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Reconstructionist communities pray, learn, celebrate, and take action together. In our congregations, havurot and camp, we take bold risks and firm stands in order to help Torah, Jewish practice, culture and community evolve to meet the needs of today’s diverse progressive Jews and fellow travellers. Rooted in Jewish values, we work across boundaries in the service of justice, peace, and global well-being.

https://archive.reconstructingjudaism.org/connect

Posted on: 2016/07/20 - 11:32am

Camp JRF Promo Video 2016

This video was produced for Camp JRF by Perlow Productions.

https://archive.reconstructingjudaism.org/video/camp-jrf

Posted on: 2016/07/22 - 2:07pm

Reconstructionism Landing

Reconstructionists approach Judaism — and life — with deep reverence for the past and a passion to relate it to the present. In a rapidly changing world, Reconstructionist communities share and create new ways of being Jewish to connect us to the divine and ensure our lives are filled with purpose.

We view Judaism as the evolving civilization of the Jewish people in an ongoing relationship with God. Our shared culture — rituals, traditions and practices — reflect over 3,000 years of that evolution, and we continue to share and shape it today.

https://archive.reconstructingjudaism.org/learn/reconstructionism

Posted on: 2016/08/22 - 12:43am

Dialogues Landing

Dialogues are an occasional feature bringing together many voices to examine a specific topic. In Cutting Edge Judaism, we brought together longtime Reconstructionist leaders with newer voices from within and beyond the movement, in a 3-week series on articles and recorded interviews. And in Israel & Zionism, we solicited a wide range of Reconstructionist voices across the ideological spectrum to express perspectives on Israel at a particular historical moment.

https://archive.reconstructingjudaism.org/dialogues

Posted on: 2016/08/22 - 12:45am

Affiliation Landing

Being An Affiliate

https://archive.reconstructingjudaism.org/being-an-affiliate

Posted on: 2016/08/22 - 3:39pm

Ethics and Values Landing

Jewish tradition is imbued with values that bear on every important decision we face. What are my obligations to my community? How should I handle charitable giving in a world overwhelmed by human need? How do I navigate decisions on issues ranging from sexual ethics and gender identity to end-of-life decisions?

https://archive.reconstructingjudaism.org/learn/ethics-and-values

Posted on: 2016/09/09 - 10:33am

Jewish Time Landing

The Jewish Week: Shabbat

There is no more prominent and frequent occurrence in the Jewish calendar than the weekly arrival of Shabbat. Along with the remaining six days of the week, Shabbat provides the basic rhythm of Jewish time. Six days of work, one day of rest: mundane, holy. Hurry up, slow down. Get distracted, return to the Source of All. Worry about yourself and your loved ones, remember your blessings. In the Havdala blessing that marks the end of Shabbat, God is praised for distinguishing between holy and mundane (hamavdil beyn kodesh l’ḥol).

https://archive.reconstructingjudaism.org/act/jewish-time-shabbat-and-holidays

Posted on: 2016/09/09 - 10:37am

Life Cycle Landing

Jewish rituals embody our ancestors’ understanding about God, the world, human relationships and the meaning of life, and they connect participants to the Jewish people and its story. These rituals exist because they were successful at helping our forebears to successfully navigate their liminal moments. In our time, people turn to Jewish ritual, in part, because they want to be connected to the Jewish people and to Jewish history. There is meaning for us in being part of that chain of tradition (shalshelet hakabala).

https://archive.reconstructingjudaism.org/act/life-cycle

Posted on: 2016/09/09 - 10:38am

Doing Justice Landing

One of the most oft-quoted verses in the Bible proclaims, “Tzedek, tzedek tirdof - Justice, justice shall you pursue.” (Deuteronomy 16:20) The rabbis taught that this is an example of imitatio Dei, of imitating God’s behavior, because God is just. The rabbis portray God as balancing din, strict, retributive justice, with raḥamim, mercy.

https://archive.reconstructingjudaism.org/act/doing-justice

Posted on: 2016/09/09 - 10:46am

Inclusion Landing

We welcome all into our communities regardless of ability, age, race, sexual orientation, family status or level of knowledge. Because we see ourselves as embodying a spark of the divine (b’tzelem Elohim, cf. Genesis 1:26), we understand that every person has infinite worth; therefore, no human being should be treated merely as an object, and we should always attempt to see the humanity in those we encounter.

https://archive.reconstructingjudaism.org/act/inclusion

Posted on: 2016/09/09 - 10:47am

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