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.

Michael J. Fox, principal figure in the fight to cure Parkinson’s Disease, received the Maurice N. Eisendrath Bearer of Light Award, one of the Reform Jewish Movement’s highest honors today. Below are his remarks:

I’d like to thank Rabbi Yoffie for inviting me to the Biennial, and for the tremendous honor of this award. It’s humbling to find myself in the company of the humanitarian giants who have been recognized by URJ before me.

Some of you heard me talk about stem cell research at the Religious Action Center in 2005. In thinking about Bearer of Light and the legacy of Rabbi Eisendrath — his tireless commitment to the principles of tikkun olam, “repairing the world” — I wanted to talk today about how we all carry out this legacy, whether on a world stage or simply in the context of our own lives. (Or both.)

We launched The Michael J. Fox Foundation in 2000, shortly after I went public with my PD diagnosis. I can’t say that when we started we really knew what we were up against. Our original intention was to cut through red tape, get money to scientists fast and speed new treatments to patients.

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.