Jewish Reconstructionist Federation

Welcome to the Department of Congregational Consulting and Resources. Our mission is to provide programs, consultation and resources rooted in a Reconstructionist, Jewish values-based approach for member communities of JRF, and to help our member communities share resources and build relationships with each other.

The Congregational relations team, under the leadership of Rabbi Nancy Epstein, is also pleased to offer:

• Board training or in-person visits around particular issues
• Consulting with Presidents, Rabbis, staff and lay leaders
• Gathering information from other JRF affiliates and distributing it to you
• Leadership Workshops, Resource books and Curricula see http://63.115.67.94/cong/resources.html
• PEARL tele-conference learning sessions for congregational leaders at http://jrf.org/PEARL
• Providing community development and programming ideas
• On-line audio resources and cassettes on a variety of issues at http://jrf.org/heart-mind-spirit
• E-mail discussion groups that give JRF affiliates a way to discuss common issues and share innovative solutions at http://jrf.org/listserves
• Fundraising and Planned Giving support through our Development Department at http://jrf.org/development
• Regional support for congregations (e.g. Regional councils, Shabbatonim)

For a full listing of available resources, please visit
http://63.115.67.94/cong/congmain.html and http://jrf.org/resources-library

Mark your calenders! JRF joins the UJ Federation of NY in designating the Shabbat of Inclusion, a weekend designed to encourage the participation of our members with disabilities, for February 1-3. We encourage the various leaders of the affiliated Reconstructionist congregations in the NY/NJ region to begin planning for this event at their respective synagogues.

This particular Shabbat coincides with Parshat Mishpatim, which discusses the giving of the Ten Commandments at Mount Sinai. The language of the text certainly resounds in our mission to create an accessible Shabbat service: "For you were strangers in the land of Egypt." Often, people with physical and developmental disabilities are aliented like "strangers" from our congregations. Our Shabbat of Inclusion aims to eliminate this notion of exclusion for all of our disabled congregants and their families.

Most of all, Reconstructionists have been on the forefront of creating inclusive communities. Even so, we can benefit from reminders to keep our doors wide open and to find new ways to be welcoming.

For leaders, please share with us what you do for this important Shabbat....for members, please come to pray, to learn, and to show your support.

Today, increasing numbers of synagogues are engaging in interfaith campaigns on vital issues of local concern, from expanding health coverage for low income workers to building affordable housing.

Since 2006, The Jewish Reconstructionist Federation has been partnering with the Jewish Funds for Justice (JFSJ) helping to develop a network and resources for Reconstructionist communities in Congregation-Based Community Organizing (CBCO) work. As well, the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College began offering training in the model of CBCO activism in the winter of 2007.

More information on community organizing can be found in the summer 2007 edition of Reconstructionism Today and in the January 2007 issue of Shma, and from the Jewish Funds for Justice.

On Saturday, September 6, Congregation Oseh Shalom in Laurel, MD, will honor Cantor Charlie Bernhardt for 25 years as their cantor with a very special concert at the synagogue. The concert will feature Cantor Jan Morrison, Rabbi David Shneyer and Alan Oresky from Fabrengen fiddlers, the DC Labor Chorus, Joe Jencks and Cantor Charlie himself. It is an evening not to be missed. The concert will be appropriate for all ages.

Download the attached event flier and help spread the word!

For more information and to purchase tickets, contact the synagogue at 301-498-5151 and visit www.oseh-shalom.org.

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.

Grecian Shelter in Prospect ParkWhen: Friday, May 30, 2008, 6:30 p.m.
Where: The Grecian Shelter in Prospect Park, Brooklyn, NY

Please join the Jewish Reconstructionist Federation as we welcome Shabbat in Prospect Park with song, stories, and a catered community dinner. Children of all ages are welcome. The evening will be led by Rabbi Shoshana Leis (RRC '05) and Avi Fox-Rosen.

Place your e-reservation today!

In case of questionable or inclement weather, call JRF NY/NJ at (212) 870-2483 for alternate plans.

For more information, contact:
Melanie Schneider - jrfny@aol.com
Jayne Roberman - jrforensic@optonline.net
Dan Cedarbaum - dan@cedarbaum.net

When: Sunday, May 18
Where: Bet Am Shalom Synagogue, 295 Soundview Avenue, White Plains, New York

Cantor Benjie SchillerCantor Benjie Ellen Schiller, cantor of Bet Am Shalom synagogue in White Plains, NY, will give a rare recital performance on Sunday, May 18.

The program, “Life Song Cycle - A musical reflection on the journey of our lives,” will include her own compositions and works of other Jewish composers. A dessert reception will follow the concert. Admission is $36 for adults and $18 for students and children under eighteen.

Brant RosenKol hakavod to Rabbi Brant Rosen, rabbi of the Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation in Evanston, IL, for being recognized in Newsweek magazine as one of the Top Pulpit Rabbis in America.

With Rosen's leadership, JRC is gaining notoriety as "America's greenest shul" for meeting the highest standards in green building practices in its recent renovation.

Newsweek's criteria were rabbis' inspirational abilities; leadership within the congregation, denomination and the community; and skills in meeting the spiritual and personal needs of congregants.

When: Saturday night, April 5th, 8:00 p.m.
Where: Oseh Shalom Congregation, Laurel, MD.

Craig TaubmanCraig Taubman, a renowned singer and songwriter, will be giving a concert at Oseh Shalom dedicated to Tikkun Olam! This concert is being sponsored by Oseh Shalom Congregation including the Music & Arts Fund, the Social Action Committee, the Mens' Club and the Sisterhood; and Chesapeake Region JRF, Adat Shalom and Beit Tikvah. This concert is appropriate for adults, teens and families.

Download the attached event flyer and help spread the word!

Temple Beth Hatfiloh in Olympia is scheduled to finish its remodeling project this month. The 7,000-square-foot addition on the left houses offices, meeting space and classrooms to better serve members of the congregation. (Steven M. Herppich/The Olympian)by Lisa Pemberton

This article originally appeared in The Olympian and is reprinted with permission.

Members of Temple Beth Hatfiloh in Olympia have envisioned a new synagogue for about 15 years.

"At one time, the (new building) committee was called TBH 2000," said Beth Halpern of Olympia. "When we first started, it seemed realistic."

The dream soon will come to fruition as workers put the final touches on the 18,000-square-foot temple at Eighth Avenue and Washington Street, formerly the home of a Christian Science church.