Dear VEX community,
I am unaware of the amount of Jews going to worlds, but this year Worlds will be held on the same weekend as Passover. I am hoping to find people that are interested could get together and hold a World Robotics Seder on the first night. Just an idea, but thought that it could be a cool and fun one.
Thanks all
Vex can only get the convention center for a week a year, they might not have had a choice/ it may have been very expensive to move it to a new date which would have ended up costing all the teams more
@Infinity Minus 1 I believe VEX signed a contract obligating them to run the tournament on specific dates each year, but in return Louisville guaranteed them the convention center. I remember at worlds last year Karthik said that worlds would be held in KY for at least the next 2-3 years.
I actually had the same idea but I was waiting to post until we qualified (wish us luck this weekend). If we make it, I’m sure my entire team (all three of us are Jews) would love to join!
As the only Jew on my team, this sounds like a great idea. Since a lot of my family is coming to Louisville to support my team, we had just planned on moving our seder to the last two nights (I know, sacrilegious, right?)
If you want to celebrate Passover in Louisville at a synagogue, I Googled for local Lousiville temples and found this handy list:
https://jewishlouisville.org/community/louisvilles-jewish-community/local-congregations/
You can do your own research from there based upon your preference between Orthodox, Reform, or Conservative.
Hi all,
Would it be worth contacting VEX to see if they would be interested in holding said Seder or at the least publicizing it? If people are interested help spread the word and I would love help in potentially organizing the event.
You can try contacting RECF (as they always send out the email blast), however I doubt they, like most companies, would want to be involved with anything religious related. Can’t hurt to try though.
Hello - There is information in the VEX Worlds Team FAQ that the REC Foundation compiled. Please see:
Q: This year, VEX Worlds will take place during the first two days of the Passover holiday. Where can attendees find Seder Services in the area?
A: The REC Foundation seeks to schedule events, such as VEX Worlds, at times that are convenient to all members of our community, but given the size of our program and venue availability it can be challenging to find dates that accommodate everyone. In situations where our events conflict with an international, national or religious holiday, we seek to provide our teams and their families with as much information as possible to aid their planning.
We have compiled the following information for attendees who will be in Louisville during this time.
Seder Services:
Keneseth Israel & Temple Shalom
Passover Seder
2531 Taylorsville Road
Louisville, KY 40205
Saturday, April 23
7:00 PM
Non-Members: $20
Children under 11: $9
(502) 459-2780
Temple Shalom
Congressional Seder
4615 Lowe Road
Louisville, KY 40220
Saturday, April 23
6:00 PM - 10:00 PM
Non-members: $15
(502) 458-4739
The Temple
Congressional Seder
5101 US-42
Louisville, KY 40241
Friday, April 22/Saturday, April 23
6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Adults: $50, Children: $25
(502) 423-1818
Adath Jeshurun
Passover Seder
2401 Woodbourne Avenue
Louisville, KY 40205
Friday, April 22
6:30 PM - 9 PM
No price given, arrangements made with the groups.
(502) 458-5359
Participants are also encouraged to review resources in the Jewish Louisville magazine (hyperlink to https://jewishlouisville.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/2015-Guide-to-Jewish-Louisville-web.pdf).
The REC Foundation seeks to schedule events, such as VEX Worlds, at times that are convenient to all members of our community, but given the size of our program and venue availability it can be challenging to find dates that accommodate everyone. In situations where our events conflict with an international, national or religious holiday, we seek to provide our teams and their families with as much information as possible to aid their planning.
Vex and the REC cannot find solutions that fit every team. I am also sorry you will not be coming, but at least they are trying to help. I am sure there are other teams with Jewish families that are still going to come to worlds and will use these solutions, so there are a minimal amount of teams that will not be able to come, and that is what they are trying to attain
I think you will see sufficient information in the previous posts in this thread. Worlds is scheduled for many years in advance, and many convention centers are booked for years in advance, so it is most likely impossible for the date of worlds to be changed. Also, there is a pattern as to when worlds falls every year, and move it a weekend earlier means a week less to work, move it a weekend later and it falls on the same time as FIRST worlds again, so I think changing the date would result in a much, much larger amount of disappointed people than the way it is now.
If Easter were to have fallen on the same weekend, Worlds wouldnt’t have been scheduled for that date. I’m sure it was just an oversight and not an intentional slight for the jewish participants, but it doesnt make InfinityMinus1’s point less true.
So remember how you said in a previous thread and above how you are trying not to be blunt about this issue and other issues? This doesn’t help your case, and it probably makes them more hostile since you are attempting to insult them.
This seems strange to me. I would think if someone had strong religious beliefs they would not be willing to miss going to a synagogue as part of passover. It seems like them offering synagogues should allow your family to go. I myself am deeply religious and would never consider missing the world championship to stay at home for any reason if my religious needs were met. I asked a few Jewish friends of mine and they found it equally strange so I don’t think its a Jewish thing.
Is your city holy ground and you don’t want to leave it on a religious holiday or am I missing something else mystical?
Not sure if you mean tournaments, because there are definitely plenty on Sunday and some of our team members can’t come. And I’m sure they will all be passed out on Sunday after World’s and driving back to FL so we all miss church, but that isn’t Passover for sure. I think VEX did a very helpful thing in providing local venues for Passover and, given their international (I assume agnostic) nature, it was’t really necessary.
VEX has handled religion well in my mind, our team prays before each match and at our pits and no-one has asked us to stop. That is really all we can ask for, just freedom to do what we feel is right for us without bothering others. Our team is named Trinity for a reason and no-one has asked us to change that, it is a ministry for us, robotics is just a vehicle.
Personally, if it landed on Easter we would still come, because to me it is a heart issue not a date/location issue. But, that is respectfully different for different people and families. This whole discussion is simply a personal one for all of us and we won’t solve it here.
Well if you actually look at the way that vex scheduled worlds you would see that they are in a pickle because they signed a contract with the Louisville convention center to always have the 4th week in April (As demonstrated for 2016-2018)
I just want to point out, without getting involved in this discussion, that VEX really doesn’t organize the event, it’s the RECF (Robotics Education & Competition foundation) that runs it. They have to take many things into account, holidays, school & college schedules (it’s not near the end of the school year for everyone), AP exams, other robotic competitions that students may also take part in, convention center cost and availability etc. etc. They try their best.
https://kyexpo.org/kec/eventCalendar.aspx
You seem to be forgetting that the Exposition Center isn’t for the exclusive use of the RECF. Other events take place in the weeks both before and after Worlds and are also most likely scheduled several years in advance. Call me salty all you want, but they’ve done their best to ensure that the majority of teams who qualified(across the globe need I remind you) are able to be in attendance.
Funny how you deem an attempt to provide assistance to the OP’s planning an “inappropriate response” to this issue.