Jewish Unity Live seeks to share the joy and unifying power of Torah study with each and every Jew.

The Jewish Unity Live annual evening of celebration is the culmination of a year of Torah study, involving Jews of all backgrounds and affiliations. Thousands of Jews around the country unite in studying the one thing that speaks to us all and has the power to bring us together – the Torah. Through specially tailored programs and classes, groups and individuals discover our common bonds and revel in the joy and stimulation of classic and contemporary Torah thought, logic and counsel. And once a year we come together and commemorate our learning accomplishments, our unity as a people and our commitment to our future.

History of Jewish Unity Live (JUL)

MARCH 1, 2005 – A HISTORIC DATE FOR JEWISH UNITY
March 1, 2005 is a date that will one day go down as a historic date for 21st century Jewry. On that date, a group of visionary lay leaders, benefactors, and celebrities joined together to launch an international movement for one of the most central values in Jewish life - Jewish Unity.

Led by International Chairman Mortimer B. Zuckerman, leaders across the country set out to bring the ideal of a vibrant Jewish Community, united through the pursuit of Torah knowledge, to every Jewish home in the world. Partnering with Community Kollels and other Jewish organizations who have adopted “The Book” as their primary cause, they scheduled Jewish Unity Live 2005 - an evening in which to celebrate the unifying force of the Torah on the same date as the 11th completion of “Daf Yomi”, or, the page-a-day study of the entire Talmud. The Siyum HaShas, or, completion of the Talmud, brought together over 45,000 Jews in New York’s Madison Square Garden and New Jersey’s Continental Airlines Arena and an estimated total of over 200,000 Jews around the world.

THOUSANDS JOIN SHARANSKY, WIESEL, LIEBERMAN, AND ZUCKERMAN
Jewish Unity Live 2005 participants and supporters included Natan Sharansky, Dr. Elie Wiesel, Senator Joseph and Hadassah Lieberman, international performer Dudu Fisher, CBS correspondent Dan Raviv, actor Josh Malina, musicians Peter Himmelman and Kol Zimra, actor Elliot Gould and others. Leading organizations were Atlanta Scholars Kollel, Phoenix Community Kollel and Torah Links of New Jersey. The program was also presented through JEP Long Island, JET- Ottawa and on U.S. military bases around the world.

“Jewish Unity Live was and is about sharing the feelings of joy and unity Torah study brings to every Jew,” says Rabbi Zvi Holland, Dean of the Phoenix Community Kollel. Rabbi Marvin Hier, dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center and multiple winner of Academy Awards, called the 2005 event “one of the most significant events in American Jewish history; it shows the renaissance of the Jewish people after the Holocaust not only in population but in terms of a recommitment to their heritage.”

2006 – 6,571 JEWS PARTICIPATE IN 11 LEARNING CENTERS
In late 2005, Jewish Unity Live launched a national learning campaign designed to encourage new commitments to Jewish learning and to celebrate those commitments. 6,571 Jews from across North America celebrated their Jewish learning accomplishments in 11 JUL events. By March 2006, Jewish Unity Live had expanded to include Arizona, California, Georgia, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Ottawa, Rhode Island, Texas, Toronto, and Washington.

2007 - JEWISH UNITY LIVE CONTINUES
In 2007, 12 partners hosted Jewish Unity Live Celebrations of Jewish Learning, where almost 10,000 Jews celebrated the completion of a Jewish text. These sites include Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Lakewood, Long Island, Los Angeles, Ottawa, Phoenix, Providence, Seattle, St. Louis, and West Palm Beach.

JEWISH UNITY LIVE TODAY

In 2008, 14 partners will be running Jewish Unity Live Celebrations across the continent.  BE A PART OF HISTORY AND JOIN WITH THE JUL PROGRAM TODAY….

Jewish Unity is a value worth striving for, and Jewish study is the path towards its achievement. The visionary lay leaders of Jewish Unity Live are looking for like-minded creative dreamers who will share the goal and work hard to bring it to fruition. For more information about joining the prestigious Scroll of Honor, participating in existing JUL programs, or bringing Jewish Unity Live to your town, please email info@jewishunitylive.com.