by Robert I. Evans and Avrum D. Lapin The largest Jewish gathering in America - the Biennial of the Reform Movement - took place last week near Washington, D.C., attracting more than 5,000 committed Jews affiliated with 500 Reform congregations across the United States and Canada. Without any doubt, this was a memorable, electrifying event that will be talked about for weeks, months ... or maybe even years ahead. With President Barack Obama headlining a major session, the Biennial excited and re-charged so many congregational leaders and set a hopeful and confident tone for the Reform Movement. Rabbi Rick Jacobs received a warm embrace as the incoming president of the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ), succeeding Rabbi Eric Yoffie, who has held the post for the past 16 years. Reflecting on the … Continue Reading
Isaac Mayer Wise Academy and URJ Camp Establish Eco-Village
The Union for Reform Judaism's (URJ) Greene Family Camp (GFC) announced the establishment of the Isaac Mayer Wise Academy Eco-Village at GFC in Bruceville, Texas. Through the Eco-Village, some of which will be complete by next summer, campers will produce their own food, build their own communities, and explore the natural world in a more in-depth way. For many city-dwelling campers, this will be a transformative experience. It will be a place where older campers can learn about and experience the natural world while teaching younger campers to appreciate it. Every camper and staff member will be involved. Plans for the Eco-Village include a new horseback riding program and campers of all ages will also have the opportunity to learn about archeology, geology and navigation while riding through … Continue Reading
Foundation for Jewish Camp Receives Grant for Pilot Jewish Educator Program
The Foundation for Jewish Camp has received a $3.3 million grant from the Jim Joseph Foundation and AVI CHAI Foundation for a pilot initiative that will create senior experiential Jewish educator positions to be shared by nonprofit Jewish overnight camps and Jewish day or synagogue schools. This groundbreaking program, Nadiv, has several goals. The first is to experiment with a new model that could enhance the quality of education at Jewish camps in a sustainable way. The second objective is to create a new model for year-round positions for trained and talented Jewish educators and the third is to model a new way to foster deeper collaboration between different kinds of institutions in the Jewish educational world. Developed in partnership with the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ), Nadiv will … Continue Reading
Rabbi Richard Jacobs Slated as New URJ President
The Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) announced today the recommendation of Rabbi Richard Jacobs for President of the organization, to succeed Rabbi Eric H. Yoffie, who will retire in 2012 after 16 years in the position. If formally selected, Rabbi Jacobs, who has been the senior rabbi at one of the most vibrant congregations in North America for 20 years, will be only the fourth president of the URJ in the last 68 years. The board of trustees will vote on Jacobs' nomination at its June 2011 meeting. At the completion of the process, Jacobs will begin to consult with Reform congregational and community leaders before he assumes his role as president in 2012. Jacobs has been the senior rabbi of Westchester Reform Temple (WRT) in Scarsdale, New York, since 1991. His tenure has been marked by … Continue Reading
The Jewish Community and the U.S. Budget
In Opposing Federal Budget Cuts, Unity Is Elusive ‘We Haven’t Seen a Concerted Effort,’ Complains a Jewish Lobbyist by Nathan Guttman Amid a raging national debate over the federal budget, Jewish organizations are rallying to save projects that are dear to the community from the chopping block. But this year, battling budget cuts seems especially difficult, given the hostility to federal spending among congressional Republicans and a lack of clarity as to the bottom lines of the Obama administration and federal lawmakers. Some Jewish communal officials say they would like to see a stronger effort by the Jewish community to make its voice heard in the budget fight. “We haven’t seen the kind of concerted effort we should see on these issues,” said Mark Pelavin, associate … Continue Reading
UJAFed NY Explores New Ways to Belong to the Jewish Community
The rules of Jewish communal life have dramatically changed. Get used to it. That was the primary message of a panel discussion at UJA-Federation of New York on March 2nd, “Belonging in 2020: The Nature of the Jewish Community of Tomorrow.” With more than 100 people in the room, several dozen around the country watching a live stream on the web, and still more following a lively conversation on Twitter (using hashtag #J2020), four innovators talked about ways that such long-established institutions as synagogues can adjust to a younger generation whose experiences and expectations are far different from those who came before them. “All the rules have changed. We’re not talking about small tweaks to the status quo; we’re talking about revolutionary change,” said Lisa Colton, … Continue Reading
The Changing Fortunes of America’s Religious Streams
Liberal Denominations Face Crisis as Rabbis Rebel, Numbers Shrink by Josh Nathan-Kazis Conservative Judaism’s membership rolls are in free fall. According to a strategic plan for renewal issued in February by the denomination’s congregational arm, the number of families served by synagogues belonging to what was once American Judaism’s leading stream has shrunk by 14% since 2001. In the denomination’s Northeast region, the number of families has dropped by 30%. The new draft strategic plan by the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism proposes ways for the USCJ to regain some of that lost ground. And the plan comes, as it turns out, at a fraught moment not just for Conservative Judaism, but for all the synagogue organizations that anchor America’s liberal Jewish … Continue Reading
URJ Announces Incubator Grants for Member Congregations
The Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) is offering incubator grants to member congregations. Grants are meant to encourage congregations to experiment with new ways to further engage current members and attract new members. Up to 20 projects will be funded up to $5,000 for one year. URJ is looking for proposals for innovative projects that reach people who do not regularly participate in congregational activities, or who have not been engaged in many years. URJ is collecting details on the experiments and will share noteworthy practices with member congregations at the 2011 URJ Biennial in Maryland. Applicant congregations must be URJ members in good standing; be creative and bold in imagining ways to jumpstart congregation's engagement efforts; have volunteers dedicated to the project; commit … Continue Reading
Renew Our (Summer) Days of Old
by Jeremy J. Fingerman and Skip Vichness Chadesh Yamenu K'kedem. Renew our days as of old. As Jews, we can’t help but have these words roll off our tongues at this time each year as we experience the emotive and reflective liturgy of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. But this year they have taken on new meaning as we, the lay and professional leadership of the Foundation for Jewish Camp, the only organization dedicated solely to nonprofit Jewish overnight camps, also pause to reflect on the just completed summer. During the hot months of July and August our Jewish papers, Google Readers, and colleagues spoke of organizational layoffs, budget reductions, and overall diminishing resources. But we experienced something completely different as we visited dozens of Jewish camps across North … Continue Reading
The Union for Reform Judaism: Now and Then
Rabbi Yoffie’s Legacy: ‘Old Ideas’ for Reform Judaism by Jonathan D. Sarna In announcing that he will retire from the presidency of the Union for Reform Judaism in two years, Rabbi Eric Yoffie said that he aimed to give the URJ “ample time” to search for his successor. It’s a good thing, too. That search will require careful thought. Given the longevity of those tasked with leading the Reform movement’s congregational arm - Yoffie will have been in the job 16 years when he steps down, while his two predecessors, Maurice Eisendrath and Alexander Schindler, served for 31 years and 23 years respectively - the choice seems likely to define Reform Judaism’s priorities and direction for a generation to come. During their tenures, Eisendrath and Schindler focused on growing Reform … Continue Reading
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