Who We Are/Contact Us
Our Philosophy
To be a Jew means first belonging to the group…
-Mordecai Kaplan
Members of Reconstructionist congregations are not mere observers, but active participants at the very center of Jewish communal life. The essence of Reconstructionist Judaism is community building through learning, revitalization of prayer, and mutual support.
What is Reconstructionism?
For Reconstructionists, Judaism is more than a religion; it is our history, our literature, art, and music, our land and languages, as well as our customs and ritual observance. All of these define religious civilization.
Our sense of belonging to the Jewish people is affirmed through our diverse views of God, shared past, collective values and communal experience of worship, study, and celebration. Behaving and believing arise from belonging and are integral to our tradition and to our future. We believe tradition “has a vote but not a veto.” We are respectful of traditional Jewish practice but are also open to new interpretations and forms of religious expression. Our own religious tradition - egalitarian, participatory and inclusive, is a reflection of our ancestors’ search for meaning, purpose and value.
Additional Resources
Learn more about Reconstructionism from following Web sites:
Jewish Reconstructionist Federation - http://www.jrf.org/
Reconstructionist Rabbinical College - http://www.rrc.edu/reconstructionism/