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Identity

A man in a red jacket sits on rocky ground, gazing at mountain peaks under a cloudy sky.

​​Beyond Vocation: Reclaiming the Language of Chosenness

To ensure a passionate and distinctive Jewish future, we should reclaim our foundational metaphor of “chosenness.”
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Sunset over a forested mountain landscape with a person sitting on rocks in the foreground.

Chosen to Aspire to Do God’s Will, Not Because We Are Inherently Better

It is important to reconstruct even the most problematic concepts that we have inherited rather than to try to excise them.
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A hand making the Vulcan salute gesture against a plain light background.

Reconstructing the Roles of Priests and Levites: Questioning Absolute Egalitarianism

How might we reclaim some of the value of the priestly and levitical roles?
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Sunbeams break through clouds over a calm body of water with distant islands on the horizon.

Chosen for Priesthood: Considering Chosenness Through a Biblical Metaphor

God’s invitation to be a nation of priests is an aspiration rather than a firm promise of our indispensability.
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Ancient scroll displayed in a glass case, with bookshelves visible in the background.

Choosing Not to Be Chosen

The fundamental flaw is not the arrogance of the claim, troublesome as it is, but that the claim requires that there was a Divine chooser who made a choice.
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Mountain range at sunset with pink and purple hues in the sky and rugged peaks in the distance.

Why It Is More Important Than Ever to Renounce the Belief That the Jews Are the Chosen People

The belief that Jews are Chosen risks promoting Jewish chauvinism and even racism.
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Poster of Karl Marx vandalized with cat ears and a mustache, reading Are you a Communist? Then get organized!.

Revisiting the Case of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg: How the Case Divided American Jews

The 1951 trial of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg pitted different types of Jews against each other.
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Sunlit columns and pediment of a classical building against a clear blue sky.

The Sacred Obligations of Liberal Jews: Claiming the Word ‘Religious’

Our bonds with our loved ones represent obligation through immanence.
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Fluffy white clouds in a pale blue sky.

Creating a New Diaspora Judaism

Seeking to create an ecologically rooted Judaism that could be life-giving for centuries to come.
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A soldier in a helmet holding a Torah scroll, accompanied by another soldier in uniform, both are reading.

Prayer as Resistance: A Shabbat Service in Liberated Dachau

Polish non-Jewish inmates had threatened to break up the service by force if was held in the main square.
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The Reconstructionist Network

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Serving as central organization of the Reconstructionist movement

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Training the next generation of groundbreaking rabbis

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Modeling respectful conversations on pressing Jewish issues

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Curating original, Jewish rituals, and convening Jewish creatives

Read & Rite

One-stop shop for progressive Jewish books and ritual objects

Havaya Summer Programs

Overnight summer camp and teen Israel experience

Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association

Professional association of Reconstructionist rabbis

Placement Office

Placement resources for rabbis and congregations

Reconstructionist Educators of North America

Professional group for people leading schools in Reconstructionist congregations

Close-up of olive branches with green olives, sunlight filtering through the leaves creating a warm, golden glow.

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The Reconstructionist Network

A blank white square with no visible content.
A pure white, blank image with no distinguishable features or content.
A blank white square image.

Read & Rite

One-stop shop for progressive Jewish books and ritual objects

Placement Office

Placement resources for rabbis and congregations

Havaya Summer Programs

Overnight summer camp and teen Israel experience

Reconstructionist Educators of North America

Professional group for people leading schools in Reconstructionist congregations

Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association

Professional association of Reconstructionist rabbis