By David A.M. Wilensky
As readers of Reform Judaism magazine will recall, the RJ magazine's summer 2008 issue included a series of important questions regarding the Reform Movement and their answers as given by 30 adult members of the Reform Movement.

I'm currently at the URJ Kutz Camp with a group of people who will be the future lay and professional leadership of the Reform movement in North America. I'll be featuring many of them as well as many of the younger Kutz staff members this summer in a series of posts here on the RJ.org blog, in which I will be asking Reform high school and college students (and perhaps a few 20-somethings) for their take on Reform Judaism via questions similar to those used in the Magazine.

Jade Sank is a 17-year-old recent high school graduate. In the fall she will attend Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Geneva, New York. Jade was a member of NFTY-GER, serving as the 2007-2008 NFTY-GER Secretary. She attended the URJ Kutz Camp in the summer of 2006 and the Urban Mitzvah Corps in the summer of 2007. This summer, she is hard at work as a member of the Avodah staff of the URJ Kutz Camp.

What has belonging to a congregation (or a Temple Youth Group or a Kesher group or going to a URJ camp etc.) that is part of the larger Reform Movement meant to you?
Belonging to my congregation, my TYG, NFTY, Kutz, and Urban Mitzvah Corps has meant everything to me. My eyes have been opened by the millions of ways that I can get involved and make connections not only on a North American scale but a world scale. By becoming involved in many different ways I have achieved small goals that will eventually help the Reform Movement become stronger. The best part about being part of the larger movement is that through the small things I do, I will see the results on a larger scale.

Do you believe in God?
I used to have a very strong sense of God, but over the past year or so that sense seems to have become quite watered down. I would say that, yes, I do believe in God, but my belief is dwindling.

Do you believe God hears our prayers?
No. I believe that the reason we say prayers is for ourselves. Prayers remind us of our responsibilities to others, ourselves, and our traditions. When we say prayers aloud, or even to ourselves, it is like writing a sticky note to remind us of something important that we may forget in the scramble of everyday life.

Was the Bible written by God?
Absolutely not.

When do you most experience or feel closest to God?
When I am with a tight community of people who I know are experiencing kavanah. When others around me are concentrating and feeling personally spiritual, I feel more comfortable and more connected to the community and God. When people are paying less attention and are not interested or connected I feel awkward and further away from God.

What Jewish ethical teachings do you think are important and should be passed on?
Any teachings that have to do with tolerance, pluralism, understanding, and/or respect should be passed on and practiced regularly.

Is the State of Israel important to you and to your Jewish identity?
Yes. I believe that Israel is extremely important to the overall achievement of a strong Jewish presence in our world today. I think that Israel provides, quite literally, common ground for Jews all over the world.

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