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	<title>JCC Archives | My Jewish Learning</title>
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	<description>Judaism &#38; Jewish Life - My Jewish Learning</description>
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		<title>Exercising New Teaching Skills – Literally</title>
		<link>https://www.myjewishlearning.com/2015/07/16/exercising-new-teaching-skills-literally/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Beth Kander-Dauphin]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 16 Jul 2015 17:08:32 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Southern & Jewish]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[exercise]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[funny]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[JCC]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[jewish education]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[San Antonio]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.myjewishlearning.com/?p=90018</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>I consider myself to be a versatile teacher. I&#8217;ve taught all ages, all topics, and in all settings&#8212;or so I ...</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://www.myjewishlearning.com/2015/07/16/exercising-new-teaching-skills-literally/">Exercising New Teaching Skills – Literally</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.myjewishlearning.com">My Jewish Learning</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I consider myself to be a versatile teacher. I&rsquo;ve taught all ages, all topics, and in all settings&mdash;or so I thought. But this week, I had an all new setting for teaching Judaism: at the gym, during an actual exercise class.<p>Rewind to a few months back, when I was asked to teach the first session in a new series of classes from our local San Antonio Jewish Community Center (JCC)&nbsp;designed to combine education with exercise. As a runner and a professional Jewish educator, I was immediately excited. I care deeply about both education and exercise! Plus, I&rsquo;m always game to support strategies that are outside of the box.</p><p>But still. When it was explained to me that I would be teaching while my students were working out on stationary spinning bikes, I&rsquo;ll admit it sounded kind of, well, wacky.</p><p>I said yes, and decided that I&rsquo;d have plenty of time between winter and July to get this figured out. Then winter flew by, spring disappeared, and my extremely busy month of June came and went&mdash;and before I knew it, my session was few days away. Now, I was freaking out! What in the world would I teach and how would this possibly work?</p>			<div id="mjl-teads-ad" class="mjl-teads-ad"></div>
			<p>My frantic and doubting emails to the JCC series coordinators were met with positivity and a &ldquo;let&rsquo;s go for it&rdquo; attitude. They knew that what they were doing was out of the ordinary and they knew that they had nothing to lose. Aren&rsquo;t the best moments in education made of that exact formula? I started to breathe a little easier again, and started to prep for this wacky class.</p><p>I decided to teach about Jewish approaches and philosophies about health and wellness. It turns out that our tradition has lots to say about our bodies, which are ultimately viewed as holy vessels created in God&rsquo;s image. I was able to find texts about eating (of course), sleeping, sex, exercise, the care of one&rsquo;s body, how we move when we pray, and much more. The content was there, now I just needed to worry about the execution.</p><p>I honestly couldn&rsquo;t picture it all in my head. Would I be screaming over the spinning instructor? How would they participate? Would I be adding to their workout or hindering it?</p><p><em>What the heck should I wear?</em></p><p>I was told to picture the bikes merely as the seats for the students. Instead of students sitting motionless in chairs, they would be moving their legs. This image worked for me and even reminded me of the treadmill desks that are gaining popularity. In the education world, we refer to this as kinesthetic learning, or learning connected to movement.</p><p>Even though I was now prepared, I was sure that NO ONE would show up (and part of me was maybe secretly hoping that this would be the case). But one by one, my exercise-and-education students arrived and got situated on spinning bikes. They were all ages, fitness levels and even religions, and they were all excited to try this funky new class out.</p><p>The fitness instructor was there to properly position everyone and to make sure they knew how to use the bike. Her only instruction was to &ldquo;pedal at your own pace.&rdquo; Then I was introduced, and we were all off and running&mdash; or should I say, cycling.</p><p>The 40 minutes flew by and these students reacted the way any class would. They asked questions, shared comments, laughed and pondered. Some were clearly also getting a good workout, while others pedaled at a leisurely pace. It was weird and wonderful, and it was beautiful Jewish learning. I was even told that this should be my new gig! While I&rsquo;m not sure about that, I am thrilled to have been a part of something so creative and yet so rooted in what education is all about.</p><p>I&rsquo;m excited to see the classrooms that await me next!</p><p>Like this post?<span class="Apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span><a href="https://www.myjewishlearning.com/eletters/nowonmjl_signup.html"><em>Join the conversation through MyJewishLearning&rsquo;s weekly blogs newsletter!</em></a></p></p>
<p>The post <a href="https://www.myjewishlearning.com/2015/07/16/exercising-new-teaching-skills-literally/">Exercising New Teaching Skills – Literally</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.myjewishlearning.com">My Jewish Learning</a>.</p>
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		<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">90018</post-id>	</item>
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		<title>Shalom, At Passover And Always</title>
		<link>https://www.myjewishlearning.com/2014/04/14/shalom-at-passover-and-always/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[MJL Admin]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 14 Apr 2014 12:08:27 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Celebrate]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Pray]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Southern & Jewish]]></category>
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					<description><![CDATA[<p>We had another post for today, which we will share later, but in light of yesterday&#8217;s tragic shootings at two ...</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://www.myjewishlearning.com/2014/04/14/shalom-at-passover-and-always/">Shalom, At Passover And Always</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.myjewishlearning.com">My Jewish Learning</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="https://www.myjewishlearning.com/blog/southern-and-jewish/files/2014/04/jcckc.jpg"></a>We had another post for today, which we will share later, but in light of <a href="http://www.haaretz.com/jewish-world/jewish-world-news/1.585524" target="_blank">yesterday&#8217;s tragic shootings at two Jewish institutions in Kansas City</a>, we offer only our prayers for the families impacted by this terrible act of violence. Places like the Jewish Community Center, open to all and committed to bettering our world, should be safe havens for everyone. An attack like this shakes us all to the core.</p>
<p>Particularly on the eve of Passover, we pray for freedom from violence and terror. We pray for safety, security, and over and over we will pray for shalom &#8211; at Passover, and always; in Overland Park, and everywhere.</p>
<p><em>L&#8217;shalom, y&#8217;all. </em></p>
<p>The post <a href="https://www.myjewishlearning.com/2014/04/14/shalom-at-passover-and-always/">Shalom, At Passover And Always</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.myjewishlearning.com">My Jewish Learning</a>.</p>
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		<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">83050</post-id>	</item>
		<item>
		<title>Is Relational Judaism Only For Large Jewish Communities?</title>
		<link>https://www.myjewishlearning.com/2014/03/04/is-relational-judaism-only-for-large-jewish-communities/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[MJL Admin]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 04 Mar 2014 10:25:07 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Rabbis Without Borders]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[federation]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[Jewish community]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[relationships]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[synagogues]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.myjewishlearning.com/uncategorized/is-relational-judaism-only-for-large-jewish-communities/</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>I recently had the privilege of listening to Professor Ron Wolfson give several talks to my community about his new ...</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://www.myjewishlearning.com/2014/03/04/is-relational-judaism-only-for-large-jewish-communities/">Is Relational Judaism Only For Large Jewish Communities?</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.myjewishlearning.com">My Jewish Learning</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>I recently had the privilege of listening to Professor Ron Wolfson give several talks to my community about his new book, <em><br>
  <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1580236669/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=1580236669&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=myjewishlearn-20" target="_blank">Relational Judaism</a><br>
</em>. &nbsp;Professor Wolfson&rsquo;s thesis, as he explains <a href="https://www.myjewishlearning.com/blog/members-of-the-scribe/2013/04/30/relational-judaism-for-the-21st-century/">here</a>, is that Jewish institutions are failing us, and hemorrhaging affiliated members as a result, because they focus on &ldquo;transactional Judaism&rdquo; rather than he what terms &ldquo;relational Judaism.&rdquo; Transactional Judaism connotes a fee-for-service approach in which institutions offer programs, activities, services, and schools, in exchange for money. Instead, Wolfson argues that institutions and their leaders need to focus more time, energy, and financial resources on building face-to-face relationships, micro-communities, and programming with a relationship-generating component built in.<p>There is a lot of wisdom in Wolfson&rsquo;s book, and I commend it as critical reading for all Jewish professionals, from rabbis to federation leaders to school principals. Making synagogues more welcoming of visitors, taking the time to meet parents of students or JCC members one on one, and cutting back on committee meetings will make Jewish institutions of all sizes and locations more vibrant and personal. But as I read through the case studies in his book, and heard him speak, I kept feeling a sense of disquieting disconnect: the Jewish world he describes in his book does not equate with the Jewish world I experience out in the hinterlands of Connecticut.</p><p>There are two different worlds of Judaism in America today. There are huge Jewish demographic presences in the big cities (New York, LA, D.C., Chicago, Boston, San Francisco, Atlanta, Miami, and a few others) and their surrounding suburbs (the Valley, Westchester, areas in New Jersey, Maryland, and Virginia), where the variety of religious expression and opportunity is incredibly rich, perhaps richer than ever before in the history of the Jewish Diaspora. Here, relational Judaism can be a huge benefit to large synagogues and other organizations that have lost their personal touch. Relational Judaism can serve as an effective way to re-vivify places that have grown cold, sterile, and indifferent. Larger federations can and should hire Jewish concierges to help steward new members of the Jewish community and existing members passing from one life stage to another (<em>e.g.</em> post Bar/Bat Mitzvah or new empty nesters) to various organizational presences and opportunities. Synagogues with multiple clergy should deploy them in more interactive ways, such as having a rabbi meet religious school parents in the parking lot to ameliorate the nefarious &ldquo;drop off&rdquo; effect or creating an alternative Friday night service in congregants&rsquo; homes.</p><p>But, as I told Professor Wolfson, I remain unconvinced that relational Judaism can work in small communities where resources are so scarce that institutions spend most of their time just trying to run basic programs and keep the lights on. On Shabbat morning, the rabbi of a small synagogue&mdash;who is the only clergy&mdash;cannot simultaneously greet people who come in during services and lead the congregation in prayers. When the religious school director is also a teacher, in order to make the budget work, he or she cannot both teach students and engage with parents post-drop off or pre-pick up. A federation that cannot sustain its local day school or JCC does not have the funds to hire a concierge, and communities here are so territorially sensitive that it is not clear a concierge could even work.</p>			<div id="mjl-teads-ad" class="mjl-teads-ad"></div>
			<p>I should add at this point that I remain committed to the vision that relational Judaism espouses. To me, the issue of relational Judaism&rsquo;s application to smaller Jewish communities leads directly the broader question of the future of these communities as presently constituted. I think we need to begin having far more candid conversations about merging older institutions and achieving economies of scale that enable the kind of vibrant, personal, creative Jewish expression that millennials&mdash;and many other Jews&mdash;crave. Where I live, there are four Conservative synagogues and two Reform synagogues within 20 minutes of one another. None have more than a few hundred members; some have far less. These synagogues are competing with one another for scarce members, replicating administrative and other staffing costs, and fragmenting rather than unifying the Jewish community. This is crazy! Imagine what kind of places they could be if they came together: imagine how spirited and uplifting services could be if several hundred people showed up each Shabbat, and how many opportunities there could be for multiple minyanim; imagine how many friendships could be created in a religious school with 100 students rather than 4 schools with 20-30 in each; imagine how large and effective a bikkur holim (visiting the sick) society could be established to reach out to those in need within our communities; and on and on.</p><p>As you probably know, this kind of community-wide view of local institutions is highly implausible today. Donors want the organizations they have supported to remain open in their current forms, even if doing so is short-sighted. What we truly need is the leadership and courage of our community leaders, in small Jewish communities across the country, to engage donors and other local decision-makers in the process of re-visioning the future of these communities. Perhaps through a relational approach&ndash;engaging these decision makers in one to one conversations and small group meetings&ndash;we can plant the seeds for the growth of relational Judaism in communities both large and small.</p><div>
  <em>The Jewish world is full of debates.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.myjewishlearning.com/eletters/nowonmjl_signup.html" target="_blank">Get the latest in MyJewishLearning&rsquo;s weekly blogs newsletter</a>.</em>
</div><p><em>&nbsp;</em></p></p>
<p>The post <a href="https://www.myjewishlearning.com/2014/03/04/is-relational-judaism-only-for-large-jewish-communities/">Is Relational Judaism Only For Large Jewish Communities?</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.myjewishlearning.com">My Jewish Learning</a>.</p>
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		<post-id xmlns="com-wordpress:feed-additions:1">81313</post-id>	</item>
		<item>
		<title>Jewish, LGBT And Looking For…: Your One-Stop Shop for Jewish Institutions</title>
		<link>https://www.myjewishlearning.com/2012/08/03/jewish-lgbt-and-looking-for-your-one-stop-shop-for-jewish-institutions/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[MJL Admin]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 03 Aug 2012 14:08:11 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Gender & Sexuality]]></category>
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					<description><![CDATA[<p>Looking for a day school that offers materials listing &#8220;Parent 1/Parent 2&#8221; instead of &#8220;Mother/Father&#8221;?Want to find a synagogue that ...</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://www.myjewishlearning.com/2012/08/03/jewish-lgbt-and-looking-for-your-one-stop-shop-for-jewish-institutions/">Jewish, LGBT And Looking For…: Your One-Stop Shop for Jewish Institutions</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.myjewishlearning.com">My Jewish Learning</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><figure id="attachment_609" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-609" style="width: 300px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" width="300" height="213" src="https://www.myjewishlearning.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Keshet-SafeZone-Sticker-300x213.jpg" class="attachment- size-medium wp-image-609" alt="Keshet SafeZone Sticker"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-609" class="wp-caption-text">Looking for a safe and inclusive institution?</figcaption></figure>
<p>Looking for a day school that offers materials listing &ldquo;Parent 1/Parent 2&rdquo; instead of &ldquo;Mother/Father&rdquo;?</p><p>Want to find a <a href="https://www.myjewishlearning.com/practices/Ritual/Prayer/Synagogue_and_Religious_Leaders.shtml">synagogue</a> that offers all-gender or non-gendered bathrooms?</p><p>Seeking a JCC with LGBT events on the calendar?</p>			<div id="mjl-teads-ad" class="mjl-teads-ad"></div>
			<p>Need a <a href="https://www.myjewishlearning.com/practices/Ritual/Prayer/Synagogue_and_Religious_Leaders/What_is_a_Rabbi.shtml">rabbi</a> or a <a href="https://www.myjewishlearning.com/practices/Ritual/Prayer/Synagogue_and_Religious_Leaders/What_is_a_Cantor.shtml">cantor</a> who will perform a wedding for a same-sex couple?</p><p>Keshet&rsquo;s new <a href="http://www.keshetonline.org">Equality Guide</a> is a user-friendly database connecting LGBT Jews and their loved ones to inclusive institutions and clergy across the country. Already, over 700 synagogues, camps, JCCs, rabbis and cantors have listed themselves.</p><p>But we know there are more of you out there&mdash;just as we know that there are plenty of people already looking for an institution near them. So we invite you to come peruse, search, look around, and keep us in mind. Plus, please make sure that the inclusive institutions in your life get added to the Guide! <a href="http://keshet.vernalpond.com/inclusive/">Just click here</a> to get started.</p><p>Plus, we&rsquo;re always looking to add more information, making the guide a stronger and better resource all the time. So if you&rsquo;re proud of the fact that your campus Hillel has out LGBT staff, if you&rsquo;re a rabbi who would love to perform same-sex <em>kiddushin</em>, if your synagogue has programming for LGBT Jews&mdash;<a href="http://keshet.vernalpond.com/inclusive/">please let us know</a>!</p></p>
<p>The post <a href="https://www.myjewishlearning.com/2012/08/03/jewish-lgbt-and-looking-for-your-one-stop-shop-for-jewish-institutions/">Jewish, LGBT And Looking For…: Your One-Stop Shop for Jewish Institutions</a> appeared first on <a href="https://www.myjewishlearning.com">My Jewish Learning</a>.</p>
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