Shalom,
After having just arrived back from Montreal and the Jewish Reconstructionist Federation Convention, I truly feel blessed to be part of Adat Shalom, the Reconstructionist movement, and the Washington Jewish Community. Each of the above mentioned has supported me and helped me succeed at Adat Shalom.
The warmth and feedback that I have received at Adat Shalom has given me the wings to fly, to become more educated, to educate, and to have great experiences — both at Adat and at conferences/conventions that I have attended. By going to Montreal, I was able to network with other Reconstructionists including lay members, educators, rabbis, cantors, executive directors. Spreading my wings means that I can take the best and the worst of what people have learned in their own congregations and I can work towards continually strengthening our school and youth program.
Parental support is making it possible to build on our curriculum at the Torah School, creating new programs like our K’nafayim program for post-B’nai Mitzvah students, as well as implementing No’ar Hadash, a new High School program for High School aged youths developed by the Reconstructionist movement. At the same time our classes are running smoothly at the Torah School. Teachers, students, and parents are working together to continually keep everything running smoothly. I, personally, always consider each community-based experience to be a work in progress. Although things might not be perfect, they are doing well.
Our youth program is emerging. We have BBYO, No’ar Hadash, (new) grade level youth programs, and two (new) Rosh Chodesh Groups for girls in grades 6-7 and grades 8-9. We are also trying to combine with other Reconstructionist Congregations in this region to bring our youth together for a shul-in at one of the congregations. All of this these programs with the exception of BBYO are in their infancy. If you would like to help, please feel free to call either me or Tamar Lieberman, chair of the youth committee.
The Jewish Reconstructionist Federation (JRF) is offering me great supports. Rabbi Shai Gluskin, Director of Education for JRF, and Sarah Rubin, his colleague and a rabbinical student herself, are offering support on a regular basis. They are also helping enable the beginning of a new Principal’s Council for the movement. Rabbi Jeffrey Eisenstat and his interns are amazing professionals who are doing so much to help develop an incredible experience for our youth in the Reconstructionist movement. Rabbi Jeff is the director of Camp JRF and a big proponent of our youth’s ability to succeed within the movement. Special kudos go to Jackie Land who works with both JRF and the BJE (Board of Jewish Education). She has been helpful as she blends her two roles to help me become a better Jewish Educator. There are many other people that are really excited to help us at the JRF office, but the list would be too long to mention each person with the kavod (honor) they deserve.
The Washington Jewish community has also given me tremendous support. The Board of Jewish Education (BJE) has been available to help me at a moments notice. They have worked professionally with both me and my teaching staff. The Federation has offered professional development and financial assistance through Jewish Experiences for Teens (JET). JET has recently given Adat Shalom a very generous grant towards the developing of our new Kolot program, the girls Rosh Chodesh group.
The bottom line is that I feel supported both within and outside of the Adat Shalom community. It is great to be working towards continued growth with each of the above groups. The convention was a wonderful tool to meet other folks in the Reconstructionist movement. I learned more about the philosophies and the challenges of our movement and I realized the enormous support that can be found in Philadelphia and all over North America.
L’Shalom,
Toni Bloomberg Grossman
Education and Youth Director