Who is interested in a Championship seder?
 

I've moved this topic into it's own thread to try to get some targeted answers.

"FIRST is aware of these issues, but has so many issues on so many levels to deal with for scheduling. It was discussed during the Senior Mentor meetings in NH. I sure wouldn't want the scheduling job they have to cope with and obviously they are not trying to purposely alienate anyone.
That said, I have a couple of suggestions.
I think there will many students and adults at the Championship who celebrate Passover, which is a major Jewish holiday and starts on Sat. night, including, hopefully, some of the Israeli teams. This could be a great opportunity to at least do a little Seder. I'm sure that FIRST would be willing to work with anyone who took some initiative. Any ideas? If the group can put together some realistic ideas and suggestions, these could be presented to Bob Hammond. I'll help you deliver the message, if you come up with what you would like to do."

Re: Who is interested in a Championship seder?
 

I would be interested, but I'm still unsure if I'll actually be going to Atlanta this year, so I'm not sure if my vote counts for much yet.

Re: Who is interested in a Championship seder?
 

I would most likely be interested, and im sure a few others from my team would be as well.

Re: Who is interested in a Championship seder?
 

Hi Jenny:

My name is Tami and I am a parent from Team 22, Northridge CA. We have at least 4 maybe as many as 8 looking for a community Passover Sader. As a suggestion, we could contact the Chabad in the area. Also, check with the University, maybe Hillel is having a service for the students .... I know there are major hotels that have Sedar.
As a farfetched idea, I was thinking of going to Atlanta and cooking but I need a kitchen, adult aid, and we need a place to eat.

Please let know what your input is.....Thanks

Re: Who is interested in a Championship seder?
 

I'm Genia Gabrielov from W. Lafayette IN, and I would love to help out. This year is gonna be really tough for me, since I keep kosher and am a vegitarian from that. Having a community for a Seder means a lot. I'll defintly have matzah with me for the trip home and stuff, and at the competition.

Gimme a holler about planning this. Keep in mind that it would have to be simple, since I imagine a few people that don't know the story or the religion may want to come just to watch.

- Genia

Re: Who is interested in a Championship seder?
 

Would anyone be willing to contact the local Hillel and find out what the options are? It is going to be very difficult to get exact counts, which is going to make this even more of a challenge. Is it reasonable to try to combine a little Seder with a little of the social? Is an abbreviated symbolic seder an option? Let's talk about what the expectations are and then we can decide if we can make this happen.

Re: Who is interested in a Championship seder?
 

Keep in mind that every team will have transportation issues. The only thing I'm worried about is that I really can't leave my hotel after dark, because my team is responsible for me, and it is my responsibility to respect them.

There may be a hillel near the social site, but that may be hard for some people to go to. If we have a seder it would have to be a Seder Lite probably :).

Re: Who is interested in a Championship seder?
 

I have spoken to a friend in Atlanta who will see what can be arranged at a local shul...including perhaps transportation...all kashrut

stay in touch

Jon
860-434-8714

Re: Who is interested in a Championship seder?
 

That's a good idea Jon, thanks for taking up the responsiblity. However, I have no idea how advisors would feel about that. Hopefully all will be good.

Re: Who is interested in a Championship seder?
 

i am a member of hillel here at RIT and would be glad to contact the local georgia hillels to see what can be aranged



so this would be the first FIRST first seder. lol

Re: Who is interested in a Championship seder?
 

I am still willing to help you with this. One of the biggest issues is figuring out how many are involved. And there will be the issue of students leaving their group, being transported and the concerns of the chaperones about this, as Eugenia has said. Greg, if you could contact the local Hillel and get an idea of how many they could accommodate and when they would need to know. Ditto for Jon. Once we know what is available, then it will be easier to offer it as an option.

Re: Who is interested in a Championship seder?
 

I have been in touch with Alisha Lowenstein from FIRST in Israel. We are exploring some options, especially looking at having a "mini" Seder, maybe one hour, not a full meal but to touch on some of the symbolism, songs and rituals, at the event. There are a lot of details to be worked out here, so bear with us as we figure out whether this is doable.

Re: Who is interested in a Championship seder?
 

i have been trying to reach some one with no luck yet but i will keep trying...but i thought i might have a good idea for a solution. since that saturday is also the wrap dinner maybe we can convince first to set up a small tent and have it at the wrap party. considering most of us who are interested have tickets to the wrap party but would be unable to eat anything and it is the same money it might work out....would this be something that you could talk to first about...maybe they can send out an email blast to find out the interest

Re: Who is interested in a Championship seder?
 

Just a quick update and then I'm off to help run a regional....
Alisha is following up with FIRST this week. We should have more details by next week.Stay tuned.

Re: Who is interested in a Championship seder?
 

it will be very nice if we will be with you on this holiday...
I'm really hope that we will have enough money to get to Atlanta.

Team 1577 "Steampunk", 'Aviv' high school, Israel

Re: Who is interested in a Championship seder?
 

We'd love to see you....how did you do in the Haifa Regional?

Jon Mittelman

Re: Who is interested in a Championship seder?
 

we were won the best rookie robot or something like that.... (i cant remember...) and we were in the fourth place...

we had 4 wins against 2. and we didn't won them because we were being against 3 very good robot and our Alice's weren't the best..
but it was very fun to play in those games.
right now we don't have enough money to get to Atlanta...

Re: Who is interested in a Championship seder?
 

I think it would be fun, I know I'd like to talk to you guys. It's possible that there would be some of us from my team interested. I guess the problem would be getting people to the seder.

Re: Who is interested in a Championship seder?
 

We have gotten the go ahead to plan a seder.
I am working on an email blast to all the teams to get an idea of numbers.
I will be coordinating with Alisha, the FIRST Israeli Regional Director.
This will be a mini-seder.
It will be held for about an hour on Sat. after the comp. ends. This will allow people to go to the social afterwards.
It will not include a full meal, but will include the ritual elements of a traditional seder,
We will probably have to charge $5-10. Depends on numbers.
This is not coordinated by FIRST, but they will assist with space at the venue.
For those wishing a more traditional seder, Alisha will assist you finding a local family.
We need a couple of volunteers to work with Alisha to modify a haggadah and to arrange for printing.
We also need volunteers to work with Alisha to help lead the seder.
Alisha is working with the local Jewish community in Atlanta.
Direct questions and offers of help to my email jbeatty@usfirst.org

Re: Who is interested in a Championship seder?
 

If it is not against your traditions to allow non-Jews to attend, please include an explanation of a seder in the blast. There may be people who are interested in learning about customs that are not familiar to them.

Re: Who is interested in a Championship seder?
 

It is indeed customary to have non-Jews at a seder, and we would welcome anyone who wished to attend. Seder in Hebrew means 'order'. It refers in this case to the rituals involved in re-telling the story of our people's liberation from bondage in Egypt. We have, in modern times, also used the setting to re-tell more recent stories of liberation...such as the Warsaw Ghetto uprising as well as our responsibilities to other people's struggle for freedom.

So, looking forward to seeing you there!

Jenny, I'm looking into an e-version of a haggadah that we can easily reprint.

Jon Mittelman
Mentor Team 236 TechnoTicks
'It's in our blood!"

Re: Who is interested in a Championship seder?
 

Wow, thanks RoboMom for setting this up. I'm not Jewish (Roman Catholic for those keeping score at home) but there is at least one kid/parent wondering about this, so I'll pass the info on to them.

Re: Who is interested in a Championship seder?
 

Email blast should be coming soon. Help us by spreading the word. I need to get a count in the next two weeks so we can plan space, chairs, food, etc. Start the rsvp's by sending team #, name and email to me at jbeatty@usfirst.org
Once we know numbers, we can estimate donations that will need to be made. Remember, this is not being organized by FIRST, but by a group of volunteers. Anyone can help and anyone is welcome.

Re: Who is interested in a Championship seder?
 

i would like to volenteer to help please let me know what i can do....

Re: Who is interested in a Championship seder?
 

Please count me and about 8 others in on the Sedar event. We are a local team and would be delighted to help. I have one family that is willing to host a few for a more traditional service. Their child will be at the championships on Sat. morning and they will be picking him up during the day and we could arrange for a few to go with them.
I would like to see this done at no cost so let me know if I can get local Atlanta donations to off set the cost to the students.

Re: Who is interested in a Championship seder?
 

I've gotten a couple of emails about explaining the seder. This will be on the first night of Passover, which starts at sundown on Sat. April 23.
Email blast has gone out.
Anyone is welcome and it is customary to have non-Jews at a seder.
Seder in Hebrew means 'order'. It refers in this case to the rituals involved in re-telling the story of the Jewish people's liberation from bondage in Egypt. This will be a "mini-seder" so no meal, just ritual food items. People can then go on to the team social. Right now I am estimating around 200 but this may go up or down.
Please send in your numbers if you are interested so the hard working volunteers can plan.

Re: Who is interested in a Championship seder?
 

I have gotten lots of emails and am trying to get a realistic count so we can order food and supplies. Please email me asap at jbeatty@usfirst.org if you are coming. We have team members from Brazil and Israel, the east and west coast and points in-between. Once I hear from you, you will go on my email blast list and will be getting more details as they are finalized.

Re: Who is interested in a Championship seder?
 

Sounds like it will be fun.

Re: Who is interested in a Championship seder?
 

I know that at least one person from my team other than myself will be going. Maybe more will come, we'll see.

Re: Who is interested in a Championship seder?
 

Talked to my mentors today! I confirmed that I can definitly go.

Having an email blast to print out for them would help though, since I won't technically be with my team at that time.

Re: Who is interested in a Championship seder?
 

Last call for numbers. We are expecting about 200 from Brazil to Israel and the east coast to the west. Email me soon if you are interested.


For general public releases:
--------------
For Immediate Release:

A mini-Seder is scheduled from 6-7pm on Saturday, April 23, 2005 at the Georgia Dome, in Atlanta, GA. The exact location will be announced next week. The abbreviated Seder will allow participants to celebrate the first night of Passover at the end of FIRST Championship, and then to walk over to the FIRST Wrap Celebration held from 6-9pm in Centennial Olympic Park.

This mini-Seder is being organized by a group of volunteers from teams around the United States and Israel. Participants will be drawn from thousands of student team members, mentors and volunteers from around the world participating in the FIRST Championship, taking place April 21-23, 2005 at the Georgia Dome.

FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) designs accessible, innovative programs to build self-confidence, knowledge and life skills while motivating young people to pursue opportunities in science, technology and engineering. The Championship is made up of participants from the high school FIRST Robotics Competition, the FIRST Lego League World Festival and the newly released FIRST VEX Challenge.

For more information on FIRST: www.usfirst.org

For more information about the mini-Seder: jbeatty@usfirst.org, 410-812-1729 (cell)

Re: Who is interested in a Championship seder?
 

To the 200 attendees: I will be sending out location information on Monday. Looking forward to seeing everyone. This is going to be an amazing event.


>>Students and mentors throughout the U.S. and around the world are preparing to attend the upcoming 2005 FIRST Championship event in Atlanta with great excitement and anticipation. The event promises to be challenging and stimulating for participants and spectators alike. This weekend also starts the Jewish holiday of Passover beginning Saturday evening, April 23, which is the last night of the Championship.

Passover is an eight-day religious celebration symbolizing the Jewish people's freedom from slavery and exile in Egypt in 1300 BCE. It is a celebration not just of a specific historical event, but of freedom itself. It is also a time of thanksgiving, spring renewal, and family and community solidarity. Passover is one of the most significant and widely-observed holidays on the Jewish calendar and individuals of the Jewish faith worldwide celebrate with family gatherings and traditional meals, called a Seder. One of the most important traditions of Passover is the retelling of the story of the Israelites' Exodus from Egypt, using a book known as a haggadah, which contains this story, as well as songs, blessings and prayers to commemorate the occasion and to celebrate Jewish history. It is also a tradition to invite guests to join in the celebration, since freedom is enjoyed and celebrated by all. A group of FIRST mentors, led by Alisha Wallenstein who represents FIRST in Israel, is preparing to host a Seder for all FIRST participants who wish to attend, regardless of their religious affiliation.

The Seder should take no more than an hour, as we are not serving a meal. Participants can then walk next door to attend the Wrap Party, in Centennial Olympic Park.

Please contact Jenny Beatty at jbeatty@usfirst.org for updates. We look forward to the upcoming competition and to celebrating the holiday with you.

Re: Who is interested in a Championship seder?
 

Thanks to the all the Seder participants:



· To Michael Robbins and FIRST for trusting me when I said this could be done. For providing a room, tables, chairs, mikes and access to email blasts. I believe that this is an example of what FIRST does best: a challenge, a group of dedicated volunteers and a little help from FIRST. The group figures it out despite all sorts of obstacles, and everyone is better for it. Sound familiar? Many thanks.

· To all our distinguished guests. The Kamen family and members of the FIRST Executive Advisory Board. We were honored with your presence. Many thanks.

· To the incredible group of volunteers who stepped forward and agreed to help. Most of us had never met, but we are all friends now. What a team! I am going to list them here. Many thanks.

· Alisha Wallenstein and her Dad--FIRST/Israel, Jeff Rosen-with his wonderful families from 1002, Jon Mittelman-236, Robyn & Fred Needel-768, Dan Green-111, Genia Gabrielov-461, Carol & Bette Anderson-45, Judy Vanderpool-84, Charlotte Newman, Greg Needel-73, Stephen Cremer-Senior Mentor, & Paul Kloberg-Senior Mentor

· To the Atlanta Jewish Federation for supplying the food.

· And finally, to all those students, mentors and volunteers who ran over after the too late closing ceremonies or who left early because they thought they were late, cheerfully made a donation and participated. To those mentors who were not going to stay, but decided to at the last minute. To everyone who sent in extra donations. To all those enthusiastic Israelis. Many thanks.

Re: Who is interested in a Championship seder?
 

I want to personally thank Jenny for all the work she did.

I don't nkow how to describe it.
Sending email blasts every day, and more emails besides to clarify things and putting so much time into it takes a lot. So thank you Jenny, you're awesome.