Several Reconstructionist Rabbinical College graduates and others affiliated with the movement are featured in “Rising Tides, Riding Voices: Songs for the Jewish Climate Movement.”
When Rabbi Alex Weissman applied to rabbinical school in 2011, he estimates that there were just a handful of rabbis working at social-justice organizations. Fast-forward a dozen years and that number now exceeds several dozen — too many for Weissman to name.
Why the dramatic shift? Many advocacy organizations now recognize the role that clergy can play in helping activists maintain spiritual and emotional health. (Burnout is all too common among people trying to fix a broken world.) Additionally, many progressive organizations have sought to reclaim the moral, prophetic voice, refusing to surrender the religious label to political and cultural conservatives, says Weissman.
Shira Singelenberg is a native of Bethesda, Md. She said she grew up in an environment that fostered curiosity and questioning and one in which Shabbat dinner was a revered and memorable time. She received her BA degree from the University of Maryland-Baltimore County, where she majored in history with a minor in medieval and early studies.
Rabbi Tamara R. Cohen, ‘14 has received a prestigious 2023 Covenant Award which honors groundbreaking and influential Jewish educators. According to the Covenant Foundation’s announcement, this year’s recipients are “meeting a complex moment in Jewish communal history with a powerful blend of courage, commitment, and compassion.”
Feeling anxious about wildfire smoke? Here’s advice from a climate change chaplain
The Reconstructionist Rabbinical College’s graduating class of 2023/5783 marked the profound moment of transition by creating a beautiful ritual that incorporates the birkat kohanim, the priestly blessing. It is one of the oldest and most powerful blessings of the Jewish tradition.
As Rabbi Barbara Penzner reviews her 28 years as senior solo rabbi of Temple Hillel B’nai Torah, a small, urban Reconstructionist congregation in West Roxbury, she told JewishBoston that she feels much gratitude for the community she and her congregation have built over the decades.
My time in the military was busy and transformative. Amidst the stress of active duty life, I found myself having conversations while on watch, or in the chameleon chapel where I connected with people on a personal level. I learned over time that people craved the chance to talk and safely express themselves.
I wanted to foster the environment where my shipmates could feel safe to talk, and through those moments is where I realize
Rabbis are usually the ones stewarding congregants through life cycle events, such as births, deaths, coming of age and marriage, but what happens when a rabbi goes through those same monumental life moments?
Congregation Or Shalom Rabbi Kami Knapp Schechter, who just turned 40, is returning to her synagogue on May 22 after maternity leave, having given birth to twins three months ago.
The results of the Center for Jewish Ethics project — a trove of video lectures, curricula and lesson plans — are now freely available at Jewsandrace.com. The materials offer profound insight into the range, depth and complexity of the moral, historical and practical questions that race and racism pose to Jews and Judaism.
Serving as central organization of the Reconstructionist movement
Training the next generation of groundbreaking rabbis
Modeling respectful conversations on pressing Jewish issues
Curating original, Jewish rituals, and convening Jewish creatives
