Congregational Resources – 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.

Power to Which People? American Jewish Philanthropy & Democracy

March 4, 2024

Philanthropy and private giving are a vital part of American democracy and deeply ingrained in Jewish communal life. Historian Lila Corwin Berman, Ph.D., has, through her scholarship, shed light on the history of Jewish philanthropy while raising questions about how it is practiced. Who benefits from philanthropy? Who gets to decide how dollars are spent? Do good intentions lead to good results? Does philanthropy advance democracy?

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.

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.

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.

Or Zarua a Spiritual Home for Boomers

April 20, 2022

Or Zarua, a suburban-Philadelphia community serving baby boomers, was started with funding from Reconstructing Judaism’s Auerbach Entrepreneurial Grant Program.

Ritualwell’s ADVOT Creates Poetic Community

October 28, 2021

Before Ritualwell was a website containing more than 2,200 liturgy and rituals crowdsourced by Jews, it was an idea of where to put dozens of scraps of paper in the drawers of offices in the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College and Kolot: Center for Jewish Women’s and Gender Studies in Wyncote.

The “Next Normal” and Our Movement

October 7, 2021

The last sixteen months of the pandemic have highlighted the necessity of community as something both poignant and urgent. With many of us physically removed from our “normal” sites of gathering (i.e., workplaces, schools, cultural venues, “third spaces,” places of worship), we’ve learned to cultivate relationships online, to use digital tools to create new places of meeting and connection, and to experiment with alternative and even more accessible forms of engagement. Despite the very real challenges of long-term isolation and Zoom fatigue, we’ve found new ways to experience community, to address pragmatic needs, and to fill our souls.

Dreaming Up High Holy Days

September 8, 2020

Rabbi Joshua Lesser (RRC ‘99) has had a front seat to one of the most joyful spots of our tragic time. With a group of Jewish leaders from different movements and perspectives, he helped create a Facebook group called Dreaming Up High Holy Days 2020.

News

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

Power to Which People? American Jewish Philanthropy & Democracy

Or Zarua Takes a Collective Approach to Synagogue Life

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

‘This Is Spiritual Work’: Religious Leaders Lay Blueprint For Reparations

Or Zarua a Spiritual Home for Boomers

Ritualwell’s ADVOT Creates Poetic Community

The “Next Normal” and Our Movement

Dreaming Up High Holy Days

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