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New York –  In response to the release of the Israel/Palestine Mission Network of the Presbyterian Church USA’s publication Zionism Unsettled, the Rabbinical Assembly issued the following statement: 

We fully contest the erroneous historical and ideological claims put forth by Zionism Unsettled and call on the leadership of the Presbyterian Church to reject its harmful and misleading content.  

Rabbi Julie Schonfeld, executive vice president of the Rabbinical Assembly stated:

The vision of peace put forth by Zionism Unsettled diverges from a widely shared hope of peace based in mutual respect between Israelis and Palestinians. The broad support for a two state solution, which the Rabbinical Assembly shares, is undermined by the false and one-sided rhetoric of this document. By denying the Jewish right to a homeland, describing the founding of the State of Israel and the Holocaust as similar and analogous historical events, and failing to acknowledge the many complex layers of Middle Eastern history that underlie this conflict, Zionism Unsettled and its publishers, the IPMN, have abandoned their mission as people of faith to act with honesty and goodwill in order to advance the cause of peace. 

Rabbi Gerry Skolnik, president of the Rabbinical Assembly added the following:

American Jews and Christians have built many fruitful relationships in the past, including in the Presbyterian Church.  We call on the leadership of the Presbyterian Church now to reject the conclusions of this study, which has not been directly endorsed by the church.  The right of the Jewish people to a secure homeland is essential to the Jewish faith, and the acknowledgement of that right is therefore a sine qua non of Jewish-Christian relations.  We call on the Presbyterian Church and its members to continue to support the Jewish right to self-determination in the land of Israel as they have done in the past, and not to amplify false anti-Zionist narratives or their advocates in the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement.

NEW YORK – In response to reports that MK David Rotem, Chair of the Knesset Committee on Constitution, Law and Justice, stated in a committee meeting that “The Reform Movement is not Jewish … they are another religion”, the leadership of Conservative Judaism, including Rabbis Julie Schonfeld and Rabbi Steven Wernick of the Rabbinical Assembly and the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, respectively, issued the following statement:

The Jewishness of the Reform Movement is beyond question and in no need of defense. The government of the State of Israel needs to respond appropriately, to censure MK David Rotem and other MKs who permit themselves behavior that the public good ought not permit to them. We call upon the Prime Minister and the Israeli government to preclude MK Rotem from roles in which his behavior is harmful to the State of Israel and Jewish unity around the world. While the Conservative/Masorti Movement around the world is vigilant every day to protect and advocate for our beloved State of Israel, we can only express lamentation for the utter lack of leadership that makes these outrages so frequent and undermines the very aspirations that are the foundations of Judaism and the Jewish state.

• Rabbi Julie Schonfeld, Executive Vice President, Rabbinical Assembly
• Rabbi Steven Wernick, CEO, United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism
• Edward Edelstein, Executive Director, Jewish Educators Assembly
• Rabbi Bradley Shavit Artson, Dean, Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies, American Jewish University
• Prof. David Golinkin, President, and Saul Sanders, Chair, The Schechter Institute of Jewish Studies
• Rabbi Tzvi Graetz, Executive Director, Masorti Olami and MERCAZ Olami
• Laura Lewis, Executive Director, Masorti Foundation for Conservative Judaism in Israel 
• Yizhar Hess, Executive Director and CEO, Masorti Movement in Israel
• Janet Tobin, President, and Rabbi Robert R. Golub, Executive Director, MERCAZ USA
• Rabbi Charles Simon, Executive Director, Federation of Jewish Men’s Clubs
• Sarrae Crane, Executive Director, Women's League of Conservative Judaism
• Marc Neiwirth, President, and Harry Hauser, Executive Director, NAASE

By Dahlia Bernstein, Bellmore Jewish Center, Bellmore, New York

When the High Holidays begin right after Labor Day and you’re brand new in thepulpit, how do you introduce yourself to the community? For Rabbi Dahlia Bernstein, ordained at JTS last May, the answer was – a Shana Tova video! “I wanted people to know my face and see me before they saw me for the first time on the High Holidays,” says the new rabbi at Long Island’s Bellmore Jewish Center. That video is part of a growing series called “Bringing it Home” with a second installment for Hanukkah that involved students and taught viewers how to place the candles and say the blessings in the traditional way.

Dahlia’s video project drew intense interest when she spoke about it at the recent Lean In Conference for women members of the RA during a conversation about getting ourselves “out there." Here’s what she has to say: 

“One of my jobs is to help my congregants live Jewish lives at home. We live in a technological age and I wanted to meet my community where they are, which, for a lot of them and especially kids, is in front of screens. Jewish identity is reinforced by strong institutions and by families who create memories in the home, but not everyone has the resources or knowledge to do Shabbat dinner or light Hanukkah candles. I see my congregants at different times throughout the week. Some people come on Shabbat. Some come during the week for meetings and Hebrew School, but a great deal of people do not have time to commit to coming to shul and doing a workshop on a ritual, so we decided to take the ritual to them.” 

The Hanukkah video got 1,500 hits: “Congregants forwarded them to friends who forwarded them to family and they reached well beyond our membership.” Given the success of the first two videos Dahlia reports on future plans for the Bellmore video project: “We are planning on doing a Shabbat video on how to do kiddush, hamotzi, and netilat yadayim. We may even have some families plan a Shabbat dinner and take a picture of the set table and the family around it before Shabbat.” 

Dahlia has shared these videos which you can view below. Enjoy! And yasher koach to the new rabbi – and now a familiar face! - at the Bellmore Jewish Center!!

Over the past year the Rabbinical Assembly has continued to expand and improve the services we provide.  Our recent work has included:

• Conveying Conservative Jewish interests to top US and Israeli leaders
• Providing member support and services
• Networking with other faith and nonprofit organizations
• Increasing our roster of programs promoting professional growth and development. 

Take a look at the RA’s year in review information below to get a sense of what we’ve been up to and learn how you can use RA resources.

Rabbinical Assembly 2013 Year in Review

Winter (January-March)

• Julie Schonfeld spoke at the Inaugural Prayer Service for President Barack Obama at the National Cathedral (Watch: Julie Schonfeld | Full Service)
• AIPAC Special Briefing for 150 RA Members at Policy Conference with Rep. Ted Deutch
• Julie Schonfeld participated in national leadership meeting with President Obama before his trip to Israel
• Conference call for rabbis with Ambassador Michael Oren to discuss President Obama’s upcoming visit to Israel
• RA and Jewish Lights Publishing Announced New Joint Publishing Imprint (statement)
• Aviv Press Books Made Available as E-Books
• Rabbinical Assembly Community Health: RA launched Health Insurance Plan for all individuals associated with the Conservative Movement (including congregants and other constituents)
• RA Took Meaningful Action to End Gun Violence
  • Remarks by Rabbi Julie Schonfeld at National Cathedral Gun Violence Vigil
  • Statement: RA Supports Obama Administration’s Efforts to Curb Gun Violence
  • Julie Schonfeld participated in national leadership meeting on gun violence with Vice President Biden
• RA Retired Rabbis Association annual Kallah in Miami Beach
• RA Raises Concerns about New Arrests at Western Wall (statement)
• Rabbinic Call on Immigration Reform (Recording)

Spring (April-June)

• Julie Schonfeld, Alvin Berkun, Jeff Wohlberg, Joel Meyers, and Noam Marans met with Pope Francis
• 29 New Rabbis welcomed into the Rabbinical Assembly
• Convention 2013, Jerusalem, Israel
  • Reception at the home of President Shimon Peres
  • Knesset Day including meetings with Yuli Edelstein, Naftali Bennett, and 8 other MKs
  • Maslulim included options to visit to base of Shaked battalion of Givati Brigade, lunch on Army Base, visit to Sderot Reservoir water reclamation Project and Be'er Sheva River Park, Haredi employment center, and a visit to Google Headquarters in Tel Aviv
• Julie Schonfeld and White House Faith Based leaders presented recommendations to White House on Ending Modern Slavery (Read the Recommendations | Read the Executive Summary) 
• Task force launched to end modern day slavery. Lee Paskind and Chuck Feinberg, members of the task force, spearheaded the creation of resource materials for rabbis.
• Rabbinic Management Institute: A year of learning and case study comprised of on-site seminars, mentorship and distance learning, rabbis engage in deep, applied, educational and professional development in the following areas: 
  • Nonprofit Management and Leadership
  • Marketing
  • Fund Development
  • Accounting and Budgeting
  • Strategic Planning and Program Evaluation
• Julie Schonfeld participated in Jewish leadership meeting with former Israeli National Security Advisor Yaakov Amidror
• RA Condemns Senate’s Failure to Pass Stricter Background Checks Legislation (statement)
• Elliot Schoenberg and Bill Lebeau represented RA at Jewish Welfare Board (ongoing)
• RA Celebrates Supreme Court’s Ruling on Gay Marriage (statement)
• RA Shocked and Saddened by Clashes at Western Wall (statement)
• Beit Midrash in the Hills
• RA Saddened by Death of Senator Lautenberg (statement)
• RA Congratulates Susan Rice on her Appointment to National Security Advisor (statement)
• RA Praises Religious Affairs Ministry, Calls for Immediate Implementation of Local Religious Leadership by Israeli Communities (statement)
• Virtual Resolutions Process introduced (Text of approved resolutions)

Summer (July-August)

• President Obama’s High Holy Days call with rabbis
• Julie Schonfeld participated in White House Briefing on Peace Process with Secretary of State John Kerry and the President's National Security Advisor Ambassador Susan Rice
• Rabbis’ call with Ambassador Michael Oren
• Julie Schonfeld a featured speaker at interfaith service commemorating 50^th anniversary of March on Washington (Read the Remarks)
• Gerry Skolnik visited Seminario Rabinico Latinoamericano and participates in Latin American Rabbinic Kallah (2^nd trip; 1^st trip August 2012)
• Reform, Conservative Jewish Organizational Leaders Visit Pollard in Federal Prison (statement)
• RA Welcomes Announcement about Resumed Middle East Peace Talks (statement)
• A Conversation with Brigadier General Amira Dotan

Fall (September-December)

• Julie Schonfeld, Steve Wernick, and Yizhar Hess met with Prime Minister Netanyahu; conversation focused on three main topics:
  • Developments in the negotiations with Iran,
  • Negotiations regarding Azarat Yisrael at the Kotel,
  • Equal funding for the streams.
• Release of First Fruits: Erev Shabbat, preliminary version of Siddur Lev Shalem
• The Observant Life, Parashat Hashavua Study Guides
• CJ Journal Digitized
  • 60 years of content—over 2,000 articles—are now fully digitized and searchable in Hebrew and English.
  • Available free to RA members
• Zacharias Frankel Rabbinical College opened in Berlin
  • Ziegler School opens rabbinic training program for European rabbis
• Monitored Challenges to Parsonage
  • The RA and our counsel continue to monitor the cases brought by the Freedom From Religion Foundation seeking to declare parsonage unconstitutional. Currently the parsonage exemption remains in effect.
• Launch of Hineinu: Building Jewish Community for People of All Abilities (an interdenominational coalition)
• RA Community Organizing Training for Rabbis with JOIN
  • Following a year of collaboration and partnership with JOIN trained rabbis, the RA brought together 42 rabbis of all career stages and areas of the rabbinate for an intensive community organizing training.
• Commission on a Vital Connected Rabbinate  
  • Developed goals including:
  • Train colleagues for peer to peer mentorship
  • Re-envision RA’s offerings  in continuing  rabbinic education including support and development of our own members in their teaching
  • Focus on the integration of rabbis’ first few years post ordination
  • Revitalize Regions
  • Partner with JTS’ Center for Pastoral Education to create processing groups: confidential groups for rabbis to process pastoral issues, and the ways they reverberate with the rabbi halakhically, emotionally and spiritually. 
• Kol Isha: Leaning In, Leaning Out, Learning from Each Other
  • Discussion of ways to support ourselves and each other 
  • "Reb Talks" by colleagues representing different generations and rabbinic paths.
  • Learning with esteemed professors
  • Breakout sessions on a variety of practical topics
• Rav Hamakhshir training for 20 rabbis
  • Provided text study and exploration of the theoretical constructs of kashrut. Participants learned how to supervise synagogue kitchens, communal events, bakeries and various kinds of restaurants.
• Public appearances by Julie Schonfeld: The Pew Report, The Chief Rabbinate, and Mentoring
  • Dr. Steve Bayme of the American Jewish Committee moderated a panel on the Israeli Chief rabbinate shared by Julie and Asher Lopatin of Yeshivat Chovevei Torah at Sutton Place Synagogue
  • Julie spoke about the meaning of the recent Pew Foundation report on American Judaism with Dr. Steven M. Cohen and Ammiel Hirsch of the Stephen Wise Free Synagogue, moderated by Gary Rosenblatt of the Jewish Week
  • Julie spoke at Jewish Women International’s Women to Watch event about issues of women’s leadership, mentorship and the role of Jewish tradition in shaping young women’s personal and professional lives.
• Conference Call with Ben Rhodes to discuss events unfolding in Syria 
• RA and USCJ Welcome Decision by Women of the Wall to Work Toward Kotel Plan (statement)     
• RA Saddened by the Passing of Rabbi Ovadia Yosef (statement)
• Pew Research Center Survey of U.S. Jews: Conference Call with Dr. Jonathan D. Sarna evaluated the data from the survey as related to the Conservative Movement and addressed opportunities for our movement highlighted by the results.
• RA Leadership Mourns the Loss of Nelson Mandela (statement)
• RA Marks Newton Anniversary (statement)

A central purpose of the Rabbinical Assembly is to provide support for you in your career. We have developed a series of resources that are useful for every colleague in every area of the rabbinate. We are especially proud of the expanded educational opportunities and tools we offer that will be helpful in contributing to your professional growth.

• Yom Iyun for Chaplains: Using the Psalms in our Pastoral Work
• Rabbinic Management Institute (RMI)
• Clergy 2.0: Leading Through Relationships
• Encore: Preparing for Retirement
• Career Development Conference
• MOCA Mondays: Employment in Pluralistic Settings a monthly interactive teleconference for rabbis seeking new rabbinic positions.
• Kol Isha: Leaning In, Leaning Out, Learning from Each Other
• Yom Iyun for Campus Rabbis
• Private Political Briefing at the AIPAC Conference, Washington DC
• Annual Convention May 12-15, 2014, Dallas, Texas
• Interim Rabbi Training
• Rabbis in Small Congregations Conference
• Eit Ratzon: A Seminar on Employment Transition