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Movement Unification FAQs

Read about the vote to unify the Reconstructionist movement.

When will the unification take place?

We currently project that we will combine the Jewish Reconstructionist Federation and the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College officially by December 2011. The date of the combination depends on several factors, including the legal form of the combination. Check the home page of RRC.edu for updates.

Where will the new office will be?

The new office will be in RRC’s current space, 1299 Church Road, Wyncote, PA, 19095. If additional space is needed we will utilize the space currently occupied by JRF, 101 Greenwood Ave., Jenkintown, PA, 19046.

How will you determine what kind of program—including services, events and external partnerships—the unified organization will offer?

We have put in place a process to make these decisions for fiscal year 2012, the period from the date of the combination until August 2012. The 2012 Reconstructionist Program Task Force is slated to recommend program priorities to the RRC board by mid August; the board plans to determine FY 2012 programs by the time the organizations combine—by December 2011, we hope.  Read the charge to the Program Task Force.

The Task Force reached out to rabbis, to congregational leadership and to appropriate JRF and RRC staff members to help guide its recommendations. Rabbis, congregational presidents, synagogue educators and synagogue executive directors have returned survey feedback. Staff members have been interviewed and have the option of providing reports in addition to the existing written materials about JRF programs. All of these materials are being provided to the members of the Task Force for consideration.

Once the unification has occurred, we will begin a long-term strategic planning process to determine our future program (beyond fiscal 2012). We will create additional surveys and distribute them more widely to support strategic planning.

Read about who is on the Task Force.

In addition to programs that emerge from the process described above, which core services for the Reconstructionist community can we expect the unified organization definitely to offer?

  • Camp JRFwill offer all of its usual programming, uninterrupted. Planning for a new eco-village, which will expand camp capacity, continues; new in the 2011 season is Shemesh, a week-long program for children with developmental disabilities.
  • The Reconstructionist placement officewill continue to help connect organizations seeking services with qualified rabbis. Contact Rabbi Joel Alpert: jalpert@reconplacement.org; 215.576.5210, ext. 304.
  • The Reconstructionist Presswill continue to offer all books currently sold through the same avenues, for now.  After the organizations officially combine, we will communicate updated information.
  • The ReconRabbi site (www.reconrabbi.net), an interactive resource for Reconstructionist rabbis, will continue in its current form.
  • The Reconstructionist minyan in Jerusalemwill continue as a mainstay of Reconstructionist Jewish practice in Israel, on its current schedule.
  • All resources on www.jrf.org will be continue to be available using the same links. We will add new resources on the site as well; when we do, we will program automatic “redirects” so that the older resources can still be found using familiar paths.
  • Reconstructionist resources with new offerings this fallinclude www.ritualwell.org, the premier Web site for creative Jewish ritual, which will re-launch in expanded, more interactive form; and the Guide to Jewish Practice book series, which will be published in the first of three comprehensive volumes, uniting the material on everyday life into a single compendium.
  • All of the materials on RRC.edu—from topical blogs to Reconstructionist historical resources—will continue to be available.


Will there still be congregational dues calculated per household?

Yes. There will be no change in the dues system for Reconstructionist congregations in 2011-2012. As part of future planning that will begin after the legal combination occurs, the dues system will be examined. The current system may be reaffirmed or changes may be recommended. We will reach out to congregational leadership as part of any future planning process.

For the 2011–12 year, with what organization are congregations affiliated, and where do they pay dues?

Congregations are affiliated with the Jewish Reconstructionist movement. Congregations should pay dues to JRF unless they are notified otherwise.

If I know of a congregation interested in affiliating, should I still direct its leadership to contact the JRF director of outreach?

Yes.

Will there be a branch of the organization dedicated to congregational services, with a single point of contact, or will the contact depend on what kind of assistance is needed?  

Any changes in the way congregations make requests for services will be announced as soon as they’re decided. We are committed to making the request process simple and intuitive. For the present, congregations should look to current JRF staff members to provide the same services as in the past.