Archive 2014

Keys to Running a Successful Event

RA Superuser — Tue, 27 May 2014 20:28:00 +0000

Keys to Running a Successful Event RA Superuser Tue, 05/27/2014 - 16:28

By Rabbi Elliot Salo Schoenberg and Daniel Schoenberg

With a bit more planning, you can make your event stand out. Here’s how:

Definition: Be deliberate about what type of event you’re planning.

A program is a low energy event with the purpose of providing knowledge to a group of people.

A rally is a high energy event with the purpose of motivating participants to take action.

Content: Plan it around substance:

At a program, information is central. Balance and discussion makes sense. There is time for questions and answers. Provide handouts. Presenters should be knowledgeable.

At a rally, keep the content to the basics. Drama, presentation and emotion are more important than information. Presenters should be enthusiastic and forceful.

A successful program appeals to the intellect, a successful rally appeals to the heart.

Seating:

At a program, have more than enough seating. Participants should not feel crowded.

At a rally, do not have seats. Standing adds to the sense of urgency. Being uncomfortable helps motivate the participants to want to do something.

Food and Refreshments:

The best programs are built around food. Link the choice of food to the content of the programs. Food helps build the interactions.

Rallies do not have food. Food detracts from the impact. You want your people to leave the event hungry to take action.

Signage:

Programs do not need signs, rallies do. Signs at a program can often disrupt people’s views of the presenters and should therefore be off to the sides or at the front or back of the event. Signs at rallies should be dispersed throughout the crowd. The visual impact is critical at rallies. It’s a chance to reiterate your message.

Music:

Sometimes programs have music linked to the content. However, at rallies music makes the event. The music used should be upbeat. The higher the beats per minute, the better; nothing below 100. Choose the music with your take away in mind. Rallies should start and end with music.

Social Media:

Publicity about your event is essential. The public should know about your programs. Media builds your reputation.

On the other hand, for a rally, media coverage can transform your rally into a forceful leverage point. The right social media can extend the impact area of your rally from your local area to the broader world. Engage your audience; create a hashtag to be used during the event and make sure participants know what it is. Ensure that you have social media presence leading up to, during and after the rally.

Take away: Make sure people know what actions you want them to take after the event concludes. From a program, the key take away is the learning. From a rally, the key take away is feeling you need to do something. Make sure your attendees know how to take action after the rally is over.

No Mothers Day for Those Enslaved

RA Superuser — Fri, 23 May 2014 17:31:00 +0000

No Mothers Day for Those Enslaved RA Superuser Fri, 05/23/2014 - 13:31

By Julie Schonfeld
Originially posted in Huffington Post

There will be no flowers for them this Sunday, no handwritten cards on construction paper, no lunch, no love. Thousands of women and girls are enslaved in sex trafficking in the United States. Some of them are mothers who were lured into slavery when traffickers posed as potential life partners who would be fathers for their children. Others were lured into schemes for higher paying jobs. I learned of these stories while I was serving on the President's Advisory Council on Faith Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, which has developed recommendations for how the President can lead the global fight against modern slavery...[Read More]

Update from last week's CJLS meeting

RA Superuser — Wed, 07 May 2014 13:47:16 +0000

Update from last week's CJLS meeting RA Superuser Wed, 05/07/2014 - 09:47

The Committee on Jewish Law and Standards met on Tuesday and Wednesday of last week and discussed 9 papers on a variety of issues:

Three teshuvot were passed:

Letters of Recommendation by Elliot Dorff and Marc Gary
- This teshuvah answers the question "What norms govern giving oral or written references for schools or jobs?" It covers standard cases of being asked to provide a reference, encourages the evaluator to disclose her/his bias, and gives guidance as to when to refuse to provide a reference. It also addresses the obligation to disclose when the candidate has acted dangerously in the past.
Women and Mitzvah by Pamela Barmash
- This teshuvah addresses the exemption given to women from positive time-bound mitzvot and concludes that this exemption was based on women's subordinate status. Jewish women's overall role in society has dramatically changed since these norms were formulated, and women's ritual involvement has also significantly changed. Therefore,this teshuvah concludes that women are equally obligated to observe mitzvot and calls upon synagogues and other Jewish institutions to educate both men and women towards the equal observance of mitzvot. The teshuvah shapes the requirement as inspirational and aspirational, calling upon all of us to reinvigorate our embrace of mitzvot.
Haftarot for a Triennial Cycle Torah Reading by Avram Reisner
- This teshuvah addresses the minimum length for a haftarah and provides guidance for shortening haftarot especially in cases where they are longer than the triennial Torah reading. It also suggests new haftarot connected to the material read from the Torah during each part of the triennial cycle.

Also on the agenda were the following papers:

Shiva in the Case of Delayed Burial, by Josh Heller (first reading)
Joint Ownership by Avram Reisner (first reading)
Divorce of Lapsed Convert Michael Knopf (first reading)
The Legal Responsibility of Jewish Hotel Patrons by Michael Knopf (second reading)
Singing (or reciting) Psalm 118:1-2 during Hallel by Elliot Dorff (first reading)
Hazak, Hazak for Congregations that Read Torah on the Triennial Cycle by Elliot Dorff (first reading)

Each of these papers were discussed and the authors will be incorporating feedback for future drafts. The next meeting of the CJLS will take place in November 2014.

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Letter to Ambassador Rice in advance of her upcoming visit to Israel

RA Superuser — Tue, 06 May 2014 21:29:26 +0000

Letter to Ambassador Rice in advance of her upcoming visit to Israel RA Superuser Tue, 05/06/2014 - 17:29

Dear Ambassador Rice,

As you prepare for your upcoming trip to Israel in the coming days, I would like to wish you a nesiyah tovah, a good journey, on behalf of the Rabbinical Assembly. It is auspicious that your journey coincides with Yom Ha’atzmaut, Israel’s Independence Day, which we celebrate today. I know from our discussions and from your public addresses that you deeply appreciate the miracle of the founding of the Jewish State, and understand its immeasurable significance to the Jewish people. As I wish you strength and wisdom on this important trip, I remember how moved hundreds of rabbis and cantors were at the AIPAC conference in 2012 when you shared memories of your first trip to Israel as a teen. Your friendship with the American Jewish community is one built not only on shared values but on shared formative experiences.

I am deeply grateful for the support that you, President Obama, Secretary Kerry, and the entire administration unswervingly show towards Israel. Although recent developments in negotiations have saddened the world Jewish community, which supports Israel’s stated goal of two thriving states with secure borders, we are confident that your delegation’s current trip will do much to strengthen the Israeli-American relationship and affirm our mutual commitment to the peace process. The support of the Administration for a peacefully negotiated solution is an essential element of building the trust necessary for an eventual agreement. The journey to this point has been long and there is still a challenging road ahead, but we must have confidence that the courageous work of the past months will, in ways not yet visible, significantly further the road to peace.

As you embark on this trip, I hope that you will keep in mind the words of Tefilat Haderech, the Traveler’s Prayer, traditionally recited by Jews before important journeys: May it be Your will, Lord, our God and the God of our ancestors, that You lead us toward peace, guide our footsteps toward peace, and make us reach our desired destination for life, gladness, and peace. May your trip be blessed with gladness and peace for you and your delegation, and may your meetings prove fruitful in advancing the causes of peace and friendship in a region too often torn by strife.

Warm Regards,
Julie Schonfeld

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Actually, J Street Won

RA Superuser — Sun, 04 May 2014 16:13:18 +0000

Actually, J Street Won RA Superuser Sun, 05/04/2014 - 12:13

By Gerald Skolnik
Originally posted on The Jewish Week

Sometimes you win. Sometimes you lose. Sometimes you win, but really lose. And then other times you lose, but really win.

On the face of it, J Street lost this week in its effort to gain membership in the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations. After an application process that lasted almost a year, the organization that calls itself “pro peace, pro Israel” failed to garner the requisite votes to meet the constitutionally mandated membership threshold of the Conference. Those who opposed J Street’s candidacy will no doubt see this as a victory. I’m not at all so sure…[Read More]

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Fear and exclusion of J Street is misguided and destructive

RA Superuser — Fri, 02 May 2014 16:30:15 +0000

Fear and exclusion of J Street is misguided and destructive RA Superuser Fri, 05/02/2014 - 12:30

By Julie Schonfeld
Originally posted on Haaretz

As Israel and the Jewish community worldwide face an increasingly unstable Mideast, an Iran with nuclear ambitions and a stalled peace process, it is not surprising that there will be some who turn to fear-mongering in order to gain a sense of control over a profoundly dangerous reality. But we must not let this happen.

Earlier this week, the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations voted to deny membership to J Street. The Conference vote was a study in self-defeat and in the inevitability of how people acting from fear create the very reality they fear most

Let us be clear, J Street was not actually defeated, in fact they won the popular vote– the large nationally and internationally networked, chapter based, grassroots organizations publicly stated their intentions to vote for dialogue with J Street – the Conservative and Reform Movements, the JCPA representing JCRC’s, and the ADL. It was reported but not confirmed that the Federations would vote similarly. All in all, those groups total something on the order of 3.5 million Jews.

While many of J streets ideas and tactics are controversial, and indeed I personally disagree with many of their views, it is puzzling how this debate over allowing J Street to participate in communal dialogue became an issue of such rancor and division. J Street has become the place where the older, establishment generation quarantines its overwhelming anxiety that the young, who did not experience the miracle of Israel’s founding and early growth, will have neither the will nor the willpower for the inevitable struggles for Israel’s survival that are far from over.

However, to focus that fear on J Street, an organization that has captured the imagination of many younger Jews, is misguided and destructive. By excluding J Street from the communal dialogue, J Street’s opponents are putting their heads in the sand regarding the complexities Israel faces in the Middle East and the attitudes of a younger generation that grew up in a different era.

The exclusion of J Street from communal dialogue is only a symptom of an increasing trend of extreme and strident voices in the community that has chilled much necessary dialogue about Israel. As the head of an international rabbinic organization that not only prides itself on Zionism, but sees the State of Israel as a central and vital aspect of our living Jewish theology, philosophy and identity, I have painfully witnessed rabbis who are deeply committed to Israel come under searing criticism in their communities for merely signing their name to the list of roughly 600 rabbis in the “rabbinic cabinet” on the J Street website.

In a similar vein, the JCPA released an important study in October 2013: “Reluctant or Repressed? Aversion to Expressing Views on Israel Among American Rabbis.” According to the study of 549 rabbis, nearly twice as many rabbis who self-identified their views on Israel as “dovish”(43%) were afraid to share their views with their congregations, as opposed to those who self-identified their views as hawkish (25%). I routinely hear rabbis lament the ever-increasing difficulties of bringing Israel-centered programming to their congregations or speaking about Israel from the pulpit. All too frequently, such public discussions end miserably when self-defined “defenders of Israel” in the congregation feel free to apply litmus tests of Israel loyalty to presenters, fellow congregants or program attendees who are chastised publicly for statements or even for questions that don’t meet the loyalty standard.

While yesterday’s vote is very concerning for the future of the Conference of Presidents, much good can come from it. For one thing, the affirmation by the leaders of several large organizations that it is acceptable to dialogue with people with whom we may disagree will hopefully stem the frightening patterns of discourse in our communities.

Further, a painful but important light has been shone on the very structures of Jewish communal leadership at the highest levels. The Talmud teaches (Horayot 10a) that one who is appointed by the community is the servant of the community. The Jewish community at large does not get to appoint its leaders – no one votes for us—leaders of individual organizations, accountable primarily to those organizations, are elevated through the happenstance of a decentralized structure to speak for the larger community. It is up to us, therefore, to earn the privilege to serve by making ourselves accountable to the public and the public good. As a collective body, the Conference of Presidents clearly failed to exercise the kind of leadership that will help foster responsible dialogue, locally and internationally.

Our tradition believes that the opportunity for teshuvah is always available – let us hope that this can be a time of reckoning for the Conference, and for the community at large. While we strive for a secure and thriving Israel at peace with her neighbors, we must accept the possibility that this vision is still far off. In the meantime, it is up to every Jew, and especially to the community’s leaders, to demonstrate that we can contain our anxiety, listen respectfully, and earn the merit to serve our people.

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20 Years of Saying Goodbye

RA Superuser — Mon, 10 Mar 2014 19:55:37 +0000

20 Years of Saying Goodbye RA Superuser Mon, 03/10/2014 - 15:55

10 Lessons We Have Learned from 20 Years of Transition Training

by Rabbi Elliot Schoenberg

Eit Ratzon is the Rabbinical Assembly’s annual transition seminar. When we convene on June 10 it will be the 21st time we will be bringing together rabbis and their lay leaders to study the psychology of leaving one rabbinic position and entering into the next. What have we learned in 20 years?

The transition period is real - Although there is no fixed length of time, it usually takes about 12 months to settle in.
There is a vocabulary to discuss transition- When both the rabbis and lay leaders have the vocabulary it facilitates a conversation around the integration process.
"You never get a second chance to make a first impression". Be mindful about your first sermon, your first counseling encounter, your first board meeting. It will set the tone moving forward.
Although there is a lot that is logical about change, transition is about accepting emotional losses.
It may be that the new rabbi is coming to town but the transition includes the rabbi's family as well.
Different personalities manage the transition process differently. Extroverts want to talk about what’s going on. Introverts want to take time alone to reflect. Some in transition like a clear and concise plan of action. Others in transition like an open ended plan that develops. There is no right way.
People talk about a honeymoon period where the rabbi is not evaluated. It’s a myth. Lay people are talking about the rabbi all the time, they have just not included you in the loop yet
People go through transition at different speeds. Everyone goes through the same phases of transition but no one does it exactly like anyone else.
Most synagogues and organizations are running a transition deficit - most people in an organization try and slide by without making a change or acknowledging transition issues. They are exhausted from the search.
When you transition with intention it is more likely to be successful.

Please join us for our transition seminar. Bring your new cantor. Bring your new educator. Bring your president. It is one more tool to build your success going forward.

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RA Members Participate in Interfaith Luncheon with Secretary John Kerry

RA Superuser — Fri, 31 Jan 2014 15:35:00 +0000

RA Members Participate in Interfaith Luncheon with Secretary John Kerry RA Superuser Fri, 01/31/2014 - 10:35

On January 28^th, RA members attended a meeting hosted by President Dr. John J. DeGioia of Georgetown University for approximately 50 Jewish, Christian and Muslim faith leaders from around the country featuring an address by Secretary of State John Kerry and other State Department officials. Julie Schonfeld, Bill Gershon, Sharon Brous, Jack Moline and Gil Steinlauf were in attendance. Secretary Kerry discussed the current peace negotiations between Israel and Palestinian leadership and introduced a State Department initiative to engage faith leaders as partners in working together as local partners in dialogue. Secretary Kerry, who has made ten visits to the region since July 2013, stressed the importance of engaging the larger community in dialogue so as to build broader support, understanding and investment in the successful outcome of peace negotiations, a goal that a majority of Israelis, Palestinians and Americans continue to support.

For information on the Rabbinical Assembly’s resolutions expressing solidarity with Israelis and support for negotiations, most recently in 2010 and 2008, please visit our website.

On the rights of non-Orthodox rabbis, where's the outrage?

RA Superuser — Tue, 21 Jan 2014 23:26:39 +0000

On the rights of non-Orthodox rabbis, where's the outrage? RA Superuser Tue, 01/21/2014 - 18:26

By Julie Schonfeld
Originally posted on JTA, the Forward, and Times of Israel

The good news is in: Rabbi Avi Weiss’ conversions will be accepted in Israel.

I am glad to see that the religious integrity and leadership of Rabbi Weiss has been acknowledged. Undoubtedly, this course correction on the part of the Israeli Chief Rabbinate is due in part to the hue and cry of influential Jewish leaders, many of whom are not Orthodox, who are to be praised for speaking out.

Of course, my conversions are not recognized in Israel. Nor are those of my 1,700 Conservative colleagues, my 2,000 Reform colleagues and my 300 Reconstructionist colleagues...[Read More]

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Update on The Joint Commission on Rabbinical Placement

RA Superuser — Thu, 09 Jan 2014 21:49:49 +0000

Update on The Joint Commission on Rabbinical Placement RA Superuser Thu, 01/09/2014 - 16:49

The sacred work of rabbinic placement, the task of helping RA colleagues find meaningful and fulfilling work in the diverse areas of the rabbinate, goes into high gear in the months of December and January. In addition to fine opportunities at Hillel, in the military, in education and in hospital chaplaincy, there are currently twenty-five congregations seeking rabbis, with as many as twenty-five more at various stages of submitting their applications. We remain confident that most colleagues who are seeking employment will find a challenging opportunity that best matches their interests and skill set.

At our most recent meeting on December 11, Rabbi Schoenberg reviewed a book called Forces for Good by Crutchfield and Grant. The book comes out of the business sector, but has excellent and obvious applications to the non-profit sector. The book is available from Amazon.

In working with our partners at USCJ, we reviewed and approved a document drafted by our colleague, Rabbi Paul Drazin, on FAQ’s from congregations in the search process. These questions address some longstanding misunderstandings of the current placement process, misunderstandings that go back more than twenty years, before Rabbi Schoenberg began to head the Joint Placement Commission.

As a further indication of the cooperation between the RA and the USCJ, the Placement Commission addressed some criticisms of the new version of the Congregational Questionnaire that synagogues need to submit in order to enter the placement process. Congregations pointed out that the current formatting of the questionnaire makes it impossible for the Search Committee to work collaboratively to complete the questionnaire. The Commission therefore decided to re-issue the document in Word rather than in its present iteration as a PDF. This will ease the work of selection committees and will, in turn, make the questionnaire more complete and more useful to colleagues. Congregations will need to submit a real salary or salary range in dollars rather than saying “salary to be determined.”

Rabbi Cheryl Peretz reviewed the Career Development Conference held in November. The conference focused on such topics as resumé writing, interviewing skills, using technology in searching for a position and the art of negotiating salary and a contract. The relatively small size of this conference, which we hope to make into an annual conference, allowed participating colleagues to get one-on-one support from both Rabbi Peretz and Rabbi Schoenberg.

One of the goals of the Placement Commission is to move the placement process from being a largely transactional process to one that embodies a covenantal model. Nearly three years ago, our colleague, Rabbi Danny Nevins, Dean of the Rabbinical School at JTS, drafted a two-page document, entitled A Vision for Inclusive Conservative Jewish Communities, Infused with Love of Torah, People and God. The Commission, as a whole, worked on tweaking and revising the document to make it one that congregations in general, but especially those in rabbinic search, could and should use before beginning the search process. To make the document most useful, the Commission suggested creating a brief study guide, made up of leading discussion questions that could devolve from reading the document. Rabbi Schoenberg will work with Rabbi Jim Rogozen of the USCJ staff to develop the study guide. Our hope is that it will be in the hands of congregations for the 2014-2015 placement season.

Finally, the Commission met for nearly two hours with Rabbi Ronald Schwartzberg, the Director of the Morris and Gertrude Brenenfeld Department of Jewish Career Development and Placement for Yeshiva University’s Center for the Jewish Future. Most of Rabbi Schwartzberg’s work is with rabbinic placement. While there are some differences in the process, Rabbi Schwartzberg reported on some of the same challenges that we face in the Conservative movement. Since Rabbi Schwartzberg and Rabbi Schoenberg maintain close collegial relations, it is not surprising that Rabbi Schwartzberg follows many of the same procedures that we follow in the R.A. His handbook on rabbinic placement borrows generously (with Rabbi Schoenberg’s blessing and permission) from the exquisite manuals that Rabbi Schoenberg has published for both rabbis and congregations.

The Commission will meet again on January 29, 2014 and Interview Week for graduating seniors will take place from February 10 to 13.

The Commission is always anxious to get feedback from congregations and rabbis alike. Members of the JPC are always available to listen to and where possible, to address your concerns. (Complete list of members of the JPC)

We, at the JPC, look forward to continuing to serve both our rabbis and our congregations in the most beneficial and transparent manner possible.

Lionel Moses
Chairperson, Joint Commission on Rabbinic Placement