Thursday, November 12, 2009

Reminder

Just a quick reminder that services tomorrow (11/13/09) will be led by the men's club.  I will be delivering the d'var discussing the biennial I attended last week.  Hope to see you there.

Seth

Sunday, November 8, 2009

Biennial Day 5--Time To Go Home

Today was the final day of the 2009 URJ biennial.  There was a short plenary session to wrap up the biennial.  It had a much lower attendance than the previous sessions, since many people were already leaving for home.  The session started with a performance by Soul Aviv.  Following this the delegates unanimously passed the 5 resolutions which came from the presidents Shabbat sermon.  All the resolutions can be found here http://urj.org/about/union/governance/reso/.

After the resolution work was completed we heard a message from King Abdullah II of Jordan via video tape.  The message was short and stressed the need for a 2 state solution with a comprehensive peace between Israel and the Palestinians.  Next was a short address by Rabbi David Ellenson the president of HUC-JIR which was followed by a video of different clips from the past week at biennial.   We culminated with a final song and then started our trip back home to the Hudson Valley.

I hope everyone reading has enjoyed getting a flavor of the biennial.  I'm sure that I haven't done justice to what it's like being at a biennial.  It's an amazing, exhausting experience.  I'm already looking forward to biennial 2011 in Washington DC.  Please consider joining me there.  I'd appreciate any feedback you may have concerning my posts over the last week.  You can either post them as comments.

One of the messages we received from Rabbi Yoffie was the need to increase our use of technology and specifically with blogging.  Bob Abrams and I have already been talking about how to do this for Vassar Temple.  Stay tuned soon for more information concerning the Vassar Temple blog.

Finally, I'll be talking more about my experience at biennial during services this coming Friday, November 13. I look forward to seeing you there.

It's nice to be home.

B'Shalom,
Seth

Biennial Day 4--Shabbat

Had a chance to sleep in a little bit today, since we didn't need to be back to the convention center for Shabbat services until a little later in the morning.  Services were just as crowded as last night.  While they were enjoyable, they didn't have the same impact on me as Friday night services did.  Services Friday night seemed more "chamish" while the services this morning seemed more "performance" like.  I hard similar rumblings from some others.  As part of the service, Rabbi Yoffie delivered his presidential sermon.  The full text of the sermon can be found at http://urj.org/about/union/leadership/yoffie/?syspage=article&item_id=27481.  Rabbi Yoffie covered 3 main areas during his sermon:


  • Ethical Eating
  • Embracing Technology
  • Support of Israel
Each year there are initiatives from the biennial sermon.  These can be found at http://urj.org/biennial/initiatives/.  Following services I moved on to my Shabbat study luncheon.  The subject I chose was Jews and Germans after the Holocaust:  History, Memory, Identity presented by Dr. Sharon Gillerman.  It was an interesting presentation and discussion which followed.

After the study session, I headed over for a session called Learning, Singing, and Eating: Havdalah with URJ Books and Music.  First was a short presentation by Tina Wasserman who has been at the biennial all week.  She has recently published Entree to Judaism: A Culinary Exploration of the Jewish Diaspora (http://www.urjbooksandmusic.com/product.php?productid=10093&cat=0&page=1&featured).  Following her presentation was a concert by Peter and Ellen Allerd and then an example of using the new The Tot Shabbat Handbook for havdalah.

Next we headed off to dinner with Rabbi Golomb, his brother, and sister-in-law.  When we returned from dinner, I caught the end of an acoustic set by Noam Katz.  Then I headed in for the evening program which was called "FaithJAM".  It was an interfaith celebration designed to build bridges of cultural exchange between various faith communities.  The program was amazing and included an appeal by Rabbi David Saperstein from the RAC to help fight hunger.  After the evening program, I headed over for the late night music program which included performances by Michelle Citron, Vanessa Hidary, and Chana Rothman.  Another great night of music at the biennial.

Seth

Saturday, November 7, 2009

Biennial Day 3--Sh'ma Yisrael

Today was an early day for me at the biennial.  Each morning 3 different types of morning services are offered at 7:30 AM.  See why a previous post was titled Sleep Deprivation?  As many of you know I love all kinds of Jewish music (even though I'm somewhat tone deaf)...in case you hadn't figured that out by all the time I was spending at the URJ Books and Music stage (and yes Melissa....I'm bringing home more CDs).  One of the services being offered was "Shiru L'adonai:  Mostly Music Service".  It was a beautiful service led by a rabbi and a number of Cantors.  Following services was the first learning session of the day.  I attended (crashed) "For congregational Presidents"  Strengthening Your Board and Building and effective Lay Leadership Team".  I was among temple presidents (and a couple other non-presidents) from congregations ranging in size from 40 to 3,000.  What I found is that the problems that we have are no different than problems at many other congregations.

Next was the days plenary session.  As I have described in other posts, each sessions starts with a short musical presentation from some of our contemporary Jewish musicians  The session included some additional award presentations.  The first highlight of the session was the address by the URJ chairman of the board Peter Weidhorn.  This is the highest lay led position in the URJ.    Peter is beginning his second 2 year term as the chairman of the union.  The key messages he delivered were:


  • The ability of religion and specifically Judaism to maintain relevance and purpose.
  • We must identify our constituents and what they require.
  • We need to prioritize what we do.  We can't provide every type of service or program which is known.
  • We must reach out to "Just Jewish Jews".
  • Emphasize early learning in our communities.
  • Transform youth programming from social to life long learning and social justice.

Following Peter's address, the delegates dealt with the business portion of the biennial.  There were 4 resolutions presented and all 4 passed unanimously.  Additional information can be found at http://biennial.urj.org/program/resolutions/.  After receiving the award Eisendrath "Bearer of Light" award, we heard a presentation by Irwin Cotler, Canadian parliament member and former justice minister.

Next were networking lunches.  Here I had an opportunity to meet representatives of other small (<250 members) congregations.  As I indicated earlier, our problems and challenges are not unique.  This was a good opportunity to share ideas and success stories.  Following lunch was the final learning session of the biennial.  I attended "Demographic Shifts and Changing Synagogue Size:  Where Do We Go From Here?"  Here presentations were made by 3 different congregations, each a different size, on how they are dealing with changing demographics in their synagogue membership.

Following the learning session, I did a little shopping at the book store and a quick tour of the exhibition gallery.  Then I hung out until a short concert by Julie Silver which was celebrating the launch of her new CD. She put on a great performance.  From there we headed over to Kabbalat Shabbat Services.  We participated with over 3,000 other reform Jews.  We sang and prayed our way to welcome Shabbat.  As we chanted the Sh'ma it occurred to me that we were praying the same words as a congregation of over 3,000 that just an hour later members of Vassar Temple and Jews all over would be doing the same.  It was a powerful event.  Following services we joined others from our region (NJ-West Hudson Valley) for Shabbat dinner.  Then it was back together with everyone else for a rousing song session led by a full array of cantors, soloists, song leaders, and members of NFTY (our youth movement).  For an hour we sang and danced to celebrate Shabbat.  After that was an opportunity to continue celebrating with smaller groups.  I attended the late night rock show.  One of the performes was Alan Goodis, the grandson of Elaine Lipschutz.  It was a wonderful performance.

Shabbat Shalom,
Seth

Friday, November 6, 2009

Biennial Day 2--So What Is A Biennial?

OK...I just realized that some people reading this, may not know what the Biennial is all about.  So, before describing todays activities, which were amazing, let me give you my interpretation of what biennial is all about.  Biennial is more than a convention or conference.  It includes the following components (and probably some that I am forgetting):


  • Business meetings
  • Speeches and messages by the leaders of the Reform movement
  • Speeches and messages by dignitaries from around the world
  • Recognition awards
  • Learning sessions for lay leaders which include both the running and administration of a congregation and more traditionally educational opportunities
  • Opportunities to network and learn from the professional staff at the URJ (Union of Reform Judaism)
  • Opportunities to network and learn from other lay leaders from around the country
  • Worship
  • Live performances of the best contemporary Jewish music


Todays at the biennial included all of the above.  The morning began with the second plenary session.  After an opening musical presentation by Peri Smilow (one of my favorite performers) and some other opening remarks, we heard an address by Michael Oren the Israeli Abassador to the United States.  He had a moving message for us about the relationship between Israel and the Jews of the diaspora and the need for Jewish unity.  A couple of key messages I took away were that he felt Israel faced the threat of delegitimization by other countries and that we must have unity among all Jews to combat this.  This Jewish Unity allows Israel to combat its challenges.  The second address this morning was from former Prime Minister Tony Blair via video from Yale.  He talked to us about faith and his Tony Blair Faith Foundation (http://www.tonyblairfaithfoundation.org/).  A key message he delivered was the need to make faith a force for good.

Following the morning plenary session I attended a learning session called "The Sooner the Better: How Early Engagement Turns Young Families into Temple Members".  The session focussed on early childhood programs (nursery schools) in reform congregations.  After lunch I caught a couple more musical acts at the URJ Books and Music Stage and then headed to a forum called " 'Real dilemmas'--Reform Judaism Looks at Hot Topics in the Political Arena".  The session was presented by Albert Vorspan (VP Emeritus for URJ) and Mark Pelavin (Associate Director, Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism).  They talked to us about some of the historical aspects of social action within the reform movement as well as the current issues the reform movement is working on (health care, economy, immigration).  My afternoon learning session was "A Lifetime of Membership:  Strategies for Small Congregations".  I picked up some great ideas for working with our current membership as well as opportunities to grow our membership.

I attended a wonderful Ma'ariv service led by Danny Freelander, Debbie Friedman and Peter and Ellen Allard.  We learned a couple of new songs/melodies.  It was wonderful to hear so many of the songs which are part of our service sung and led by the composer Debbie Friedman.  After this I hit the URJ Books and Music Stage again.  A number of performances including Michelle Citrin of you tube fame (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMSEFCQCKPo).

After dinner we came back for the plenary session (we got there a little late) just in time for a meaningful address from Eboo Patel who is the founder and executive director of the Interfaith Youth Core in Chicago.  He talked about the mission of his organization and how we must fight against extremism in all religions.  Following a special presntation to Harold Grinspoon and a celebration of Reform Jewish Camping there was another great concert with Craig Taubman and Josh Nelson.  Another late but fulfilling night for us.

Seth

Thursday, November 5, 2009

Biennial Day 1--Start Preparing For Sleep Depravation

Today the biennial formally began.  We made our way over to the convention center, checked in, and received our credentials.  The first event was the formal opening of the URJ Book and Music Store.  Looks like they have some great material available.  As part of the opening, there was a short concert by Julie Silver, Dan Nichols, and Doug Cotler.  Behind the URJ Book and Music Store a stage is set up for short performances by a variety of Jewish singers throughout the day.  We caught a set by Jeff Klepper before the first learning session.

During the first 3 days of the biennial we will each have an opportunity to attend 6 learning sessions (workshops) lasting 90 minutes each.  The first session I attended was called "Creating and Sustaining a Culture of Leadership In Your Congregation".  I have some great ideas to share with the other leaders at the temple as well as our nominating committee.  The second session I attended was called "Tot Shabbat: New Tools for Engaging Young Families and Strengthening Your Congregation's Membership".  Again, lots of good ideas.  A bonus of attending this session was a free copy of the URJ's new book The Tot shabbat Handbook.

The URJ is currently going through a transition in their organizational structure.  Previously the URJ was divided into 14 regional offices.  Those offices have now been disbanded and replaced with subject matter specialists and congregational representatives.  Rabbi Golomb and I had an appointment to meet with one of the education specialists to discuss a visioning process for our religious school.  I'm looking forward to the feedback from the specialist.

After a break for dinner, the first plenary session started.  There were welcoming remarks from the URJ professional and lay leadership.  The 2 main speeches tonight were from Avishay Braverman who is the Minister of Minority Affairs in Israel and Anita Diamant.  Minister Braverman discussed a number of issues in Israel and our impact on them.  He is focussed on  ensuring the rights of Israeli Arabs.  Anita Diamant discussed her vision for Reform Judaism.  Following the speeches was a great concert by Beth Schafer and Julie Silver.

Seth

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Go West Young Men

We all met at Rabbi Golomb's house this morning and started heading West across NY.  I sometimes forget how big NY is and how desolate parts of the state are.  We arrived at our hotels in Toronto about 4:45 PM this evening.  Our plan had been to try and go to the Toronto Maple Leafs game tonight, but they only had high prices tickets available, so we decided to skip that. Rabbi Golomb gave us a walking tour of downtown Toronto as we looked for a place to have dinner.  When I got back to the hotel, I had a chance to review the biennial program in more detail.  It's chock full of great stuff.  You can see the entire program here (Full Program).  The formal program starts tomorrow afternoon.

Seth

Monday, November 2, 2009

Getting Ready For Biennial

This week, Bob Abrams, Rabbi Golomb, and I will be attending the Union for Reform Judaism biennial convention (http://biennial.urj.org/) in Toronto, Canada.  Biennial is a unique experience to be with 1000's of other Reform Jews from across North America.  Here we will learn, study, and worship with other reform leaders.  I'll be updating the blog with my impressions and experiences at biennial while we are there.