16 April 2018

Each Liberal Judaism congregation will be able to send one new member to our movement’s flagship Biennial Weekend for a heavily subsidised price, to take part in a special track designed to develop relationships and our communities.

Thanks to the generous sponsorship of the NLPS Trust, one person from each affiliated congregation can attend for just £50 including accommodation, food and all materials (regular adult price is £300).

They will then take part in the ‘Relational Judaism – Pathways to Participation’ track, working alongside an established member of their community to foster a relational chevruta (partnership) experience.

This track is timed so that participants will not miss any of the rest of the Biennial, being able to take part in the full regular programme alongside these extra sessions.

‘Relational Judaism – Pathways to Participation’ will focus on the importance of building relationships in our communities and strengthening Jewish identity.

Rabbis Sandra Kviat and Leah Jordan, who put it together, said: “Jewish community and identity is built on relationships – relationships with our family and friends, with our congregations and with our wider Jewish community.

“Each one-to-one relationship we have is the building block upon which community is built. Community is not about numbers, or bums in seats, but about what connects us and binds us together – whether that be our fears, what keeps us up at night, or our dreams and aspirations, what we long to do.

“Learning and experiencing Relational Judaism is about sharing our individual stories, creating real relationships and building our community from within.”

The track will see the new and more ‘seasoned’ members working side by side to learn relational community building skills, in order to further strengthen their own web of relationships and to deepen the Liberal Jewish community as a whole.

It will focus on the experiences of the new member, as their journey reflects in miniature how our communities work on the inside and can help us create paths of participation, so that everyone is involved, feels valued and does not burn out.

Rabbis Sandra and Leah added: “Relational Judaism has the potential to create sustainable ways into the community and into a meaningful Judaism for everyone.”

To put forward a member who has joined your community in the last two years, for the track and subsidised place, please fill in this form.

If you have any questions about the process or the form, please contact Tom at t.rich@liberaljudaism.org.

Liberal Judaism’s Biennial Weekend 2018 takes place from Friday June 29 to Sunday July 1 at the stylish and modern St Johns Hotel in Solihull, just outside of Birmingham.

For more information and to book regular adult and child places, please click here.