Jerusalem Challenge, a new venture in Jewish Identity has launched in Jerusalem. With wide support across the communal landscape, the organization's mission is, "To inspire Jewish identity in young adults and their Israeli peers through interactive and meaningful Jewish educational and volunteer experiences rooted in the communities of Jerusalem for the purpose of creating a long-lasting connection with the city and all its aspects." Jerusalem Challenge will strive to provide quality encounters between visiting young Jewish adults (20-35) from around the world and their Israeli peers for the purpose of engaging in dialogue, enjoying diversity, and establishing the foundations from which a personal connection to the city will be formed. They look to: Provide a community oriented volunteer … Continue Reading
Spreading the Model of IKAR
from The Jewish Journal: How different is IKAR? Rabbi Sharon Brous never wanted to build a synagogue. Six years ago, when Brous met in a Santa Monica living room with a few families looking for a change in their Jewish life, she gave them a word of warning as they built up a frenzy of excitement about their mutual dream for a spiritually driven, morally active community. “I told them that I was not interested in creating another synagogue or minyan - Los Angeles already has many great ones. What I wanted to do was create a new model of Jewish community - one that would challenge assumptions and push boundaries, one that would help us reimagine what Jewish life and Jewish practice could look like,” Brous said. “I told them that if it turns out in five or 10 years that we’ve … 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
Rabbi Eric Yoffie Announces Retirement
Rabbi Eric Yoffie, the head of the Union for Reform Judaism, has announced plans to step down effective in two years. Yoffie's long-rumored announcement was made yesterday at the organization's Board meeting in Brooklyn. In prepared remarks Yoffie also addressed some of the challenges the movement faces - including the necessity of rebuilding their youth movements, once the pride and joy of the URJ. NFTY has been in a decade long decline, beginning with Yoffie's controversial 2001 decision to cancel summer programs in Israel following a suicide bomb attack at a Tel Aviv disco. Fortunately for the movement, while NFTY was declining, their summer camp programs were growing even stronger. As an aside, Combined Jewish Philanthropies in Boston has developed an excellent program to strengthen youth … Continue Reading
Supply-Side Judaism
by Elie Kaunfer The Jewish community is expert at anticipating failure, even disaster. Declining affiliation rates, rampant intermarriage, collapsing schools and synagogues - these are the problems that top the communal agenda. Judaism, it is said, is a product that no one wants to buy anymore. The question is then posed: How can we convince people that Judaism is still relevant? But amid all the hand-wringing about failure, we forgot to plan for success. For in truth, our problem now is not one of a shortage of demand, but of supply. Desire to engage with Jewish life is at an all-time high. But we have not begun to produce the leaders, programs or institutions that can satisfy this demand. Taking a look at two hallmark achievements of the last decade - Birthright Israel and the independent … Continue Reading
Changes in American Jewish Identities Since 1948: From Norms to Aesthetics
by Dr. Steven M. Cohen Jews Within In the sixty plus years that have elapsed since the founding of the State of Israel, profound changes have taken place in Israel, in American Jews’ relationship with Israel, and in American Jews’ identities. With regard to the latter, two major changes are among the most salient and influential. One is the enormous change in the integration of Jews into the larger American society. As compared with just fifty years ago, today’s Jews have far fewer Jewish spouses, friends, neighbors, and coworkers. Not only do most young American Jews have loving relationships with non-Jews, but hundreds of thousands of non-Jews love Jews - a very common circumstance now, and a fairly rare occurrence just a few decades ago. This increasing integration reflects … Continue Reading
Virtual Prayers Answered
In an earlier post, I wrote about the increasing number of free High Holiday prayer services that had blossomed around the country this year including the Jewish Television Network's virtual Kol Nidre service which was offered online. I received several comments about that blog from people who decried the loss of community such isolated prayer would promote. Jay Sanderson, the CEO and Executive Producer of Jewish Television Network and soon to be President of the Los Angeles Jewish Federation, sent this summary of responses, Kol Nidre Comments 2009, from that online service that are worth reading. It's clear to me that JTN not only met an important need but created quite a wonderful global Jewish village if for only an hour or two. image: Marc Chagall 'Shofar' … Continue Reading
The Changing American Synagogue
The Changing Synagogue an excerpt from The Future of the Synagogue, CCAR Journal, Winter 2009, by Amy L. Sales, Ph.D Although they have been slow to recognize themselves as such, synagogues are part of the nonprofit sector. In recent years, this sector has been marked by an increasing emphasis on professionalism, efficiency, fund-raising, and competition, and these trends are unlikely to diminish in the coming years. Faced with growing technical, legal, and operational complexity, nonprofit agencies have embraced business methods and professional management. Increasingly, they are turning from lay volunteers to professionals to direct core functions. Key among these functions is fund-raising. Pressured by organizational growth, rising costs, and cuts in public funding, nonprofits have … Continue Reading
A Communicator’s Al Chet
As Yom Kippur approaches, I start to create a mental list of my actions that have caused harm or pain to someone over the past year. I will quietly recite them during the Yom Kippur Al Chet prayer. During this exercise these past weeks, I became keenly aware that communication - or the lack of it - is often at the heart of my Al Chet confession. Whether it was my tone, my choice of words, my lack of responsiveness or my rush to say something and then get it wrong, failed communication is an important theme on my list. I wonder how many of these transgressions of communications we all share. Failure to get all the facts right. Failure to communicate clearly - using words that precisely convey a thought; with no insider jargon or verbosity. Failure to write concisely - to edit down to … Continue Reading
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