Bernard and Audre Rapoport
L'Taken Social Justice Seminars 2010-2011
A program of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism
The L'Taken Seminar is an intensive four-day teen kallah in Washington, DC, focused on Jewish values and social justice.
L'taken olam b'malchut Shaddai
To repair the world under the realm of the Eternal
Each year, nearly 2,000 high school-aged students participate in these exciting events. Each weekend brings together Reform Jewish students from around the country to explore public policy and social activism through a Jewish lens. This unique Washington opportunity lets students hear from experts from both inside and outside of the Jewish community. Every L’Taken Seminar covers several different issue areas in a variety of interactive formats. Each seminar includes an opportunity to tour the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum and a Havdallah service at one of the National Memorials. Students also sample the vibrancy of Georgetown and other exciting areas of Washington.
High school students from across the country participate in:
Torah - Jewish Learning
Learning Jewish social justice values, the legislative process, and the political and the social reality we need to transform.
Avodah - Prayer
Connecting holiness and justice through creative worship services.
Gemilut Chasadim - Action
Visiting Capitol Hill and lobbying Senators' and Representatives' offices on the issues students have studied throughout the weekend.
What are the dates?
There will be six L'Taken seminars during the 2010-2011 academic year. At this point all our Seminars are full. If you would to add a congregational group to our waitlist, please contact Isaac Nuell or Allison Porton at 202-387-2800.
December 10-13, 2010* - FULL
January 7-10, 2011 - FULL
January 21-24, 2011 - FULL
January 28-31, 2011 - FULL
February 11-14, 2011- FULL
- FULL
The cost for the program is based on accommodations, as indicated below:
4 to a room (2 shared double beds) $354
3 to a room (2 beds) $395
2 to a room (2 beds) $464
1 to a room $630
Students and chaperones must room separately.
There is an extra charge to reserve a cot.
This cost includes:
- Three nights stay in the group hotel;
- All program materials and speakers’ fees;
- Saturday, Sunday, and Monday breakfast;
- Saturday and Sunday lunch;
- Friday night dinner.
Other meals and local transportation are NOT included. For groups without buses, local transportation can be arranged at an approximate cost of $50 per person for the weekend.
Programming for the weekend begins at 6:00 pm on Friday with Shabbat dinner and concludes on Monday at 3:00 pm on Capitol Hill. Participants are required to attend the entire program.
The weekend is filled with an overabundance of activities. Successfully engaging hundreds of teenagers and keeping them to a tight schedule requires that we all work together. Please make sure that all of the chaperones who are coming with your group know how much we depend on them to help ensure the weekend runs smoothly. We require one adult chaperone for every nine students.
If you need special arrangements for your group, such as a sign language interpreter or handicapped-accessible transportation, please let us know immediately.
Cancellation Policy:
To allow as many congregations as possible to participate in the seminars, we require a $40 nonrefundable deposit per participant (both students and chaperones) to reserve space for your group. Deposits are applied to spaces that are actualized. This means if you reserve 20 spaces and only 17 attend, only $680 of your $800 deposit will be applied to your final bill.
To provide ample opportunity for groups that are on the waiting list to sign up, we must have an exact count and full payment for your group eight weeks prior to the conference. After that point, there will be an additional $40 penalty for each cancelled spot (making a total of $80/person). Additional participants will be added only if there is space available. Cancellations made less than 72 hours in advance will be charged the full fee. All refunds and readjustments will be made after the conference.
Reservations will be accepted only from congregations who are in good standing with the URJ and who do not have an outstanding balance with the Religious Action Center.
The L'Taken Social Justice Seminars are generously supported by:
Bernard and Audre Rapoport
The Righteous Persons Foundation
Gus and Barbara Kuhn Fund
Richard and Lois England
The Jacob and Hilda Blaustein Foundation
The Nathan Cummings Foundation
The Robert Sillins Family Foundation
All weekends are currently full. Click here to add your group to the Waitlist.
Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism
The Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism (RAC) has been the hub of Jewish social justice and legislative activity in the Washington, DC, for more than 45 years. It has educated and mobilized the American Jewish community on legislative and social concerns as an advocate in the Congress of the United States on issues ranging from Israel and human rights to a woman's right to choose and civil rights, to international peace and religious liberty. The RAC is the Washington office of the Union for Reform Judaism and the Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR), encompassing 1.5 million Reform Jews and 1,800 Reform rabbis in more than 900 congregations throughout North America.
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