Convention Update
Rooted and Relevant: Reconstructing Judaism in 2018
We look forward to seeing you at Convention on November 15-18 in Philadelphia. Please share the following links with your community:
- Convention registration is now open! Register now at Reconvention2018.org to secure an early bird discount.
- To apply for financial aid, visit Bit.ly/Reconvention-Scholarship.
- To donate to the Convention Scholarship Fund, visit Bit.ly/Reconvention-Donate.
As a leader of our movement, you can help ensure a successful Convention by:
- Encouraging members of your community to register at Reconvention2018.org.
- Designating a Convention liaison from your community.
- Providing a community contact who is responsible for music. Please send us the name and contact information for the person to whom we can direct all music resources.
For more information, visit Reconvention2018.org or contact Jackie Land at jland@reconstructingjudaism.org.
The Forward Synagogue Survey: Be Included
The Forward is compiling a list of American synagogues that will include size, service length, women’s roles, accessibility, dress code, and more.
To be included, fill out this survey or pass it on to another leader in your community.
For more information, read the article here.
RRC Graduation 2018
Congratulations to the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College’s class of 2018!
Graduation will be held at 2:30pm on Sunday, June 10, at Old York Road Temple - Beth Am in Abington, Pa.
To RSVP, email graduation@rrc.edu.
Archiving #MeToo
Reconstructing Judaism is partnering with the Jewish Women’s Archive to capture and preserve the #MeToo stories of Jewish women. Consider adding yours to this important communal record.
Click here to submit your story.
Plenum Update
The Plenum held its bi-annual meeting on Sunday, April 29. Highlights include:
- Forty-six congregations were represented during the call, the highest level of participation in the last two years.
- This was the first full Plenum meeting led by its new chair, Ed Baum (West End Synagogue, N.Y.).
- The Plenum voted overwhelmingly to approve a proposal that will allow work to go forward towards the establishment of a new Tikkun Olam commission, to be comprised of a combination of lay leaders and rabbis from across the movement.
- A newly established working group of the Plenum, called the Opt-In Group, reported on the work they’ve done over the past four months. They’re exploring issues such as the internal governance structure of the Plenum and the Plenum’s role within the larger organizational structures of the movement.
The full Plenum will meet again in person at Convention in November 2018, and possibly before that time in an online format.
Tikkun Olam Email List
Would you like to learn about social justice campaigns happening across the movement and help bring more justice into the world?
Email our Tikkun Olam Specialist, Taryn Wyron, to add your name to our new Tikkun Olam email list.
Fair Trade: Partnering for Justice
In collaboration with Fair Trade Judaica, Reconstructing Judaism has created educational resources about fair trade, focusing on the core Jewish values of human dignity and sanctity of the earth. We welcome you to share these resources with your communities as a springboard to discussions with congregants of all ages.
Israel at 70
Read Israel at 70: State of Hope, Conflict, and Possibilities by Rabbi Maurice Harris on behalf of Reconstructing Judaism.
To commemorate Israel’s 70th anniversary this year, T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights created a Talmud page. Four female Jewish leaders, including Rabbi Deborah Waxman, president of Reconstructing Judaism, described their love, criticism, hopes and dreams for Israel through the lens of four lines from the Tanakh.
Feel free to use this resource with your community as a Yom Ha’atzma’ut activity or at any time of year.
Additional Resources
eJewish Philanthropy provides valuable articles for Jewish organizations on topics from marketing to community engagement. The following articles may be relevant to your work and the work of the other leaders of your community:
- What Can We Learn From Wendy’s Shabbat?
- 5 Factors that Determine Your Congregation’s Readiness for Change
- The Future of North American Synagogues
- Jewish Education to Help Us Thrive
- I Mansplained a Woman Rabbi and I Liked It
- A Guide to Hosting a Shabbat Dinner
