Judaism 2030: A Working Conference for a Vibrant Jewish Future
Source: Judaism 2030
The Jewish Outreach Institute (JOI) has just completed their fifth North American JOI Conference called: "Judaism 2030: A Working Conference for a Vibrant Jewish Future". Over 200 participants and nearly 50 presenters came together for two days in NYC to imagine the Jewish future and chart a path to getting there. The conference participants, professionals and volunteer leaders across denominational lines, across institutional lines, from all over North America: federations, synagogues, independent organizations, and grass-roots organizations, dealt with four central themes in terms of planning for the Jewish future: spirituality, belonging, globalism, and peoplehood.
These four core areas were framed by the planners:
- Spirituality:
What will spirituality/connectedness look like in 20 years? What are both the personal and communal expressions of principles that inspire and give meaning to one’s life, thoughts and actions? They may or may not include a relationship with the divine.
- Belonging:
What does it mean to relate to a community and how does that relationship reflect one's personal identity?
- Globalism:
What responsibility do Jews have to the world? How does globalism impact the future of the Jewish community?• Peoplehood
What are the beliefs and characteristics that make up the Jewish people? What is the relationship and responsibility of the individual to the collective body?
eJewish Philanthropy.com covered the conference with a week-long series of thought pieces written by conference presenters, which have been collected on their site:
- The Colors of Water by Yavilah McCoy
- It’s Only Natural: The Powerful Connection of Jewish Spirituality in the Great Outdoors by Rabbi Michael Comins
- A Call for Jewish Education Through Gaming and Game Design by Rabbi Owen Gottlieb
- The Jewish Role in a Global Village, and the Impact of Globalism on the Jewish Community by Simha Rosenberg
- Smashing the Crystal Ball: Talking with Teens About the Jewish Future by Beth Cooper Benjamin, Ed.D. and Adam Gaynor
- As the Generational Winds Blow by Dr. David Elcott and Stuart Himmelfarb
In order to involve the Jewish community with the proceedings of the conference, JOI livestreamed some of the sessions and made recordings of them available.
The Jewish Outreach Institute (JOI) is an independent, national, trans-denominational organization reaching out to unaffiliated and intermarried families, and helping the organized Jewish community better welcome them in.
Since 1987, JOI has created innovative programs, conducted groundbreaking research, and served as a national training institution for Jewish communal professionals and volunteer leaders.