reconstructionist rabbinical college and jewish

RECONSTRUCTIONIST RABBINICAL COLLEGE andJEWISH RECONSTRUCTIONIST COMMUNITIES

2015

ANNUAL REPORT

Watch the video at www.RRC.edu/AR15


HOME | RABBINICAL EDUCATION

& BEYOND

| CAMP JRF | FINANCIALS | TAKE ACTION|| OUR GRADUATES | COMMUNITY

ENGAGEMENT

YOU MAKE A

DIFFERENCE

This is the script of a video that you can watch at www.RRC.edu/AR15

Is this you?

How about this?

Or this? . . .

If so, let’s join together . . .

We believe that all of us are responsible for Judaism, and for reconstructing it in each generation, to create the Judaism we want to live today…and tomorrow.

We know that people take many different paths towards meaningful Jewish living, and we must nurture each individual journey.

We embrace and celebrate the diversity of Jews, and see our role as nourishing each other’s spirits through mutual support.

We believe that modern Jewish communities flourish when we steep ourselves in the wisdom of our traditions and open ourselves to the wisdom of the wider world.

Together –– WE can sustain and expand meaningful Jewish life, now and in the future.

WHO, you ask, is the WE holding a hand out to you right now?

ME. I am a student at RRC because the College believes in my unique vision for Jewish engagement and leadership, and supports me with extensive training in sacred texts, a flexible curriculum, innovative ritual practices, mentoring in social activism and multifaith conversation, and entrepreneurial training. When I took my first internship, I felt ready to help …

ME. I’m a newly elected congregation president with big dreams for our community. I devote countless hours to finding and engaging people like you. People who can bring open hearts and minds to create something larger than each of us individually—a community of fellow travelers who learn together, celebrate together and weather hard times together. It’s inspiring for everyone, even …

ME. At Camp JRF, I spent last summer living in the incredible new Eco-Village, flying across the 30-foot-high zip line, playing ga-ga with my friends, and learning how being Jewish is cool.And

ME. When I visited my children at Camp, I was amazed at the sense of

2


RABBINICAL EDUCATION

& BEYOND


ENGAGEMENT

YOU MAKE A

DIFFERENCE

HOME |

community they build and at how much the kids had grown in just a few weeks. Camp JRF is where my children get to be their best selves. And it’s where they build their own connection to our progressive Jewish values every day. We’re so grateful to have found a place that infuses Jewishness into all the dynamic activities kids want, inspired by staff who are trained by…

ME. I teach Jewish texts, customs and sacred rituals at RRC because I believe they have the power to help us make meaning and build community. I teach students to challenge, rethink and reinvigorate these important cultural gifts. And I know I’ve done my job when our emerging leaders not only have the knowledge they need, but the creativity to

retell and renew our shared Jewish traditions. To maintain this scholarly and warm, caring community, we rely on supporters like…

ME. My experience of Reconstructionist Judaism is transformative. I continually find ways to deepen my involvement. As a donor, I know that my gift energizes a growing movement made up of rabbinical students and professors, families and communities, leaders and change-makers––all united by common values and a shared vision of our unlimited Jewish potential. And I’m

proud we partner with …

ME. As a Christian seminary professor, I value working closely with RRC faculty, co-teaching courses that explore our differences, build on our commonalities, and empower our students to fight anti-Semitic and anti-Islamic sentiment. These real-world partnerships can halt the fear and hatred that challenge our democracy. Social activists of all faiths regularly pursue peace with partners like…

ME. I graduated from RRC 20 years ago and wherever I go, God-wrestlers and groundbreakers like you have helped me breathe new life into our tradition. Through a Reconstructionist approach to Judaism, we are able to use our voices and actions to right wrongs, help those in need, and lead our people through tumultuous times. And to amplify our efforts, we look to leaders like…

ME. As president of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College and Jewish Reconstructionist Communities, I am committed to the values and aspirations that connect us all and that frame our Jewish future. I want to encourage your participation. Working together, an individual ME can become a surprisingly powerful WE. Join us!

3



& BEYOND


ENGAGEMENT

YOU MAKE A

DIFFERENCE

RABBINIC

AL

EDUCATION

& BEYOND

RRC’s Curriculum Our rabbinical program stresses hands-on, reflective learning across all instructional areas. It cultivates knowledge, skills and character with passion for Jewish tradition, the Jewish people and social and environmental justice.

This year RRC has rolled out a new, reimagined curriculum in which every experience integrates the three aspects of rabbinical learning and development shown below. Choose an area to learn more.

• Small-group reflection encourages personal growth: for example, “How do I bring my fullest self into my rabbinate? What is my Shabbat practice, and how is it evolving?”

• Close, mentoring relationships and great access to faculty support each student• Warm, caring community embraces students and their families• Environment fosters individualized spiritual and Jewish growth• Community davens, meditates and celebrates together

• Pursue individual passions on a solid foundation of knowledge and skills • Experience deep immersion in Jewish text• Integrate traditional texts with cutting-edge theory• Engage in independent study• Enjoy opportunities to study at other learning institutions

• Robust internship program offered• Hands-on learning emphasized• Field experiences fully integrated into the curriculum, not separate • Experiential learning encouraged, such as prison chaplaincy and interfaith hevrutah

(paired text study)

Read about Rabbi Mira Wasserman, Ph.D., one of the innovative scholars on our faculty, and her class in Talmud ethics on page 13.

4


RABBINIC

AL

EDUCATION

& BEYOND

| OUR GRADUATES | |HOME | COMMUNITY

ENGAGEMENT

YOU MAKE A

DIFFERENCE

| CAMP JRF | FINANCIALS | TAKE ACTIONRABBINICAL EDUCATION

& BEYOND

Clinical Pastoral

Education

Education

Field Experiences Meet some of our current students and learn how a range of field experiences help shape their development into rabbis.

Ariana Katz Kol Tzedek

As the Torah School director at Kol Tzedek, I have seen how heymish, loving and joyful Jewish education can be. I have developed curricula that are rooted in a Reconstructionist relationship to Judaism plus a strong commitment to social justice. I observed how our students flower when given the chance to lead the discussion, build their own relationships and discover their own truths. Support from my rabbinic supervisors, both at work and at RRC, has helped me develop. I’m learning how to nourish children and help them grow into invested members of our community, as comfortable and confident Jews.

College Campus

Work

Jason Bonder University of Delaware Hillel

My internship this year was particularly helpful because there is no other rabbinic presence at this Hillel. I had great support from professors and mentors at RRC, but once I got onto campus, I was the rabbi this year! That was a huge step for my development. For the first time, I wasn’t taking on projects that got filtered down to me through a supervisor. Rather, I had to test my skills in many areas, from halakhah to spiritual advice. This was a great challenge and a rewarding experience.

5

Kate Cook Clinical Pastoral Education

My first CPE internship was an intensive summer spent at the Hospitals of the University of Pennsylvania. I supported patients and families in the emergency department and intensive care units. Through moments of crisis and often grief, I learned the value of presence as a chaplain, and have been able to inhabit this role with increasing competence.

My second CPE experience has been in a rehabilitation unit, working with patients and families as they negotiate the difficulties of recovery from amputation, stroke and brain injury. This often involves long-term care and allows me to establish close working relationships. Both experiences have proven invaluable to my development, and they have solidified my decision to pursue hospital chaplaincy as my rabbinical career.



& BEYOND


ENGAGEMENT

YOU MAKE A

DIFFERENCE

Ruhi Sophia Motzkin Rubenstein Congregational Intern Congregation Beit Simchat Torah

At CBST, I learned to be a rabbi in the field. It’s where all of the theory and the practice came together for me, as I juggled multiple adult and children’s education responsibilities, program planning, service leading, public speaking and pastoral counseling. The most powerful moment for me came early in my internship, when I led a private kol nidrey service around a hospital bed, with the family of a CBST member who was on hospice. Less than 12 hours later, I stood on the stage at the Javitz Center in front of 4,000 people as kol nidrey was recited. The energy in each room was very powerful, and I love that I’ve gotten to do work that brings me into both kinds of holy space.

Ariel Tarash Monroe Village Senior Adult Community

I connect with the hearts and souls of Jewish elders in my pastoral care internships. Elders invite me into their lives, their stories, their passing joys, their fears, and even places where they have not invited the people closest to them. I may bring a healing Jewish presence, but the elders are always my teachers. By being together, we create a makom kadosh, a holy place, where the Divine holds us, protects us and gives us blessing.

Jacob Adler Intern for the Tikkun Olam Commission of the Jewish Reconstructionist Communities

I have gotten a firsthand look at how individual congregations and the movement at large make decisions to support social change. I have learned from conversations with representatives of congregations across North America about their work to bring about social justice—both locally and globally. While connecting congregations with resources to generate change in their communities, I have encouraged them to think intentionally about how they can work to lessen the effects of income inequality and help our society become more economically just.

Congregational

Work

Social Justice and

Multifaith Organizing

Chaplaincy

Beyond Rabbinical EducationEach semester, RRC opens selected courses and/or workshops to non-matriculated students. In the future, we plan to expand these offerings and include new formats, such as retreat-based certificate programs.

6

Learn about the Summer 2015 courses for non-matriculated students. RRC.edu/NM

RABBINIC

AL

EDUCATION

& BEYOND



& BEYOND


ENGAGEMENT

YOU MAKE A

DIFFERENCE

OUR

GRADUATES

RRC alumni work in a wide range of settings. They innovate, elevate and inspire. Meet some of our graduates below and discover what they bring to the communities and individuals they serve.

Rabbi Renee Bauer, ’05 Interfaith Coalition for Worker Justice of South Central Wisconsin

Our Sacred Scriptures teach us that we bring holiness into the world not only by praying and celebrating holidays, but also by creating a more just and equitable society and opening our hearts to those in need. When I first thought of being a rabbi, it was in the context of creating social change. At RRC, I learned how to think about my work on a variety of levels: historical, religious, textual and spiritual. This allows me to understand my nontraditional rabbinical work as a “real” rabbinical job. My training also gave me the basis to do the serious interfaith work I do, and to value it as important to the broader community.

Rabbi Elisa Goldberg, ’99 Community Chaplain

I am blessed to help people find and name the sacred in their lives. Through compassionate listening, reflection and prayer, we bring out the holy in the mundane details of life. Recently, I was called to be at the bedside of an elderly woman who was dying. She was at peace with her life, but nervous about what was coming next. We talked about the journey of her soul through her long life and what she hoped was coming next. At the end, we held hands, looked into each other’s eyes and chanted the shema. I was able to offer her a sacred vessel into which she could pour her powerful emotions and questions. She gave me the blessing of witnessing the beauty and dignity of the human spirit.

Rabbi Alexander Lazarus-Klein, ’04 Congregation Shir Shalom

I feel very blessed to be able to serve as a congregational rabbi in Western New York. Every day I wake up with a mission of making the lives of my congregants and the people in this community better. Sometimes this happens through hospital visits, sometimes through advocacy, and sometimes just by providing an ear to the many struggles going on around me. I feel that my education at RRC helped guide me to be an empathetic individual who is filled with a love of not only Judaism, but of humanity as a whole. I feel blessed to have attended such a nurturing and loving institution, and to help carry on the teachings of Mordecai Kaplan and Recon-structionism in my community, and beyond.

Visit TheRRA.org for sermons, podcasts, essays and more.

7

| OUR GRADUATES |HOME | RABBINICAL EDUCATION

& BEYOND

| CAMP JRF | FINANCIALS | TAKE ACTION|COMMUNITY

ENGAGEMENT

YOU MAKE A

DIFFERENCE


OUR

GRADUATES

8

Rabbi Jordan Bendat-Appell, ’08 Institute for Jewish Spirituality and Orot: Center for New Jewish Learning

It has been incredibly gratifying to help nurture Jewish mindfulness practice locally and nationally. I am seeing how this work must be made manifest, integrated into the daily lives of the people in our communities. And we can bring people together from across the country (the world, actually!), train teachers, and build resources and networks that can inform and support what is happening right here.

Sometimes when we are sitting together in meditation in at the Center for Jewish Mindfulness at Orot, I look around at the full room of people and realize, “We did it! We have created a real community of practice. It is diverse in age, gender and religious orientation, and yet we are one community. We have created a real, living resource for Jewish mindfulness meditation.”

Rabbi Michelle Greenfield, ’12Jewish Education Consultant

I work primarily with people who tend to experience the world differently and share their experiences differently. They may have autism, mental health issues, learning disabilities or other differences. Whether I am serving as a teacher, chaplain or tutor, I try to greet everyone with openness and to understand what they are looking for from me. My work allows me to spend time with a lot of individuals and small groups. But I also get to consider the big picture in our Jewish communities, serving on Hineinu, a national, interdenominational advisory board on issues of synagogue inclusion, and participating in Philadelphia’s Jewish Special Needs Consortium.

At RRC, I was encouraged to find my own way and create my own path. I had teachers and mentors who encouraged me to take classes at other institutions and helped me create opportunities to do the work that I feel most passionate about.

Rabbi Danielle Leshaw, ’02 Hillel at Ohio University

Hillel, for me, stands at the intersection of Jewish ideas and actualization. One piece of my work on campus involves supporting students as they develop their thoughts about Israel, ritual, God and their Jewish future. All the while, I make sure that our Hillel has the resources to support them in the growth and exploration of their Judaism. This approach encourages college students to find their own path, while experiencing the support of an organized community. Leaders are born, ideas are shaped and commitments to Judaism are concretized.

COMMUNITY

ENGAGEMENT



& BEYOND

| OUR GRADUATES | | CAMP JRF | FINANCIALS | TAKE ACTION| YOU MAKE A

DIFFERENCE

Virtual Bet Midrash: Listen, explore, share! Jewish Reconstructionist Communities is committed to lifelong learning for all of our members: congregants of all ages and abilities; rabbis; and affiliate and movement leaders. Historically, the Bet Midrash (literally, a room for learning Torah) has been the center of Jewish scholarship and study. On these pages, you’ll find a collection of resources derived from the many types of community learning the movement provides—both face-to-face and online. This is our virtual Bet Midrash, with highlights of teachings and resources offered over the past year.

COMM

UNITY

ENGAGEMENT

9

Ritualwell.org (web resource)Delve into this repository of tradition and innovation; join a community of ritual creators and users. Ritualwell.org

Gateways to Israeli-Jewish Renaissance (social media)Connect with music, writing, videos and rituals coming from the renaissance of progressive Judaism in Israel. Facebook.com/IsraelGateways

Tikkun Middot: Cultivating Our Character (web resource)Learn about the Jewish practice of Musar, a way to become your best self. RRC.edu/Middah

COMMUNITY

ENGAGEMENT


| | CAMP JRF | FINANCIALS | TAKE ACTIONYOU MAKE A

DIFFERENCE


& BEYOND

| OUR GRADUATES |

Presidential Inaugural Address (video) Rabbi Deborah Waxman, ’99, Ph.D., President, RRC Watch this moving, visionary speech from the new president of the Reconstructionist movement. RRC.edu/video/waxman

The Written-ness of Torah (audio)Elsie Stern, Ph.D., Vice President for Academic Affairs, RRCTo understand Jewish thinking about Torah scrolls, you have to think about magic. Workshop delivered at Oseh Shalom, Laurel, MD RRC.edu/AR15/stern.html

Values-Based Jewish Decision Making: Historical Context and Practical Guide (audio)Rabbi David Teutsch, Ph.D., Director, Center for Jewish Ethics, RRCHow do we make “Jewish decisions” today? The answer goes back to the days of the Roman rulers. Workshop delivered at RRC Day of LearningRRC.edu/AR15/teutsch.html

A Most Welcome Minority: Being Jewish in America (audio)Rabbi Deborah Waxman, ’99, Ph.D., President, RRC “Let us assert that being Jewish in the 21st century is about preserving Jewish distinctiveness and…opening ourselves to transformation.” Lecture delivered at New York City Day of LearningRRC.edu/AR15/waxman.html

10

Finding the Reconstructionist God in the God of the Torah (audio)Rabbi Avi Winokur, ’91, Society Hill SynagogueIn a seeming contradiction in Parashat Ki Teze, Rabbi Winokur finds a quintessentially Reconstructionist teaching about God.Jewishrecon.org/winokur

Jewish Prayer in a Time of Eco-Crisis (audio)Rabbi Joshua Jacobs-Velde, ’11, Co-Founder, ZmanimHow we can we deepen our ecological awareness through the text of the Friday night kiddush and the weekday amidah.Jewishrecon.org/jacobs-velde

Re-Inventing Ritual (audio)Rabbi Roni Handler, ’11, Director, Community Learning, RRC; Editor, Ritualwell.orgDelve into this repository of tradition and innovation; join a community of ritual creators and users.Jewishrecon.org/handler

New Prayers in Contemporary Israel (audio)Adina Newberg, Ph.D., Director, Israel Engagement, Jewish Reconstructionist CommunitiesDiscover poetry and songs that Israelies are using as prayers in their rennaissance of progressive Jewish ritual.Jewishrecon.org/newberg

COMM

UNITY

ENGAGEMENT

YOU MAKE A

DIFFERENCE


| CAMP JRF | FINANCIALS | TAKE ACTIONHOME | RABBINICAL EDUCATION

& BEYOND

|| OUR GRADUATES | COMMUNITY

ENGAGEMENT

YOU MAKE A

DIFFERENCE

Your support makes it possible for us to• train rabbis who will lead progressive Judaism into the future, and• nurture Reconstructionist communities across North America

Here are just two examples of how your gift can make a difference:

The Kleinbaum Congregational Internship honors RRC graduate Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum, ’90. It celebrates her many significant contributions to social justice in the larger Jewish community; her outstanding leadership of Congregation Beit Simchat Torah in Manhattan; and her creation of, and support for, a program of practical rabbinical training that has become a model in the field. The internship generally rotates among Reconstructionist congregations so they can experience its value first-hand. It also serves as a wonderful incentive for congregations to establish and fund their own internships, increasing the overall number of intensive congregational experiences available to RRC students.

This year’s Kleinbaum Congregational Internship involves especially poignant relationships, because the recipient’s father, Rabbi Daniel Kamesar, z”l, was a classmate of both the mentoring rabbi and Rabbi Kleinbaum.

Meet this year’s intern and mentor as well as the funder!

11

Nathan Kamesar, Intern at Society Hill Synagogue

Working in a congregation has allowed me to connect with people in meaningful, spiritually enriching ways. For instance, in the adult education classes I’ve taught, I’ve had the opportunity to explore my own spiritual inclinations while accompanying congregants on small parts of their journeys. In classes like one on Abraham Joshua Heschel’s rich book The Sabbath, or one investigating our tradition’s varied viewpoints on theodicy (i.e., “why bad things happen to good people”), we engaged in the process of delving more deeply into the questions our ancestors also struggled with.

The opportunity to compose and deliver divrei torah on a somewhat regular basis has allowed me to engage in a creative process I didn’t realize I was yearning for. Everyone should be so lucky as to find work so meaningful for them!

In the process of building up the young adult (20s and 30s) presence at Society Hill Synagogue, I’ve gotten to work with peers on what feels meaningful to them. I even found myself teaching a class in which we compared Megillat Esther to Quentin Tarantino films, and Purim to Mardi Gras!

The whole experience has been incredibly meaningful to me, in no small part because Avi as well as Sharon were classmates of my father’s at RRC. I feel incredibly grateful for this experience.

RRC.edu/giveonline

YOU MAKE A

DIFFERENCE



& BEYOND


ENGAGEMENT

Rabbi Avi Winokur, ’91, Society Hill Synagogue

I am forever indebted to Bill Fern for his visionary leadership in establishing this internship. To have Nathan Kamesar as the Kleinbaum Congregational Intern has a special personal significance for me. Both Sharon and I were RRC classmates of Nathan’s father, the late Rabbi Daniel Kamesar, z’’l. Daniel’s sudden death within a year of graduation was devastating for me, Sharon and the rest of our classmates. Sharon was very close to the Kamesar family, and though Nathan was just a youngster when his father died so tragically, he has fond childhood memories of Sharon. I had not seen Nathan for over 20 years and was deeply moved to think that, like his father, he was becoming a rabbi. Furthermore, like me, Nathan practiced law in the San Francisco Bay Area before entering rabbinical school. Everything about this has been especially meaningful to me.

Nathan’s introduction to our community occurred through his divrei torah on the High Holidays. He was superb, and I was inundated with accolades for him. Every time he has led services, his talks have been of the highest quality. Nathan’s work on expanding our young adult membership has been a real boon to me. Most fulfilling has been my mentoring role, the conversations and feedback about the conduct of services, and sharing with him some of the more private aspects of the rabbinate—including how to shape rabbinic leadership so that it is at once effective and also empowers and energizes lay leaders to succeed.

Nathan’s instincts are unusually compatible with the congregational rabbinate, and the idea that I am privileged to have a role in his development is most gratifying. In fact, our community is so delighted with Nathan that we have found a way to have him return next year in a new internship that we devised with RRC. This fulfills another goal of the Kleinbaum Internship, and it is a blessing for our community.

Bill Fern, RRC Supporter and Internship Founder

I am always seeking to create opportunities for our students to grow. Although I have funded many internships, the Kleinbaum Congregational Internship holds a special place in my heart. Rabbi Kleinbaum shaped my Jewish home, Congregation Beit Simchat Torah, a remarkable community of LGBTQ Jews and their allies in the heart of New York.

Wherever Kleinbaum Interns may be serving, each is invited to speak at CBST—both to honor Sharon Kleinbaum’s congregation and to have yet another experience before a highly discerning audience. When I heard what a particularly fine d’var torah Nathan Kamesar gave for Shabbat morning at CBST, I felt truly gratified by the gifts of this still-young student. He is the kind of emerging Jewish leader who encourages teachers and mentors of rabbinical students, and makes all of our efforts worthwhile.

12

RRC.edu/giveonline

YOU MAKE A

DIFFERENCE

YOU MAKE A

DIFFERENCE



& BEYOND


ENGAGEMENT

| CAMP JRF | FINANCIALS | TAKE ACTION

Thanks to your support, RRC attracts world-class scholars and deeply committed educators. Our newest faculty member is Talmud professor Rabbi Mira Wasserman, Ph.D. She brings immediacy and vibrancy to texts dating back to the seventh century.

Rabbi Mira Wasserman, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of

Rabbinic Literature

I’m inspired by the Talmud and firmly believe that traditional Jewish texts can help guide our 21st-century lives. The final exam for one of my classes took place amid a tumultuous time of violence and protest in our country. Therefore, I asked the students to relate talmudic discussions of rabbinic law to highly publicized cases of police shootings of African-American men. I challenged the class not only to interpret our traditional sources and wisdom, but also to make them relevant today. This is what they will have to do when they become rabbis. I was deeply gratified by the insights and passion I saw when I read their answers.

13

RRC.edu/giveonline

YOU MAKE A

DIFFERENCE

You have many ways to get involved. Your gift can help provide:

• Congregational support and consulting• Rabbinical internships in congregations, on campuses and in chaplaincy settings • Social justice organizing faculty and internships• Multifaith study programs and internships• Scholarships for rabbinical training • Vibrant campus life• A top-notch library at RRC

YOU MAKE A

DIFFERENCE


RRC.edu/giveonline


& BEYOND


ENGAGEMENT

Board of Governors

Meet our donors

RRC.edu/donorthanks

YOU MAKE A

DIFFERENCE

14

Chair David Roberts St. Louis, MOVice Chair Susan Beckerman New York City, NYTreasurer Howard Kerbel Upper Montclair, NJSecretary Karen Kolodny New York City, NYChair Emeritus Donald L. Shapiro Naples, FLGeneral Chair Aaron Ziegelman New York City, NY

Members of the Board of Governors Hillel Becker, Montreal, QCHoward Blitman, Scarsdale, NYBarry Brian, Walnut Creek, CAJoseph N. Cohen, Los Angeles, CACarol Feder, Potomac, MDWilliam H. Fern, Ph.D., Westport, CTHans Grunwald, M.D., Greenvale, NYDavid Kuney, Potomac, MDHerbert Krasnow, White Plains, NYDaniel Levin, Winnetka, ILJoshua Levin, Washington, DCHarold Magid, White Plains, NYJonathan Markowitz, Evanston, ILMark Nussbaum, La Jolla, CARabbi Debra Rappaport, Golden Valley, MNRabbi Steven Carr Reuben, Ph.D., Pacific Palisades, CAJohn Riehl, Laurel, MDMiriam Roland, Montreal, QCSeth Rosen, Larchmont, NYEric Rosenbaum, New York City, NYMyrna Sameth, Saugerties, NYMyrna Sigman, Edwards, CO

Rabbi Amy Joy Small, Morristown, NJRabbi Avi Winokur, Haddonfield, NJ

Exofficio Jennifer Abraham, Philadelphia, PA RRC Vice President, AdministrationLoren Amdursky, Bethesda, MD Chair, Youth and Education CommissionHon. Abraham Clott, New York City, NY Chair, Congregational Services CommitteeRabbi Joel Hecker, Bala Cynwyd, PA Faculty RepresentativeDanielle Leshaw, Athens, OH Interim Executive Director, Reconstructionist Rabbinical AssociationRabbi Joshua Lesser, Atlanta, GA Chair, Tikkun Olam CommissionRabbi Nina Mandel, Selinsgrove, PA President, Reconstructionist Rabbinical AssociationMichael Mitchell, Toronto, ON Chair, Movement Growth and Financial Health CommissionJosh Peskin, Ph.D., Philadelphia, PA Vice President for Strategic AdvancementRabbi Amber Powers, Abington, PA Vice President for Student DevelopmentDiane Tracht, Philadelphia, PA RRC Student RepresentativeRabbi Isaac Saposnik, Philadelphia, PA Director, Camp JRFJudith Spatz, Davie, FL Representative, Jewish Reconstructionist Camping CorporationElsie Stern, Ph.D., Philadelphia, PA Vice President for Academic AffairsRabbi Deborah Waxman, Ph.D., Elkins Park, PA President



& BEYOND


ENGAGEMENT

YOU MAKE A

DIFFERENCE

CAMP

JRF

Camp JRF is deeply committed to diversity and to creating a Jewish camp culture that is open, inclusive and welcoming to the full spectrum of the Jewish community. This image of the Eco-Village is designed to help you meet some of the kinds of youngsters who see Camp JRF as their “second home.” For our campers, this is the place where they deepen their Jewishness every summer and recharge connections that last all year long.

Who Is a Camp JRF Camper?

* Footnote: These are composite profiles—inspired by, but not representing, actual campers.

15

A study by Brandeis University showed that Jewish summer camp is the number one transformative activity for Jewish youth. It enhances Jewish continuity more substantially than year-round youth programs, Jewish day school or even trips to Israel. Now entering its 14th summer, Camp JRF has been recognized by the Jewish press as one of the “Top 10 Jewish Camps.” Reaching beyond campers to touch their families and congregations, Camp JRF plays a key role in learning, leadership and commitment for Reconstructionist youth and the movement at large.

In the summer of 2014, Camp JRF opened a one-of-a-kind Eco-Village for teens. Designed with camper involvement and an eye on the environment, the Eco-Village takes the first step toward sustainable living at Camp JRF and in campers’ families and synagogues, as well as the wider community. The innovative educational possibilities of life in this new village stretch far beyond the seven weeks of summer.

Meet these campers on page 16.



& BEYOND


ENGAGEMENT

YOU MAKE A

DIFFERENCE

CAMP

JRF

I’m Sam, from Long Island. My mom’s black and my dad’s white. My parents picked this camp for my brother and me because there are other kids who look like us. I think that’s cool, but what I really I love about Camp is spending so much time outside, swimming, running around and hanging out with my friends.

I’m Jake, from Philadelphia. Sometimes I have a hard time fitting in because I have Asperger’s. My moms chose Camp JRF because they knew from our rabbi that Camp works to include everyone. I’d never spend summer anywhere else!

I’m Avi, from California. When I came out, my mom was totally cool with it, but I think she worried when I got some hassling at school. Then she heard about Camp JRF from friends who said it was incredibly open. They were right—I even got a scholarship! I’m having the best summer ever!

Learn more about Camp JRF!

campjrf.org

Note: These are composite profiles—inspired by, but not representing, actual campers.

16

I’m Joey, from Chicago. This is my first summer here, and the scholarship I got is awesome. Since my mom is a social worker and my dad teaches public school, they needed some help, and we worked it out. I’m really into the ropes course and the environmental stuff. Before I came here, I’d never even heard of a yurt! I’m Jaime, from New Jersey. I’ve been going to Camp for five years and I love it because of how connected I feel to Judaism, without even trying. It’s just…part of everything. It’s fun! Even my mom—who isn’t Jewish—thinks this is the greatest camp ever!

I’m Noah, from Maryland. I feel like I fit in at Camp more than any place else in my life. Being adopted is just no big deal here—everyone is totally down with me being who I am. I wish every place was like camp.



& BEYOND


ENGAGEMENT

YOU MAKE A

DIFFERENCE

FINANCIALS

Statement of financial position (audited) as of August 31, 2014.

17

ASSETS Cash and Equivalents 2,947,121 Accounts Receivable, Pledges Receivable and Other Assets 4,164,556 Beneficial Interests in Trusts 3,647,367 Investments Operating Funds (including Restricted Funds) 712,570 Endowment and Trust Funds 14,968,325 Land, Building and Equipment 5,975,697 Total Assets 32,415,636 LIABILITIES AND FUND BALANCES Liabilities Accounts Payable and Short-Term Liabilities 109,314 Deferred Revenue and Other Liabilities 114,622 Note Payable 3,236,580

Total Liabilities 3,460,516 Fund Balances Operating Funds (including Restricted Funds) 9,998,018 Endowment and Trust Fund Balances 18,957,102 Total Fund Balances 28,955,120 Total Liabilities and Fund Balances 32,415,636



& BEYOND


ENGAGEMENT

YOU MAKE A

DIFFERENCE

TA

KE

AC

TIO

N!

Make a gift!

Subscribe to Recon Torah

Inquire about Camp JRF

Find out more about our rabbinical

program

Follow us onFacebook and Twitter

Find aCongregation

Explore innovative and traditional rituals

on RitualwellRRC.edu/giveonline

Ritualwell.org

RRC.edu/recontorah

Sign up for e-newsletters, publications and updatesRRC.edu/signup

Campjrf.org/parents/application

Jewishrecon.org/directoryRRC.edu/admissions

Facebook.com/RRCcommunity

Twitter.com/RRCcommunity

18

Participate in lifelong learning

Jewishrecon.org/virtual-bet-midrash

HOME | | CAMP JRF | FINANCIALS | TAKE ACTION|| OUR GRADUATES | COMMUNITY

ENGAGEMENT

YOU MAKE A

DIFFERENCE


RABBINICAL EDUCATION

& BEYOND

19

ABOUT THIS

ANNUAL

REPORT

Many people generously contributed their time and talents to this rethinking of our annual report. Thank you to all of our faculty, students and staff who had a hand in bringing it to life. Special thanks to Rabbi Deborah Waxman, Ph.D., for her continued leadership and vision in communications for the movement.

Josh Peskin, Ph.D., executive producer, creative directorWendy Univer, producer, website writerJanis Smith, producerGeorge Wielechowski, RRC ’15, script and creative consultantAmanda Lyons, illustrator, whiteboard artistChaim Bianco, videographer, video editorAndrew Cantor, web design and programming

Readers:Rachael BurgessThe Reverend Dr. Katie Day, The Lutheran Theological Seminary at PhiladelphiaDavid Eber, RRC student Rabbi Alan LaPayover, ’02Ora Nitkin-Kaner, RRC studentDavid Piver, President, Mishkan ShalomElsie Stern, Ph.D.Beverly VitekRabbi Deborah Waxman, ’99, Ph.D.

Additional script and website consultants: Jennifer AbrahamRabbi Nancy Fuchs Kreimer, ’82, Ph.D.Tresa Grauer, Ph.D.Michael KolodnerBarbara G. LissyRabbi Amber Powers, ’02Eric RosenbaumRabbi Isaac Saposnik, ’08Elsie Stern, Ph.D.Rabbi David Teutsch, Ph.D.

reconstructionist rabbinical college and jewish

Documents