Sustainable WorldIn 1990 JRF passed a movement-wide resolution (see attachments below) on the environment and congregational life. Since 2006 we offered conference calls and resources on Sustainable Synagogues and Living a Jewish Life Rooted in Ecological Values.

Read the notes from the 2007 call.  read more »

With the enthusiasm around JRF's Omer Learning Initiative, (2010 Omer Sustainability call- http://jrf.org/pearl/2011/Sustainability) as well as the solid response of JRF congregations in the Climate Change and Blessing the Sun (Solar Energy) Initiatives, JRF continues to deepen our work with member communities, other religious movements and partner organizations (JCPA, COEJL) in the area of sustainability. See Rabbi Shawn Zevit speak about the Reconstructionist Movement's work in sustainability

With the recent news that United States special forces have killed Osama bin Laden, the Jewish and larger community have responded with a diverse range of commentary. Our Jewish tradition cautions us around celebrating the death of any human being, including our enemies. At the same time there is a sense of relief and justice, given that Osama bin Laden was responsible for the deaths of so many people around the world of all backgrounds, and thousands at the World Trade Center on Sep. 11, 2001. His death also raises a complex and varied range of thoughts and emotions in the United States and around the world.

Watch President Obama announce the death of Osama bin Laden 
Jewish Council on Public Affairs Response 
JTA coverage of  “Jewish Organizational Statements”                                                                                                                                                  
JTA Article on "How Jews Should Respond" NPR article on reaction in the Arab world
Response Lesson to be used to understand the Jewish Response to the death of Osama bin Laden by Robyn Faintich, JewishGPS “The Death of Osama bin Laden” A source sheet to help guide class discussion
Rabbi Goldie Milgram's Philadelphia Voice Blog
Rabbi Brant Rosen's Blog

Thomas Friedman, NY Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/04/opinion/04friedman.html?_r=1&ref=thomaslfriedman

"Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that." - Martin Luther King, Jr. (http://www.salsa.net/peace/conv/8weekconv4-2.html)

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 »

Lior with Rabbi Shawn ZevitAn engrossing, wrenching and tender documentary film, Praying with Lior, is debuting around the world and receiving rave reviews and was the highest grossing independent film its first weekend in New York.

The film tells the story of Lior Liebling, a member of congregation Mishkan Shalom in Philadelphia, whom his community calls "the little rebbe." Lior has Down syndrome, and has spent his life praying with utter abandon. As Lior approaches bar mitzvah, the movie poses difficult questions such as What is disability? And who really talks to God?

Read the New York Times story about the film and
an interview with director Ilana Trachtman on the NY Jewish Film Festival blog.

Praying with Lior show times

Columbia AbuzzWhen I heard that Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs had invited President of Iran Mahmoud Ahmadinejad—a notoriously anti-Semitic and anti-Israel figurehead—to speak on campus, my first instinct was to oppose the event vehemently.  read more »

I reasoned that, if Columbia hosted an anti-Semitic figure on campus, Ahmadinjead’s could attempt legitimize his terrifying and historically incorrect viewpoints. Why should one of the most prestigious universities in the nation provide a platform from which a dangerous leader such as Ahmadinejad could deny the Holocaust and spew his advocacy for the destruction of Israel?

This year, the Muslim holiday of Ramadan began on the first night of Rosh Hashana.
The Detroit News reported how Jews and Muslims in the Detroit area are using this rare occurrence to build bridges between their communities.

Read the attached report of a Muslim-Jewish Friday night dinner hosted by members of the Ann Arbor Reconstructionist Havurah.

RRA Executive Director Rabbi Richard HirshReconstructionist Rabbinical Association Executive Director Rabbi Richard Hirsh just published an op-ed piece in the Jewish Forward in which he criticizes tendencies among those attending high holy day services to rate the experience. The article is titled, I’d Give It a 7… It Had a Good Beat, and You Can Daven to It. Here is an excerpt:

What we frequently refer to as the High Holy Days are more accurately described by their Hebrew appellation: Yamim Noraim, the “Days of Awe.” Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are supposed to be significant because of the weighty confrontation with ultimate issues that they embody, especially issues of morality and mortality.

 read more »

The September, 2007 issue is out. In this issue:

• Teens Return from Israel
• Camp JRF Book Shelf
• Special Offers from JRF’s Reconstructionist Press
• Now Read RT Online!
• Make a Difference with Your IRA
• Action in Darfur
• Kol HaKavod!
• Upcoming Events

Rabbi Jeff Eisenstat in the Shabbat Havdalah Garden at Camp JRFOur medurah (campfire) embers have just been extinguished but the memories and the friendships for session aleph will continue to burn brightly into the weeks, months and years ahead.  read more »

What a thrilling session we have just completed. Imagine 225 campers and staff in a huge spiral around the havdallah candle and our souls woven together with this final Shabbat and the experiences we have all just shared.