Download Vision statement - J.. - Ramah Camping Movement

DRAFT 6-2009
Draft
An Educational Vision for the Mitzvah Initiative
Jane S. Shapiro
November 2008
A Vision for the Initiative
The Mitzvah Initiative strives to create discussions among all Conservative Jews that would
enable them to:
 Recognize a broader definition of mitzvah linking each discrete mitzvah action to a
larger concept of holiness.
 Recognize that the practice of mitzvot and a broader awareness of what that means
are important.
 Encourage construction of personal narratives that incorporate mitzvah.
 Integrate behavioral change with the personal narrative, which grows from an
understanding of mitzvah and commandedness.
 Understand these concepts and behavior from the specific perspective of
Conservative Judaism.
 Create a sense of shared vision and practice within a Conservative community.
Mitzvah as a Domain of religious transformation
Mitzvah in its larger conceptual form and its more discrete form has been chosen as a domain for
religious transformation and renewal. Mitzvah has certain characteristics that lend itself to this
work.
 Mitzvot are grounded in human experience and real life situations.
 Mitzvot can be practiced. People can change with them over their lives and get better
at them.
 Mitzvot connect our inner passions and commitments to recognizable and articulated
actions.
 Mitzvot elevate human beings beyond their biological limitations and are easily
recognizable as a way to infuse a life with meaning and value.
 Mitzvah can be a source of study and inquiry. Through the study of one mitzvah a
Jew can be introduced to the Torah and systems of Jewish study and interpretation.
1
DRAFT 6-2009


Mitzvah Goreret Mitzvah. Doing one mitzvah well can inspire a Jew to take on
another and still another. Through mitzvah we can draw Jews into a deeper
understanding, appreciation and commitment to halacha.
Simcha Shel Mitzvah. Doing mitzvot can contribute to emotional and psychological
well- being and can be a profound way to experience God.
A Pedagogic Approach to Mitzvah in the Mitzvah Initiative
The focus of the initiative is on individual Jews across the life stages: their thoughts on their
commitments and responsibilities and how they see them in light of Jewish tradition. It is through
this lens that the may connect their own personal practices to larger universal and religious
concepts of holiness, justice, goodness and the dignity of human beings.
Because of this focus, a specific style of pedagogy is required, based on active listening,
interactive questioning, and reflective practice. While sermons, articles, podcasts and artistic
representations will enhance the program, at its core, teachers and facilitators will need to be open
to dialogical encounter with the learner.
To this end, the mitzvah initiative will also concentrate on professional development and the
creation of a cohort of Mitzvah Initiative faculty. A combination of professional development
seminars, creation of a set of standards and ongoing collegial conversation will accompany
teachers as they begin their work.
The Mitzvah Initiative Project Phase II
After an initial pilot year in seven congregations, the initiative is preparing to broaden its scope
for phase II. Programmatic steps include:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Cataloguing and disseminating what already exists in the field. Powerful mitzvah work
and teaching by individuals, schools, congregations, EC programs, youth groups and
adult learning will be publicized on the Mitzvah Initiative website.
Inviting Jews across North America to participate in a Signature Mitzvah project.
Similar to the NPR project “This I believe, people across the country will be solicited
to write or record a statement on a personal mitzvah, how it came to be their own, and
how that mitzvah has affected them. This will serve the dual purpose of providing data
for faculty on how people think about and/or incorporate mitzvah already as well as
build grassroots conversations.
Revising the pilot adult learning materials of the Mitzvah Initiative based on feedback
from pilot participants and faculty. New sites will be identified for 2009- 5770.
Inviting all present and 5770 faculties to attend an orientation seminar at JTS in the
spring.
Developing new materials of all sorts. Some of these materials will be context-specific
(i.e. “what will be needed to teach mitzvah in a camp environment”) while others will
be driven by technology or the latest techniques of social networking.
2
DRAFT 6-2009
4. Partnering with arms of Conservative Judaism to develop new materials or techniques
of teaching and facilitation. Technology, social networking, micro-communities will be
engaged in this stage.
6. Evaluating materials at multiple points through a combination of informal feedback,
surveys and more formal techniques of social research.
3