In 5778, the hashtags #TimesUp #MeToo #GamAni sparked a broad communal conversation about abuses of power on the part of individuals and institutions, within and beyond the Jewish community. The year brought revelations of misconduct among celebrities and government officials, and in Jewish schools, organizations, and synagogues. Now, powerful people who abuse their power are being held accountable, and this is a development that is welcome and long overdue. That doesn’t mean it is easy.
Rabbi Sandy Eisenberg Sasso, RRC ’74, knows what it means to make history. Her newest children’s book, Regina Persisted: An Untold Story, reclaims a story lost to history. The book also provides adults and children a portrait of a strong woman driven by her love of Judaism.
What ideas are Jewish communities exploring to reach unengaged and under-engaged populations in new ways and spaces? What conversations are taking place about how to fund such ideas? How can communities gain the confidence to try, and possibly fail, in order to implement the next idea? These questions will be front-and-center during the closing program of “Rooted and Relevant: Reconstructing Judaism in 2018,” the Reconstructionist movement’s first convention in nearly a decade.
All of us at Reconstructing Judaism are still processing the shock, grief and heartbreak of the shooting that took place in Pittsburgh at Tree of Life - Or L’Simcha Congregation, which is also the home of our Reconstructionist affiliate, Congregation Dor Hadash.
Reconstructionist congregation Dor Hadash was one of the groups in the crosshairs of the horrific Pittsburgh shooting attack. We recount the unique qualities of this vibrant community, the trauma they’ve undergone, and the values they continue to uphold.
U.S. Representative Andy Levin is a longtime active member of Reconstructionist congregation T’chiyah in Oak Park, Michigan. This interview explores his deepest commitments, and how he lives them out.
Emet Tauber, a rabbinical student facing terminal illness, devoted his last days to supporting causes and institutions that he values — including affordable and accessible rabbinic education.
Through Evolve, we we provide deep, thoughtful, challenging materials to rabbis, professionals and educated laypeople, and provide forums for discussing and reflecting on these materials with respect.
