TZIPORAH HELLER (right) draws appreciative laughter from Sandra Oster (to her left) and others at a sold-out event.
Heller captivates large, diverse crowd
By Kaplan Tuttlebaum
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More than 250 men, women and children from as far away as Eugene and Lexington, Ore., gathered at the Mittleman Jewish Community Center in mid-November for a special Scholar-in-Residence weekend featuring Tziporah Heller of Jerusalem.
“This was an amazing chance for people from all walks of life, and from all synagogues, to get together for a weekend of high-end Jewish learning,” commented Holly Litwin of Portland, who attended the Nov. 16-17 event with her husband and two young sons.
“Tziporah Heller is a charismatic speaker—I appreciated her depth and breadth of textual knowledge,” Litwin added. “I especially liked the way she used anecdotes from her neighborhood in Israel, from Crown Heights in Brooklyn and from encounters with all kinds of people to illustrate some of the more intricate concepts she presented.”
The program was organized by Congregation Kesser Israel and the Portland Kollel, and was sponsored by the Aspen Mitzvah Fund and Steve (Rosy) Rosenberg and Ellen Lippman.
Rabbi Kenneth Brodkin of Kesser Israel said he was especially grateful to the sponsors for making Heller’s visit possible.
“I can’t think of a greater mitzvah than providing an opportunity to learn from a great scholar in the context of a community event,” he said.
He added that the event’s success—it was fully booked—means there will be another scholar-in-residence program in 2008.
The program, which began with Shabbat services and a meal Friday evening, continued through havdalah and a Melave Malka (festive post-Shabbat gathering) Saturday evening. Heller, a noted teacher and dynamic speaker, addressed topics ranging from “Achieving Happiness in Work and Relationships: Rambam’s Approach” to “Touching the Transcendent: Connecting with G-d.” In each of her talks, she captivated her listeners with her trademark combination of wide-ranging scholarship and ready wit.
Devorah Spilman, like Litwin a teacher at Portland Jewish Academy, said she was impressed by the way Heller was able to discuss issues in ways accessible to many different levels of people who attended the sessions. “She offered deep and complex Torah commentary, and at the same time, engaging stories that addressed similar themes.”
Both Spilman and Litwin praised the children’s programming at the Shabbaton, which featured activities for nearly 50 children.
“My kids had a blast,” Litwin said, adding that they are too young to sit through Heller’s talks. “They had time to play, eat and socialize with friends—and they had great Shabbat stories, tefillah and learning. ”