Rabbis band together for massive Shavuot study session

Talk about all nighters!
Every year on Shavuot, Jewish people gather to study Torah to the wee hours of the morning. Some stay at the same class all night long; others go shul hopping, checking out different classes and different teachers.
But in Pittsburgh, you can do both.
For the second consecutive year, 16 congregations and organizations will come together under one roof for the Pittsburgh Communitywide Tikkun Leil Shavuot program.
The program will be held Tuesday, May 18, from 10 p.m. to 12:50 a.m. at the Jewish Community Center, Squirrel Hill. It is hosted by the Agency for Jewish Learning, the Jewish Community Center and the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh. The event is free and open to the public.
Each learning session will feature a 50-minute lesson taught by one of eight different rabbis from across the denomination spectrum.
“It’s a communal environment,” Amy Karp, program coordinator, said. “The rabbis are cognizant of that.”
Everyone in the community is encouraged to come to the program and learn. Karp said there will be no gender specific programs, and the lessons will be catered to Jews of all backgrounds.
Rabbi Chuck Diamond of Or L’Simcha congregation is one of this year’s participants.
“It is wonderful for the entire community to get together,” Diamond said. “Study is something we can all agree is important.”
More than 400 people attended last year’s Tikkun Leil.
In addition to AJL, participating institutions this year are Adat Shalom, Beth Shalom Congregation Chabad/Lubavitch Center of Pittsburgh, Duquesne University, Kollel Jewish Learning Center, Or L’Simcha, Parkway Jewish Center, Poale Zedeck, Rodef Shalom Congregation, Shaare Torah, Temple B’nai Israel, Temple David, Temple Sinai, Temple Ohav Shalom, Tree of Life and Young Israel of Pittsburgh.
Following the program, many congregations will be holding their own learning sessions until the morning.

(Brandt Gelman can be reached at brandtg@thejewishchronicle.net.)

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