News

cover of there are still woods by hila ratzabi

Parallel Lines: A Poet’s Journey into Expression, Judaism and Community

August 18, 2022

“It is clear at Ritualwell how values from the Reconstructionist movement are expressed in the creativity of inviting people to create their own rituals,” she says. “It’s empowering to write one’s own prayers and to create spaces for people who never had a voice in Judaism. To me, that inclusive spirit is very much the place that I wanted to be in as a Jew and as a writer, and I think that’s what we are doing at Ritualwell.”

Last Word: Rabbi Jacob Staub Reconnects with Judaism

August 18, 2022

Rabbi Jacob Staub, Ph..D., is director of the online platform Evolve: Groundbreaking Jewish Conversations and professor emeritus of Jewish philosophy and spirituality and director of the Jewish Spiritual Direction Program at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College in Wyncote, the path to embracing Judaism really was a reconstruction.

Text on a green background discusses U.S. restrictions on reproductive healthcare funding abroad.

Urging Foreign Assistance for Abortion Funding

August 10, 2022

Reconstructing Judaism joins a diverse group of more than 100 U.S. and international organizations in sending a letter to the U.S. State Department and U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) urging that foreign assistance funding for abortion care be authorized immediately “to the full extent of the law.” The letter

Three Words of Advice for New Leaders in the Jewish Community

August 9, 2022

Being a leader requires ongoing learning. You can’t learn to lead by attending a week-long conference or by doing it for a year or two. Rather, we want to impress the idea that learning to be a leader is a lifetime of study and practice.

Shaped by Tucson, Bringing Her Whole Self to the Rabbinate

July 21, 2022

Growing up in Tucson, Alanna “Lonnie” Kleinman did not know any female rabbis or any religious leaders who identified as LGTBQ. Now Kleinman is joining a much more diverse rabbinate, one that more fully reflects the fullness of Jewish communities.

Seth Rosen poses with Donald Shapiro and Rabbi Deborah Waxman.

Reconstructionist Rabbinical College Honors Donald Shapiro of Lenox

July 19, 2022

On May 22, Donald L. Shapiro, a philanthropist and Reconstructionist movement leader, was honored at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College’s 50th graduation ceremony. Shapiro is the founder of Vector Reality Associates, the real estate development firm, and is a longtime member of Reconstructing Judaism’s board of directors and past president of the college.

A diverse group poses in front of a building with a sign promoting racial and religious inclusion.

‘This Is Spiritual Work’: Religious Leaders Lay Blueprint For Reparations

July 14, 2022

For the Jewish leaders in Philadelphia that are starting conversations about reparations in their communities, beginning the process of giving reparations to Black Americans is urgent.

glasses in front of a computer screen with code

‘What It Means to Be Human in an Algorithmized World’

July 8, 2022

Legal scholar, philosopher and policy analyst Nathalie Smuha spends a lot of time thinking, writing and advising about artificial intelligence. Namely, Smuha believes that society’s increasing reliance on algorithms presents pressing legal and moral questions — and governments, corporations and citizens are not paying enough attention.

Rabbi Sandra Lawson playing guitar and singing at Juneteenth Shabbat wearing a rainbow colored tallit.

Rabbi Sandra Lawson Named to Prestigious Fellowship Focusing on Leadership Development

June 28, 2022

Rabbi Sandra Lawson, Reconstructing Judaism’s inaugural director of racial diversity, equity and inclusion, has been selected to the Schusterman Fellowship. That’s a prestigious, 18-month program run by Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies. According to its website, the Schusterman Fellowship “is a holistic leadership development program for exceptional Jewish leaders

Parallel Lines: A Poet’s Journey into Expression, Judaism and Community

Last Word: Rabbi Jacob Staub Reconnects with Judaism

Urging Foreign Assistance for Abortion Funding

Three Words of Advice for New Leaders in the Jewish Community

Shaped by Tucson, Bringing Her Whole Self to the Rabbinate

Reconstructionist Rabbinical College Honors Donald Shapiro of Lenox

‘This Is Spiritual Work’: Religious Leaders Lay Blueprint For Reparations

‘What It Means to Be Human in an Algorithmized World’

Rabbi Sandra Lawson Named to Prestigious Fellowship Focusing on Leadership Development

Join the conversation

The Reconstructionist Network

Read & Rite

Havaya Summer Programs

Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association

Placement Office

Reconstructionist Educators of North America