Resolve to attend your Biennial!

Your regional office and board are hard at work, planning what will undoubtedly be an outstanding Biennial experience for you and your board members and committee chairs. For those who have never experienced the North American Biennial, the regional convention is an excellent introduction to the experience of being part of a larger community in a more intimate environment. The calendar of regional Biennials is enclosed; please be sure to encourage your board to sign up so that you can bring a large delegation.

Looking for a Scholar-in-Residence?

As you plan your congregation’s adult learning calendar for the coming year, you’ll want to consult the Union’s Scholar-in-Residence Database of close to 150 master teachers and HUC-JIR professors who want to come to your congregation to share their life’s work on an abundance of Jewish subjects. The database at www.data.urj.org/scholar/ can be searched by scholar’s last name, state or province or 21 different categories, from American Jewish life to Worship and Prayer. Please note that each scholar is responsible for setting his or her fees and will negotiate directly with the congregation. Questions? Contact Frances Schwartz, 212.650.4110, educate@urj.org.

November is Jewish Book Month

If your congregation is hosting a Jewish Book Fair this fall, the URJ Press and Transcontinental Music Publications can help you with book recommendations, promotional materials, special pricing, not to mention a vast selection of Jewish books and music. Please contact Zachery Kolstein, 212.650.4125, to start planning today.

Finances for Small Congregations

Give As God Has Blessed You: Rethinking Financial Commitment in Your Congregation is the first in a series of updated publications featuring the Department of Synagogue Management’s new “Think Small: An Approach for Small Congregations” material. This publication, sporting a new name to reflect the latest thinking in congregational support, offers new information on support structures for 20s and 30s, voluntary giving and more than 40 pages of new forms, letters, charts and material now in use in congregations. Download Give As God Has Blessed You at www.urj.org/synmgmt/publications or call 212.650.4040 to obtain a copy.

Free Weekly E-Newsletter

If your e-mail address is in the Union’s database, you should be receiving the latest Union product: the Weekly Briefing, an e-mail of news about the Union and the greater Jewish world. Now we need your help in reaching a larger audience! The briefing, produced in cooperation with JTA: The Global News Service of the Jewish People is available free of charge to you and all your members as a benefit of membership in your congregation and your congregation’s membership in the Union. Please encourage your members and college students to sign up for a free subscription by including a link to the subscription page in your congregational e-mails and bulletin. An ad which you can include in your bulletin is available online. To subscribe, go to www.urj.org/subscribe.

Reform Judaism in Israel & Abroad See Enclosed 

In the enclosed report, Rabbi Uri Regev, president of the World Union for Progressive Judaism, provides an update on activities across the globe, highlighting the renewal of Reform Judaism in Germany where three Reform rabbis will be ordained in September.

Looking for Young Composers

Please help spread the word and encourage any young (born after January 1, 1972) composers to apply for the 2007 Young Composers Award. Entries must be a set of three original compositions in Hebrew, drawn from Jewish texts that can be performed as separate pieces or as a unit, with or without a narrator, and include 10-12 minutes for cantor, SATB volunteer choir, piano and a single instrument obligato. Entries should be sent to Chairman Ben Steinberg at Temple Sinai Congregation, 210 Wilson Avenue, Toronto, Ontario, M5M 3B1 Canada by January 5. For additional information, contact Jayson Rodovsky at JRodovsky@urj.org.

New from URJ Press! Inside Intermarriage

Jim Keen, the author of Inside Intermarriage: A Christian Father’s Perspective on Raising a Jewish Family, is a a Christian father who is helping his Jewish wife raise Jewish children. Using a healthy dose of humor and insights gleaned from his own experience, he provides couples with practical advice and solutions for how to give children a clear Jewish identity while maintaining a comfort level for both parents. Any family, no matter what the faiths of its individual members, can find his approach relevant. To order this book or to schedule a speaking engagement with Jim Keen, contact Zachary Kolstein at URJ Press 212-650-4125.

For Adult Hebrew Newcomers

A Taste of Hebrew, the newest volume in the Hebrew for Adult series from the URJ Press, is the perfect way to learn a little Hebrew without being overwhelmed. A Taste of Hebrew includes interesting extras like brief commentaries related to the letters and tidbits on the prayers that you can peruse as you study. A prequel to Aleph Isn’t Tough and the rest of the series, this slim volume is designed for the individual or in a class setting. It’s also ideal for parents who want to be able to help their children with religious school homework, or anyone wanting to take a first step into Hebrew. To order, visit www.urjbooksandmusic.com or call 212.650.4120.

And more from the URJ Press

For parents, grandparents and educators: Honest Answers to your Child’s Jewish Questions by Rabbi Sharon Forman covers a broad array of topics, including God, holidays, ethics and Jewish identity. And for the children, volumes 1 and 2 of The God Around Us are delightful picture books for preschoolers. If they’re not yet in your congregation’s library, you’ll want to order them—and let your parents know they’re available, too.

CHAI Level 7 is here!

In CHAI Level 7 students begin to take ownership of their Jewish identity. Once again the curriculum includes three strands—Torah, Avodah and G'milut Chasadim—but for Level 7 the student workbooks are divided into three distinct booklets. For more information about the curriculum, see www.urj.org/chai; to order, go to www.urjbooksandmusic.com or call 212.650.4120.

NATE Convention, December 24-27

Educators, you won’t want to miss this year’s NATE Convention in Kansas City, MO. It’s your opportunity to network, learn, explore new ideas, and enjoy a few days away from the hustle and bustle of your regular work. The convention begins with keynote speaker Dr. Barry Chazan on Sunday evening. For those who are in their first three years in an educational leadership post, there’s a pre-conference program with Rabbi Sam Joseph and Rabbi Jan Katzew. Please see the enclosed, or call the NATE office at 212.452.6510.

NATE 2007 Israel Study Seminar See Enclosed

Next summer NATE is sponsoring a special Israel Study Seminar from June 28 to July 12. Developed in partnership with the Lokey Academy, the seminar is an opportunity to strengthen the ties between the Israeli Jewish community and the diaspora, while developing new skills and enjoying all that Israel has to offer. Please post the enclosed poster for your staff to see! Call the NATE office to learn more at 212.452.6510.

Torah at the Center: Hebrew Issue

“I am an unrepentant, relentless Hebrew language advocate, meshuga la’davar,” writes Rabbi Jan Katzew in the latest issue of Torah at the Center. The volume is devoted to Hebrew and looks at the issue of Hebrew in our synagogues, schools and daily lives from many different viewpoints. You’ll find information about teaching Hebrew to adults, learning Hebrew online, the Mitkadem curriculum and the NFTY resolution on Hebrew literacy. For additional copies, please call the Department of Lifelong Jewish Learning, 212.650.4110.

For Youth Group Leaders - February 16-20,2007

The unforgettable NFTY Convention, the largest gathering of its kind in the world, will be in Philadelphia from February 16-20, 2007. Don’t let your high school leaders miss out on this experience. They’ll return tired, but filled with new enthusiasm and knowledge. Registration will be open soon, so be sure to have your teens check out www.nfty.org.

…and Staff

Coinciding with the NFTY Convention, the URJ Youth Workers Conference is an opportunity for those who work in informal education, including clergy, educators and lay leaders, to explore Jewish ethics and moral choices. Information is online at www.rjyouthworker.org, or call 212.650.4070.

For This Year’s High School Seniors

As your seniors get serious about their college applications, please share with them information about Carmel, the Reform Movement’s one-year accredited college program in Israel. Students complete coursework at the University of Haifa while studying at the Reform Movement’s Lokey International Academy of Jewish Studies at the Leo Baeck Education Center. For students serious about their Judaism, Carmel provide a year of academic credit from the University of Haifa and strong connections to Israel that will last a lifetime. Applications for the 2007-2008 year are available online now. For more information, visit www.carmelisrael.org, or contact Lyle Rothman at LRothman@urj.org or 212.452.6572.

KESHER Convention, October 27-29

Please help us reach your college students! The KESHER Department will send you colored copies of the attached flyer about this October’s KESHER Convention in Gainesville, FL, to distribute to students when they’re home for the holidays. Please urge them to attend and, if possible, provide financial assistance to make it possible. Contact the KESEHER College Department at kesherconvention@urj.org for more pamphlets and information on KESHER Convention 2006.

A Reform birthright israel trip

Also of interest to college students: The KESHER Israel Connection, a free 10-day tour of Israel made possible by a gift from Taglit-birthright israel, is open to 18-26 year olds who have never been on an educational study program or organized peer group tour of Israel. Trips are planned for this December-January. Registration opens September 12 at www.keshernet.com/birthright. For more information contact Diane Sinesky, kesherisraeltrip@urj.org.

Help us help you…

The Union’s KESHER College Department wants to help your congregation stay connected with your college student— but to do so, we need to have contact information for your leaders and your students. The KESHER College Department e-newsletter is a helpful resource; please send to kesher@urj.org contact information for those lay and professional leaders who would like to receive it. In addition, please send us contact information (with their permission, of course!) for your students so they can get news about Reform programming on campus and national KESHER events. Send an e-mail to kesher@urj.org with the student’s full name, college and permanent addresses, e-mail, and expected graduation year and semester.

Tzedek V’Shalom

As the one-year anniversary of last summer’s devastating hurricanes approaches, we are reminded that the New Orleans community is far from normal. In the summer issue of Tzedek V'Shalom, Rabbi Deborah Hirsh provides an update on the recent leadership mission and how much the New Orleans Reform community continues to rely on the Union and the Reform Movement as it rebuilds. Note: For an update on how the Hurricane Disaster Relief Funds have been spent, see www.urj.org/relief.

2007 Irving J. Fain Social Action Awards

 
Do you have an exemplary social action program? If so, please help other congregations learn from your success by applying for a 2007 Irving J. Fain Award. Since the Fain Awards were established 23 years ago, the winning programs have been replicated in congregations across the continent. To be eligible, congregations must be in good standing with the Union and not winners of the 2003 or 2005 awards. Please pay particular attention to the Awards criteria and the December 8, 2006 deadline. The application is enclosed, or download it at www.rac.org/social/fain/. For more information, please contact Alyssa Agard at the Commission on Social Action of Reform Judaism, at 212.650.4160, csarj@urj.org.

Consultation on Conscience

While we dare not predict the results of this November’s elections, we’re confident that they will have an impact on the Congress that takes office in 2007. At the Consultation on Conscience your politically involved members will be able to hear directly from key political and government leaders and learn the advocacy skills necessary to motivate and involve your members. This year’s consultation will be Sunday, April 15 to Tuesday, April 17. For more information, please contact Rabbi Michael Namath at the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, 202.387.2800, consultation@rac.org

Save Darfur: Blue Helmet Campaign

Ending the genocide in Darfur is one of the great moral challenges in the early 21st century. The Religious Action Center has launched the Blue Helmet Campaign to send postcards to permanent members of the United Nations Security Council urging the UN to work toward transferring the current African Union peacekeeping mission in Darfur into a United Nations force. The postcard campaign is set to conclude in conjunction with the Voices to Save Darfur event in New York City, on September 17th. To learn more about this campaign or to send a postcard electronically, please visit www.rac.org/bluehelmet.

Jewish Holidays: Social Action Guides

How does g’milut chasadim fit into your pillars of Torah? Social justice themes run through the Jewish holidays and provide an opportunity for social action programming. Each holiday guide has resources and ideas for congregational programming as well as individual home observance. Be sure to check out the High Holiday and Sukkot guides for the upcoming Days of Awe at www.rac.org/holidayguides.

Children’s Sabbath October 20-22, 2006

Today in the United States, 9 million children do not have health care coverage and 13 million children live in poverty. The Children’s Defense Fund’s (CDF) 15th annual National Observance of Children’s Sabbaths is planned for October 20-22, 2006. Join congregations of all faiths across the nation to celebrate children and demand justice for the future generations. For information about implementing a Children’s Sabbath in your congregation, go to www.childrensdefense.org.