Reconstructionist News – Page 4 – Reconstructing Judaism

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.

America’s First Bat Mitzvah and its Legacy for American Jewish Life

May 27, 2021

The first American bat mitzvah took place nearly a century ago, but its effects reverberate to this day. This podcast episode explores how the bat mitzvah helped pave the way for greater inclusion of women in public Jewish ritual and practice and laid the groundwork for further steps toward inclusion.

Webinar on Jerusalem Crisis and Current Violence

May 11, 2021

Recent days have seen an escalation in violence in Jerusalem, and sadly, violence has been flaring throughout today, Jerusalem Day. With the violent events at Al Aqsa mosque, police crackdowns on Palestinian protesters, the threat of home evictions in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood of East Jerusalem, and today’s incendiary Flag March, the city is in a state of crisis. Hamas rockets have fallen on Jerusalem and other parts of Israel and have been met by retaliatory attacks in Gaza. This is a highly volatile and dynamic situation — and we don’t know where it will lead. Members of Reconstructionist communities and rabbis in the Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association are invited to join in an urgent webinar with leading experts.

Center for Jewish Ethics Awards Whizin Prize to Essay Focusing on Role of Women in Modern Orthodoxy

May 10, 2021

The Center for Jewish Ethics, affiliated with the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College, has awarded the 2021 Whizin Prize — an essay contest to encourage innovative thinking on contemporary Jewish ethics — to Miriam Attia, a doctoral student in religious ethics at the University of Chicago Divinity School.

Call for Nominations to the Reconstructionist Movement’s Two Commissions

February 3, 2021

Nominations are open for the Reconstructionist movement’s Tikkun Olam Commission and Joint Israel Commission.

News

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

America’s First Bat Mitzvah and its Legacy for American Jewish Life

Webinar on Jerusalem Crisis and Current Violence

Center for Jewish Ethics Awards Whizin Prize to Essay Focusing on Role of Women in Modern Orthodoxy

Call for Nominations to the Reconstructionist Movement’s Two Commissions

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