reform judaism - UAHC

an undeniable undercurrent of faith and communal connectionin this generation. After our events, participantsspeak of transformation, of a real feeling of connectionthey thought was lost or had never before experienced.And the very fact that the Jewish community is havingthese conversations—looking at our challenges in new ways—is the best indicator of our ability to change.PITCHING TO PARENTSName: Sarah LeftonAge: 38Profession: Founding ExecutiveDirector, G-dcastJewish Childhood & College Experiences:resident of my Reform temple youth group;member of regional youth group board; URJcamper; religious school student at Tree ofLife Congregation, Columbia, South Carolina.In fourth grade my teacher Ruth Bazerman(z”l) told us, “If you don’t learn somethingnew every day—you’re dead!” She scared the daylightsout of me—in a good way—and it may be why I’m so dedicatedto learning above all else in my Jewish life.Perspectives on Engaging 20s and 30s: These days myhusband, our three-year-old son, and I live in San Francisco,and you’ll catch me regularly on Shabbat at twoplaces. The first, the Mission Minyan, is comprised of awonderfully weird group of people with different Jewishbackgrounds and traditions from whom I’ve learnedeverything from French songs to Danish blessings to faroutTalmud insights to how to cook the perfect roastedchicken (in a cast-iron pan of course). And, although Idon’t personally believe that an all-volunteer model isthe optimal way to run a community, I seriously valuethat all of my learning happened organically, in people’shomes, and without dues or fees—although I gaveplenty of sweat and the occasional kiddush sponsorship.The second, the Kitchen, is a great new indie communitybringing age and observance-diverse people togetherfor Shabbat services, big communal meals, plus offbeatholiday gatherings. Services feature “Camp Kitchen” forthe kids, with storytime and puppets and snacks, and it’snice spending Shabbat with not only younger and olderfriends but also so many other parents of young children.The bottom line, though, is that there isn’t a place wheremy husband and I can realistically daven and learn in aserious way at the same time. I know things get betterwhen kids turn school-aged (Sunday school, camp, modelseders, etc.), but right now I often feel isolated. SeriousJewish learning opportunities usually happen during dinnerand bedtime hour, when I can’t leave the house. Andit’s hard to bring our son to services because he reallyjust wants to run and yell and play. We do it from time totime, but my husband and I end up playing tag team, oneof us davening while the other chases the kiddo. It’s hardto connect spiritually when you’ve got one eye down thehallway wondering if your kid is pulling off his diaper.There’s a missed opportunity for the “establishment”to create Jewish daycare centers, services with childcarefor babies and tots, Torah study that happens online afterthe kids are in bed, and—I can’t resist saying—our ownversion of the over-the-top free church carnivals put onin the park for Easter! Plus, there’s a huge baby boomin San Francisco right now and not enough affordablepreschool spaces for everyone—another opportunity!As a serial entrepreneur, I believe in seizing opportunities(though right now, parenthood has a way of suckingthe extra energy out of me). In 2006, for example, I startedG-dcast—a fun, light, multimedia, online introduction toTorah—to give young adults like myself an easy way intoTorah study. Surprisingly, it caught on with young kidsand their congregational educators even more than withmy peers. Now we create some videos for younger audiencesand others for adults.“As parents of a 3-yr-old,there isn’t a place wheremy husband and Ican learn in a serious wayat the same time.”— Sarah LeftonAre we in a Jewish renaissance? I’m not sure. Jewishculture has obviously had a bang-up 10 years, thanks toso many of my peers in the arts world putting out daringnew Jewish music, writing, film, and ideas. In comparisonto when I was 25, this age group has an embarrassmentof riches—Birthright trips, huge singles-scene Shabbatonegs, Moishe Houses, etc. I also see an uptick of interestin spirituality and traditional davening as well as Jewishmeditation, yoga, and travel. But each generation definesits own flavor. Our parents had chavurot, we have minyanim—bothshare the essential content of community, connection,and culture. What appears missing right now is acentralized conversation about global affairs, politics, andIsrael. Our community today seems very polarized andliving in its own pockets of politics, social concerns, andreligious observance. There don’t seem to be many placeswhere Jews of different stripes hang out. That said, historyhas a way of shaking us out of one world and into a newone. We’ll see how long this particular status quo lasts.The essentials of Jewish life are fairly well established.We’ll keep arguing about the details and tweaking the trimmings,but as long as we keep learning, praying, doing mitzvot,and gathering in community, I think things will be just fine.I do think we could get better at making parvedesserts, though. There’s really nowhere to go but up.reform judaism 31 winter 2012