News

Hands holding a lit candle in the dark, forming a heart shape with their silhouette.

2024 Live Online Events for Yom HaZikaron and Yom Ha’atzmaut

We are approaching two of the most important days on the Israeli calendar – Yom HaZikaron (Day of Remembrance for Fallen Soldiers and Victims of Terrorism) and Yom Ha’atzmaut (Independence Day).  Yom HaZikaron will begin at sunset on Sunday, May 12 continues throughout the day of Monday, May 13. Here are two

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Olive branches with ripe olives at sunset, a sunburst peeking through leaves, creating a warm and serene atmosphere.

K’doshim and our Ethical Commitments

Every week, Rabbi Alex Weissman, director of Mekhinah, and cultural and spiritual life at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College, emails members of the college community with words of Torah. Here’s his email from May 10, 2024. Dearest Possums, The end of the semester is nigh! Just a couple days left of class

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Collage with Yom Ha’atzma’ut text, Israeli flag, map with pin, pizza, and children.

Yom Ha’atzma’ut Programming

For our youth educators, we are proud to share a downloadable resource document prepared by Rabbi Lily Solochek, Director of the Wenger-Markowitz Family Education Initiative. It provides many ideas for the various directions that can be used to approach this holiday. The storybooks suggested have recommended ages, and the activities

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Person in a white shirt smiling in front of a wooden bookshelf filled with books.

Passover and Bringing Our Freedom to Life

In our day, many folks think that freedom means unconstrained personal expression. What is freedom, really? I explore this topic in this Passover teaching. I invite you to watch and be part of this ever-evolving conversation about the nature of freedom.

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Expanding on the Telling of the Passover Story

One question Jews often ask each other the morning after the first Passover Seder is how late their respective evenings lasted. The responses can sound like brags: “It was 10 p.m. before we even got to the matzah ball soup!” There’s a history to this question. It is not asked

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Two booklets titled Adding JOC Voices beside matzo and flowers on a wooden table.

New Reconstructionist Haggadah Supplements

In January 2023, the Reconstructionist Movement completed a multi-year process of passing a movement-wide resolution on reparations. To support the commitments of the resolution, the Tikkun Olam Commission is creating a new series of supplements to the Passover Haggadah that can be helpful entry points to the reckoning and reflection work

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Training the next generation of groundbreaking rabbis

Modeling respectful conversations on pressing Jewish issues

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The Reconstructionist Network