from The New York Times:

You’re Young and Jewish: Discuss

For Jews disconnected from their heritage, the three-day summit – one part Bohemian Grove, one part Masons – is an off-the-record free-for-all of cultural and spiritual inquiry. (The gathering, which will mark its 10th anniversary this spring, is also free, at least for first-time attendees.)

Guests explore topics of their choosing, like what Mel Gibson was thinking when he made “Passion of the Christ,” whether giving a travel itinerary to your mother is an inherently Jewish practice and whether the iPhone generation can unplug. “They want to make it hip and cool to be identified as a Jew,” said Douglas Rushkoff, a writer and a professor at New York University, who helped facilitate Reboot’s first conference.

Reboot, a nonprofit organization based in Amherst, Mass., that is run by Lou Cove, has proved a refuge of sorts for well-connected American Jews who are curious about the ideas and rituals of their ancestors and who want to adapt them to their lives. “For so many years being a Jew was defined by the Holocaust on one side and Israel on the other,” said Rachel Levin, a founder, who is associate director at Steven Spielberg’s Righteous Persons Foundation, which is a major donor to Reboot. “Now the conversation is about something other than that.”

Be sure to also check out Bob Goldfarb’s article, Reboot: Still Creating, on eJewish Philanthropy.