So much energy. So many kids. So many colors. So much movement, so much dancing, so much enthusiasm. And so very much noise.
The USYers, more than 800 of them, danced and pranced and flew and flooded into the huge room, by group, with its banner and its colors and its own stuff. Some had lightsticks, and one group had a white balloon thing that represented something or other; it was funny even though I didn't get it. (That was true of much of the event. Clearly it was funny to them; equally clearly I had no idea what they were talking about.) The energy and enthusiasm and high-octane normalness of it was overwhelming. And it was so very very loud.
Each region's president introduced her or himself (strikingly, there were more female than male regional presidents, although strikingly again that gender breakdown reverses on the international level) as that region's members stood on chairs and howled. But when Jules Gutin, USY's director, spoke seriously about the convention's theme, Judaism and the environment, everyone was quiet. It was the sound of intent listening.
It was satisfying middle-tech, and everything worked exactly as it was meant to (or at least it looked that way, which really is all that matters).
If USYers are our future we will do very well.
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Waiting for IC
It's blustery here in Orlando. The clouds are steel-gray and moving fast, the palm trees are blowing around in a cold wind as if they were traffic lights. It's about to storm back home in New York -- a blizzard, if were are to believe its advance team, which I don't.
We're all waiting for the start of the 2010 USY international convention, its 60th, and the kickoff of its 60th anniversary year celebration.
The hotel is vast. Huge hallways with acres of brightly colored carpet lead to scores of rooms, each with dozens of chairs. The displays for the convention are set up and many of them are staffed. One of them, for Nativ, is behind a Christmas tree -- the hotel's, obviously -- and Israeli flags are draped around it.
There are other groups here too -- football players, someone said basketball players too, all very large people -- families here for Disney, little girls in princess acrylics over their regular clothes, with sparkly tiaras (is there such a thing as an unsparkly tiara?) grown-ups unsmiling in mouse ears.
And there are clumps of USY staffers, and the USYers themselves are just starting to come in. The truly amazing part is the way the energy vibrates. You can feel it. There aren't nearly as many kids here yet as there will be, just a small fraction, but already it vibrates.
I think that when they're all here the building is likely to levitate.
We're all waiting for the start of the 2010 USY international convention, its 60th, and the kickoff of its 60th anniversary year celebration.
The hotel is vast. Huge hallways with acres of brightly colored carpet lead to scores of rooms, each with dozens of chairs. The displays for the convention are set up and many of them are staffed. One of them, for Nativ, is behind a Christmas tree -- the hotel's, obviously -- and Israeli flags are draped around it.
There are other groups here too -- football players, someone said basketball players too, all very large people -- families here for Disney, little girls in princess acrylics over their regular clothes, with sparkly tiaras (is there such a thing as an unsparkly tiara?) grown-ups unsmiling in mouse ears.
And there are clumps of USY staffers, and the USYers themselves are just starting to come in. The truly amazing part is the way the energy vibrates. You can feel it. There aren't nearly as many kids here yet as there will be, just a small fraction, but already it vibrates.
I think that when they're all here the building is likely to levitate.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Strategic Planning at United Synagogue
On Wednesday, the convention was offered a look at the strategic planning process that United Synagogue is beginning in partnership with HaYom. Rabbi Michael Siegel of Anshe Emet Synagogue, HaYom’s founder, snowed in at home, spoke to the group from a video monitor (and therefore loomed far larger than life at the front of the room). HaYom, he said, was formed out of a feeling of urgency about the entire Conservative movement, but with the understanding that the first movement institution to be reformed would be United Synagogue. “We came not as outliers but as stakeholders,” Siegel said, adding that the group was a broad-based coalition of synagogue leaders from across the country, representing synagogues of varying sizes and demographics. “Our demands were clear from the start,” he saide; they wanted a strategic plan to be created and implemented, they wanted HaYom to be involved in the planning, and they wanted a professional in charge of the project.
All those demands were met, and the professional, Jack Ukeles, whose name is on a management study done several years ago for us and being implemented now (although he said that he was just one among many people responsible for that report). Ukeles is just about set to start a multiphase plan, described in consultantese, that is set to show first results in about nine months.
Joanne Palmer
All those demands were met, and the professional, Jack Ukeles, whose name is on a management study done several years ago for us and being implemented now (although he said that he was just one among many people responsible for that report). Ukeles is just about set to start a multiphase plan, described in consultantese, that is set to show first results in about nine months.
Joanne Palmer
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Malcolm Hoenlein on Iran
Like Dalia Itzik on Sunday and Michael Oren on Monday, Malcolm Hoenlein, executive vice president of the Council of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, highlighted the threat posed by Iran. He is a fiery speaker and he made his point forcefully. Iran, he said poses a threat not only to Israel - and the threat to Israel is undeniable and existential -- but to the region, and to the entire world. The real question, he said, is what this period, the most dangerous the world has faced since the end of World War II, most resembles. Was it 1932? 1939? 1942? How close is the threat? And what will we tell our grandchildren? That we fought back, or that we were too comfortable and in too much denial to bother?
In response to Hoenlein's speech, we urge people -- Zionists, Conservative Jews, and everyone else who lives in this world -- to make their views clear. Here is a letter from our social action and public policy committee leaders. Please read it and follow their suggestions.
Joanne Palmer
---------
Dear Biennial Convention Attendees,
Last night we were privileged to hear Malcolm Hoenlein,executive vice president of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, speak about a pressing issue facing all of us, an issue that he said is the world's issue - the dangers of a nuclear Iran. As Iran continues to defy the United Nations' demands to halt work on its nuclear enrichment program, we were asked to mobilize as a community, contact our members of Congress, and urge them to support Iran sanctions legislation. We must prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.
Recent news of Iranian threats to end cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nations nuclear watchdog, is deeply troubling. (See articles here,here,and here.)
Congress has moved forward with several key pieces of Iran sanctions legislation. On October 28th, the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee overwhelmingly approved the Iran Refined Petroleum Sanctions Act (H.R. 2194). This bill authorizes President Obama to impose sanctions on any entity that provides Iran with refined petroleum resources or engages in activity that could contribute to Iran's ability to import such resources. To view the bill in its entirety, please click here.
On October 29, the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs unanimously approved the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability and Divestment Act of 2009 (S. 2799). This bill is a combination of IRPSA (described above) and the Iran Sanctions Enabling Act, which enables state divestment efforts from companies investing in Iran's energy sector. The bill also would also ban all imports from Iran, strengthen export controls to stop the diversion of sensitive technology to Iran through third countries, and mandate that the president file a report every six months on sanctionable activities.
Now that these bills have passed in committee, they must be brought to the floor in both the House and Senate for full votes.
It is critical that Congress pass legislation that authorizes sanctions specifically aimed at Iran’s nuclear and energy sectors. Iran imports up to 40 percent of its refined petroleum, including gasoline and diesel, and limiting the Iran’ access to such products would have a significant economic effect. The credible threat of such sanctions, combined with similar international efforts, would reinforce American diplomacy aimed at convincing Tehran to revise its nuclear policy.
There are actions you can take, and we strongly encourage you to take them.
Urge your representatives to support the Iran Refined Petroleum Sanctions Act (H.R. 2194) and to encourage House leadership to bring this bill to the floor before the end of the year. You can find their contact information here.
Urge your senators to support the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability and Divestment Act of 2009 (S. 2799) and encourage Senate leadership to bring this bill to the floor before the end of the year. That contact information is available here.
We also urge you to get in touch with President Obama, who seems to be wavering in his support of the bill. You can send him email here.
We urge you to get in touch with your elected members of Congress and ask them to vote in favor of this important legislation.
Thank you for your help.
Dr. Jack Fein & Rabbi Leonard Gordon, Co-Chairs
Faye Gingold, Director
Public Policy & Social Action Committee
United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism
In response to Hoenlein's speech, we urge people -- Zionists, Conservative Jews, and everyone else who lives in this world -- to make their views clear. Here is a letter from our social action and public policy committee leaders. Please read it and follow their suggestions.
Joanne Palmer
---------
Dear Biennial Convention Attendees,
Last night we were privileged to hear Malcolm Hoenlein,executive vice president of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, speak about a pressing issue facing all of us, an issue that he said is the world's issue - the dangers of a nuclear Iran. As Iran continues to defy the United Nations' demands to halt work on its nuclear enrichment program, we were asked to mobilize as a community, contact our members of Congress, and urge them to support Iran sanctions legislation. We must prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.
Recent news of Iranian threats to end cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency, the United Nations nuclear watchdog, is deeply troubling. (See articles here,here,and here.)
Congress has moved forward with several key pieces of Iran sanctions legislation. On October 28th, the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee overwhelmingly approved the Iran Refined Petroleum Sanctions Act (H.R. 2194). This bill authorizes President Obama to impose sanctions on any entity that provides Iran with refined petroleum resources or engages in activity that could contribute to Iran's ability to import such resources. To view the bill in its entirety, please click here.
On October 29, the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs unanimously approved the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability and Divestment Act of 2009 (S. 2799). This bill is a combination of IRPSA (described above) and the Iran Sanctions Enabling Act, which enables state divestment efforts from companies investing in Iran's energy sector. The bill also would also ban all imports from Iran, strengthen export controls to stop the diversion of sensitive technology to Iran through third countries, and mandate that the president file a report every six months on sanctionable activities.
Now that these bills have passed in committee, they must be brought to the floor in both the House and Senate for full votes.
It is critical that Congress pass legislation that authorizes sanctions specifically aimed at Iran’s nuclear and energy sectors. Iran imports up to 40 percent of its refined petroleum, including gasoline and diesel, and limiting the Iran’ access to such products would have a significant economic effect. The credible threat of such sanctions, combined with similar international efforts, would reinforce American diplomacy aimed at convincing Tehran to revise its nuclear policy.
There are actions you can take, and we strongly encourage you to take them.
Urge your representatives to support the Iran Refined Petroleum Sanctions Act (H.R. 2194) and to encourage House leadership to bring this bill to the floor before the end of the year. You can find their contact information here.
Urge your senators to support the Comprehensive Iran Sanctions, Accountability and Divestment Act of 2009 (S. 2799) and encourage Senate leadership to bring this bill to the floor before the end of the year. That contact information is available here.
We also urge you to get in touch with President Obama, who seems to be wavering in his support of the bill. You can send him email here.
We urge you to get in touch with your elected members of Congress and ask them to vote in favor of this important legislation.
Thank you for your help.
Dr. Jack Fein & Rabbi Leonard Gordon, Co-Chairs
Faye Gingold, Director
Public Policy & Social Action Committee
United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism
Inclusion
We often talk about inclusion, and being welcoming, and reaching out, but we’re not so good at putting those happy clichés into action. And there often are good – or at least deeply human – reasons for that. People who are unlike us often scare us, and even when we are not frightened often we’re lazy. Reaching out takes work.
On Tuesday afternoon, members of a panel hosted by Joel Baker, our Pacific Southwest executive director, talked about specific differences, how it is that people feel as if they are outside the community, and ways to understand that as we work to bring them in.
Rabbi Steven Greenberg of Clal, who perhaps is best known for his part in the enormously influential documentary film Trembling Before G-d, led the session, beginning by teaching texts about inclusion. He began with Abraham, sitting in the doorway of his tent and welcoming in strangers. That tent is the opposite of Sodom, he said, which is the equivalent of a gated community, open only to people who are like each other.
David Levy of Keshet, a Boston-based organization devoted to creating inclusion for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered Jews, who grew up as an active Conservative Jew and USYer, said that it was hard establishing an identity as a young observant Jew, much less as a gay one. No matter how us versus them anyone might feel, he said, remember that we are all us. Always assume that someone in the room, any room, is touched by the issue, and remember that symbolic actions matter and concrete actions matter as well. Be careful about language. School forms don’t have to say mother or father; parent/parent works better. Consider cosponsoring events with glbt organizations. Provide a gender-neutral bathroom. Establish a permanent committee to address issues of inclusion, not an ad hoc one. These and other such actions are powerful signals or real support.
Shelley Kaplan, the chair of United Synagogue’s Commission on Disabilities, began by pointing out that although it is not unusual for sessions like this one to be held, usually they are tacked on at the end, when people already are thinking of packing up and heading home. She talked about some of the architectural solutions available, mentioned the resources available on our website, and urged people to create and share more of them.
Lacey Schwartz, the New York director of B’chol Lashon, said that she never looked exactly like the rest of her Ashkenazi family but she never knew why; when people would ask her about her exotic background she’d have no idea what they were talking about. It wasn’t until she was 18, when her parents split, that she learned that her biological father with a black man with whom her mother had had a relationship. In college she explored her black identity; it wasn’t until much later that she was able to begin to integrate the two parts of her being. “Our real goal is to build a global Jewish identity that encompasses all pieces of who we are,” she said. “Wat we really want to do is put out substantive content and encourage conversation about each other, so we all feel like part of the Jewish community.”
United Synagogue's Rabbi Moshe Edelman, who wrote our guide to keruv, or outreach, Al Ha Derekh (On the Path), also talked about how important it is not only to reach out but to welcome actively.
Joanne Palmer
On Tuesday afternoon, members of a panel hosted by Joel Baker, our Pacific Southwest executive director, talked about specific differences, how it is that people feel as if they are outside the community, and ways to understand that as we work to bring them in.
Rabbi Steven Greenberg of Clal, who perhaps is best known for his part in the enormously influential documentary film Trembling Before G-d, led the session, beginning by teaching texts about inclusion. He began with Abraham, sitting in the doorway of his tent and welcoming in strangers. That tent is the opposite of Sodom, he said, which is the equivalent of a gated community, open only to people who are like each other.
David Levy of Keshet, a Boston-based organization devoted to creating inclusion for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered Jews, who grew up as an active Conservative Jew and USYer, said that it was hard establishing an identity as a young observant Jew, much less as a gay one. No matter how us versus them anyone might feel, he said, remember that we are all us. Always assume that someone in the room, any room, is touched by the issue, and remember that symbolic actions matter and concrete actions matter as well. Be careful about language. School forms don’t have to say mother or father; parent/parent works better. Consider cosponsoring events with glbt organizations. Provide a gender-neutral bathroom. Establish a permanent committee to address issues of inclusion, not an ad hoc one. These and other such actions are powerful signals or real support.
Shelley Kaplan, the chair of United Synagogue’s Commission on Disabilities, began by pointing out that although it is not unusual for sessions like this one to be held, usually they are tacked on at the end, when people already are thinking of packing up and heading home. She talked about some of the architectural solutions available, mentioned the resources available on our website, and urged people to create and share more of them.
Lacey Schwartz, the New York director of B’chol Lashon, said that she never looked exactly like the rest of her Ashkenazi family but she never knew why; when people would ask her about her exotic background she’d have no idea what they were talking about. It wasn’t until she was 18, when her parents split, that she learned that her biological father with a black man with whom her mother had had a relationship. In college she explored her black identity; it wasn’t until much later that she was able to begin to integrate the two parts of her being. “Our real goal is to build a global Jewish identity that encompasses all pieces of who we are,” she said. “Wat we really want to do is put out substantive content and encourage conversation about each other, so we all feel like part of the Jewish community.”
United Synagogue's Rabbi Moshe Edelman, who wrote our guide to keruv, or outreach, Al Ha Derekh (On the Path), also talked about how important it is not only to reach out but to welcome actively.
Joanne Palmer
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Bylaws Pass!
On Monday afternoon, the delegates to the convention -- people whose synagogues had named them as representatives to this meeting -- met to discuss United Synagogue's proposed new bylaws. At the last board of trustees meeting, held in September, the board had voted to accept them, but they had to be ratified by the convention.
After a powerpoint display (which will be posted soon) and a short, civil discussion, the convention voted overwhelmingly to accept the new bylaws, and the work of transforming United Synagogue took another step forward.
After a powerpoint display (which will be posted soon) and a short, civil discussion, the convention voted overwhelmingly to accept the new bylaws, and the work of transforming United Synagogue took another step forward.
six13
On Wednesday night, after the installation and the cantor’s concert, we will hear music from six13, a six-man Jewish a cappella group, that, “fueled by a strong Jewish identity and anchored by thumping beatbox, intricate arrangements, and soulful harmonies … brings an unprecedented style of Jewish music to the stage. With songs ranging from hip-hop dance tracks to rock anthems, the members of the New York-based group sound like a full band while using nothing but their voices.”
Everyone at the convention is invited!
Everyone at the convention is invited!
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