Journey of a Rabbi

Jack Shechter

doi:10.5771/9780761863977

Summary

This two-volume Journey of a Rabbi consists of essays describing ventures undertaken, events experienced, and ideas articulated that reflect the life work of a rabbi and Jewish educator. What threads its way throughout these writings is a persistent search for ways and means to revitalize Jewish life in our time.

Written in lucid and compelling fashion, the story portrays early family influences and mentoring of a searching youth, experiences of a rabbinical student, army chaplain, and pulpit rabbi that brought into focus the tasks ahead. The story proceeds to detail the work as a denominational executive, which broadened concern for the larger community and return to pulpit work devoted to fashioning a “Synagogue-Center.” It then segues into depiction of the comprehensive initiatives in education, the arts and community outreach as Dean at the University of Judaism. Interspersed throughout are “thought” essays about religious phenomena, faith, the personal life, the land of Israel, and “lessons learned” from a lifetime of experiences.

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Bibliographic data

Copyright year: 2014
ISBN-Print: 978-0-7618-6396-0
ISBN-Online: 978-0-7618-6397-7
Publisher: Hamilton Books, Lanham
Language: English
Pages: P2
Product type: Book Titles

1. TABLE OF CONTENTS No access
Introduction No access Pages 1 - 6
1. Preface No access
2. 1) Rav Frankel: A Fifth Grade Hebrew Teacher No access
3. 2) B.J. Cooper: An Eighth Grade Teacher No access
4. 3) My Zaydeh: A Teaching Grandfather No access
5. 4) My Father: Louis Shechter No access
6. 5) My Mother: Pauline Schachter Shechter No access
7. 6) An Aunt and Uncle No access
8. 7) Learning via “Terror” No access
9. 8) Rabbi Alter Landesman: Pointing the Way No access
1. Preface No access
2. 9) Abraham Joshua Heschel: A Herald of Spirituality No access
3. 10) Mordecai M. Kaplan: A Mentor for Community No access
4. 11) Franz Rosenzweig: A Sage for Modernity No access
5. 12) Wolfe Kelman: Leader and Friend No access
6. 13) Simon Greenberg: Model Rabbi No access
7. 14) Max Vorspan: Visionary No access
1. Preface No access
2. 15) Early Upbringing, Yeshiva University—and the Jewish Theological Seminary No access
3. 16) A Junior Rabbinical Student in Mexico No access
4. 17) A Senior Rabbinical Student in Iowa No access
5. 18) A Chaplain in Arkansas No access
6. 19) First Pulpit: Warren, Ohio No access
7. 1. 20) New England Region, United Synagogue of America No access
  2. 21) The “Torah Corps” No access
1. Preface No access
2. 22) On Revitalizing a Synagogue: A Blueprint No access
3. 23) Response to the Blueprint: Detailed No access
4. 24) The Synagogue as a Reflection of its People No access
5. 25) On Sleeping Late and No Transportation No access
6. 26) The Adult Education Program No access
7. 27) The Minyan, and a Rabbi’s Morning Regimen No access
8. 28) The Seudah Shleesheet: A Third Shabbat Meal No access
9. 29) Celebrating Shabbat: A Guide No access
10. 30) Learning Ventures for Women No access
11. 31) Sukkot Initiatives No access
12. 32) A Jewish Music Festival: The Convergence of Four Streams No access
13. 33) On a Chassidic Weekend in a Conservative Synagogue No access
14. 34) A Passover Seder with Christian Professors No access
15. 35) Chanukah, Hot Dogs and Square Dance: A Strategy No access
16. 36) Ishmael Sowa, Paganism and Full-blooded Judaism No access
17. 37) A Young Woman Leaves Home for an Iowa Farm No access
18. 1. 38) From Pulpit Rabbi to University Educator No access
  2. 39) Farewell to the Congregation No access
1. Preface No access
2. 40) A Convention for Vitalizing the Rabbinate No access
3. 41) The Convention Planning and Program No access
4. 42) The Convention Aftermath and Evaluation No access
5. 43) High Holy Days Seminar Program No access
1. Preface No access
2. 44) Primer for a Revolution: Religious Jewry Speaks to the Organized Jewish Community No access
3. 45) College Students Confront the Federation Movement No access
1. Preface No access
2. 46) A Plan for the Revitalization of the Conservative Movement No access
3. 47) Religious Action: A Challenge for the Conservative Movement No access
4. 48) Are We, Indeed, in an Era of Post-Denominationalism? No access
5. 49) A Denomination as “Home” No access
6. 50) From Conservative to Orthodox and Back No access
7. 51) The Quintessential Conservative Jew No access
8. 52) A Conservative Mikveh: A Tale of Origins No access
9. 53) The Conservative Day School: Its Impact on the Conservative Synagogue and on the Movement as a Whole No access
1. Preface No access
2. 54) Learning in Judaism: Its Centrality No access
3. 55) The “Music” of Jewish Learning and the “Faithful Modernist” No access
4. 56) Adult Jewish Learning: Its Contexts No access
5. 57) Jewish Study in the Modern Age: Franz Rosenzweig No access
6. 58) Lifelong Learning and the Active Mind No access
7. 59) Maybe, Maybe Not No access
8. 60) On Being Attuned to One’s Surroundings No access
9. 61) An Aim of Education: Enabling Students to Continue Their Education No access
10. 62) An Aim of Teaching: Enabling Teachers to get an Education No access
11. 63) Grandfathers Teaching Grandchildren No access
12. 64) Learning from Other Traditions No access
13. 65) The Passion for Learning: A Personal Encounter No access
1. Preface No access
2. 66) A Plan for Adult and Continuing Education at the University of Judaism: Content and Strategy No access
3. 67) The Learning Plan Implemented No access
4. 68) Basic Adult Jewish Studies No access
5. 69) University Institute No access
6. 70) Special Learning Ventures No access
7. 71) Bible and Archaeology Program No access
8. 72) Program in the Arts No access
9. 73) Introduction to Judaism Program No access
10. 74) The Elderhostel Program No access
11. 75) The Public Lecture Series No access
12. 76) Educational Outreach No access
13. 77) The Academy for Jewish Religion No access
Appendix One: Table of Contents For Volume Two of Journey of a Rabbi No access Pages 489 - 494
Appendix Two: Comments About Journey of a Rabbi—Volumes One and Two and About the Author’s Work No access Pages 495 - 500
About the Author No access Pages P2 - P2