What’s in a name?
Yinon, taken from Psalm 72:17, means "to increase," "to endure," or "continue." Yinon is also an ancient reference to the Messiah.
We are inspired by a vision of Jewish life that is progressive, egalitarian, and engaging ... rooted in the enduring legacy of Mashiach. We seek to cultivate in our fellow Jews greater levels of faith, hope, and involvement with the world. We seek to inspire our sisters and brothers to prepare the world for the coming of Mashiach. We are far from having a patent on the process, and welcome you to join us on our journey.
Tag Archives: practical suggestions
Looking Ahead
In a previous post titled Judaism in Crisis, we discussed the dramatic paradigm shift faced by the Jewish community, triggered both by economic collapse and a shift in leadership from the Baby Boomer generation to “millenials.” We’ve noticed that discussions … Continue reading
My Jesus Year
Last week I finished reading My Jesus Year, by Benyamin Cohen (Harper Collins, 2008). The book is a hilarious recounting of an Orthodox Rabbi’s son who spends a year wandering the Bible Belt in search of his own faith. I … Continue reading
Babies, bellies, and getting Jews in the pews
*A Radical Repost (Because the first time around just wasn’t good enough! ) Derek Leman kicked off a discussion “on the human need (or lack thereof) for congregation.” It got me thinking, once again, about the purpose of Jewish community, … Continue reading
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Tagged community, nexgen, practical suggestions, rabbinics, Spirituality
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Empowered Judaism
My wife and I are deeply committed to re-imagining congregational life, developing innovative and creative programming, and planting vibrant spiritual communities. As a skilled community builder, I am often sought as a consultant on congregational life and growth and travel … Continue reading
Quote of the Day
We should shift from envisioning a hierarchy of Jewishness to validating different ways for people to be Jewish. All Jews should be pictured on progressive stages of their own personal journeys. -Rabbi Lawrence A. Hoffman from ReThinking Synagogues: A New … Continue reading
Top Ten Ways to be a Great Rabbi
In honor of my husband, who’s a pretty great rabbi, I offer Synablog’s Letterman-style “Top Ten Ways to be a Great Rabbi.” Number 10: Know your stuff. Be a student of Jewish texts, of Jewish history, of Jewish peoplehood. Number … Continue reading
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Tagged community, practical suggestions, rabbinics, social justice, Synagogue
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Debunking Myths
During our recent UMJC-sponsored webinar, we asked the question “why aren’t more Jewish people finding their spiritual home in Messianic Jewish synagogues?” We dissected the common myths that congregational leaders parrot to justify the absence of Jewish people in our … Continue reading
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Tagged community, Finding a Spiritual Home, practical suggestions, Quote of the Day
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Creating Spiritual Homes for the New American Jew
Continuing the conversation we started at the UMJC Mid-Year leadership retreat in December, Monique and I recently led a UMJC webinar which is now posted on the UMJC website. (You may need to log-in/create a profile to view the webinar). … Continue reading
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Tagged community, Finding a Spiritual Home, Jewish life, nexgen, practical suggestions, Synagogue, UMJC
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Help for Haiti
The thoughts and prayers of the world are with the people of Haiti at this time following the recent disastrous earthquake. The Torah states: “Do not stand idly by the blood of your neighbor … (Lev. 19:16)” As Jews, we … Continue reading
Reflecting on Albuquerque
Last week, Monique and I joined a number of other colleagues in Albuquerque, NM for the UMJC‘s mid-year leadership retreat. This year’s retreat was extremely significant. The UMJC focused on discussing the future of Messianic Judaism, and all the invited … Continue reading
Tagged community, nexgen, practical suggestions, UMJC
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