JRF-RRC Unification Proposal Summary

Keddem president Hayley Green Smith sent the following message to Keddem members on March 8. We repost it here to seed and to encourage discussion. JRF hosted a webinar on March 13; we have the slides presented during that webinar, available on the Keddem Web site (as an Acrobat document, and as a PowerPoint 2007 document; we are aware that there are some minor formatting problems with the PowerPoint document when viewed using some PowerPoint-compatible software).

Please post your comments to this proposal, here in the blog. If you do not yet have a login to the blog, please register (link at left, and here). If you have difficulties, contact the Keddem WebRebs via WebReb at Keddem dot org (make the obvious changes to the email address)

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JRF and RRC are proposing to merge, with RRA’s full support. There will be a vote of the JRF affiliates at a special meeting in Phildaelphia on April 10, with an information webinar planned for this Sunday, March 13, at 1pm PDT (information for joining that webinar is below). Keddem’s membership and Board need to provide direction for Keddem’s delegates and proxies regarding how they should vote on this extremely important topic. Keddem’s Board encourages Keddem members to participate in the webinar, and is planning a time for discussion among the membership.

Please continue reading for additional information and links to more background and details.

Jewish communal organizations, such as congregations and movements, are facing huge changes in the way people are viewing organized religion and religious communities. The organizations that comprise the Reconstructionist Movement—JRF, RRC (the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College) and RRA (the Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association)—believe that a fundamental restructuring of the Movement is required to serve the Jewish Community as we continue into the 21st century.

JRF, RRC, and RRA together have developed a plan to allow the Reconstructionist Movement to address these changes. This plan is being presented to the JRF affiliates (congregations and havurot), and will be the topic of a special plenary meeting of the JRF to be held in Philadelphia on April 10 at 1pm EDT. Keddem will be voting at that meeting (both in-person and proxy voting is provided for in the official meeting announcement). Keddem delegates and proxies need instructions for that vote.

A webinar on this topic [occurred] Sunday, March 13, at 1pm PDT; see below.

Following is information about the proposal; the Board is scheduling an opportunity for community discussion.

The proposal

JRF and RRC are proposing to merge, with RRA’s full support.

To effect the merger, RRC will assume JRF’s financial responsibilities; the new, unified organization will be built by the RRC, JRF, and RRA leadership and members. This new organization will use the current RRC Board of Governors as its initial governing body, and both JRF and RRA will participate fully in the governance. The goal of the new, unified organization will be to “cultivate, enhance, and promote Jewish leadership, learning, and living.”

The unification proposal was presented to the JRF and RRC boards on February 6, 2011, with the statement, “this proposal holds out great promise for a new series of opportunities, creative explorations, and the advancement of the contributions to Jewish life that our our movement has made and will continue to make in the future.”

Why the proposal is being considered

The purpose of unifying JRF and RRC is to address the dramatic changes occurring in the Jewish community, specifically in how younger adults (those in their 20’s and 30’s) are viewing and responding to organized religion. These changes affect everything from concepts of membership to dues, from events to fundraising, from inreach to outreach, from governance to affiliation and identity.

The vote, and information dissemination

At the special plenary meeting in April, affiliated communities will vote, by delegate and by proxy, on the unification proposal. This will not be a working session to refine, hone, change, or overhaul the current proposal: it will be a vote to approve or not to approve the current proposal. Discussion about the proposal in order to clarify details will occur, but the proposal will be considered as presented.

In order to inform JRF affiliates’ members, there [was] a webinar on Sunday, March 13, at 1pm PDT.

How the unification will affect JRF, RRC, and RRA

JRF will cease to exist if the proposal is approved. RRC will be transformed into more than just a rabbinical college (while retaining both its accreditation as an academic institution and its not-for-profit educational institution status), and will become the organization that addresses both the educating of Reconstructionist Jewish professionals and the needs of Reconstructionist communities. RRA will remain an independent organization, in order to address the specific needs of Reconstructionist rabbis.

What if the proposal is not approved?

That is not specifically addressed in the information from JRF et al. Most likely is that JRF, RRC, and RRA will continue as they have been. If the changes being seen have the anticipated effect, the Reconstructionist Movement as it currently is structured will become less relevant, less viable, and less able to support its affiliates, their members, and other constituencies of the Movement.

If the proposal is not approved, there will be an opportunity to introduce “any lawful resolution addressing the discussions with the RRC and RRA or the structure and governance of JRF.”

If the proposal is approved, what will the new organization be called?

The interim working name for the new organization is “The Jewish Reconstructionist Movement.” (Call this the JRM, for convenience.) The final name will be determined by the new organization.

Initial governance structure of the JRM

RRC’s Board of Governors will provide initial governance structure for JRM. That Board will be augmented with additional members; current JRF Board members are specifically encouraged to consider joining. Additional governance organizations will include the following.

1. A Congregational Services Committee, whose chair will serve on the new board.
2. A Youth and Education Commission, whose chair will serve on the new board.
3. A Movement Growth and Financial Health Commission, whose chair will serve on the new board.
4. A Tikkun Olam Commission, whose chair will serve on the new board.
5. The chair of the Jewish Reconstructionist Camping Corporation (“JRCC,” the corporate body that runs Camp JRF, currently, in effect, a subsidiary of JRF).

The chairs of the Congregational Services Committee and the JRCC will, further, serve on the new organization’s Executive Committee.

A committee will also be established to work with the Bylaws Committee to develop any necessary charter amendments, new bylaws, and other governance procedures to enable the new, unified organization to fulfill its mission.

A “Movement Advisory Committee” will be created as soon as feasible. This committee will include leadership from among current JRF affiliated communities, members elected by the RRA, the chair of the unified organization, and the chief executive officer of the unified organization. This committee will consult with and be consulted by the new organization and its various committees about the organization’s mission, operations, decisions, initiatives, strategies, priorities, governance, branding, and marketing.

How does this affect Keddem?

If the proposal for unification is approved, Keddem will become an affiliate of the Jewish Reconstructionist Movement.

What will happen to associated organizations, like Harmoniyah and Camp JRF?

In the specific case of Camp JRF–i.e., the Jewish Reconstructionist Camping Corporation–it will become part of JRM. In the case of Harmoniyah, RENA, and CEDAR, representatives from RRC and JRF are or will be discussing the implications of the unification with the appropriate organizational leaders.

Effects on JRF staff

The JRM is committed to structure staffing to provide at least an equal level of services to the affiliated communities as that provided in the current JRF budget. Though no commitments can be made to or about specific staff members, the organization is aware of the need to address the people-related issues of this restructuring.

Expected timeline

The vote at the plenary meeting of the JRF, instructing the JRF Board to continue with the unification negotiations, occurred November 12, 2010 at Convention.

On February 6, 2011, the negotiating team (from JRF, RRC, and RRA) presented their proposal to the JRF and RRC boards. The JRF Board of Directors unanimously approved this proposal on February 7; the RRC Board of Governors overwhelmingly approved it on February 8, and the RRA Board of Directors unanimously endorsed the proposal on February 11.

An informational webinar for members of JRF affiliates [was] held on on Sunday, March 13, at 1pm PDT, as noted above.

A special meeting of the JRF Plenum will be held on April 10 for the purposes of voting on the proposal, as noted above.

If the proposal is approved, the various new committees will be formed as soon as practical, to report back to the new board by August 31, 2012 with their recommendations for programs, priorities, structural and governance changes, etc.

Ideally, by the end of 2011, the final steps of the reorganization (other than the planned ongoing work of the various committees) will be complete and the new organization will become operative. It is possible that these final steps will not be completed until 2012, though.

Where can I get more background and details?

The JRF Web site (http://www.JRF.org) has both background and details. Specifically, see

http://www.jrf.org/files/RRC-JRF_Unification_at_a_Glance.pdf

for a summary, and

http://www.jrf.org/files/United_Organization_Documents.pdf

for much more extensive background and detailed information.

What’s next for Keddem?

Keddem’s leadership wants your feedback. Please go to this link to provide your feedback about the unification. We also want to know if there is enough interest in scheduling a meeting to have a community discussion, please use the survey to indicate your interest.

Keddem’s delegates and proxies will be instructed to vote in accordance with the desires of the membership and the direction of the Board.