Gladstein Fellowship Weekend Links Emerging Conservative Communities and Strengthens Bonds
Representatives from the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, the Rabbinical Assembly and the Jewish Theological Seminary spent an intensive weekend in Caldwell, New Jersey, in mid-February. They were joined by five rabbinical students; members of emerging Conservative congregations in Leesburg, Virginia, Lake Norman, North Carolina, and Skokie, Illinois; and philanthropists Ned and Jane Gladstein as they all worked to develop strategies to foster the development of Conservative communities throughout the country.
The Emerging Kehillah Initiative was created by Ned and Jane Gladstein, who realized the need to promote emerging congregations in the United States after they visited similar communities in Europe and the former Soviet Union. The initiative is a strategic partnership among the Gladstein Rabbinic Fellowship, the Jewish Theological Seminary, United Synagogue’s Alim Initiative, and the Rabbinical Assembly. Established to help both emerging communities and rabbinical students, it provides outstanding rabbinical students with intensive experience in practical rabbinics and community development as it supplies growing congregations with rabbinic leadership.
The weather was cold and blustery, but the feeling of warmth among the participants, many of whom were meeting for the first time, was palpable. As we gathered to usher in Shabbat in the home of Rebecca and Jeremy Gerber – he’s a fourth-year rabbinical student who organized the weekend and serves as a rabbinic fellow at Beth Shalom in Lake Norman – we introduced ourselves, glad to meet in person after months of emails and telephone calls. Everyone vied to hold the three baby girls present: twins Ary and Rena Hammerman (daughters of Gladstein fellow and third-year student Eytan Hammerman and his wife, Rebecca, who had just arrived from Jerusalem) and Liora Ragozin (the daughter of Gladstein fellow and fifth-year student Michael Ragozin and his wife, Sarah). First-year student Arielle Cohen and second-year student Corey Helfand, along with his fiancée, Jenny, completed the Gladstein Fellows contingent.
A full weekend of Shabbat services, lectures, meetings, and of course lots of food followed. Dinner on Saturday night at the Gladsteins’ beautiful home included a networking meeting with Rabbi Alan Silverstein of Congregation Agudath Israel of Caldwell, our host congregation, and Rabbi Gordon Tucker of Temple Israel Center of White Plains, New York; Rabbis Silverstein and Tucker are Gladstein mentors. Each rabbinic fellow interns with a congregation for two years, living in the community and becoming part of that flourishing Conservative congregation as they acquire the tools for effective community leadership. Each month during those two years the fellows go to serve emerging Alim congregations, communities that have not yet had leadership but which have the potential and the desire to become a vibrant part of the Conservative movement. The mentoring rabbis help the fellows gain insight into the emerging community’s needs and develop the expert skills to meet those needs.
One of the initiative’s success stories is Sha’are Shalom in Leesburg, Virginia. Congregants Debbie and Perry Immerman proudly talked about how Sha’are Shalom grew until the part-time leadership of JTS students – to the point where it is now ready to hire a full-time rabbi.
We ended the weekend with panel discussion about how to enhance the program even more, and how to spread the word about it. The participants left the weekend invigorated with the knowledge that they are doing important work; they plan to stay in touch with each other to share ideas and concerns.
We know there are many emerging Conservative communities that could benefit from this program. We need your help to find them. United Synagogue has grants and resources available, as well as the services of many talented people who are eager to help foster the growth of Conservative congregations. If you know of a Conservative community in the early stages of formation, please email Faye Gingold at gingold@uscj.org or call me at 646-519-9258.
Please partner with us as we work to identify emerging congregations and help them grow and flourish.
Faye Gingold is United Synagogue’s congregational services coordinator.
