Imun 2020 is an updated version of the popular Imun program that USCJ ran in the 1990s and early 2000s.  We have reimagined the program to meet the needs of today’s small congregations and their lay leaders.

Imun 2020 is a collaborative program of USCJ, the Rabbinical Assembly, and the Cantors’ Assembly. Its purpose is to empower lay leaders of small or remote congregations to fill certain ritual roles such as leading a Shabbat or weekday service, reading Torah, delivering a sermon, visiting the sick, or officiating at a baby naming or a funeral.
 
The program has 3 parts: 
  1. 2 webinars in the spring to introduce participants to the faculty and begin the learning
  2. The 5-day, 4-night retreat in July
  3. Optional peer coaching when participants return home
What is the Cost of Participation?

$750 covers the cost of your 4-night stay (2 people to a room), 3 kosher meals a day, and all materials.Congregation Ahavas Israel will cover the entire cost of attendance, including travel, for those who will commit to reading Torah or leading part of the service one - two times a month.

Where and When Will the Retreat Take Place?

The Imun 2020 retreat will take place July 9-13, 2020, at Ramah Darom, one of the premier summer camps of the Conservative Movement, located on 185 acres in Northern Georgia, in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Who Is Eligible to Attend?

Any member of a small or remote USCJ affiliated congregation, who is recommended by that congregation’s rabbi or president, and is able to read Hebrew, is eligible to attend Imun 2020.  Preference will be given to members of congregations with limited clergy support.

Application Deadline​

Space is very limited, and applications are due by March 1, 2020.

For information about Imun 2020, please contact Aimee Close at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. For information about Ahavas Israel’s financial support, please contact Stuart Rapaport,This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.or (616) 485-5383.
 

Faculty

Cantor Sarah Levineis in her third year at West End Synagogue in Nashville, TN. Originally from Cherry Hill, New Jersey, Cantor Levine is a graduate of the Jewish Theological Seminary, where she was invested as a cantor and received an M.A. in Sacred Music and in Jewish Education. Cantor Levine served as cantor/educator for Knesset Israel in Pittsfield, Massachusetts and cantorial intern at Beth El in Bethesda, Maryland. Cantor Levine also completed a unit of clinical pastoral education at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. She holds a B.A. in Jewish Studies and a minor in music from Temple University.  

           

Rabbi Rob Scheinberg is the Rabbi of the United Synagogue of Hoboken, New Jersey, a vibrant Jewish community right outside of Manhattan.  He is a graduate of the Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS), where he is also a faculty member in Liturgy.  Rabbi Scheinberg served on the editorial committees for the prayerbooks for Conservative Judaism,  Mahzor Lev Shalem(2010) andSiddur Lev Shalem for Shabbat and Festivals(2016).  An engaging teacher and speaker and an accomplished musician, he previously served congregations in Massachusetts and Alabama.  He has held various leadership positions with the Rabbinical Assembly and is now a member of the Committee on Jewish Law and Standards.  In 2006, Rabbi Scheinberg served on the New Jersey Legislature's Death Penalty Study Commission, which set the stage for the abolition of capital punishment in New Jersey.  Rabbi Scheinberg lives in Hoboken with his wife, Rabbi Naomi Kalish, and their three daughters. His writings and music can be found atwww.rabbischeinberg.com.