Announcing A Year of Learning and Celebration
March 2004 — March 2005

The unsung heroes of many communities are the people who teach and study Talmud regularly, either in a Daf Yomi shiur or as an ongoing class in a given tractate. Often meeting during the early morning hours or late at night, these voluntary learning groups attract stalwart participants who choose to delve into the realms of Talmudic thought instead of getting that extra hour of sleep. Whether the class is held in a synagogue, a dining room, or even on a commuter train, the participants are carrying on a tradition of Jewish learning that is thousands of years old.

The Schottenstein Edition of the Talmud is the backbone of many of these grassroots Talmud classes. Recognizing the role played by the Schottenstein Talmud in the current renaissance in Jewish scholarship, the Mesorah Heritage Foundation proclaimed a “Year of Learning and Celebration” to celebrate the projected March 2005 completion of this remarkable Shas.

In addition to Talmud study, groups worldwide regularly learn Chumash and Tanach, Tefillah and Tehillim, utilizing ArtScroll’s trailblazing translations and commentaries. The Mesorah Heritage Foundation wishes to acknowledge the many maggidei shiur who share their Torah knowledge and inspiration with fellow Jews. At the same time, the hunger for more Judaic knowledge has become increasingly widespread, as hundreds of thousands of Jews seek out shiurim. The phenomenon known as the “ArtScroll Revolution” could not happen without the partnership of Mesorah Publications and the dedicated people who teach and learn from them.

Andrew J. Neff and Moshe Talansky, members of the Foundation’s Board of Governors, co-chair the Year of Learning and Celebration program. Its goal is to highlight the vitality of Torah study and foster an awareness of its central role in Judaism. During this special year, leading up to the publication of the last volume of the Schottenstein Talmud, there will be public information campaigns, visits to dignitaries and a gala dinner in March 2005.

Chief among the Foundation’s Year of Learning and Celebration activities are a series of Community Events. This uplifting and educational program will successively build a yearlong celebration of Torah and Talmud study in cities across the USA. The inaugural event was held February 26th in Columbus, Ohio, hometown of Jay Schottenstein, chairman of the Board of Governors and patron of the Schottenstein Edition of the Talmud. The Young Israel of New Rochelle, New York, the Edmond J. Safra Synagogue in New York City, and the Great Neck community are among the communities that took the lead in hosting Year of Learning and Celebration programs in March-May 2004.

Thanks to the publication of the Schottenstein Talmud, more treasures of our Jewish heritage are available to a broader Jewish population than ever before. Now that’s worth celebrating!