Little Minyan in the News
"Jewish Group Follows Own Path"
article in the Columbus Dispatch (6/12/2009)
For Immediate Release, June 1, 2009:
Local Congregation - The Little Minyan - Joins Jewish Reconstructionist Movement
TheLittle Minyan, a vibrant and highly participatory Jewish congregation incentral Ohio, has chosen to enter into the covenantal relationship ofaffiliation with the Jewish Reconstructionist Federation (JRF). The JRF Board of Trustees, meeting inPhiladelphia in May 2009, approved the Little Minyan’s application foraffiliation by unanimous vote. Members of the national movement, including Director of Outreach, RabbiShawn Zevit, will participate in Erev Shabbat services on Friday, June 12th,7:30 p.m., to welcome the Little Minyan. The Little Minyan holds monthly erev Shabbat and Shabbat morningservices at Covenant Presbyterian Church, 2070 Ridgecliff Road, in UpperArlington. In addition, a widevariety of educational, celebratory, and social action activities of the LittleMinyan can be found on their website, littleminyan.org.
The Little Minyan began with the pipedream of two40-year-old moms, Irene Donhowe of Dublin, and Jessica Shimberg Lind of UpperArlington, who met through their children and spent years serving in leadershippositions at a Reform synagogue. They envisioned a congregational model thatincluded meaningful educational opportunities for children and their parents, aparticipatory worship experience that welcomed innovation and fosteredlearning, and a holy community (kehilla kedosha) that truly cared for and supported one anotherin times of need, joy, and sorrow. Their vision was shared by a small group that began to meet regularly,jokingly calling themselves The Little Minyan that Could, and on Shavuot5766/June 2006, The Little Minyan held their first Sabbath service.
Within 18 months of forming, the Little Minyanhad worked together to create a chuppah (wedding canopy) to celebrate a wedding, welcomed their firstLittle Minyan baby with a lovely brit chayim (covenant of life ceremony), and assisted increating a meaningful Shiva/mourning period for a beloved parent. In addition,the community had successfully created Shabbat and High Holy Day worshipservices, extensive educational programming, and social and social actionopportunities, all with the energy and talents of individual members and on avery modest budget.
Over the course of their first three years, theLittle Minyan has, on occasion, invited rabbis and other professional teachersto both study with and lead worship for the congregation. However, the Little Minyan remainsprimarily lay led and completely volunteer driven. With the assistance of a national movement that shares thevalues and dynamic vision of the Little Minyan, the congregation looks forwardto a bright future serving its members and the central Ohio community. Affiliation affords the Little Minyanmany opportunities while maintaining a great degree of autonomy.
Reconstructionist Judaism is a progressive, contemporary approach toJewish life, which integrates a deep respect for traditional Judaism with theinsights and ideas of contemporary social, intellectual and spiritual life. TheReconstructionist movement, founded in the United States, in 1930, by RabbiMordecai Kaplan (1881-1983), is made up of congregations and havurot throughoutNorth America.
Reconstructionists share a commitment to making Judaism their own byfinding in it joy, meaning, and ideas they can believe. Unlike Orthodox andConservative Judaism, Reconstructionism does not view inherited Jewish law (halakhah) as binding. Reconstructionists continue to turnto Jewish law for guidance, if not always for governance, recognizing that, inthe contemporary world, individuals and communities make their own choices withregard to religious practice and ritual observance. However, where Reform Judaism emphasizes individualautonomy, Reconstructionism emphasizes the importance of religious community inshaping individual patterns of observance. Belonging to a community leads us totake the patterns of observance within that community seriously; our choices donot exist independently, but are made in response to our community as part ofour participating in it.
Reconstructionists hold diverse ideas about God,but share an emphasis on Godliness --those hopes, beliefs, and values within usthat compel us to work for a better world, that give us strength and solace intimes of need, that challenge us to grow, and that deepen our joy in moments ofcelebration. Reconstructionists,as a movement, have committed themselves to reclamation and preservation of theenvironment and to global humanitarian efforts. In addition, Reconstructionists support a broad variety ofhumanitarian, cultural and political organizations in Israel. Through the WorldUnion for Progressive Judaism the Reconstructionist movement is activelyinvolved in developing liberal Judaism in Israel.
Local Contact: Jessica Shimberg Lind, 614-459-9593, jslind@columbus.rr.com, 3820 WalhavenRoad, Columbus, Ohio, 43220; JRFContact: Rabbi Shawn Zevit,Director of Outreach and Tikkun Olam, 216-591-1886, SZevit@jrf.org, 101Greenwood Avenue, Beit Devora, Suite 430, Jenkintown, PA 19046, jrf.org