Jewish Reconstructionist Federation

Click here to jump down to a listing of upcoming PEARL classes for 2010

PEARL, the distance-learning classes offered by JRF, provides meaningful information and strategies beneficial to congregational leaders, members, clergy, educators and staff. Expert speakers partner with JRF professional staff and lay leaders to support the strengthening of congregations and havurot, grow leadership, deepen Jewish spiritual life and continue critical Tikkun Olam work. Based on results from a survey of JRF congregational leadership, a variety of PEARL topics are selected each year.

Each PEARL class meets for 1-1¼ hour by telephone conference call. Classes are often supported by downloadable resources and select audio files. Some classes, labeled "2.0 Intermediate" are a follow up to previously presented topics. These "2.0 Intermediate" class listings include a recommended pre-requisite that participants review the audio and packet from the previously held, foundation-level, class. Participants are invited to send questions/comments in advance of the "2.0 Intermediate" class.

This year, when a section of the PEARL schedule falls during the Omer period (the seven weeks between Passover and Shavuot) classes will also focus on "tikkun hanefesh v'olam", the well-being and active repair of self, community and the world, and will be merged with JRF's annual Omer Initiative. JRF's first Omer Initiative was begun in 2005. For more information about JRF's Omer Initiatives, please see http://jrf.org/omer/home for the list of resources.

See sessions and resources from PEARL sessions since 2008. Also available are PEARL Programs available on audio.

2010 Upcoming Class Descriptions and Online Registration Information

Click on each session title to access session descriptions and any materials that may be available from that session.

Resources from these sessions are provided free-of-charge to all JRF affiliates.

For more information, please contact Lori Rubin at lrubin@jrf.org.

Rooted in the stunning natural environment of Bennington, VT, Congregation Beth El celebrated one hundred years of organized Judaism in the town. The Hebrew Congregation of Bennington first associated in 1909 as part of the Orthodox movement, has since affiliated Reconstructionist.  The complexity of making a Jewish home in rural New England is not lost on Rabbi Joshua Boettiger, No one moves to Vermont to be a part of the Jewish community. But these off-the-beaten track communities can be creative experiments in what it means to be Jewish.  Read more…

Well over 100 guests came together on Sunday, May 20 to honor Ruth Brin and the literary contributions she has made to our Mayim Rabim and far-reaching Reconstructionist communities over several decades.  read more »

Among those who spoke about Ruth and her work were Leah Kamionkowski representing the Reconstructionist Midwest Region, and Mordecai Specktor of the American Jewish World. Robin King Cooper acknowledged Ruth’s enthusiastic support of Mayim Rabim, and read greetings from Rabbi Renee Bauer.

Pushing for Better Wages, Not Necessarily Giving Them: Conservative Leaders Support ‘Living Wage’ and Magen Tzedek, but So Far Little Change at Shul

Published October 07, 2009, issue of October 16, 2009,

“As an economist I thought it would break the bank,” Gelman said, looking back.

Scherlinder Dobb did not give up. His board calculated that paying two janitors a living wage would cost $8,000 extra a year — 1% of their annual budget, or $35 per member each year. For the janitors at the time, this meant $10.20 an hour with health insurance, or $11.80 without. The congregation ultimately reached this standard by raising more revenue and reshuffling its budget priorities.

The executive director at Adat Shalom, Sheila Feldman, said that she tried to promote what Adat Shalom had done at meetings of executive directors from synagogues across the Washington area — but she always heard that the other synagogues could not afford it.

“Believe me, my synagogue was in no better shape than theirs,” Feldman said.

One person who was eventually convinced was Gelman, the economist and executive director. She said she was surprised by the benefits that the move brought to the synagogue — most of all the quality of the employees who were attracted, and the lack of employee turnover. She also heard from one janitor who went to a doctor as soon as he got health insurance, and ended up catching a life-threatening illness early.

“To this day,” Gelman wrote in an essay about her experience, “he says that the congregation saved his life.”

See

http://jrf.org/living-wage,

http://jrf.org/omer/2006/4/living-wage-handbook,

http://jrf.org/resources/files/Tikkun%20Olam-Liebling.pdf,

http://jrf.org/files/PEARL%20-%20Tikkun%20Olam.pdf,

Contact Nathaniel Popper at popper@forward.com

Has Or Hadash always been welcoming to lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgendered people?  Yes!  Has Or Hadash been officially listed as a welcoming congregation so that people searching for a synagogue will know that?  Not until now!  read more »

Following an unanimous vote of approval by the JRF Board, we welcome The Little Minyan of Columbus, Ohio and Kol Haneshamah of Sarasota, Florida, to the JRF community of communities.

Just a year and a half old, Congregation Kol HaNeshama, founded by a small group of year-round and seasonal residents, has already established itself as a creative force in Sarasota, and has now joined JRF as the 106th affiliate. Since its inception it has grown to 38 households, and is operating on a 12-month calendar, including all major holidays.  read more »

For your information, here are the resolutions that came out of the recent JCPA plenum. In the two years since JRF became a member religious organization and fourth Jewish movement in the JCPA, we have participated in many coalitions and sign-on initiatives. This Plenum marked the first time we were a national religious organization co-sponsoring three of the resolutions below. Thanks to Carl Sheingold (JRF Executive Vice-President), Bob Barkin (JRF President) and Val Kaplan (JRF Chair of External Affiliations) for representing us and voting on our behalf at the Plenum,

Full list of 2009 JCPA Resolutions

Full listing of partner organizations and sign-ons,

L'Shalom,

Shawn

Rabbi Shawn Zevit
Director of Outreach and Tikkun Olam
Congregational Consultant
Jewish Reconstructionist Federation

JCPA
JCPA speaks to you each week, alerting you to what the community relations field is doing to safeguard the rights of Jews here, in Israel, and around the world and to protect, preserve and promote a just, democratic and pluralistic American society. For three generations, we have brought together diverse voices in the Jewish community to unite a strong Jewish public policy force.

Date: March 11, 2009
From: Max Mulcahy, Program Director, JCPA  read more »

“The Dynamics of Congregational Growth"
Sunday, March 29, 2009, 1 pm to 6 pm, at Beth Israel Congregation, Media, PA -- Register Online Now!

Come learn how to use a congregational systems approach to understand the dynamics of congregational growth connected to your mission and Jewish values. Gain important skills and ideas about how to effectively reach out to attract new members, reach in to strengthen already-existing members and volunteers, and how to creatively grow the congregation's financial resources.  read more »

Rabbi Joshua Waxman
Rabbi Joshua Waxman of Or Hadash in Ft. Washington, PA and Rabbi Nancy Epstein, JRF Director of Congregational Relations are both featured in the Philadelphia Jewish Exponent article Congregations Grapple With Spiritual, Financial Woes. The article examines the way synagogues are managing the economic crisis and what services they are providing their congregants. Rabbi Waxman opens the article with sensitive but concrete measures to support his congregants.

Read the whole Exponent article.

When: Friday, May 23, 8 PM
Where: Oseh Shalom, 7515 Olive Branch Way, Laurel, MD

This special evening at Oseh Shalom is third in a series featuring intellectual inquiry woven into the Friday evening service.

Featured speakers from The Interfaith Alliance (TIA) are Ari Geller, Director of Communications, and Preet Singh, Deputy Director of Public Policy. TIA is a nonpartisan organization whose goal is to promote the positive and healing role of religion in public life.  read more »