Purim! - Shir Tikvah

From our Senior Rabbi...Why I am a Reform JewWhen I was growing up, we had what I thoughtwas an “regular” Jewish family: My father grewup on Minneapolis’ Northside and attendedMikre Kodesh, an Orthodox synagogue; my mother’sfamily belonged to Temple of Aaron, a Conservativecongregation in St. Paul.When they got married, how did they resolve the dilemmaof which synagogue to join and where to live? They movedto the “new frontier” Northern suburbs, sent my brotherand me to the Sabes Jewish Community Center for preschool,and joined Temple Israel, a Reform synagogue!Once upon a time, it seemed denomination—Orthodox,Conservative, Reform (there was no Reconstructionistor Jewish Renewal communities in the Twin Cities in the1970s, to my knowledge)—mattered. The lines betweenthe denominations seemed “brightly” drawn andmovement affiliation “mattered” in ways both explicit andunarticulated.Today, we’re living in a moment of denominational fluxand an increasing number of Jews no longer affiliating witha particular movement and defining themselves as “justJewish.”While the boundaries have opened and the lines may seemto blur a bit between the Jewish denominations, I remain aproud and committed Reform Jew. Why?Reform Judaism values both Jewishtradition and modernity. Our richJewish past informs our decisions,our theology, and our ritual life, asdoes scientific development, rationaldiscourse, and new modes of thinkingand expression.Reform Judaism expresses an absolutecommitment to human dignity and equality, from theordination of women to the full inclusion of GLBT Jews,from reaching to interfaith families to exploring who is onthe margins of Jewish life and how we bring them into thecenter.Our commitment to Abraham and Sarah’s tent of radicalhospitality is robust!Reform Judaism takes seriously God’s call to us asindividuals and to us as a people. We believe that lifehas ultimate meaning, and our great spiritual task is tocultivate the life of the soul and the healing of our planet.For 150 years, Reform Judaism has stood at the intersectionof spirituality and justice, giving prophetic voice to themost vulnerable in our world, demanding that we create asociety that reflects the best of our human community.What makes you proud to be a Reform Jew? I look forwardto hearing your answers.L’shalom,From our Director of Lifelong Learning...Last April, then-president JaneNewman called for the creation ofa Lifelong Learning Taskforce todevelop a vision for Shir Tikvah. Overseveral months, we reflected on ourown experiences, learned about ShirTikvah’s history, read articles, studiedthe work of other congregations, hadconversations with members, andimagined the voices of many differentmember profiles in our community.We then used those ideas during aretreat to draft a statement, asked thecongregation and various stakeholdersfor feedback, and edited andstrengthened the statement to arrive ata final vision.With the hard work of a dedicatedgroup of congregational leaders,after hundreds of Post-Its, dozens ofcomments, hoursof meetings,and countlessconversations, theLifelong LearningTaskforce’s “Visionfor LifelongLearning wasapproved by theBoard at the meeting on February 2.Shir Tikvah will be a welcoming,sacred Jewish community of learnersof every age, ability, perspective, andbackground. Learners will engagein holy conversations about Torah;concepts of God, Judaism, Israel; andrelevant issues of today’s world in alltheir exhilarating, challenging, andprofound forms. We will encounterinnovative and flexible learning modelsin rhythm with Jewish holidays, lifecycle events and Shabbat. Our learningwill cultivate Jewish identity, buildcommunity, and inspire us to live inharmony with our Jewish ethics.The taskforce now moves into phasetwo, working to shape a lifelonglearning program that reflects thevision statement. This includes “lowhangingfruit” (enhancing our existingmodels) and pilot models (newprograms and learning opportunities).In the next few months, the taskforcewill be offering opportunities for inputand feedback to plan for the future oflifelong learning at Shir Tikvah.2