Bryan Schwartzman

A waist-up image of Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer, standing in front of a tree.

Writer, Educator, Disability Activist to Lead Ritualwell, Leading Source of Creative Jewish Expression and Writer’s Community

September 18, 2023

Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer was recently named Ritualwell’s director of virtual content and program, a position she considers her dream job. In this role, she can weave together the multiple strands of her life: her passion for creativity and the arts, her focus on spirituality and writing, her experience in editing and mentoring writers, her commitment to children and families, and making Jewish community and experience accessible to all.

Rabbi Lily Solochek: Taking K-12 Reconstructionist Education to the Next Level

July 24, 2023

Rabbi Lily Solochek is a key part of a bold new endeavor and has been tasked with taking Reconstructionist education to the next level. They have been named director of Reconstructing Judaism’s new Wenger-Markowitz Family Education Initiative. Funded with a $1 million gift from Reconstructionist leaders Jonathan Markowitz and Ruth Wenger, the initiative will bolster K-12 educational offerings across the Reconstructionist movement.

Demonstrators at a Black Lives Matter march

‘Race, Religion and American Jews’: A Wide-Ranging Project Reaches Beyond the Academy, Inviting Conversation

April 18, 2023

As a Black Jewish woman and mother of two biracial sons, Buffie Longmire-Avital has felt compelled to apply some of those same research methods to Jewish households. Yet she lacked the time, funding and support.

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

Rabbi Sandra Lawson Sings Song of Freedom at White House Passover Seder

April 11, 2023

“As a Jew and an African American, I carry the memory of two groups of people who were once enslaved,” said Rabbi Sandra Lawson, RRC’ 18, Reconstructing Judaism’s inaugural director of racial diversity, Justice and inclusion.

Ruth Wenger and Jonathan Markowitz pose for the camera

‘Stewards of the Movement’ Make Transformative Investment in Reconstructionist Education, Aim to Inspire Philanthropy

March 22, 2023

For many years, Ruth Wenger, the daughter of Holocaust survivors, shared her love of learning and passion for Judaism by teaching religious school at Jewish

Participants in a recent Reconstructionist pilgrimage for Jews of African descent visit the Legacy Museum in Montgomery, Ala, which retells American history from chattel slavery to mass incarceration. The museum also honors those who have resisted systematic racism and white supremacy.

Reconstructionist Movement Calls for Reparations and Teshuvah

January 22, 2023

The Reconstructionist movement has adopted a Resolution on Reparations, making a commitment to “supporting and advocating for institutional, local and federal legislation and policies that specifically address the need for reparations.”

The resolution is a call for communal and national teshuvah, an opportunity for repentance, utilizing a Jewish framework to speak with moral authority on an issue of profound importance to American society and global efforts for justice.

A group of Jews of African descent gather in Selma, Ala. with activist Joanne Bland. They are in front of the Brown Chapel AME Church, an important organizing center.Rabbi Micah Weiss is the only white person in the picture and is wearing teffilin.

‘Deconstructing Racism to Reconstruct Judaism’: The Story of a ‘Life-Giving’ Pilgrimage to the South

December 15, 2022

The pilgrimage to the South for Jews of African descent who serve as leaders of the Reconstructionist movement was fully funded by Reconstructing Judaism. Participants were able to engage in healing work and visit sites imbued with trauma within a Jewish and Black context.

Families at Temple Beth Israel of Media stand and simultaneously light a many menorahs

The Reconstructionist Hanukkah Challenge: What Stories Will You Tell?

November 28, 2022

Hanukkah isn’t just play; it is a conversation between the past, present and future. Tradition also holds that Jewish individuals and families tell and retell the story behind the candles. Each of us is invited to seriously explore issues of militarism and assimilation, universalism and particularism.

Reconstructing the Voice of Leadership

November 7, 2022

Reconstructing Judaism plays a leading role in addressing systemic racism in Jewish communities and serving as a moral voice in a larger public reckoning. One of the powerful ways the organization does this is by nurturing Jews of Color in leadership positions, as rabbis and community leaders.

Writer, Educator, Disability Activist to Lead Ritualwell, Leading Source of Creative Jewish Expression and Writer’s Community

Rabbi Lily Solochek: Taking K-12 Reconstructionist Education to the Next Level

‘Race, Religion and American Jews’: A Wide-Ranging Project Reaches Beyond the Academy, Inviting Conversation

Rabbi Sandra Lawson Sings Song of Freedom at White House Passover Seder

‘Stewards of the Movement’ Make Transformative Investment in Reconstructionist Education, Aim to Inspire Philanthropy

Reconstructionist Movement Calls for Reparations and Teshuvah

‘Deconstructing Racism to Reconstruct Judaism’: The Story of a ‘Life-Giving’ Pilgrimage to the South

The Reconstructionist Hanukkah Challenge: What Stories Will You Tell?

Reconstructing the Voice of Leadership

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