Congregation – Reconstructing Judaism

Justin Rosen Smolen smiles in front of a blurred outdoor background. He's wearing a blue sweater and a dress shirt with the top button undone.

Inspired by Reconstructionist Judaism, Justin Rosen Smolen Aims to Help Communities Thrive

November 12, 2024

In this role, Justin Rosen Smolen oversees Reconstructing Judaism’s initiatives supporting nearly 100 congregations worldwide. His team of eight staff members performs a wide scope of work. Among its essential activities, the Thriving Communities Department helps congregations navigate challenges; consults on rabbinic search and transition processes; leads on issues related to Israel, justice and inclusion; and spearheads Reconstructing Judaism’s conventions and other gatherings.

"A group of people exhibiting different skin tones, gender presentations, and visible or invisible disabilities are embraced by a tallit. "B'tzelem Elohim: In God's Image" is written across the tallit."

New Artwork Shares Jewish Value That All Our Created ‘B’tselem Elohim’

September 27, 2024

Like many Reconstructionists, Wendy Elliott-Vandivier, an artist and disability activist, has long imagined what a more inclusive Jewish world could be — and has worked to bring it about, particularly in her own community, Or Hadash in Pennsylvania.

Rabbi Asher Sofman, wearing glasses, a collared shirt and patterned sweater, poses outside.

Reconstructionist Community Sustained Rabbi Asher Sofman; In New DEI Position, Seeks for Others to Have the Same Gift

February 8, 2024

From his childhood congregation to Camp Havaya and rabbinical school, Rabbi Asher Sofman found his spiritual home in the Reconstructionist movement. Now the 2023 Reconstructionist Rabbinical College (RRC) graduate has joined the Reconstructing Judaism team to help even more people find the same kind of life-affirming, spiritually nourishing community.

Overhead view of an Or Zarua Purim party, with most people wearing costumes.

Or Zarua Takes a Collective Approach to Synagogue Life

December 18, 2023

Back in 2017, Rabbi Shelley Barnathan met with 100 prospective members individually over coffee to ask some central questions about what they wanted in a new Reconstructionist synagogue in Philadelphia’s western suburbs.

She had just completed rabbinical school after leaving a 32-year career as a language arts teacher. A child of Holocaust survivors, she wanted to realize a childhood dream that wasn’t accessible in her Modern Orthodox community.

The front door of Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation in Evanston, Ill.

Talking About Israel During Wartime? Here’s One Reconstructionist Model

December 7, 2023

Members of Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation in Evanston, Ill. — one of the movement’s oldest congregations, and one where the conversation about Israel had long proved polarizing — have shown that such respectful engagement is possible, maybe even necessary.

Over the past two months, the congregation has leaned into Reconstructionist values by emphasizing the community’s voice over the rabbi’s and embracing complexity and nuance. Following a process that lasted for about three weeks, entailing thousands of emails, two board meetings and feedback from more than 200 members, the congregation adopted a statement steeped in Jewish values, that declared “All parties must stop the killing to create the conditions for lasting peace.”

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.

San Diego’s Lone Reconstructionist Congregation Makes Its Home at the Lawrence Family JCC

July 10, 2023

The following piece originally appeared July 9, 2023 in the San Diego Jewish World. This is the 20th chapter in Volume 2 of Editor Emeritus Donald H. Harrison’s 2022 trilogy: “Schlepping and Schmoozing Along the Interstate 5.” All three books as well as others written by Harrison, may be purchased from Amazon.com. Rabbi

Benches in a cleared outdoor area, in front of trees.

Congregation Kol Emet Introducing New Outdoor Contemplative Space

May 19, 2023

Congregation Kol Emet’s new outdoor contemplative space is not a big sanctuary with seating for hundreds. It’s a small patch of land with benches and enough seating for perhaps 100 people.

But leaders at this Reconstructionist synagogue in Yardley want to use the space for the biggest events in Jewish life, from High Holiday services to bar and bat mitzvahs. They also want to use it for regular activities on the Jewish calendar, like Shabbat services.

A waist up photo of Rabbi Deborah Waxman smiling in her office.

Jewish Teachings on Resilience

October 19, 2022

On Shabbat Sukkot, Rabbi Deborah Waxman, president and CEO of Reconstructing Judaism, spoke at Philadelphia’s Mishkan Shalom. The talk focused on how Jewish practices and rituals cultivate resilience within individuals and communities — sustaining the Jewish people through the centuries and millennia. S

News

Inspired by Reconstructionist Judaism, Justin Rosen Smolen Aims to Help Communities Thrive

New Artwork Shares Jewish Value That All Our Created ‘B’tselem Elohim’

Reconstructionist Community Sustained Rabbi Asher Sofman; In New DEI Position, Seeks for Others to Have the Same Gift

Or Zarua Takes a Collective Approach to Synagogue Life

Talking About Israel During Wartime? Here’s One Reconstructionist Model

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

San Diego’s Lone Reconstructionist Congregation Makes Its Home at the Lawrence Family JCC

Congregation Kol Emet Introducing New Outdoor Contemplative Space

Jewish Teachings on Resilience

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