Two years have passed since the URJ Biennial was in Houston. This year, the Union for Reform Judaism’s national convention will meet in San Diego, December 11th-16th, with nearly 5,000 delegates from over 850 Reform congregations. Leaders of Beth Israel and I will be present to take advantage of workshops, discussion and worship experiences that will enrich and inspire us. Everything is a “take-away” and it’s our hope that we might bring home to Beth Israel the best practices of congregations around the country for our own consideration.
One of the important features of the national convention is the plenary where URJ resolutions are debated. Active and engaging debate will happen on subjects that should be of interest to all of us. While some are of a political nature and others are more religious, all of them are worth our attention. That’s why I invite you to do two things:
1) Visit “http://biennial.urj.org/highlights/2007_resolutions”, to read and review the Resolutions that will be presented at the convention; and,
2) Join Harvey Gordon and me for a “Town Hall” meeting at Beth Israel. In a conversation with you, we’ll discuss the resolutions and form our opinion(s) as a congregation so that we can participate in the debate on the floor of the plenary before votes are cast. Mark your calendar for Wednesday evening, December 5, 2007, 7:00pm at Beth Israel. To my knowledge, we’ve never before held a Town Hall meeting on URJ resolutions. This is a time for thoughtful conversation about our representation at the Biennial and the voice we want to give to important topics of our day.
Before we leave for San Diego, we’ll come together as a congregation to celebrate Chanukah! On Friday night, December 7th, at 6:30pm, we’ll celebrate Chanukah with our fabulous Shabbat Shira service. On the bemah that evening we’ll sing with all our Rabbis and Cantor and the children of the Shlenker School choir. We’ll sing the songs we’ve come to love on Shabbat Shira and we’ll add the Chanukah blessings and holiday songs, too. We’ll light the Maltz Menorah, share a Chanukah story and make an important announcement about Cantor Robert Gerber’s 25th anniversary in the Cantorate and at Beth Israel.
This is the season to light our way for the future. We do it with forward thinking about our Reform Movement, and we do it with the lights of Chanukah that keep us focused on our Jewish future. At Thanksgiving, please remember that every human life is relevant. Reach out to make a difference in the lives of those who are less fortunate than we. A food donation is welcome. A contribution to the Good Works Fund, too, contributes vital strength to community-based food banks and resources.
As Shabbat comes and Thanksgiving nears, may your tables be full and your hearts overflowing with gratitude for the blessings God has granted us. From my desk to yours, Shabbat Shalom.
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