We want to share a few exciting updates about the URJ Biennial, happening December 11-15 in San Diego. Every day, it seems, another key piece falls into place!

• Registration will open in July. Keep an eye out for more information about how to register. Make sure to sign up for updates and start making your travel plans to be with us in beautiful, warm, San Diego in December!

• We are pleased that Jewish Life Television (JLTV) will be the official broadcast partner of the Biennial. JLTV will provide live coverage – broadcasting to 40 million homes on cable and streaming live online– of all our plenary and Shabbat worship sessions. They will also be with us on site in San Diego, operating a special studio at the Convention Center and generating additional programming.

  This relationship builds on the experience JLTV has had covering both the AIPAC Policy Conference and the Jewish Federations of North America’s General Assembly. It also builds on a successful partnership with NFTY at their recent convention. We are excited to have them as partners as we work to “open up” the Biennial to more and more people.

• We are excited to announce that Friday night services will be led by the team from Temple Beth Elohim in Wellesley, Massachusetts. This is a shift from previous years, as we have decided to model what a great team looks like instead of pulling clergy together from across the country (though it certainly was difficult to pick just one of our great clergy teams!). Beth Elohim’s leadership includes Rabbi Joel Sisenwine, Rabbi Rachel Saphire, Cantor Jodi Sufrin, and Noah Aronson.

  We are also looking forward to Saturday Morning services, which will be led by URJ President Rabbi Rick Jacobs and Cantor Angela Buchdahl from Central Synagogue in New York City.

• And, of course, we are confirming new speakers/presenters every day. Among those we will welcome to San Diego are:
  • Rabbi Sharon Brous from IKAR in Los Angeles, whom Newsweek recently highlighted as the most influential rabbi in America;
  • Rabbi Donniel Hartman, of Jerusalem’s Shalom Hartman Institute;
  • Rabbi Elka Abrahamson, president of the Wexner Foundation;
  • Rabbi Larry Hoffman and Rabbi Sam Joseph, both professors at Hebrew Union College/Jewish Institute of Religion;
  • Choreographer and performer Liz Lerman;
  • Allison Fine, author of The Networked Nonprofit; and,
  • Literally,hundreds of other remarkable teachers.

• Biennial is, of course, an opportunity to mark milestones and celebrations in our Movement, and San Diego is no exception. We will honor the Women of Reform Judaism on their Centennial Anniversary with a Saturday night program in their honor. We will honor the career of retiring HUC president Rabbi David Ellenson as he teaches during Shabbat morning services. And we’ll also celebrate 60 years of the American Conference of Cantors, 90 years of the Men of Reform Judaism, 125 years of the Central Conference of American Rabbis, 50 years of Mitzvah Corps, and 75 years of NFTY. Whew!

Stay tuned for more updates, and don’t forget to visit the Biennial website to sign up for email updates.

by Lawrence J. Epstein

I believe that the Reform Movement should adopt a binding system of moral mitzvot. Currently, individual members of the Movement decide for themselves which mitzvot to follow. A binding system of moral mitzvot would obligate Reform Jews to follow certain moral commandments independent of their personal views. Such an obligatory system would separate moral mitzvot from ritual ones, which are seen as customs or folkways of particular times rather than divine obligations.

An obligatory system of moral mitzvot is true to the central ideas of Reform Judaism. It is derived from the basic founding ideas of the Movement. In the Pittsburgh Platform of 1885, Reform Judaism’s original statement of principles, is the assertion that “we accept as binding only the moral laws, and maintain only such ceremonies as elevate and sanctify our lives.” Therefore accepting moral mitzvot as binding is not a radical departure but embedded in the Movement’s very birth.

There are many benefits for the Reform Movement should it choose to adopt a required system of moral mitzvot:

• Constructing such a system would enable Reform Jews to focus on what is so morally crucial that it should be obligatory.
• Constructive activities will lead to increased study to discuss the value of particular obligations.
• Such an obligatory system deepens the meaning of Jewish activities and separates them further from non-Jewish activities.
• Such a system strengthens the bonds to Jewish tradition without accepting traditional halachah.
• It also underscores the Reform Movement’s argument that it is not sectarian and has not separated itself too much from tradition.
• Adopting a system of moral mitzvot clarifies the crucial distinction between religion and fundamentalism.
• It also increases international unity in the Movement by offering a more precise definition of its character.
• Seeing the moral mitzvot as obligatory gives the spiritual and ethical a more tangible and prominent place in the lives of the Movement’s members.
• In turn, this system may help shield members from isolation and guide them to resist inappropriate temptations.
• Finally, such a system can provide an organizing principle and prism through which to re-examine all of Jewish theology and structure a modern Jewish world view.

There are disadvantages, too, the greatest of which is that adopting a system of mandatory mitzvot by definition means the voluntary surrender of some personal autonomy or freedom for Reform Jews. But by choosing to join a faith community, Reform Jews already surrender some individual autonomy. For example, most do not have multiple denominational affiliations, so they choose to give up being called Conservative, Orthodox, Reconstructionist, or unaffiliated. This choice carries some specific theological restrictions. We can’t, for example, accept Jesus as the messiah and authentically be termed Reform Jews. The question, then, is not whether some individual autonomy should be surrendered, but rather how much? In what circumstances? For what benefits?

Would a required system cause current members to leave in greater numbers than such a system will attract new members to join? This issue arises every time a Reform leader releases a statement since there is some risk that members might be offended. That possibility doesn’t and shouldn’t stop the Movement from taking stands and discussing new ideas. Therefore, a discussion of moral mitzvot will, in and of itself, not pose any unique dangers. Additionally, most Reform Jews already believe in Jewish moral ideas or they wouldn’t identify as Reform Jews. They follow the rules they personally believe to be important. Seeing others follow them adds to their sense of being part of a community.

Having a required system of moral mitzvot may make it easier for traditional but unaffiliated Jews to join the Reform Movement because such a system is analogous to the halachah they are used to following, which might, in turn, increase membership. As long as there are no sanctions beyond the call of personal conscience punishing or expelling members who don’t observe the Movement’s obligatory mitzvot—and there is no suggestion that such sanctions should be employed—it is difficult to imagine any significant numbers of departing members.

There is a related problem, however. Will a required system alienate those in the Reform Movement who don’t adhere to the moral mitzvot by making a distinction within the Movement of those who follow the mitzvot and those who don’t? This is an area worth exploring as this idea is considered.

We should be aware of all of these problems but also realize they can be overcome, and that the benefits of creating a mandatory system of moral mitzvot will enhance our Movement.

Lawrence J. Epstein is a member of Temple Isaiah in Stony Brook, NY.

by Rabbi Jonathan Biatch

Editor’s Note:  This post is the second of two about Congregation Emet VeShalom.  Read the complementary post.

The double air-kiss; you’ve gotta love it!  It is a European custom becoming more widespread in Israel, and it’s quite contagious.  You’ve seen it: once on the right side, then once on the left.  By the conclusion of my first worship service at Emet VeShalom, I had received many such kisses of warmth and friendship.  I quickly learned that the relatively small size of Emet VeShalom says nothing about its welcoming spirit, or its obvious passion, or its members’ love for liberal Judaism.

Some of those qualities drew me toward the congregation when first I met Sharon Mann five years ago on a brief visit to her synagogue.  And since then, notwithstanding the ups and downs of the temple realities to which Sharon refers, and despite the challenges of life in a country whose very existence is of daily concern, the spirit of community at Emet VeShalom remains strong.

The congregants know the worship backward and forward, and they help guide the service leader through the worship.  The mother tongues of the members are Hebrew, English, and Spanish, and it is wonderful to hear each of the three languages used during announcements and the informal parts of the service.  And some of the music, ably provided by a talented keyboardist, includes many tunes that would be very familiar to American Jews, such as Debbie Friedman’s Mishebeirach (with Hebrew lyrics!) or Moshe Rothblum’s Veshamru.  There are many new ones, too; be ready to be pleasantly surprised!

It is obvious that the adult members of the congregation have passed on their Jewish passions to their children.  During each service, the children participate in the prayers: sometimes with laughter—as tweens and teenagers will do—but always with joy.  And when I share Shabbat meals with the members, the children demonstrate a clear commitment to progressive Judaism by their knowledge of and presence for table rituals, and their respect for the way progressive Jews celebrate Shabbat.

In my second d’var Torah I spoke of the human, spiritual need to expand the definition of “Shabbat rest” that is free of the religious coercion so commonly experienced here.  I spoke of activities such as traveling to visit relatives, watching a favorite movie, or eating at a special restaurant (there are many restaurants open on Shabbat in this part of the country).  Many members expressed appreciation for the encouragement to enjoy these contemporary forms of Shabbat observance.

This is clearly a congregation infused with the spirit of liberal Judaism!

In addition to serving some of the needs of Emet VeShalom, my Israeli sabbatical time consisted of performing other volunteer work in the Western Galilee, as well as living for five weeks in a kibbutz that sits 500 meters from the Lebanese border.  Even during these cautious times here, the nation exudes that familiar Israeli confidence of living life completely despite the uncertainty of what the next day will bring.

In evaluating my time with Emet VeShalom, one thing is clear.  Small Israeli progressive congregations are at a financial disadvantage.  The economics of Israeli synagogue life are quite different from what they are in America, and until the government of Israel funds equally all expressions of Judaism, we who are outside of Israel can and should help.

We can join as auxiliary members of these small communities.  Congregational groups visiting Israel can spend time with members—not only on Shabbat, by the way—to get to know our Reform cousins.  And rabbis who visit alone or with a group can volunteer for one, two, three, or more Shabbatot.  They will be glad they did, as was I.

As a member of the Reform rabbinate, I feel privileged to benefit from all the experiences of a sabbatical.  I thank my home congregation, Temple Beth El, Madison, Wisconsin, for their consideration and affection.  And I thank Emet VeShalom for hosting me in such a warm fashion.

Rabbi Jonathan Biatch is the spiritual leader of Temple Beth El, Madison, Wisconsin.  He is an ordainee of Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion and a member of the Central Conference of American Rabbis.

by Sharon Mann

Editor’s Note:  This post is the first of two about Congregation Emet VeShalom.  Read the complementary post.

Reform Judaism and religious pluralism, which are taken for granted in the United States, are not axiomatic in Israel. As a member of Emet VeShalom—a Reform congregation in Nahariya, a peripheral area of Israel eight miles from Lebanon’s border—I know maintaining a non-Orthodox congregation is fraught with challenges. At present, one major challenge facing ours is that we do not have a rabbi serving as spiritual leader of our community. Our members are facing this challenge by stepping up and taking on the different roles of leading our Kabbalat Shabbat (Friday evening) services on a weekly basis, in addition to many of their other voluntary activities for our congregation.

Our Ritual Committee Chairperson and President work tirelessly to keep our congregation going and flowing from week to week by arranging a monthly schedule of participants. Each week, one person acts as leader of the services (or “coordinator,” as we refer to the position); one or more act as chazan (cantor), and a third member gives the drasha (discussion of the weekly Torah portion). Still, as Emet VeShalom is a relatively small congregation, it is not easy to fill all these roles and provide the spiritual nourishment that all seek at services.

Therefore, in March, I was surprised and delighted to receive an email from Marla Gamoran, founder and executive director of Skilled Volunteers for Israel, informing me that an American Reform rabbi, Rabbi Jonathan Biatch of Temple Beth El, Madison, WI, was planning to be in our area during his sabbatical and wanted to volunteer with our congregation. I was gratified to learn of Rabbi Biatch’s desire and put him in touch with our Ritual Committee Chairperson to discuss how he could help us. Rabbi Biatch quickly committed himself to leading services and giving the discussion of the Torah portion for three consecutive Friday evening services. He also volunteered to give a lecture in English to the English-speaking members of our congregation.

To my knowledge, Rabbi Biatch’s volunteer work with us at Emet VeShalom is the first of its kind here. His contribution to our congregation brings together two concepts that we as Reform Jews hold dear, namely tikkun olam (repair of the world) and strengthening connections between Jews in Israel and the Diaspora. We are blessed by his presence and the spiritual leadership he is sharing with us. He made such a wonderful impression at the first service he led that at its conclusion our community coordinator said, “We already miss him!”

In his d’var Torah on the portion Emor, Rabbi Biatch spoke about taking advantage of opportunities in life that we can declare as “holy.” He gave us several examples, including the opportunity to sanctify time and personal and communal relationships. We are learning from his example. At Emet VeShalom, we are joyful and appreciative that Rabbi Biatch chose to sanctify and dedicate his time and skills to enrich our congregation and our lives in Nahariya.

Sharon Mann made aliyah 20 years ago and lives in Nahariya, Israel. She is an active member of Emet VeShalom and volunteers as International Contact Liaison.

Just before Rabbi Ellenson’s scheduled appearance with Marginalia, the Jerusalem District Court ruled that recent detention of members of Women of the Wall members for their prayer activities at the Western Wall was unjustified. In their 27-minute conversation, which you can watch below, Ellenson and Law discuss the implications of this ruling and what it may mean for the future of egalitarian prayer at the Kotel.

In the six months since Superstorm Sandy devastated coastal communities in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut, the Reform Jewish community has rallied to support the rebuilding effort, our synagogues, and the millions of people who were – and continue to be – impacted by the storm.

Although much of the Reform Movement’s work has been behind the scenes – raising and allocating funds, coordinating volunteers, and keeping abreast of the rebuilding efforts two of our synagogues are undertaking – our members have risen to the occasion. Countless volunteer hours have been applied to the cause, entire trailers of donated goods have been sent by our synagogues to some of the hardest-hit communities, and the URJ’s Disaster Relief Fund, which opened just after the storm passed, raised nearly $1 million for relief efforts.

Here’s are 10 ways the Reform Movement has aided in relief efforts during the last six months:

1. To date, we’ve allocated $142,000 to Reform congregations affected by the storm. Among the allocation are $90,000 to West End Temple in Neponsit, NY; $20,000 to Temple Sinai in Massapequa, NY; $7,500 to North Shore Synagogue in Syosset, NY, to provide meals to displaced families; $5,000 to Woodlands Community Temple in White Plains, NY, to help families replace lost Judaica; and the remaining $19,500 to congregations with families who were displaced or whose homes were severely damaged.

2. We provided special assistance to West End Temple in Neponsit, NY. This congregation in the Far Rockaways section of New York suffered significant damage from Hurricane Sandy. The URJ collected funds on behalf of West End Temple until their electricity was restored and their online donation system functional. In addition to our monetary donation to the congregation, the Men of Reform Judaism’s Reform on Campus grantees donated $500 in the form of Target gift cards to West End Temple.

3. We established a Youth Scholarship Fund to help affected young people remain connected with the Jewish community. At a time when their belongings and homes may be damaged or lost, this fund removes financial barriers that could keep displaced youth from engaging with their faith community when they need it most. The Women of Reform Judaism contributed $10,000 to this fund.

4. The Central Conference of American Rabbis sent more than 400 prayer books to storm-ravaged synagogues. New copies of Mishkan T’filah, the Reform Movement prayer book, went to West End Temple, as well as to Temple Sinai in Massapequa, which also suffered severe storm damage.

5. We supported Congregation Beth Elohim’s efforts to help their neighbors. The Brooklyn congregation, which provided meals and organized volunteers after the storm, served as a hub for a diverse group of people from varying religious, socioeconomic, and geographic backgrounds to help those most in need. Our $50,000 allocation to them supported these efforts and more.

6. We sent $50,000 to New York Legal Assistance Group, which provides free civil legal services to New Yorkers who cannot afford a private attorney. NYLAG continue to help victims with FEMA applications, public benefits, housing issues, insurance and other immediate legal needs.  The organization also trains lawyers unfamiliar with this kind of work to help their neighbors.

7. We sent money and volunteers to NECHAMA, the Jewish Response to Disaster, to build additional response capacity. NECHAMA personnel arrived in New Jersey less than 18 hours after Hurricane Sandy made landfall, worked through the snowstorm that occurred the following week and deployed their entire staff to manage volunteers, assist individuals and organizations with clean-up and preparation for rebuilding. Our $50,000 grant is helping the organization increase human capital and their inventory of tools, equipment, supplies and vehicles on the ground.

8. We provided grants to organizations doing on-the-ground rebuilding, allocating $60,000 to Friends of Rockaway, which hires unemployed Queens residents to properly gut homes destroyed by the storm. Michael Sinensky, co-founder of Friends of the Rockaways, said of the group’s work, “[We] are one of the only local groups in Rockaway not only doing relief, but rebuilding.” We also sent $25,000 to help rebuild the Broad Channel Athletic Club, a community center that provides extracurricular activities – including an after-school teen club and summer sports leagues – to New York communities.

9. We’re helping local groups focus on long-term rebuilding. We sent $25,000 each to the Ocean County Long Term Recovery Group and the Monmouth County Long Term Recovery Group, located in storm-ravaged New Jersey counties where Sandy had massive and widespread impact. As recently as March, more than 1,500 families and individuals in Monmouth County remained displaced, and another 1,000 inhabited homes unfit for living due to a lack of heat, hot water, or a growth of mold on the premises. These groups are working to coordinate services and resources to help address the long-term needs of residents.

10. Reform congregations all over North America pitched in to help. Congregation Etz Chaim in Lombard, IL, sent 300 lbs. of toiletries to Temple Shalom in Aberdeen, NJ. Stephen Wise Free Synagogue in Manhattan donated 2,500 cans of soup, hundreds of pounds of cleaning supplies, and more than $29,000 to aid those in need. Temple Beth El in Boca Raton, FL, sent warm clothing, water, food, and emergency supplies to hard-hit areas in Staten Island and New Jersey. Temple Oheb Shalom in Baltimore dispatched six trucks of food, clothing, personal hygiene items, cleaning supplies, pet supplies, and more to affected areas. And the list goes on.

The responses seen across the Reform Jewish community are powerful. Hurricane Sandy brought about terrible destruction and stories of despair – but within the last six months have emerged stories of hope, partnership, and peoplehood. In a time of great need, the organized Reform Movement and congregations across North America came together to show that we are, indeed, a movement.