Rabbi Esther L. Lederman

"Stop being nostalgic for the past and start helping to build what is already happening, because it's happening, with or without you. And we want you with us."

The time has arrived for the Union for Reform Judaism and the Reform Movement to gather in person once again, and there is no more perfect time than our 150 th anniversary.

2023 marks the 150th anniversary of the founding of the Union for American Hebrew Congregations - now called the Union for Reform Judaism. What should this milestone mean?

A few years ago, when my son was still pretty young, we were heading out to participate in Friday night services for families with young children. When he asked where we were heading, I said, "We're going to Temple Micah." We weren't going to the building on Wisconsin Avenue that is Temple Micah, we were heading to a local coffee shop and bookstore where services were being held. But to me, that was Temple Micah. The people we would see, the feeling we would get by being together - all of that was Temple Micah - not the temple building itself.

According to conventional wisdom, congregations will look different in 10-15 years. If this is the case, we need leadership that can come together to actively create our future. Otherwise, we will be reacting passively to forces and trends, and are less likely to be successful.