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NEWS & VIEWS OF REFORM JEWS
NOTEWORTHY
Japan Relief: In response to the tragic devastation of the earthquake that struck
Japan on March 11, 2011, the URJ has partnered with a number of North American
Jewish organizations to form the Jewish Coalition for Japan Relief, which is
sharing information about needs on the ground, collecting and distributing funds
for relief and recovery efforts. To donate: jdc.org/
donation.
Reform Judaism Article Search by Subject: For the first time, Reform Judaism
magazine’s website reformjudaismmag.org offers readers instant access to nearly
15 years of the magazine’s back issue content, organized by eight topics:
Strengthening Synagogues, Jewish Living, Travel/World Reports, God & Spirituality,
Holidays, Israel, Cooking, and College & Youth. Click on one of these categories
on the magazine’s home-page menu bar and, using a drop-down menu, you can select
specific topics—from “Accessibility & Inclusion” to “Worship” in Strengthening
Synagogues; from “Bar/Bat Mitzvah” to “Worship” in Jewish Living; and “Argentina” to “Uganda” in Travel/World Reports. The still timely content can be shared
with one’s family in conjunction with holidays and lifecycle events; reviewed by
synagogue leaders seeking creative solutions to congregational challenges; used
for adult and youth study/discussion, facilitated by RJ resource guides (see
reformjudaismmag.org/4congregations/resources); and much more.
Explore the wealth of offerings: reformjudaismmag.org.
Rabbinic Transition Consulting for Congregations: The Union for Reform Judaism now
offers a consulting program for member congregations in the first year of rabbinic
transition as of July 1, 2011. After congregations contact the CCAR Rabbinic
Placement office, the Union will provide complimentary self-assessment tools to
gauge the temple’s needs, materials on transition theory, best practices and
communication templates, ongoing one-on-one consultation with specialists in the
field, webinars, and more. New rabbis and current or incoming presidents will also
be able to attend the 2nd Annual Shallat Retreat, a highly subsidized two-day
spring program funded by the Shallat-Rapaport Foundation which helps to promote
mutual understanding of roles and expectations and teaches conflict
avoidance/management/resolution techniques from a Jewish perspective. For more
information contact Rabbi David Wolfman, Director, URJ-CCAR National Commission on
Rabbinic-Congregational Relations, at [email protected], 212-452-6735; or Lisa
Adler, Board Governance and Leadership Development Specialist, at [email protected],
212-650-4186.
Guidance on Pre-K Funding: The trend toward state and federally funded Pre-K
programs, which enables parents to send their children to Pre-K for free, is
adversely affecting 83% of Jewish early childhood programs in the U.S.,
including those of URJ member synagogues. In 31 states, faith-based
organizations can receive Pre-K funds, but many of those states prohibit the
institutions that accept the funds from engaging in any religious programming.
To help congregations with Pre-K programs navigate this new and complex
educational environment, the Union for Reform Judaism provides guidance on how
to accept government funds as well as how to generate additional non-government
funds in accordance with state regulations and church-state protections. To
learn more contact Cathy Rolland, URJ Early Childhood Specialist, 212-650-4111,
[email protected] or Barbara Weinstein, RAC Legislative Director, 202-387-2800,
[email protected]; or join the URJ early engagement group:
urj.org/connect/network.
Attention Jewish Composers 18+: The Guild of Temple Musicians invites you to apply
for the Young Composer’s Award by submitting an 8-–10 minute piece of SATB choral
music that can be used for a synagogue worship service. The text (in Hebrew; some
English is acceptable) should be taken from the Shabbat evening service of Mishkan
T’filah: A Reform Siddur. The award winner will receive a $2,500 cash prize, a premiere
performance during the American Conference of Cantors/Guild of Temple Musicians
Convention in Portland June 24–June 28, 2012, and more. The submissions deadline is
July 29, 2011. For additional criteria and an application, visit thegtm.org. Further
questions can be directed to David Shukiar, chairman, GTM Young
Composer’s Award, [email protected].
PHOTOS: 1 Holle Weiss-Friedman 2 Rabbi Jonathan R. Katz 3 Gail Miller 4 Janet Bronitsky
5 Arlene Berke 6 Rabbi Serge Lippe 7 Rabbi Misha Zinkow.… For more about these leaders
read on….