Welcome to the Department of Outreach and Congregational Affiliation!

Wed, 19 Jul 2006 13:54:28 -0400

A letter of invitation from Rabbi Shawn Zevit

Deciding to affiliate with a major Jewish movement may well be one of the most challenging, energizing and exciting processes your community undertakes. Indeed, the affiliation process is a worthwhile venture for any community that cares about its future, since it provides opportunities for your community to develop a clearer understanding of its mission, identity, and role in the larger Jewish community. The process of affiliation is a valuable way to remind your community of its collective vision and the spiritual legacy it wishes to leave for generations to come.

Benefits and Responsibilities of Affiliation

JRF Guide to the Process of Affiliation

Articles, audio resources and additional materials about Reconstructionism

Discussing affiliation with a movement can be enormously rewarding, allowing all involved to have a better understanding of the values and norms of their community. The Jewish Reconstructionist Federation believes that it is essential to have a carefully developed process for sensitive discussion and decision-making, and one that is deeply rooted in Jewish tradition and contemporary thought. Judaism welcomes study, discussion, and respectful disagreement. The decision-making process provides an opportunity to strengthen a community through creating a frank and honest exchange among members of the community. When Jewish values inform decisions, the quality of life is deepened for both the community and its individual members. The decision-making model the Reconstructionist movement has used in doing its sacred work - and the one we urge communities to use in the affiliation process - is based on the following four Jewish values-based paradigms:

Understanding affiliation as a covenant of Jewish life between members of a community, its communal self and the Reconstructionist Movement
Study and research into the history of the larger Jewish community, current movements and their resources
Reflection on values and analysis of the impact of each possible decision on members of the community
Democratic and inclusive process, maximizing the number of participants.

The Reconstructionist movement affirms the value of local autonomy. Even when communities utilize similar decision-making models, the results may differ. Each community must make its own decisions based on their unique situation and priorities. At the same time, this need not be done in isolation, and the JRF offers support in helping your community move toward these pivotal decisions.

Our hope in supporting you in the process of affiliation is to enrich the spirit of your community, deepen your community's Jewish identity, and perhaps most importantly, rekindle the pride and joy that initially drove your community to join together in sacred service.

I look forward to speaking to you in person,

Rabbi Shawn Israel Zevit
Director of Outreach & Tikkun Olam
101 Greenwood Ave #430
Jenkintown, PA, 19046
215-885-5601, ex. 24
SZevit@jrf.org