One of the themes that infused the entire five days from the JRF Board meeting through the four days of convention, was the leadership transition from Dan Cedarbaum to Bob Barkin.
Dan Cedarbaum served two two-year terms as President of JRF. He was a strong leader and advocate for the strong development of the nascent Camp JRF. He played a major role in spearheading its fund raising. Dan's intellectual interest in Judaism and Reconstructionism were palpable during hes tenure, expressed in writing articles for RT and the Reconstructionist and speaking around the country at Reconstructionist congregations. Dan is passionate about his ideas of taking halachah (Jewish Law) and Jewish ritual seriously. He has spoken often on these topics.
Dan cared about serving the greater Jewish community and representing Reconstructionsim to that community. Earlier this year he became a part of the first Reconstructionist delegation to the World Zionist Congress. Dan's passion about Israel much preceded the WZC. He helped lead and shepherd JRF's Israel Policies Task force which produced important results.
Dan was committed to leading the movement by knowing the movement. He has personally visited close to 50 of the movement's 109 congregations and havurot.
During all the speeches and thank-yous during the convention, Dan never once failed to thank his wife Caryn and his boys Jacob and Sam for their patience and perseverance during his time-consuming service to the Reconstructionist Movement and the Jewish community.
This short article cannot begin to express the endeavors and accomplished Dan has achieved as JRF's President. Please use the ability to add comments to these articles to extend the reach of this article in documenting the legacy of Dan Cedarbaum and his role as a leader of the JRF.