The Yoffie Plan A 'Marshall Plan" for Jewish education is advocated at the UAHC. JULIE WIENER Jewish Telegraphic Agency "mobilize ourselves for religious education as we have in the past for the State of Israel and the fight against discrimination." He announced the development of a new Reform curriculum called "Chai Learning for Jewish Life," saying it offers a full course in Hebrew language, focuses on "text and celebration" and de-emphasizes "the Holocaust and history of Jewish suffering." He also called for increased teacher training and said the UAHC will exempt from temple dues to the movement all expenses related to teacher training. Boston A fter generations as the whipping boy of the American Jewish commu- nity, Hebrew schools have become the latest cause of the Reform movement. In his Shabbat sermon at the Union of American Hebrew Congregations' biennial conference last week, Rabbi Eric Yoffie, the president, Education Plan said congregational schools "have fallen victim to the plague of low In addition, Rabbi Yoffie urged the following steps to revitalize expectations." The sermon is where major priorities for the follow- Hebrew schools: ing two years are announced. • Engage lay leaders in the work of the religious schools, particularly The last two biennial sermons have focused on adult Jewish litera- in overseeing policy and evaluation; cy and revitalizing prayer services. Both became major initiatives for • Recruit and train synagogue members and parents to help teach, America's largest stream of Judaism, which boasts 914 congregations and make such work an "obligation of synagogue leadership"; and 330,000 households across North America. • Require all religious school parents to attend school with their chil- For many parents, Rabbi Yoffie said, religious school is "the castor dren at least six times per year; and oil of Jewish life, a burden passed from parent to child with the fol- • Impose standards — "flexible standards, to be sure, but standards lowing admonition: 'I hated it, you'll hate it, and after your bar mitzvah, you can quit.'" nonetheless. Even the youngest children should know that Reform Judaism makes demands on us; it does not mean doing whatever Rabbi Yoffie acknowledged that "a quality religious school alone you please." cannot guarantee that our children will be Jewish." But since reli- Rabbi Yoffie emphasized that he supports Jewish day schools as gious school serves "the largest number of children for the longest well, an area that has boomed in recent years. There are 18 Reform period of time," it is "the key that opens the door to the grand Rabbi Eric Yo day schools in North America. adventure of Jewish learning and Jewish life." Rabbi Yoffie called on addresses the UHAC But he noted that the majority of non-Orthodox American Jews Jewish philanthropists to create a "Jewish Marshall Plan for the reli- biennial. do not — and likely never will — attend day schools. gious school" and urged the Reform movement to invest in improv- Rabbi Yoffie's announcements were well-received at the biennial, ing its congregational schools, which enroll 120,000 students. generating frequent applause. But while money is important, he said, vision and commitment are more He's really nailed the problem," said Jane Jacobson of Congregation Havurah important. in Buffalo, N.Y., reflecting the views of many. "Faced with a hunger for Torah and schools adrift," he said, Reform Jews must Detroiters In Boston Local clergy, administrators and synagogue members reflect on Reform movement convention. SHELLI LIEBMAN DORFMAN Staff Writer Sparks, Raising Ruach," as being "con- cerned with making the congregation the 'place to be' for a generation that mong the almost 6,000 par- is typically missing from synagogue ticipants of the life." Dec. 5-9 Union of "Striking Sparks" American Hebrew attracted 65 participants, Congregations' biennial con- who studied text and vention in Boston were shared their own congre- Detroiters who returned gational experiences. home with enthusiasm and Rabbi Hornsten says the insight from tailor-made success of the program educational sessions and proves that "there are events. young adults in our Rabbi Marla Hornsten of communities who are Rabbi Hornsten Temple Israel attended a serious about congrega- new track of the Reform tional life and are will- movement's convention geared toward ing to dedicate time and energy to young adults in their 20s and 30s. She working with this constituency." describes the track, titled "Striking • -•,:,, ,;;•• 12/14 2001 24 Cantorial Reaction Cantor Stephen Dubov of Temple Beth El, who has attended every UAHC biennial convention since his college days, found himself walking through a "who's who" of his own per- sonal history within the movement. Like many of those who attended, he finds that networking and meeting up with former classmates and clergy from synagogues once served is an important aspect of the convention experience. Cantor Dubov, who is deeply involved in technology, was awed by rows of computers available for use by convention-goers. The cantor sought educational courses involving the Internet, and was pleased to be able to discuss his own Web site that provides on-line Torah portions. "No one in the sessions I attended had heard of doing it," he says. "I spoke with other cantors about my desire for others to create similar sites and to index the portions, according to those with different pitch that will benefit different students." A moving moment for Cantor Dubov, who serves at Temple Beth El, took place during a memorial concert for Rabbi Alexander M. Schindler of Connecticut, immediate past president of the UAHC, who died last year. Singer Peter Yarrow told the audience that the two most important people in his life were Rabbi Schindler — and Beth El Rabbi Daniel Svme. I was sitting with 20 members of Temple Beth El and we all heard it "