Read April's Brief for Reconstructionist Leaders

Things You Should Know

Help Us Connect With Your Congregation’s Leaders

In March, we mailed next year's Affiliation Benefits Package to congregational presidents and executive directors. Please start sending us your updated leadership rosters and budgets, so we can stay connected to your current and future congregational leaders.

To view the entire Affiliation Benefits Package, download a copy here.

You can send completed forms to Community Engagement Assistant, Rory Schonning at rschonning@rrc.edu.

Coming Up at the Next Plenum

Plenum representatives and participants will be meeting on May 1. A portion of the meeting will explore new ways to finance the movement in coming years. This new document (click here to download) considers both dues and membership and lays a foundation for this discussion. We encourage you to download the attachment, to discuss it with your plenum representatives, or share and study it with your community’s leaders.

Questions or comments (or both), contact Alan Halpern at ahalpern@rrc.edu.

If you are a plenum representative or congregational president and have not registered for the plenum meeting yet, please click here.

May 1
Plenum Meeting

May 12
Yom Ha'atzmaut / Israel Independence Day

May 30
Memorial Day

June 5
RRC Graduation

June 15-16
Shavuot

Beyond the Veil: The Innovative Music Program at Congregation Bet Haverim, Atlanta

It’s a given that dynamic music can enrich worship and enliven a congregation – maybe even draw in new people. But what does that look like, and how do you get there?

Rabbi Joshua Lesser and music director Gyanne Geurin of Congregation Bet Haverim (CBH) in Atlanta recently spoke with us about how their congregation balances musical innovation with tradition. They also discussed how they ensure that music facilitates prayer and contemplation – and does not veer into performance.

“Music is a universal spiritual language,” said Rabbi Lesser.

At CBH, music is woven into the fabric of the community. Participation is high: the synagogue has 300 households, and the chorus, led by Will Robertson, boasts more than 45 members. CBH also has a band, a string ensemble and a tradition of participatory singing. Drawing exclusively on the talents of members and Geurin’s direction, CBH’s music has both pushed boundaries and maintained traditional modalities.

"In building a music program, the first thing a congregation can do is connect with members who want to create music," says Geurin. "While not every community may have professional and semi-professional musicians in its midst, there’s sure to be plenty of talent, experience and passion."

Geurin says the way to make sure music connects people and is contextually appropriate is to ask a lot of questions. What is the intention behind a particular piece of interpretation of liturgy? What aesthetic tone is it trying to evoke? How does it empower a worshiper to connect with the prayer experience and with one another?

“Given our geographical location, in the south, when we want to use an African American spiritual for Shabbat Shirah to express a shared musical expression of a journey from slavery to freedom, we want to deeply tune into how we hold it in a reflective sacred way and not just say, ‘cool, let’s do that.’”

CBH just released its sixth professionally recorded CD “Chant: Beyond the Veil.” It’s the fourth part of the Merkavah Project, the CBH Music Program’s expansive endeavor to connect to the most mystical text of the Bible: Ezekiel’s vision. The congregation has produced and recorded many original compositions and arrangements of global Jewish music.

For more information about the CD and the Merkavah project, click here.

Recon Communities in the News

Bikes For The World Collection
Port Washington News

The Great Sabbath: All Sabbaths are Great
St. Louis Jewish Light

Recent Rabbinic Placements

Rachel Weiss, RRC '09
Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation
Evanston, IL

Greg Hersh, RRC '16
Temple Emmanuel of Wakefield
Wakefield, MA

Boris Dolin, RRC '11
The Reconstructionist Synagogue of Montreal - Congregation Dorshei Emet
Hampstead, Quebec, Canada

Shelley Goldman, RRC '16
Assistant Rabbi
Beth-El Zedeck
Indianapolis, IN

How to Reach Us:

Alan Halpern, VP for Community Engagement; ahalpern@rrc.edu; 215.576.0800, ext. 150
Tresa Grauer, Director of Affiliate Support; tgrauer@rrc.edu; 215.576.0800, ext. 144
Cyd Weissman, Director of the Reconstructionist Learning Networks; cweissman@rrc.edu; 215.576.0800, ext. 257
Rabbi Joel Alpert, Director of Rabbinic Placement; jalpert@reconplacement.org; 215.576.0800, ext. 304
Jackie Land, Education and Program Specialist; jland@rrc.edu; 302.500.0863
Rory Schonning, Community Engagement Assistant; rschonning@rrc.edu; 215.576.0800, ext. 131

Our business hours are Monday-Thursday 9 a.m.-5 p.m. ET; Friday 9 a.m.-4 p.m. ET

The Jewish Reconstructionist Communities in association with the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College (RRC) provide services for more than 100 congregations and havurot where members help create the Judaism they want to live. RRC is a progressive rabbinical school where people of all backgrounds engage intensively with Jewish texts, thought and practice. As a combined organization, RRC and Jewish Reconstructionist Communities make up a unique kind of entity in the contemporary Jewish landscape.

Email is a crucial way to stay in contact, and we appreciate your continued engagement and support of the RRC and Jewish Reconstructionist Communities. Contributions to the RRC and Jewish Reconstructionist Communities supports our faculty, underwrites scholarships and student internships, provides specialized training and mentorship opportunities, and creates unique learning experiences in Israel. Donations to RRC help us to prepare the next generation of Jewish leaders. Click here to donate now.

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