Jewish Reconstructionist Federation

The Jewish Reconstructionist Federation represents a democratic, pluralistic, inclusive, and growing movement, with over 100 member communities in North America and around the world. JRF offers both central and regional services and facilitates networks and lateral relationships among member communities. JRF services fall under a number of categories including Congregational Services, Publications, Movement-wide and Regional Community Building, Education, Youth and Camping, Tikkun Olam, Liturgy and Music, Israel Programming, Web support.

Representation in the Larger World

Members of JRF are represented in the larger Jewish world through work with the United Jewish Communities, the Conference of Presidents, the World Union of Progressive Judaism, ARZA, local JCRC councils, Jewish Federations, Synagogue and Rabbinic councils and numerous progressive and pluralistic organizations

Congregational Resources

• Regional programs, workshops, and Shabbatonim throughout North America;
• Individually designed, on-site consultations, workshops, training sessions for boards, rabbis, and communities in key areas of congregational life, including fundraising, budgeting, leadership development, long-range planning, membership recruitment, board dynamics, and communications;
• Leadership workshops such as "Kehillah Builders: Developing Sacred Community," "A Torah of Money: A Values-Based Approach to Dealing with Community Resources, and "A Sacred Trust: Synagogue Governance and Leadership";
• Resources for congregations ranging from Leadership and Governance, Money and Congregational Life, Community Building, Reconstructionism: Thought, Process and Jewish Values-based decision making.
• The JRF Music and Liturgy Project;
• The JRF Tikkun Olam Initiative;
• JRF Department of Communications, e.g. website support and public relations;
• Leadership curricula and resource books to accompany the leadership workshops;
• Israel Programs (in Israel) and the Israel Task Force (in North America).

Publications (discounts 10-25% for JRF affiliates.)

• The newly updated and expanded Exploring Judaism: A Reconstructionist Approach;
• Regular publications such as Reconstructionism Today, our movement magazine sent to all members, and The Reconstructionist, a biannual journal;
• Our liturgical series, Kol Haneshamah, which includes daily, Shabbat and Festival, and High Holy Day prayer books, and most recently, Tefilot Leveyt Ha'avel: Prayers for a House of Mourning (2001);
• A Night of Questions (2000), our new Haggadah with accompanying CD;
• Liturgy learning tapes for service leaders, accompanying the Reconstructionist prayer books;
• Select recordings from the Reconstructionist radio show Heart, Mind, and Spirit;
• For educators, a number of various publications and study guides (see Education below);
• A variety of books by Rabbi Mordecai Kaplan and other scholars, poets and others whose ideas have shaped Reconstructionist thought.

Regional and Movement-wide Community Building

• Regular regional gatherings, including a roster of speakers from JRF and the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College on selected topics;
• Regional community building workshops. (see Congregational Resources, above)
• Regional Councils that focus on sharing information and best practices, as well as programming.
• Our website, which features regular news and updates on publications, programs, educational initiatives, and what's happening across the movement. It also features contact information for every JRF community;
• Several specialized e-mail discussion groups designed to connect members with similar roles from many congregations and to provide a forum for asking questions and offering support and information;
• Our biennial Convention, which draws hundreds of participants from across North America who gather for prayer, study, celebration, and community building activities.
• Movement-wide commissions and JRF board committees that respond to various issues of concern which emerge over time (The Role of the Non-Jew, Gay and Lesbian inclusion, Disabilities, Rabbi-Congregational Relations, etc.)

Education

We offer an extensive program of educational services for youth and adults geared to both schools and learning communities. In addition, we encourage networking between communities to maximize the effectiveness of consulting and support. Many of our member congregations exchange ideas and programs.

Adult Education

• Our popular 30-week Jewish adult education curriculum, "Jewish, Alive & American";
• The "Aytz Hayim We" adult education initiative, an ongoing text study on the Five Megillot (Ruth, Esther, Ecclesiastes, Lamentations, and Song of Songs). In February 2002 our new study unit on the Book of Samuel and the story of David became available;
• Study modules on a variety of ethical issues, as well as on death and dying issues, in concert with the RRC's Center for Ethics and resources for women and men through Kolot: The Center for Jewish Women's and Gender Studies;
• An accompanying study guide for our landmark Exploring Judaism: A Reconstructionist Approach, which includes new units on Reconstructionist approaches to Israel and Zionism, Talmud, Judaism in translation, Judaism as an evolving religious civilization, and modern Jewish thought;
• Lomdim: Listerv for adult educators;
• Resource tapes and transcripts on a variety of topics related to contemporary Jewish life from our radio program Heart, Mind and Spirit.

 

Support for Religious Schools and for Youth

• EdTalk e-mail listserv which collects the wisdom of hundreds of Short and long-term consultation to congregations;
• Education curricula for grades K-8;
• A youth prayer manual and a mini-prayerbook;
• Reconstructionist educators around the country;
• Support for education directors;
• Gesher v'Kesher Education Journal published annually;
• Regional and National Youth Retreats;
• TorahQuest - interactive web education program
• No'ar Hadash - the Reconstructionist Youth Network, with chapters and programming across North America
• Camp JRF - summer camp for children and teens.