ChillaJewropa/ Where is the world is Yaakov

Its been intense guys.

I have been in London, Vienna, and Jerusalem all in the past 10 days. I just got back to Vienna last night, My parents are coming to Vienna on Saturday, will stay a week, then I am off to France for a weekend, then back to Vienna, then to New York, then back to Vienna, then to London, then home to Tucson... all in the next month.

What is going down>? you may ask>?

I am organizing a crazy international Heebish throwdown festival/conference Shabbaton. The event has wings, and I am now being flown across the world by wealthy donors to structure and develop funding for the project. INTENSITY!!!

For all Ya'll digital grazing pleasures, here is the mission statement of ChillaJewropa.

DAJUS TORAH is excited to announce the first annual ChillaJewropa2008: Gathering the Tribes of Israel. This unique occasion promises to be the most extraordinary Jewish event of the year, as we literally intend to ‘gather’ thousands of young Jews from more than a dozen countries with the express purpose of facilitating dynamic interaction between fellow Jews. We intend on accomplishing this mission through crafting a creative, comfortable, and wholly conducive space for European Jews to celebrate, congregate, and holistically culminate their diverse Jewish backgrounds into a blissful and enlightening global Jewish experience. The event will manifest itself in three distinct forms: an interactive conference, a Shabbaton, and a music/arts/cultural festival. Festivities will include world-renowned Jewish reggae musician Matisyahu (among others), distinguished Jewish artists, world-class speakers, as well as a host of other entertaining and informative activities. It is our hope that through providing an insightful, empowering, and all out awesome Jewish experience, ChillaJewropa will serve as a catalyst in elevating the Jewish consciousness of our attendees. Additionally, we will seek to harmonize our actions with the global consensus on planetary responsibility though employing sustainable practices wherever possible, utilizing renewable energy, purchasing reusable/biodegradable dishware, and implementing ‘Zero-Waste’ principles in our production model. Far more than a one-time event, the ChillaJewropa experience is primarily a symbolic representation of a larger social transformation we wish to bring to world Jewry. ChillaJewropa will take place in an undetermined rural retreat/lodge setting within continental Europe in late June 2008.

Email me (chillavista@gmail.com) for more info, Ill send you the festival outline, and hopefully I can glean all your suggestions, questions, ideas, criticism, desert dwelling tortoises, and the rest.

Yaakov