Inspiring a better future
For the past seven years, thousands in our Jewish community have been subscribing to Elul Reflections – daily inspirational emails written by members of the Assembly of Rabbis and Cantors of Australia, New Zealand and Asia – distributed by the Union for Progressive Judaism (UPJ).
Last year, beyond the month of Elul, UPJ built upon this work and set new ground to inspire a new and better future for the community. UPJ presented its first virtual biennial conference on Sunday, November 8, 2020 opened by Rabbi Sharon Brous.
Rabbi Brous graduated from Columbia University before being ordained by the Jewish Theological Seminary, and is the senior and founding rabbi of IKAR, a Los Angeles congregation launched in 2004 that’s rooted in the goal of “reinvigorating Jewish practice and inspiring people of faith to reclaim a moral and prophetic voice”.
IKAR is among the fastest growing congregations in the United States today, building a ‘relational Judaism’ approach that reaches both the committed, and “the folks who wouldn’t even walk in the door”.
Rabbi Brous’ 2016 TED talk, titled Reclaiming Religion, reached more than 1.3 million people and was translated into 22 languages.
Turning the tribulation of COVID-19 into opportunity, she wrote last year in Hadassah Magazine: “The intersection of global health crisis and national social upheaval might seem like a strange starting point for creative, generative thinking. We will need to seize this moment, with all its vulnerability, and dream big.”
To receive daily Elul Reflections emails, sign up via upj@upj.org.au. For more information, visit upj.org.au
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