I got the chance to hear the President of the United States speak at the Union for Reform Judaism's Biennial this past weekend. The speech was fantastic, and really demonstrated that Obama knew his audience and was committed to making this a good presentation. It was, after all, geared toward a Jewish community that could be influential in his re-election campaign.
After leaving the event, I heard many people say that they were voting for Obama in the coming election because of this speech. Now, I will say that after this event, I have a better idea of who I am going to vote for, but it has nothing to do with anything Obama said during his speech. As a matter of fact, I would have come to the same realization whether Obama had attended Biennial or not.
Throughout the weekend, I had the opportunity to be in on conversations going on about all of the most important issues within Reform Judaism. We discussed personal expression with NFTY's teens, we discussed the transition of leadership from Rabbi Yoffie to Rabbi Jacobs, and, most importantly, we discussed the importance of Youth Engagement, and how to properly attain more involvement from our youth communities.
Throughout all of this discussion, I was basically told what it is that the Union for Reform Judaism stands for. I came to discover that I too agreed on many of these stances. These ideas included standing up for human rights, for peace, and for understanding amongst all of us. These seem like basic things to stand up for, yet so often we, as people, lose sight of the importance of continually reminding ourselves what it is that is important to us.
In this way, I came out of the event knowing who I will most likely vote for in an election, not because of any one candidate, but because I know better what I want from a candidate. I know what it is that I find most significant to my view of a better America, a better American Jewry, and, most specifically, the best way to a better Global union amongst all people.
Not only did I walk out of this event with a better self-perception politically, but I also walked out with a renewed passion for lifelong Jewish learning and commitment. I so much enjoyed all of the elements of the weekend that I want to continue to work with the Union for Reform Judaism to make our campaigns a success, and our visions reality. By any one of us, our cause will most definitely fail. But as one collective voice, we as a movement are a force to be reckoned with. I am excited to work for a positive change in our world as a part of the Union for Reform Judaism.
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Week 3 Northwest
My coastal journey continued from Boston to Seattle last weekend. This time I departed for the Fall Kallah of NFTY Northwest, a region which I had wanted to see for a long time. I chose it as one of my two travel regions, so as to get the chance to see a city I had never seen before, as well as to get to see a region that I had only heard about, never experienced, to that point.
Upon arrival at the Seattle-Tacoma airport, I had the chance to meet up with Melissa, my advisor, who was joining me on the trip. It was good to know I went to the event with her, as I felt as though she knew much more about the region than I; plus, spending a little extra time with her was a blessing that I got to experience.
To get to the event, it was necessary to drive onto a ferry, and get across the Sound. Again this was a first, having never experienced a ferry ride. I was utterly breathless as I looked over the side of the boat to view to skyline and the water. The whole area seemed to be one of the most beautiful places I had ever been, and I cherished the opportunity to see it. If it were not for my NFTY travels, I would most definitely not have had the opportunity to travel to this part of the world.
When I finally arrived at the actual event, I was instantly impressed by the region. It seemed as though the community that they had built was one that totally required the checking of all ego and discrimination. Although we ideally strive for total equality and love amongst our participants in NFTY, it can often be harder said than done. In NFTY-NW, there seemed to be no social classes; everyone seemed to get along and, at the very least, respect on another. This was strikingly beautiful to find in a community, and I was very pleased that I had gotten the chance to see it.
Over the course of the weekend, I experienced programming, services, and social action that was very well thought-out, planned, and executed. I was very delighted to see the amount of preparation and enthusiasm with which the regional board attacked each and every aspect of the weekend.
One of my biggest concerns going into the weekend was the question of how I would interact with participants. I know from past experience that there were times when North American board members hung out more with the adult staff and leadership, rather than the teens, and seemed to take an aloof leadership angle to the event. On the other hand, I had also heard of instances where board members had spent much of their time as “active participants,” going through the same experience as any other member of the community. It was from this angle that I chose to experience my event, and was greatly rewarded in my experience. I had the opportunity to meet people who I would otherwise have never met. Deeply committed NFTYites who were just as in love with our movement as I was came up to me throughout the weekend, and I got the chance to interact with almost everyone within the group. When those times when it was necessary for me to stand in front of the group and present something, the group was appropriately respectful, yet when I was trying to blend in with everyone else, I was able to have just as much fun because they treated me as a peer.
Upon my arrival home in Chicago, I had more friend requests than I had experienced since Convention in February. I can say that I most definitely made the right choice in going to an event in NFTY-NW, as I got to experience a region of the country I had never seen, featuring programming that was fascinatingly intriguing, filled with participants who were ecstatic to be there. Overall, for someone who doesn’t go to nearly enough regional events anymore, I’m glad NFTY-NW was the one I got to experience.
Upon arrival at the Seattle-Tacoma airport, I had the chance to meet up with Melissa, my advisor, who was joining me on the trip. It was good to know I went to the event with her, as I felt as though she knew much more about the region than I; plus, spending a little extra time with her was a blessing that I got to experience.
To get to the event, it was necessary to drive onto a ferry, and get across the Sound. Again this was a first, having never experienced a ferry ride. I was utterly breathless as I looked over the side of the boat to view to skyline and the water. The whole area seemed to be one of the most beautiful places I had ever been, and I cherished the opportunity to see it. If it were not for my NFTY travels, I would most definitely not have had the opportunity to travel to this part of the world.
When I finally arrived at the actual event, I was instantly impressed by the region. It seemed as though the community that they had built was one that totally required the checking of all ego and discrimination. Although we ideally strive for total equality and love amongst our participants in NFTY, it can often be harder said than done. In NFTY-NW, there seemed to be no social classes; everyone seemed to get along and, at the very least, respect on another. This was strikingly beautiful to find in a community, and I was very pleased that I had gotten the chance to see it.
Over the course of the weekend, I experienced programming, services, and social action that was very well thought-out, planned, and executed. I was very delighted to see the amount of preparation and enthusiasm with which the regional board attacked each and every aspect of the weekend.
One of my biggest concerns going into the weekend was the question of how I would interact with participants. I know from past experience that there were times when North American board members hung out more with the adult staff and leadership, rather than the teens, and seemed to take an aloof leadership angle to the event. On the other hand, I had also heard of instances where board members had spent much of their time as “active participants,” going through the same experience as any other member of the community. It was from this angle that I chose to experience my event, and was greatly rewarded in my experience. I had the opportunity to meet people who I would otherwise have never met. Deeply committed NFTYites who were just as in love with our movement as I was came up to me throughout the weekend, and I got the chance to interact with almost everyone within the group. When those times when it was necessary for me to stand in front of the group and present something, the group was appropriately respectful, yet when I was trying to blend in with everyone else, I was able to have just as much fun because they treated me as a peer.
Upon my arrival home in Chicago, I had more friend requests than I had experienced since Convention in February. I can say that I most definitely made the right choice in going to an event in NFTY-NW, as I got to experience a region of the country I had never seen, featuring programming that was fascinatingly intriguing, filled with participants who were ecstatic to be there. Overall, for someone who doesn’t go to nearly enough regional events anymore, I’m glad NFTY-NW was the one I got to experience.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)