July/August 2014 VOL. XLI No. 4
Liberal Judaism is a constituent of the World Union for Progressive Judaism
www.liberaljudaism.org
ljtoday
A transformative experience T HIS YEAR’S Liberal Judaism Biennial Weekend was the biggest and best in our movement’s history. It saw more congregations get actively involved and more first timers among the record 305 delegates than ever before. However, it was not just the numbers that made this year’s conference a success. It was the fact that Biennial 2014, in the words of many who attended, was a transformative experience. The conference was titled ‘Radical Roots, Relevant Responses / Relevant Roots, Radical Responses.’ Its aim was to challenge attendees to recall the words and actions of the founders of Liberal Judaism and use them as a springboard for individuals and communities to examine different ways of responding to their own future and that of the world around them. This aim was accomplished through a series of inspiring workshops, delivered by rabbis and leaders, which challenged and excited the participants. The most common feedback was that the choice of sessions was so extensive, many people struggled to decide which to attend. The keynote speaker Rabbi Jonah Pesner – vice president of our sister movement in America, the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) – spoke passionately about his own life story and how it had inspired him and the URJ to get involved in major social action projects. He completely drew in the audience, stirring a very British crowd of Jews to applaud, call out and talk one-on-one with each other in a very American way. His speech was described as “energising and totally intoxicating”. Others to enthuse the Biennial with their words included Liberal
Judaism chief executive Rabbi Danny Rich, chairman Lucian J Hudson, president Rabbi Dr Andrew Goldstein and chair of Rabbinic Conference Rabbi Charley Baginsky. Many members of the conference were also lucky enough to attend one of the sessions led by Fania Oz-Salzberger, professor of history at the University of Haifa and co-author with her father, Amos Oz, of Jews and Words. Fania brought new ideas and vision to the Biennial and formed a dream team with our own Rabbi Dr David J Goldberg. She said: “Not only did I have a wonderful time, but I felt at home with a community of like-minded people.”
One key goal of Biennial 2014 was a determination not to be locked into the past, nor to spend time visioning without learning from the present. Time was specifically dedicated to sharing the real issues within our communities and the promotion of Liberal Judaism’s Resource Bank and Philosophy of Co-operation. Each community also created their own door to display at the Biennial, allowing congregations a chance to celebrate and share the work they do and provide a means to inspire others. Perhaps the most significant innovation of this year’s event was the launch of the Emerging Leadership Network (ELN), bringing together future leaders from each community to meet, support each other and attend bespoke sessions. Rabbi Charley Baginsky – chair of the Biennial organising committee – said: “While I wanted to help create a conference that would be an inspiring weekend, a weekend is simply a moment. Liberal Judaism can celebrate a conference that helped people transform their moments on Biennial into actions that will create continual moments within their home communities.” The final session, run by Rabbi Rebecca Qassim Birk, brought together the feeling that ran throughout the weekend that the radical and relevant responses of Liberal Judaism had been reinvigorated. These were then transformed into individual commitments to take the Biennial’s work home to all those that had not had the privilege of attending. Biennial 2014 may have been a moment, but it was a moment of which Liberal Judaism can be truly proud. Find out more in our Biennial Weekend Special on pages 4-7.