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1920
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Mordecai Kaplan's "A Program for the Reconstruction of Judaism"; in Menorah Journal
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January 9 or 10, 1922
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Mordecai Kaplan resigned as the founding rabbi of the Jewish Center, and 35 families decided to withdraw their stake in the Jewish Center to establish an "American Synagogue"; that would serve both as a congregation and as a laboratory environment for Kaplan's ideas.
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January 24, 1922
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Israel's Torah, to the Restoration of Israel's Ancient land, and to the establishment of universal Freedom, Justice, and Peace.";
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February 5, 1922
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SAJ Board of Trustees voted unanimously to confirm Mordecai Kaplan's suggestion to establish the ceremony of bat mitzvah with daughter Judith as the first.
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March 22, 1922
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Judith Kaplan becomes bat mitzvah.
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October 8, 1923
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SAJ Women's Council [Division] established.
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October 1923
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SAJ affiliates with United Synagogue.
SAJ assumes publication of HaShiloah.
First liturgical change introduced (haggadah supplement).
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1923
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SAJ Review established.
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October 1924
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First congregation affiliates with SAJ as a national organization (Scranton under Max Arzt's leadership). Additional branches in Cleveland and New Bedford, MA, Manhattan Beach, Brooklyn.
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1925
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Chapters established in Woonsocket RI, Cleveland.
The ?Thirteen Principles? of the SAJ published.
SAJ moves to its current home at 15 W. 86th Street.
SAJ rabbinical council founded to establish new chapters.
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1927
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JTS student Ira Eisenstein hired to work with Junior League.
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January 17, 1928
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SAJ Membership voted to take SAJ Review national in effort to spread word about Reconstructionism.
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1928
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SAJ chapter established in LA, Detroit.
Establishing Midwest Council, Eastern Council.
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1929
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SAJ Review suspended b/c lack of funds following Stock Market crash.
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1930
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Mordecai Kaplan's Silver Jubilee in rabbinate celebrated.
Young Folks Group established.
Ira Eisenstein hired as SAJ Executive Director.
Ira Eisenstein hired as SAJ Executive Director.
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February 24, 1930
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Board accepts Kaplan's recommendation to institute confirmation ceremony at the SAJ.
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1931
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Eisenstein hired as Associate Leader.
Kol Nidre reinstituted at the SAJ.
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May 1932
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Re-merger with the Jewish Center proposed and tabled.
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1933
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Kaplan granted leave of absence to prepare Judaism as a Civilization for publication.
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1934
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Kaplan's magnum opus Judaism as a Civilization is published.
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October 1934
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Vote to establish The Reconstructionist with funding from the Women's Division.
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1935
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The Reconstructionist, an intellectual journal dedicated to promulgating Reconstructionist thinking, is established.
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1936
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Kaplan publishes Judaism in Transition.
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1937
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Kaplan publishes The Meaning of God in Modern Jewish Religion.
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January 15, 1940
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Jewish Reconstructionist Foundation established primarily as a vehicle to publish The Reconstructionist.
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1941
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The New Haggadah is published and generates interest and controversy.
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1942
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Chemjo Vinaver appointed Choral Director of the SAJ.
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Spring 1942
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Major overhaul of SAJ's Sabbat morning services providing basis for Siddur (prompted 1 resignation).
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June 1942
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Jewish Reconstructionist Foundation moves to its own offices.
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1944
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Ira Eisenstein goes part-time at SAJ to begin to travel to recruit others to Reconstructionism.
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May 1945
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First discussion of calling girls (post-bat mitzvah or confirmation) for aliyot (no decision made).
Publication of Sabbath Prayer Book, edited by Mordecai Kaplan, Milton Steinberg, Eugene Kohn and Ira Eisenstein.
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June 1945
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The Union of Orthodox Rabbis places Kaplan in herem (excommunication) and burns a copy of the Sabbath Prayer Book. Their actions are widely reported in the Anglo-Jewish press and the New York Times, and generates significant interest in the Reconstructionist movement.
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1948
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SAJ rabbis no longer called "leader.";
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1949
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Education Director and Youth Division part-time and staff member of Foundation.
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1950
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SAJ votes to grant full religious equality to women (including counting in minyan, calling to Torah).
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1952
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Ira Eisenstein elected president of Rabbinical Assembly.
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1953
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Women elected to the SAJ Board.
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1954
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Ira and Judith Eisenstein move to Chicago for Ira to serve as rabbi at Anshe Emet.
Establishment of Council of Reconstructionist Congregations (later Fellowship of Reconstructionist Congregations) comprised of 4 initial groups:
Niles Township Jewish Congregation, Skokie, Ill
Temple Beth El Zedek, Indianapolis
Temple Sinai, Buffalo, N.Y.
Society for the Advancement of Judaism?
Other congregations also ?interested in various aspects of the Reconstructionist program? were present at Conference: KAM (Chicago), Beth Emet Cong (Evanston), Jewish Community Center (Aurora, Ill.), Anshe Emet (Chicago). |
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1955
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Ludwig Nadelmann hired as SAJ Assistant Rabbi.
Bet Am Shalom established.
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1957
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First woman officer elected at SAJ.
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1958
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Lena Kaplan dies.
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1959
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The Reconstructionist Federation is incorporated as an independent entity by the New York State Legislature.
Ira Eisenstein returns from Chicago and becomes the head of the Reconstructionist Federation of Congregations and the Jewish Reconstructionist Foundation.
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1961
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The idea of havurot is proposed by Ira Eisenstein and Jacob Neusner at the Federation Convention and is embraced; the name ?Fellowship? is added to the organization to reflect this commitment. The Whittier (CA) Adult Study Group organizes itself into the Whittier Havurah, the first such group.
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1963
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Mordecai Kaplan resigns from the Jewish Theological Seminary of America after more than 50 years of teaching, clearing the ground for the establishment of a Reconstructionist training institution.
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1967
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Reconstructionists at the annual convention of the Federation of Reconstructionist Congregations and Havurot vote to establish the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College.
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1968
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RRC established on North Broad Street in Philadelphia, in close proximity to Temple University. The original plan for the College was that RRC students would receive rabbinical training from RRC and study for their doctorates at Temple University. Ira Eisenstein is the founding president.
JRF votes to affirm Jews of patrilineal descent.
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1970
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Reconstructionism in American Jewish Life," an extensive article on Reconstructionist Judaism by sociologist Charles Liebman, is published in The American Jewish Year Book. This is the first extended treatment of Reconstructionist Judaism in the mainstream Jewish press.
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1974
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RRC graduates its first rabbi (Michael Luckens).
The Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association is established as RRC's alumni organization and the professional organization of the Reconstructionist rabbinate.
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1975
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RRC graduates its first female rabbi (Sandy Eisenberg Sasso), the second woman to be ordained in America.
The RRA affirms the JRF decision on patrilineal descent.
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1979
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Ludwig Nadelmann succeeds Ira Eisenstein as the head of the Jewish Reconstructionist Foundation.
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1981
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Ira Silverman becomes the second president of RRC.
Mordecai M. Kaplan celebrates his 100th birthday.
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1982
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Financial arrangements among the three branches of the movement are separated, and the Federation of Reconstructionist Congregations and Havurot is reorganized.
David Teutsch is appointed head of FRCH.
Egalitarian get established.
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1983
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Mordecai Kaplan dies.
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1984
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RRC moves to its current campus in Wyncote, PA.
FRCH's main office in New York City is destroyed in a fire.
Lillian Kaplan becomes president of FRCH, the first time a woman heads an American religious movement.
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1985
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Exploring Judaism: A Reconstructionist Approach by Rebecca Alpert and Jacob Staub is published.
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1986
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Mordechai Liebling becomes Executive Director of FRCH.
Art Green becomes the third president of RRC.
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1987
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FRCH moves its offices to Philadelphia.
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1989
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Kol Haneshamah: Shabbat Eve, the experimental ediction of the new Reconstructionist prayer book, is published.
The Homosexuality Commission presents a report advocating for full inclusion of openly gay and lesbian Jews and the performance of commitment ceremonies.
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1991
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Kol Haneshamah: Shirim Uvrakhot and Nashir Unevarekh are published.
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1993
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David Teutsch becomes the fourth president of RRC.
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1994
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Kol Haneshamah: Shabbat Vehagim published.
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1996
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Kol Haneshamah: Hol published
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1997
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Richard Hirsh is appointed the first full-time Executive Director of the Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association.
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1999
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Koh Haneshamah: Makhzor Leyamim Nora'im published.
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2000
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A Night of Questions Haggadah is published
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2001
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Kol Haneshamah manual for mourners published.
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2002
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Dan Ehrenkrantz becomes the fifth president of RRC.
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