Creative Expression – Reconstructing Judaism

Rabbis Nicole Fix and Bronwen Mullion on stage, holding microphones, standing in front of a keyboard

The Auerbach Launch Grant: An Invitation to Experiment and Create

April 3, 2024

Rabbi Nicole Fix (RRC ’23) is using avant-garde musical theater to bring the Talmud to the stage — and sound a warning on the dangers of present-day extremism. Chloe Zelkha, a fourth-year RRC student, is building community for young adults grieving the loss of a parent, partner, sibling or close friend.

While the two projects might at first glance sound dissimilar, they share much in common. Both engage with young Jewish adults who may lack meaningful connections or are underserved by Jewish institutions. And both projects represent a conscious effort to Reconstruct an aspect of Jewish life so that it meets the needs of the moment.

Want to know what makes Reconstructionist rabbis unique?

March 13, 2024

For starters, check out “I’m a Reconstructionist Rabbi…..” a short video that combines offhand humor with wisdom and has drawn chuckles as well as heartfelt comments and, so far, has been played more than 18,000 times on Instagram.

Songs for the Jewish Climate Movement

January 17, 2024

Several Reconstructionist Rabbinical College graduates and others affiliated with the movement are featured in “Rising Tides, Riding Voices: Songs for the Jewish Climate Movement.”

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.

A waist-up image of Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer, standing in front of a tree.

Writer, Educator, Disability Activist to Lead Ritualwell, Leading Source of Creative Jewish Expression and Writer’s Community

September 18, 2023

Gabrielle Kaplan-Mayer was recently named Ritualwell’s director of virtual content and program, a position she considers her dream job. In this role, she can weave together the multiple strands of her life: her passion for creativity and the arts, her focus on spirituality and writing, her experience in editing and mentoring writers, her commitment to children and families, and making Jewish community and experience accessible to all.

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

Shahanna MicKinney-Baldon as Madame Goldye

Shahanna McKinney-Baldon channels Madame Goldye Steiner

October 2, 2022

When Shahanna McKinney-Baldon came upon the life and work of early 20th-century entertainer Madame Goldye Steiner, the dramatic soprano who performed Jewish liturgical music along the East Coast and in the upper Midwest as “the only colored woman cantor in the world,” she said she felt an instant connection.

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.”

Screenshot from video "Let Silence Be Praise for God," an original melody for Psalm 65 by Rabbi Adam Cerino-Jones

Watch & Listen: Let Silence be Praise for God

June 1, 2022

Reconstructionist Judaism offers a spiritual and communal home to all who seek connection and meaning. And the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College trains diverse and dynamic rabbis who make Jewish experiences accessible to all.

News

The Auerbach Launch Grant: An Invitation to Experiment and Create

Want to know what makes Reconstructionist rabbis unique?

Songs for the Jewish Climate Movement

Or Zarua Takes a Collective Approach to Synagogue Life

Writer, Educator, Disability Activist to Lead Ritualwell, Leading Source of Creative Jewish Expression and Writer’s Community

Jewish Teachings on Resilience

Shahanna McKinney-Baldon channels Madame Goldye Steiner

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

Watch & Listen: Let Silence be Praise for God

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The Reconstructionist Network

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Havaya Summer Programs

Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association

Placement Office

Reconstructionist Educators of North America