Congregation Connections: Renaissance Groups

Welcome to Congregation Connections, where we’ll highlight a special event or successful program in one of our congregations, gleaned from the many that appear online “In Our Congregations.” To share your news, email Lisa Helfman at lhelfman@urj.org. And, don’t forget to check out “In Our Congregations,” where we post news that we learn from our congregations’ newsletters and other communications we receive from you! (www.urj.org/mac/congs/news)

Temple Shalom in Chevy Chase MD, a congregation of 565 members has, for the past eight years, run a successful Renaissance Group. Comprised of those who are 50+—couples as well as singles—the group meets regularly to attend the theater, visit museums and enjoy dining experiences. The Kennedy Center, Bethesda’s Round House, the Holocaust Museum, the Kreeger Museum and the Library of Congress are among the venues for successful and well-attended events in the past. This year’s programming will kick-off with an ice cream social and planning meeting and conclude with a cocktail party in June.

Other congregations in our region host similar groups, although they are known by a variety of names: The 50+ group atTemple Beth El in Charlotte NC(1,216 members) is known as SPICE, an acronym for Special Programs of Interest and Concerns to Everyone, while Temple Rodef Shalom in Falls Church VA(1,382 members) boasts both a Renaissance Group for those in their 50s and 60s and a Vatikim, for those who are 70-something and beyond.

If you would like more information about starting a similar group in your congregation, please contact one of the congregations listed above. In addition, the New Jersey West Hudson Valley Council (one of the Union for Reform Judaism’s 14 Regional Offices) has created a page on how to start and run a Renaissance Group that is available at http://urj.org/njwhvc/renaissance/.