Mistakes

                                 Rabbi Avi Cassel, Ner Le’Elef Institute

 

                                 Leadership is the key to a successful collaborative organization. Learn how you -- as a leader -- can maximize the effectiveness of your team by building morale and energizing the klei kodesh with whom you work. Building on spiritual foundations, this session is advantageous for established organizations and start-ups alike, as it will explore how to work with goals and build your vision.

 

Camden I                    How to Enhance Jewish Identity Through Jewish History

                                 Rabbi Dr. Nachum Amsel, Destiny Foundation Jerusalem, Israel

 

                        The Destiny Foundation under Rabbi Berel Wein has developed three brand new interactive Jewish History curricula for grade 6 and above. Each of these longer films, broken up into individual trigger videos by specific lessons and topics, allows student participation and interactivity, and come complete with full educational guides for the teacher.  Come learn how to maximize these new materials and adapt it for your school’s particular needs, as the program is totally modular. Destiny materials such as these are currently being used in over 300 educational institutions in 15 countries.

                                

Camden II                   Effective Public Speaking For Men

                                    Mr. Reuven Russell, Actor, Comedian, Professor-Stern College NY, NY

 

                        As important as what you say, is how you say it. Learn how to speak with passion and conviction to engage your audience-whether it’s one person or hundreds. Whether you are requesting financing or influencing hearts and minds, there are tools and public speaking techniques that can maximize your unique strengths and increase your potency as a public speaker and communicator. 

 

Loch Raven I               Keeping Your Idealism and Goals in the Face of Challenges

                                 HaRav Yitzchak Berkovits, Jerusalem Kollel 11 am-12 pm

 

                                 The life of the mikarev is full of pitfalls and hardships, but the return cannot be replaced. Hear from one of the foremost halachic and hashkafic experts on life how to keep your chin up and withstand what comes your way when you're out in the field. Rav Yitzchak Berkovits, live from Yerushalayim is one session you won't want to miss.

 

Loch Raven I              Shidduch Vision (12:00-12:30 pm)

                                 Mr. Jeff Cohn, Baltimore, MD

 

ShidduchVision, a program of the non-profit The Simcha Foundation, with the haskama of Gedolai Yisrael, is live Interactive Video-Conferencing allowing eligible singles to meet on screen, face-to-face (before they meet in person) to help them make the decision-together with their Shadchan-as to whether they will travel and continue the dating process. This will save a tremendous amount of time, travel (with its inherent safety risks), heartache, and money. More importantly, it will greatly increase the likelihood that singles in distant cities actually get the chance to meet each other.

 

Loch Raven II             10 Most Common Mistakes People Make

                                 Rabbi Moshe Efros, Ner Le’Elef Institute

 

Mistakes that Klei Kodesh make can be broken down into three general categories:  1) mistakes that affect the Jewish Professional himself and his family, 2) mistakes that affect the organization, and 3) mistakes that affect the community.  In this session, we are going to examine 10 specific areas in which mistakes can, and often do, have profound consequences for the mekarev, his family, the organization and the community.  Some of these mistakes require serious effort to undue the damage, and some will lead to the Jewish Professional’s termination of employment and continuing problems for him.  All of them are relatively easy to avoid making. The world in which we work is a very small place indeed, which can exacerbate the consequences of these errors.  Some of these mistakes could send the errant Klei Kodesh out of the world of k’lal work indefinitely. Some of these mistakes are, to a greater or lesser degree, a Chilul HaShem.

 

Board Room               Public Eye/Private Eye

                                 Rebbetzin Feige Twerski, Milwaukee, WI

 

                                 As women, we are encouraged to concentrate on the private role of "bas melech penima". However, as kiruv workers we are often thrust into a very public role! How do we find the balance and project an appropriate image while protecting our inner essence? Rebbetzin Feige Twerski will share some pointers on how to maintain the balance.

 

 

 

 

Severn I                      Managing Your Time, Your Life and Your Work

                                 Rabbi Avraham Edelstein, Ner Le’Elef Institute

 

                                 The day of the average mikarev comes close to overwhelming…and that is before any attempt to give time to the family.  Rabbi Avraham Edelstein, Director of Ner Le'elef Institute, is known as one of the busiest people in the world of kiruv. Find out what he does to get it all in, stay sane, and give attention to the family.  

 

Severn II & III              Teambuilding: How to Create a Team Out of Your Staff

                                 Rabbi Menachem Deutsch, Atlanta Scholars Kollel

 

Camden I                   Write Well & Speak Swell

                                 Dr. David Lieberman, Ph.D.

 

                     Get the best tips and tools on writing and public speaking from the person whose sold more than one million books, and has appeared on hundreds of radio and TV talk shows. Improve your writing and marketing skills over a range of areas: brochures, letters-to-the-editor, donor letters, community fundraising letters . . . and more! Plus, discover how to speak like a pro in front of any crowd large or small.

 

Camden II                  Speaking of Teaching: How to Give a Great Speech and Teach Like a Pro (For Women)

                                 Mr. Reuven Russell, Actor, Comedian, Professor-Stern College

 

                        As important as what you say, is how you say it. Learn how to speak with passion and conviction to engage your audience-whether it is one person or hundreds. If you are requesting financing or influencing hearts and minds, there are definite tools and public speaking techniques that maximize your unique strengths and increase your potency as a public speaker and communicator. 

 

Loch Raven I              An Open Forum- Q & A

                                 HaRav Shmuel Kamenetsky, Rosh Yeshiva of Philadelphia 

 

 

Severn I                     Helping Our Children Navigate School

Rabbi Zecharya Greenwald Jerusalem, Israel

 

                                 Rabbi Zecharya Greenwald, noted mechanech , seasoned educator, writer and principal of Me'ohr Bais Yaakov Teachers Seminary will discuss one of the major issues our community is facing today: our children leaving their heritage behind in scary numbers. Learn how you, as a mekarev in the traditional sense, can help stem the flow and reverse the tide of religious children "going off", hurting themselves and often tearing apart their families. As a member of the frum community, this is a lecture you cannot afford to miss.

 

Camden I                   The Psychology of Kiruv

                                 Dr. David Lieberman, Ph.D.

 

                     In this session, gain smart tactics to build rapport and establish relationships, especially with teens. Discover the psychological secrets to help get people unstuck, and techniques to accelerate a person's level of observance.

 

Loch Raven I               Q & A-An Open Forum

                                 Rabbi Dovid Cohen Morah D’asrah Cong. Gevul Yaabetz

         Brooklyn, NY

 

Loch Raven II             Rabbi Frand on Preparing a Drasha

Rabbi Yissocher Frand, RA”AM Yeshivas Ner Yisroel