And here we go...

The CCAR Convention officially kicked off tonight with marching band, tons of food, a few speeches, and shmoozing like crazy. As we ran into colleagues, neighbors, classmates, teachers, students, friends from across the Reform rabbinic universe, one can't help but chat it up. The usual questions (how's your family?) seem to have added questions about how we (the congregation/community) are doing in the economic crisis. I think for many of us, we're looking for kindred spirits - to know the struggles we face are not alone.

Tonight was focused on dinner and welcome - with bits of pomp and circumstance mixed in. After dinner, we were welcomed to Jerusalem by her mayor, Nir Barkat. Mr. Barkat is a modern Israel politician - he speaks in a normal voice like any public speaker and not in the dead "ummm" filled monotone of many politicians of old. That was a nice change.

Nonetheless, he gave his stump speech. While his statistics on the changes ahead for Jerusalem were interesting and powerful, I was waiting for his "Reform Jews" and pluralism part of the speech. It wasn't to come. Reform Judaism - whether Israeli or American - is something ignorable. For Mr. Barkat, pluralism is secular and Orthodox, left and right wing working together. Bringing in the issues of Reform Judaism would push the Ultra-Orthodox off the table. I was disappointed in the speech, but I guess I didn't expect him to take a major stand on the issue in this informal presentation. By the way, security standards are a bit light when the Mayor comes to the Reform Rabbis - one his of guards checked his cell phone for much of the time.

Tomorrow, our adventures truly begin.