A three-part series on the history, beliefs, and practices of the Reconstructing Judaism movement with which Havurah Shalom is affiliated. Led by Rabbi Maurice Harris, Associate Director for Thriving Communities and Israel Affairs Specialist at Reconstructing Judaism.

In this short series, we’ll learn about the Reconstructionist Movement’s big ideas and how Reconstructionist congregations use those ideas to shape their approach to Jewish life. We’ll cover the history of the movement, from its origins in the 1920s as an emerging school of thought, through its early years as a new denomination that established a seminary, to the present day as a movement that has ordained over 400 rabbis and includes 97 congregations in North America and beyond. We’ll spend some time looking at what makes the Reconstructionist prayerbook series unique, and we’ll learn about ways that the movement has sometimes served as a creative laboratory whose innovations have set trends and influenced mainstream Jewish life. 
 
Bio: Rabbi Maurice Harris is Associate Director for Thriving Communities and Israel Affairs Specialist at Reconstructing Judaism. Ordained in 2003 by the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College, Maurice served for eight years as a rabbi at Temple Beth Israel in Eugene prior to beginning his current position at the central organization of the movement.