Jewish Connectivity Blog by The Notorious R.A.V.
Reflections on a Different Mourning Process – Guest Post by Rachel Honeyman
Rachel Honeyman, a talented writer and social media maven, has written the following piece, reflecting on mourning her brother’s death. It is a potent reminder to those of us in the rabbinate and in all branches of communal service, that responding to loss is a highly individual path. We need to remind those we serve that no two mourning processes will look alike. My thanks to Rachel for allowing me to post her very personal thoughts. Six months ago, my brother died. It feels strange to say that, but it’s the unfortunate...
read moreSupervision, Coaching and Mentoring in 3 Words
I’ve spent years as a supervisor, a mentor and a coach. And before that, a good number of years learning how to be each of the above. Over those years, I have learned from some of the finest supervisors, mentors and coaches. I have devoured books on each of those subjects. After all is said and done, I have distilled my approach in each area to three words: Towards What End? That question is as the core of my supervisory, coaching and mentoring conversations. Towards What End are you working in the way you work? Towards What...
read morePlaying Jewish in a Major Key
In reflecting on our family’s Seder for the first night of Passover, I wonder about the reaction of special guests: an African-American minister friend and his family. Oh, I know the Hebrew didn’t throw them much; the minister has been studying Hebrew with me and learning Tanach at Jewish Theological Seminary. And the singing certainly wasn’t a new idea; I listen to his church choir practice next door as we study together in another room of the church. What I was (and am) curious about is the sense of lightheartedness with...
read moreWishing you a Happy Pesach
כָּל דִּכְפִין, יֵיתֵי וְיֵיכוּל; וְכָל דִּצְרִיךְ, יֵיתֵי וִיפַסַּח All who are hungry, come and eat. All who need, come and partake of the Passover offering. With these words, the Passover Seder begins the story of the retelling of the Exodus from Egypt. Before joining in the festive meals, we invite those who are hungry to join us. Before we join in the ritual, we invite those who are in need to join in the ritual with us. Two sentences reflect two related needs. In the first,...
read moreConnectivity: The Goal of Jewish Learning Today
This article appeared in The Jewish Educator Winter 2013/5773 HOT TOPIC: Is content or connectedness more important to Jewish identity today? JEWISH CONNECTIVITY: THE GOAL OF JEWISH LEARNING TODAY by Arnold Samlan When I began my career, the primary focus of Jewish learning was content mastery. One could master Tanach, Talmud, Hebrew literature, Jewish history. Our metrics for success were longitudinal outcomes: graduates’ memberships in campus life and in adult synagogues, future support of Jewish causes, and reduced interfaith...
read moreThe One Thing Classy Organizations Do (and yours probably doesn’t)
Sorry, You Didn’t Get the Gig…This Time We will all have our share of grants we didn’t receive, essay contests we didn’t win, consulting proposals that weren’t accepted and jobs given to others instead of to us. It’s part of life. And the more that a person enjoys putting himself out there and trying new things, the more it will happen. And whether you’re a grant seeker, a blossoming writer, an entrepreneur or a job hunter, there is much to be learned from the opportunities that got away. Each experience gives us a better...
read moreJewish Life Coaches for Jewish Schools
Envisioning a Rav/Jewish Life Coach for Jewish Day Schools Jewish day schools should create Jewish Life Coach positions, and, in many cases, incorporate Rav Bet Sefer and Jewish Life Coach positions. A number of streams led to this proposal: In the 19th century, the Musar movement within Judaism was founded. It emphasized personal growth of the Jewish soul As part of the Musar movement, many yeshivot created positions of mashgiach ruchani, rabbis whose role was to serve as spiritual life guides for students In the late 20th century a number...
read moreBless Your Children. Tonight.
On Monday night, I taught my teen class on Long Island, beginning with a discussion of the tragedy at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT. As the conversation proceeded, I realized that the children and teens now growing up have faced the terrorist attacks of 9-11 and the murders at Columbine, Virginia Tech and Sandy Hook as key events of their childhood. They have never faced a world that felt safe. During their lives, they watched these violent tragedies take innocent lives and watched as our society introduced metal detectors,...
read moreMay Their Memories Be a Blessing. And a Wake-Up Call.
Holiness. According to my people’s tradition, it is all around us and sustains the world. Sometimes we are able to visibly see holiness – in the work of the Dalai Lama for peace, in the collaboration between President Obama and Governor Christie to look beyond political differences to respond to human suffering in the aftermath of Sandy, in the work of Peace Corps volunteers, and in the impact of organizations like American Jewish World Service and Avodah: The Jewish Service Corps. Other times, the holiness is hidden or has not yet...
read moreToday: Guest Post by my colleague Wendy Grinberg The Former Congregant I recently learned the phrase “the former audience,” a term used to describe people who react to and act in a story as it unfolds rather than observing it. People today are empowered. “We did it!” Dora the Explorer sings from my TV to my preschool kids. (Talk about a “former audience”– now you have to talk to the TV instead of just watch it!) Today we can organize with like-minded individuals for a few minutes or many years,...
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