Transformative Judaism for the 21st Century

Join the largest gathering of Reconstructionists in North America for four enriching days of learning, building connections, and sharing best practices to grow ourselves and our communities as we explore the theme Transformative Judaism for the 21st Century.

Workshops will be offered on just about every imaginable area of Jewish communal life, including education, congregational development, tikkun olam, leadership, ritual and liturgy, youth, Israel, spirituality, and the arts. There's something for everyone!

CONVENTION HIGHLIGHTS

A Plenary Session on Identity, Community and Leadership is a dialogue between the generations — those involved today in creating "emerging communities" and those who were shapers of the Havurah movement in the '60s and '70s, now serving as leaders of the Reconstructionist Movement. Participants will include Rabbi David Teutsch, Sarah Liebman, Zachary Teutsch, and Rabbi Michael Strassfeld.

Four special Forums will immediately follow the opening plenary, giving us an opportunity to explore the themes raised as we engage in conversations with leaders in their fields:

• Building the Jewish Identity of the Next Generation with Cindy Shulak-Rome, Jerry Silverman, and Jonathan Woocher
• Strengthening and Transforming Congregational Life with Rabbi Hayim Herring, Amy L. Sales, and Rabbi Elliott Tepperman
• Rethinking the Role of Movements in the 21st Century with Rabbi Joy Levitt, Rabbi Sid Schwarz, and Dr. Carl Sheingold
• What is the Forefront of Tikkun Olam? with Rabbis Fred Scherlinder Dobb, Brant Rosen, and Toba Spitzer

Jonathan Sarna, the foremost expert on American Jewish history, will join us on Thursday evening with a talk entitled American Judaism at a Crossroads: A Perspective on Reconstructionism from a Jewish Historian. Read the September 5 interview with Dr. Sarna in the Forward.

Noah Feldman, recently named by New York Magazine as one of "the influentials" in ideas, will be our special guest speaker at our Community Plenum Luncheon on Friday. Feldman's expertise is on the relationship between law and religion in the West and Middle East.

Shabbat services filled with ruach (spirit) and kavannah (intention) will bring us together as an extended Reconstructionist family.

Beit Midrash sessions on Shabbat afternoon include informal text study, creative exploration of Reconstructionist liturgy, and a celebration of the arts.

A special screening of Praying with Lior, an award-winning film by Ilana Trachtman. The film celebrates the Reconstructionist Bar Mitzvah of Lior Liebling, who has Down Syndrome, and explores themes of disability and spirituality.

Networking opportunities throughout Convention will facilitate connections between our communities, such as break-out sessions, affinity group meetings, and receptions. Come and contribute your questions and your congregation’s best practices to the conversations!

RENA (Reconstructionist Educators of North America) and Harmoniyah--the Reconstructionist Music Network will be participating in our Convention again this year.

Visit sights of Jewish interest in Boston or participate in a tikkun olam service opportunity on Sunday.

And much more!

Learn more about the JRF Convention.