Jewish Reconstructionist Federation

From Seedtime to Harvest:
From the values and spirit of tikkun to community building and sustained action

Beginning on the eve of the second day of Pesach, we are instructed by our tradition to count the days of the “Omer” until the fiftieth day, which is when the first barley crop would be harvested. It is also the Jewish holiday of Shavuot when, according to our tradition, the Jewish People received the Torah at Mt. Sinai. The counting of the Omer is a bridge between Pesach and Shavuot – between a moment of liberation and a moment of self-definition and direction at the beginning of our evolution as a religious civilization. It is an opportunity to deepen our study and close the gap between ideas and action for the tikkun (rebalancing, repair) of the challenges we face in our world.

More than 800 participants and commentators from 90 JRF congregations are participating in the JRF On-Line Omer Study Initiative this year! Congregations with the most participants include:

West End Synagogue, NY
Mishkan Shalom, Philadelphia, PA
Darchei Noam, Toronto, CAN
Dorshei Derekh, Philadelphia, PA
Adat Shalom, Bethesda, MD
Oseh Shalom, Laurel, MD
Jewish Community of Amherst, MA
Columbia Jewish Congregation, MD
Temple Hillel Bnai Torah, West Roxbury, MA
Beth Israel, Media, PA
Kol Halev, Cleveland, OH
Dor Hadash, Pittsburgh, PA
Havurah Shalom, Portland, OR

Each week during JRF's fourth annual Interactive Omer Study Project, we will highlight resources, teachings, and wisdom gleaned from the Reconstructionist movement and our organizational partners, on the following topics, that cover the major areas JRF and our member congregations have been working intensly on these past few years. The goal is to pull together the wide array of resources and encourgae the sharing of best practices and additional resources across our movement:

• Week One - Congregation-Based Community Organizing (CBCO)
• Week Two - Sustainable Communities: Environment and Social Justice
• Week Three - Hunger and Poverty
• Week Four - Advocacy: How and When Do We Take a Stand Within Our Communities
• Week Five - Praying With our Feet and Hands: Service Learning and Work in the World
• Week Six- The Work of Jewish Social Justice Organizations: Collaborative Partnerships in Tikkun Olam
• Week Seven - Tikkun Across the Congregational System: From Schools to Shuls

This year, the teachings will arrive in one electronic packet at the beginning of each week and ongoing learning will take place through the accompanying study listserve.

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