RJ Blog

May is Jewish American Heritage Month, which is a great impetus to talk about congregational heritage preservation. These days, communities are rapidly changing and Jewish communities are no exceptions: Congregations that were once large and thriving now find themselves with dwindling membership rolls; meanwhile other congregations are experiencing unexpected growth and are faced with the positive challenge of growing their physical space along with their membership size. With all of these changes, it is more important than ever to implement an archiving plan to ensure the rich history and traditions of your synagogue endure after all the changes and for [...]

by Barb Shimansky, MSW I knew going into the Youth Engagement Conference that our Sunday morning trip to the First African Methodist Episcopal (FAME) Church would be a highlight of the weekend. Learning how another faith organization engages their youth would surely provide some insight into how we as Jewish professionals can do the same. As we walked into the service, we were struck by church members who warmly greeted us outside on the sidewalk. This seemed like a no-brainer for creating a welcoming atmosphere until I put it into context for my own congregation in Wisconsin; standing outside the [...]

by Alan S. Halpern I confess to a prejudice. When a synagogue or church website proclaims, “We are a warm and welcoming congregation,” I am immediately skeptical. Why tell me you are warm and welcoming? Just be warm and welcoming. When I visit a friend’s home, my friends don’t claim to be warm and welcoming. They open the door, they smile, they say “hello,” and they invite me inside. Synagogues must do the same. At our congregations, someone has to answer the phone, open the door, and greet our visitors. Someone has to write the newsletter, maintain the website, post [...]

by SooJi Min Every Wednesday morning, the senior staff of Temple Beth Emeth meets for a couple hours. The structure is usually the same – d’var torah, highlights from the week, cholim (a discussion of those who are ill), and updates. It was on one such morning – April 18, 2012 to be exact – that our senior rabbi, Bob Levy, sat in his usual spot (a black leather recliner) and looking at me, made two requests: (1) Can you find out how we can optimize our website for smartphones? and (2) I’d like a QR reader for TBE. QR [...]

I was thrilled to participate in Reform Judaism magazine’s winter cover story, “Forum for the Future,” a symposium that provides Jews in their 20s and 30s a platform to speak candidly about what young adults want and need to find their home in the Jewish community. Historian and Brandeis University professor Jonathan Sarna sets the stage, shedding light on what history can teach us about the challenge of engaging the next generation of Jews and what to make of young Jewish leaders who are questioning and disrupting the establishment. And then, the panelists:

by Chris Haley This is the story of a gentile from a small Southern town who found a spiritual home in Reform Judaism, became Jewish, and assumed a professional leadership role in the Reform Movement in New York City. I grew up in Tennessee in a small town named Shelbyville, located about an hour south of Nashville, where there were virtually no Jews living in or around the immediate area – including me. After graduate school, I moved to Atlanta and took a job as Manager of Grants and Contracts for Atlanta’s Jewish Family & Career Services (JF&CS). The position [...]

by Rabbi Larry Karol Eternal One, Creator and Sustainer of all life, help me to serve my congregation with a sense of selflessness and a generosity of spirit. Teach me that even the small tasks that I do can be great and that every time I step forward, I am seeking to raise myself to a higher place as I join others in creating and shaping a sacred community.

It’s always the right time to belong to a synagogue. The synagogue—one of Judaism’s most ancient institutions—continues to provide for the spiritual, communal and educational needs of every generation of Jews. That’s what this is all about: your Jewish connection! Perhaps you or someone you know is waffling about whether to join, stuck on one of the many myths about synagogue life. Let’s go through a few of them:

by Noah Leavitt Congregation Beth Israel, in Walla Walla, WA – about 10 miles from Oregon and 100 from Idaho – is the outpost of Reform Judaism in rural, politically conservative, southeast Washington. Our congregation, which has been in existence for more than 70 years, has about 30 member units, owns our own synagogue (a converted neighborhood grocery store), and keeps our Torah scrolls in a fireproof John Deere gun safe which we purchased a number of years ago from a local farm supply store. It is frontier Judaism at its best. CBI is also unquestionably the most welcoming congregation [...]

by Sari Biddelman As a nursery school student at the Rodeph Sholom School, I was asked to define community. I drew a self-portrait in the center of a circle surrounded by my family and closest friends. It was not until middle school when I was asked to consider this term again, that I reflected on what my community means to me and what I can do for it. I have always felt a connection with my synagogue, Congregation Rodeph Sholom in New York City, and made close friends there as I became a bat mitzvah, participated in mitzvah projects, and [...]

by Andrew B. Simmons The URJ’s Incubator Grant enabled Temple Sholom to enter Chicago’s Gay Pride parade for the first time in June 2011. We are the first mainstream synagogue in Chicago to have ever done so, and we will do so again this year. But the grant was just the “incubator” that enabled an incredibly supportive temple to take its social Justice practice to the next level. Let me explain. For 20 years, my partner Mitchell and I have belonged to Temple Sholom as a family. As far as this temple is concerned, there has never been a distinction [...]

by Erika Davis My path to Judaism is similar to most Jews by choice. After years of spiritual searching and longing, I turned toward Judaism because of the tradition, because it is the seed of monotheistic religion, because it’s where I was able to connect to G-d in a real and powerful way. My excitement was met with trepidation: Having grown up Christian with minimal contact with Jews, I wasn’t sure if I’d fit in. I saw only pale faces and felt out of place, unsure how I would be accepted with my brown skin. Doing most of my research [...]

by Stuart Himmelfarb The Baby Boomer generation, 78 million Americans born between 1946 and 1964, brought about massive changes. There were social revolutions, “sex-drugs-and-rock-and-roll”, the Sixties, bell bottoms and long hair, 1968’s upheavals, and much more. But then things changed: for many Boomers, reality hit and they embarked on mid-life careers, started families, settled down, took on mortgages, and, eventually, joined synagogues and JCC’s. Many Boomers like to think they remained young during the ensuing decades. Hair stayed a bit long, rock still blasted in the car, and jeans were worn whenever possible. Many continued being searchers—exploring new ideas and [...]

by Suzi Neft I was scared to death! Coming from a violent marriage with a young son, Alex, who I was trying to protect and educate Jewishly. We practiced Jewish traditions at home and attended High Holiday services at my mother’s Conservative synagogue. Alex’s father, a non-Jew, agreed before marriage that our children would be raised Jewish, and Alex had been, until the end of the marriage. His father, who practiced no religion, suddenly began taking our child to church. Alex was confused and upset because he felt Jewish. I had little money and was looking for a job and [...]