“Justice. Relationships. Spiritual Practice”
February 15, 2023
Drawing on the wisdom of the Prophet Micah, Rabbi Barbara Penzer shows how loving encounters with others, sensing their pain, can help bring about a more
Drawing on the wisdom of the Prophet Micah, Rabbi Barbara Penzer shows how loving encounters with others, sensing their pain, can help bring about a more
Bummed that the Super Bowl and NFL season are over? Don’t worry, you can delve into the links between athletic competition, training, spiritual practice and Torah from Rabbi Jason Bonder, an RRC graduate who has played professional baseball and competed in triathlons.
When the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College changed our admissions policy to allow for the possibility that Jews partnered with non-Jews could become rabbis, we did so out of the understanding that in the 21st-century Jewish behavior and commitments–religious, cultural, secular–are more important than Jewish status. We acted to meet Jews in the realities of their complex lives—to engage with them, to raise up leaders from among them, and together to build the Jewish future. We have been inspired and moved by the powerful and passionate students who have enrolled at RRC since this policy change, some because of their non-Jewish partners and more in support of this principle.
Reconstructing Judaism and the Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association have signed on to an open letter to Elon Musk alongside 100+ Jewish organizations denouncing antisemitism on Twitter. Numerous racists and bigots who had been banned from the social media platform have been reinstated since Musk took over.
Rabbi Emily Cohen writes about how, sometimes, dressing up for Purim can help us discover ourselves, or at least a new aspect of ourselves.
Sambusak and B’ab’a B’tamer, two traditional Iraqi Purim treats that celebrate Queen Esther’s hiding of her Jewish heritage from the king, are demonstrated by Adva Chattler, who
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.
Rabbi Alex Weissman remembers walking into the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College in Wyncote for the first time. It was November 2010, and he was a 27-year-old Tufts University graduate who had held a few jobs with community and service-minded organizations.
Tu Bishvat takes its name from the date of its observance on the Hebrew calendar—the 15th day of the month of Sh’vat, which falls in January or February. Tu Bishvat is also known as the New Year for Trees, which is how it is described in the Mishna (Rosh Hashana 1.1) because it is the date from which the age of trees was counted, determining when fruit tithes were owed in the days of the Temple. This date was selected because trees flowered after it. In Israel, where the winters are relatively mild, the date also marks the beginning of the tree-planting season.
Serving as central organization of the Reconstructionist movement
Training the next generation of groundbreaking rabbis
Modeling respectful conversations on pressing Jewish issues
Curating original, Jewish rituals, and convening Jewish creatives
