Rabbi Melissa Klein has been with Am Haskalah since joining us as a student
rabbi in 2002. Melissa graduated from Harvard College in 1993 with a degree
in chemistry and physics and then studied for two years in Israel. She
completed her studies at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College in June
2004. Am Haskalah is fortunate to have Melissa and her partner Neysa Nevins
as part of our community.
 Am
Haskalah is a safe place to let down your hair. It is a place for creativity.
The music, the drumming, bring out new ideas. It is a group that has found
each other and appreciates each other. (Rabbi Klein)
Congregation Am Haskalah offers a creative, participatory approach to
Judaism, blending tradition with innovation. We believe the past has a
vote but not a veto.
I knew from my first service that this is where
we belonged — that here was a group of Jews who cared deeply about
their religion and about each other. (Cary Oshins)
Am Haskalah welcomes members from diverse life situations, backgrounds,
political and religious perspectives. Each person brings to the community
unique talents and needs. Individuals choose levels of involvement with
which they feel comfortable.
For me, Am Haskalah is wonderfully diverse,
creative and traditional — all at the same time. (Gale Maleskey)
Members of Am Haskalah are not mere observers, but have the opportunity
to participate actively at the very center of Jewish communal life. Reconstructionism,
based on the ideas of Rabbi Mordecai Kaplan, is for both intellectuals
and mysticists and for both those who see Judaism as a religious community
or a community that goes beyond religion. Kaplan understood Judaism to
be an "evolving religious civilization."
It's a gift to feel so connected to Jewish
tradition and learning while at the same time be firmly committed to diversity.
(Jenni Levy)
Our services and activities • are generally held
at the Allentown Jewish Community Center, 722 North 22nd St in Allentown.
Please check our updated calendar for room
locations for various events.
Reconstructionists define Judaism as more than a religion. For us it
is a civilization encompassing history, literature, art and music, land
and language.
Our religious tradition is the reflection of our ancestors' search for
meaning, purpose and value. In our own search, we are egalitarian, participatory,
and open to varying viewpoints.
Belonging to the Jewish people comes before
behaving or believing; through our shared past and through our communal
experience of worship, study and celebration, we affirm our sense of belonging.
We are respectful of traditional Jewish practice but also open to new
interpretation and forms of religious expression; tradition has "a
vote but not a veto."
Our diverse views of God share an emphasis on godliness rather than the
supernatural. We value that power in the universe which infuses all creation
with a sense of transcendence and impels us to improve the world and ourselves.
We believe we are involved in the evolution of Judaism right now, and
are responsible for shaping the spiritual and cultural legacy we will
leave to future generations.
Perhaps you are a Reconstructionist —
and just don't know it.
Check out the Reconstructionist Movement's web site at www.jrf.org
for more information!
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