Just over a month ago, a unique gathering of Reform Jews occurred in the heart of New York City’s West side, at the Stephen Wise Free Synagogue near Central Park. The convening group, Re-Charging Reform Judaism, is not part of the Reform Movement’s hierarchy, but its conference at the Stephen Wise Synagogue has become a major force for putting new energy into the Reform Movement in North America. Over 300 people attended.

The speaker and guest list was impressive, including Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch of the Stephen Wise Free Synagogue, Rabbi Angela Buchdahl of New York’s Central Synagogue, Rabbi Rick Jacobs, head of the Union for Reform Judaism, and many other well known Rabbis and other leaders, like Professor Andrew Rehfeld, president of the Hebrew Union College and Conference Chair Mark S. Anshan of Toronto, the lay organizer of the Conference.

There were significant figures from Israel as well such as Anna Kislanski, head of the Israel Movement for Reform Judaism (IMPJ) and her former Deputy, David Bernstein, Yaron Shavit, Deputy Chairman of the Executive of the Jewish Agency for Israel, Rabbi Meir Azari, Senior Rabbi of the Beit Daniel Centers for Progressive Judaism in Israel, among........

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