Jewish Chautauqua Society (JCS)

Understanding Through Education

 Thomas E. Wiener, JCS Chancellor  

Since Rabbi Henry Berkowitz, of Philadelphia, founded the Jewish Chautauqua Society (JCS) in 1893, it has grown and changed to meet the needs of each era.  Originally, JCS’ mission was to teach immigrant Jews about Judaism.  During more than a century of service, JCS has achieved an enviable record of initiatives and successful programs which now teach non-Jews about Judaism.  Over the last seven decades, JCS has been an important program of the Men of Reform Judaism.  As chancellor, I have the challenge of continuing the programs developed by those who led JCS to its impressive achievements and grow these programs to support current contemporary life styles JCS is the interfaith education program of the Men of Reform Judaism. JCS must continue to support this important work and to seek new opportunities to promote the cause of understanding and acceptance.  While JCS has a record of innovation and achievement, its role is primarily that of a funding institution and there too, it has a proud record.  To continue that proud tradition JCS needs the support of our MRJ members and all who believe that Jews and all Americans should not fall victim to hatred bred of ignorance. 
Your support of our funding goals is the way to achieve it.  Give because it does make a difference. 

There is clearly a need to bring greater interfaith understanding not only to students in formal educational institutions, but to promote it within thousands of local communities. With this in mind, in 2011 MRJ initiated the MRJ Congregational Interfaith Mini-Grant Program, whereby congregations can obtain financial support to engage in one or more interfaith programs within their own local community. A formal grant application in Word or Adobe Acrobat formats is available. We urge and encourage congregations throughout the Reform Movement to take advantage of this special opportunity. 

Goal: To promote interfaith activity at the local congregational level throughout the Reform Movement. 

Thank you. 

Saul Kessler/JCS Interfaith Seder

The Saul Kessler/JCS Interfaith Seder is recognized as the model for interfaith seders throughout the United States. During these days of mistrust, misunderstanding and divisiveness, the Brotherhood of Temple Beth-El provides as event that looks to unify people of different faiths and traditions -> Read More  

JCS NEWS

Congregational Interfaith Mini-Grant Program

The Men of Reform Judaism (MRJ) is proud to announce the second year of its Congregational Interfaith Mini-Grant Program. The grant program is open to all congregations affiliated with the Union for Reform Judaism and is made possible by the funds of the Jewish Chautauqua Society (JCS), MRJ’s interfaith education project since 1939. 

Founded in 1893 by Rabbi Henry Berkowitz of Philadelphia, JCS has abided by one key principle: the belief that adult education programs could be a major vehicle to bridging the understanding gap between the Jewish people and the other diverse religious and ethnic groups that make up American society.There is clearly a need to bring greater interfaith understanding to thousands of local communities.
The MRJ Congregational Interfaith Mini-Grant Program, provides congregations with financial support to engage in one or more interfaith programs within their own local community.

Guidelines for MRJ’s Congregational Interfaith Mini-Grant Program
Goal: To promote interfaith activity at the local congregational level throughout the Reform Movement. (Note: MRJ recognizes that interfaith work is no longer only an ‘external temple’ activity. Thus innovative temple programs that bridge the interfaith gap within their own congregational membership will also be given consideration.)
Grant Amount: MRJ’s grant schedule is as follows: 

• For one time local interfaith event: $250 - $500.
• For a series of local interfaith events: $750 - $1,000.

Grant Application Deadline: October 31, 2012. Applications will be reviewed by the MRJ Interfaith Grant Committee and applicants notified by November 20th.

 

Download the grant application as a Word or PDF file.  

Download Word Docx Application 

Download PDF Application  

Peninsula Temple Beth El

Multifaith Day of Service - January 21, 2013
Join us on MONDAY, JANUARY 21 (Martin Luther King Jr. Day), for a ground-breaking day of service that will unite the faithful from across the Peninsula! A total of 14 congregations and religious institutions have combined for one day with the goal to give aid and support to those in need.
This is the perfect opportunity to improve our communities by working side-by-side with members of other faiths. The projects offered are open to people of all ages and although we will not be creating an actual structure, we will be building a figurative bridge that day.
Read the Peninsula Temple Beth El Multifaith Day of Service Flyer 

Mount Zion Temple - Saint Paul, MN

Read the Mount Zion Temple thank you letter

Temple Hillel - South Windor, CT

Read the Temple Hillel - thank you note 1  - thank you note 2    

Ohef Sholom Temple - Norfolk, VA

Year of Outreach 

We are very grateful for this wonderful endorsement of our interfaith programming,which is such a vital component of our Temple's success. With nearly half of our congregation in interfaith marriages, interfaith programming is more important now than ever before. We are working hard to reach out to this constituency with creative programming, and this grant helps us towards this objective.
Read the Ohef Sholom thank you letter.

Oheb Sholom - Reading, PA

A Common Heart: A Teen Experience - December 9, 2012 

 

The Common Heart program was an opportunity for teens from three different religious communities (Jewish, Catholic, and Muslim) to share a mean and begin the process of dialog in a safe and friendly environment. Most of the students rose to the challenge and embraced this opportunity to ask frank and important questions of their peers and to gain a great deal of knowledge of the other faiths in a very informal and student driven way. This program is a joint program of Reform Congregation Oheb Sholom, St. Benedict's Roman Catholic Church, the Islamic Center of Reading, and Alvernia University. A portion of the funding for this event came from the Men of Reform Judaism (MRJ) Congregational Mini-Grant Program is made possible by funding of the Jewish Chautauqua 

Society, MRJ's interfaith education project.
 

Anshai Emeth - Peoria , IL 

Interfaith Encounters -- Beer and Bible - August 29, 2012  

Join us as we discuss the differences between Judaism's approach to "sin, repentance and redemption" and the approach that evangelical Christianity takes. We will be meeting at Pizza Works in the Heights for a drink, some pizza, and some interfaith learning. This should be a phenomenal event, and the only cost is $5/person due to the support and sponsorship of the Men of Reform Judaism! 

  

Temple Beth El - Great Neck New York

 

The Saul Kessler-JCS Interfaith Seder was held on March 27, 2012 at Temple Beth El. 

 

Having participated in this Interfaith Program practically from its inception, I can tell you that it was nothing short of unbelievable.  What made it different from Seders from past years is that we had a large number of guests that had never attended, churches that were participating for the first time and by the overall number that attended.

Letter to JCS Chanceller Tom Weiner        Interfaith Seder Flyer       Interfaith Seder Poster   Interfaith Seder Photos
 

Temple Beth-El - San Antonio

 

Join people of ALL FAITHS in Temple Beth-El's "Sukkah of Peace," Monday, October 1, 7:00 p.m. at the Corner of Courtland and Rosenberg Way. Rabbi Darryl Crystal will read from the Torah, and all will have an opportunity to see a Torah scroll up close, he will facilitate a discussion of the themes of the Jewish holiday of Sukkot and how they work well in a diverse community, and there will be opportunity for the sharing of ideas. Light refreshments will be served.

Sukkot Bulletin October 2012      Interfaith Clergy      Sukkah of Peace 

 

Temple Israel - Boston

The event was hosted at Temple Israel on May 5th, 2012. A collaborative program, Temple Israel's Rabbi Elaine Zecher and Bethel AME Church's Reverend Gloria White-Hammond, respectively, guided us in observing Havdalah and preparing for Communion Sunday.  Read thank you letter

Temple Israel of Omaha Scholar-in-Residence

Rabbi Steve Greenberg, Friday, March 30 - Sunday, April 1

Rabbi Steven Greenberg received his B.A. in philosophy from Yeshiva University and his rabbinical ordination from Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary. He is a Senior Teaching Fellow at The National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership a think tank, leadership training institute and resource center in New York City. Rabbi Greenberg is an openly gay Orthodox rabbi and a founder of the Jerusalem Open House, the Holy City’s LGBT community center and home to World Pride 2006.  

Rabbi Greenberg Poster     Temple Israel Tidings     Temple Israel Publicity 

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 CUSH Immigraton Task Force Pilot Program 

  

         

Temple Sinai, Cranston RI Publicity for
This I Believe - Interfaith Dialogue: Personal Values & Civic Ideals
View as PDF 

 

 

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 Temple Chai

Volunteers prepare the  community mea	A Temple Chai family shares a vegetarian meal at the Sikh Temple	We share tea at the Sikh Temple  in Palatine

                 

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MRJ’s 2012 Congregational Interfaith Mini-Grant Program Recipients 

 JCS Biennial Report June 2011  

Why JCS?

Stuart J. Aaronson - Past President, MRJ

As we approach another national election, I find the tenor of the talk has become more and more difficult for me to understand. Not since my college years in the 1960’s have the undercurrents and actual statements of people I have come into contact with reflected such a lack of willingness to search for common solutions to issues. To me it appears that our country is entering another era of polarization which encompasses many areas of life. 

We seem to be unwilling to understand that the overwhelming majority of Americans who practice the Muslim faith are simply trying to live their lives in peace. They want their children to get decent educations, they want decent jobs, and they want the American Dream. They are not very different from you or me. Further, I profoundly disagree with those who want to limit a woman’s “right to choose” but I will defend their right to try to convince me that they are correct and I am wrong. However, I expect the same courtesy from them. 

It seems to me as a very small business owner that a majority of the people are being hurt by a tiny minority of wealthy and frankly arrogant people. I am much closer to the thinking of the employees of my company than I am the thinking of the “1%” I hear about. I wonder if we have forgotten about fairness and encouraging and helping those at “the bottom” to move up. I wonder if we have forgotten that most of “us” were at the bottom once and were it not for the American “character” we might still be there.

So we move towards another election, the results of which I may like or not. I am confident that four years from now there will be a repeat of this ritual which is part of the basic difference between America and all other nations. This will repeat again in four years because as much as we have honest differences, we have common ground. There will not be a military coup or any other such situation. Win or lose, we will all complain and all continue to try to live our lives. We will prepare for four years from now.

What does this have to do with JCS? The Jewish Chautauqua Society is one of the oldest organizations in this country which tries to educate people about other people so that they can appreciate the concept of “Honest Differences, Common Ground.” For over one hundred years JCS has been educating majority citizens about minority citizens. In large measure JCS funds have been spent to provide learned scholars on college campuses to teach non-Jews about Jews. Recently, the focus has expanded to include a number of programs which have brought together many religious traditions to learn from each other. But right now, today in America, I believe that much discussion has moved from asking how we are similar and how we can learn to disagree peacefully about some things to a mean-spirited vocal argument by a minority of citizens with a pronouncement: “I am right, you are wrong and you must change.” It only takes a small number of strident voices repeating the same distortions over and over again, for the majority of people to ask if there might be some truth in what is being said.   

JCS can continue to educate the future leaders of many Christian denominations of this country about Jews and Judaism as it has done with great success. JCS can offer a number of interfaith opportunities for young people. JCS can provide congregational mini-grants for local interfaith programming. JCS can continue to be a voice for reasonable discussion but it does not have the resources to overcome the shouting of PACs and distortions of TV spin masters.

I believe that JCS can be Reform Judaism’s best weapon against this new form of verbal intimidation by those members of American society who, I believe, have forgotten what “American” really means. It really would not take much to educate more young men and women or additional religious leaders and to let them consider that this country was founded on equality, open discussion, and respect for minority viewpoints. It really will be money the Reform Jewish community can consider well spent. Now is the time for tens of thousands of Reform Jews to make the expansion of JCS’s educational mission a reality. While large gifts would be welcome, I believe that thousands of small gifts demonstrate the Jewish commitment that interfaith/intergroup education with a free and open and non-judgmental focus can help to foster civil discourse.

 

Will you make a small donation today and help your commitment to civil discourse be heard"