Bryan Schwartzman

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.”

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

Reconstructionist Set to Gather, In-person and Virtually to Highlight the Present and Imagine the Future

March 4, 2022

Reconstructionists gather for a movement convention, B’Yachad: Reconstructing Judaism Together.

Twin Milestones Mark a Century of Reconstructionist Innovation

March 3, 2022

By the standards of geology, 100 years is a nanosecond. Yet stretching farther than most human lives, a century tests the limits of human perspective. In 1922, thanks to the ratification of the 19th amendment, American women had just gained universal suffrage (though it would be decades before many women of color could exercise that right in practice). Also that year, the first radio was installed in the Harding White House, the Lincoln Memorial was dedicated, and construction began on New York’s Yankee Stadium.

Six Years Removed from Policy Shift, Rabbis with Non-Jewish Partners Continue to Embody Reconstructionist Values, Even as Challenges Persist

February 9, 2022

Rabbis Donna Cephas, Sandra Lawson and Michael Hess Webber each took very different paths to becoming Reconstructionist rabbis. Despite disparate journeys, the three religious leaders have continuously demonstrated dedication, creativity and an ability to inspire others. Their stories share an additional element: their paths to the rabbinate were once blocked because their partners are not Jewish.

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

Reconstructionist Set to Gather, In-person and Virtually to Highlight the Present and Imagine the Future

Twin Milestones Mark a Century of Reconstructionist Innovation

Six Years Removed from Policy Shift, Rabbis with Non-Jewish Partners Continue to Embody Reconstructionist Values, Even as Challenges Persist

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