Dr. Ingrid Mattson, president of the Islamic Society of North America addressed the Union's Biennial this morning. The text is below. The audio version is online here.

Good morning and greetings of peace from the members of the Islamic Society of North America.

It is a great honor to have this opportunity to speak to the members of the Union for Reform Judaism at this wonderful convention.

Almost four months ago, Rabbi Yoffie stood in front of a general audience of attendees at the 44rth annual convention of the Islamic Society of North America, the organization of which I have been President since 2006. Our membership is diverse: it includes Muslims with origins from all parts of the world, men and women from different schools of thought and practice within Islamic tradition. We are an umbrella organization for Muslim individuals and organizations who wish to identify with and contribute to a larger vision of what it means to be a Muslim in North America, and who cooperate to develop strategies for achieving that vision. In the 44 years since we held our first convention, our umbrella has expanded and the voices included in dialogue have diversified: more women, more scholars representing different schools of Islamic thought, both modern and traditionalist, as well as leaders from other religious traditions.

Rabbi Eric H. Yoffie delievered this address during the Shabbat Morning Service of the 69th Biennial Convention. See the "Quick Links" for more information.

Shabbat shalom. Once again, I find myself overwhelmed by the power of this day. Here we are, united with men and women from many congregations but of one faith, bound together by our mutual sacred task. Our spirits soar when we join in the chorus of nearly 5,000 voices intoning the prayers of Shabbat.

There is a magical quality to Shabbat at Biennial. When we ask our delegates what was their most powerful experience during their five days here, the great majority say “Shabbat.” We treasure these twenty-four hours together, because, for once, we celebrate Shabbat as it is meant to be—a respite from errand running and clattering commerce, a day when we pay attention to the holy and the pull of Jewish time.

We also treasure the fiery enthusiasm of our Shabbat t’filot. Supporting one another in our prayers, we experience together an outpouring of soul, transporting us into the embrace of God. Of course, it was not always so. For most of our history, delegates came to the Biennial to debate and deliberate but not to pray. At our Biennials, as in many of our congregations, prayer was often boring and lifeless.

But then, more than a dozen years ago, we began a Movement-wide conversation about worship. Focusing our attention on Friday evening, we undertook to create services that were heartfelt, inspiring and community-building. And we succeeded. The glory of Reform Judaism has always been its ability to reinvent itself to meet new spiritual situations, and we did exactly that. In a mere handful of years, our Erev Shabbat services were radically transformed, changing from somber to joyful and from passive to engaging.

By Rabbi Phyllis Sommer

I write this in my cab home from OHare airport at 1am Chicago time. The weather sure is different here! But so is the feeling of being back in the real world. It's a little like leaving camp - going from being surrounded by Jews and wearing a nametag to being a little (okay a lot) more anonymous. I was sad to have to leave early but glad I was able to hear Eric Yoffie's sermon this morning. What a remarkable man he is. I feel so blessed and safe with him as our fearless leader. I look forward to rereading his sermon when it is posted online and sharing it with my congregation. The Biennial was great - buzzing with energy and life and friends who are like family. May blessings follow each and every one of us as we travel in safety back to our homes. Signing off for now but please continue to visit me at my regular blogs: imabima.blogspot.com and rabbiphyllis.blogspot.com. Shavua tov and see you in Toronto!

Rabbis Yoffie, Thal and Saperstein shoot some hoops to raise money for Nothing But Nets in this Biennial Podcast. Did Rabbi Thal beat Rabbi Saperstein? Did Rabbi Yoffie take it to the hole? Press the play button below to find out.

Rabbi Daniel Freelander addressed the Biennial last night. He took the opportunity to look back at the past few years as well as outlining a vision for the future of the Reform Movement.

What makes our movement healthy? Why are we growing? What feeds and nourishes us?

We grow because of the commitment and innovation that our 900 congregations and their leaders do every day to create a meaningful Judaism for our 320,000 families.

We grow because of the inspired and dedicated leadership of thousands of Temple Presidents, Rabbis, Executive Directors, Board members, Educators, Cantors and committee leaders who resonate to what really matters: the personal Jewish engagement of congregational members in meaningful Jewish experiences.

We grow because of the unique partnership between our synagogue leaders and our congregational Union that allows us to support one another, to share our challenges and successes and to learn from one another.

This Biennial is our opportunity to stand at the top of the mountain of Jewish life, and to survey what we’ve cultivated. We reflect on the journey, and consider what lies ahead.

"SOS to [Biennial] Jane, uh, I hate to say this but we have regular Coke on the dias and not Diet Coke."

One of the worlds worst kept secrets is that Rabbi Eric Yoffie only drinks Diet Coke. The Biennial and all Union functions are built upon three things: hard work, long hours and Diet Coke.