Reconstructionist News – Page 4 – Reconstructing Judaism

In Memoriam

November 24, 2021

On the eve of Thanksgiving, we feel grateful for one of the most extraordinary things about the Reconstructionist movement — the caliber of people who are attracted to it. We are lucky that so many of these extraordinary people step up into leadership, on our behalf and in the wider world. Over the last several months, we have lost several national leaders, and we write now to share some reflections on these folks who offered the best of themselves to us and on our behalf.

Responding to antisemitism by growing community, deepening commitments and building coalitions

October 28, 2021

In these polarized times, discourse over how best to confront antisemitism has often been visceral and sometimes taken on hyperbolic tones. At Reconstructing Judaism, we believe there are several steps toward a vigorous and constructive fight against rising antisemitism.

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.

Nobel Prize Winner Has Roots in Reconstructionist Affiliate Dor Hadash

October 14, 2021

Mazel tov to Joshua Angrist, an Israeli-American economist who was awarded the 2021 Nobel prize in economics, together with David Card and Guido Imbens.
Angrist was raised in Pittsburgh and celebrated his bar mitzvah at Congregation Dor Hadash, a Reconstructionist affiliate.

New Online Community for Jewish Poets and Liturgists Aims to Produce “Ripple” Effect

October 12, 2021

For 20 years, Ritualwell has served as a pioneering resource for original Jewish liturgy and rituals, along the way nurturing an informal network of liturgists, poets and ritual innovators. Now, it has launched ADVOT @ Ritualwell, a formal online community offering unprecedented support and empowerment to writers who are imagining new ways to mark life’s most salient moments in a Jewish context.

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.

Creating Radically Welcoming Communities

July 19, 2021

In this workshop, Rabbi Lawson addresses the question, “What do our Jewish texts and values say about welcoming others into our communities?”

Dynamic Hebrew Bible Scholar to Lead Reconstructionist Rabbinical College

June 16, 2021

Amanda Beckenstein Mbuvi, Ph.D., has been named the next vice president for academic affairs at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College (RRC) outside Philadelphia. Mbuvi (she/her), a scholar of Hebrew Bible, brings to this role a wealth of academic, administrative and nonprofit leadership experience.

NPR Story on Rising Antisemitism and the Role of Allies

June 7, 2021

In the wake of the recent armed hostilities between Israel and Gaza, American Jews have increasingly experienced antisemitic harassment and violence. In a recent NPR story, “Antisemitism Spikes, And Many Jews Wonder: ‘Where Are Our Allies?’”, Rabbi Sandra Lawson recounts her experience being targeted on social media.

News

In Memoriam

Responding to antisemitism by growing community, deepening commitments and building coalitions

Ritualwell’s ADVOT Creates Poetic Community

Nobel Prize Winner Has Roots in Reconstructionist Affiliate Dor Hadash

New Online Community for Jewish Poets and Liturgists Aims to Produce “Ripple” Effect

The “Next Normal” and Our Movement

Creating Radically Welcoming Communities

Dynamic Hebrew Bible Scholar to Lead Reconstructionist Rabbinical College

NPR Story on Rising Antisemitism and the Role of Allies

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