News from Kol Ami

Biennial 2017 in Boston!

Last month I had the wonderful opportunity to attend the URJ Biennial in Boston. Imagine 6000 Reform Jews gathering for a week of learning, prayer, connection and song. It was overwhelming to witness and participate in all of the events that the Biennial had to offer. I attended multiple learning sessions each day on topics ranging from Youth Engagement 101 to Models of Congregational Education and Congregations that Collaborate. Each workshop allowed me to learn from my colleagues in the field of Jewish education, as well as from those who are at the top of their field in all areas of the Reform movement and learn their best practices.

Of course, there were many fun events at the URJ Biennial, as well. As a lifelong baseball fan, a tour of Fenway Park and learning more about Jews in baseball was the perfect start to the week. The whole week was an incredibly memorable and valuable experience. Some highlights of my time at the URJ Biennial were: Shabbat dinner with the Temple Kol Ami community; reconnecting with old friends from across North America; singing and praying with the musicians who make our t’fillah a wonderful experience; and finally, having the opportunity to listen to Reform movement leaders speak with absolute passion about our movement, Israel and social justice.

Please click here if you’d like to get a taste of Biennial and perhaps inspire you to plan to join Biennial in two years in Chicago.

https://urj.org/blog/2017/12/11/reliving-urj-biennial-speeches-video-and-more

To close, I would like to thank Temple Kol Ami for giving me the opportunity to participate this year and learn so much in such a short time. Further, the Temple Kol Ami Religious School teaching staff deserves a special thank you for holding down the fort in my absence!

Happy 2018!

Judy Silver

Director of Education