Education toward Leadership – Presentation for the WUPJ Conference,
Adar, 5767, Jerusalem.


Excellencies,

It is a great privilege and honor to be among friends and colleagues, sharing experience and gaining knowledge regarding the labor that is done in other places. I am here to tell you bout the educational endeavor that is done in the Leo Baeck education center in Haifa.
As an opening statement to our discussion let us not consider education toward leadership as a craft that we already possess. A healthy sense of caution is a blessing in this regard. Obviously a lot was written and many enterprises where attempt. yet, let us bare in mind that cultivating a mature, sensitive, knowledgeable and well skilled educatees (חניכים) is perhaps the most important venture one is capable to. Rabbi Leo Baeck said: "The Education of a person is the most noble among all crafts". In this gathering of craftsman I wish to acknowledge that notion. So, the first question is – who is the graduate of the educational process? What is his knowledge and skills?
Secondly, I would like to state that Education at all can not be separated from the issue of values. In this regard we need to go "back to Modernity" from the present post modern common believes. By this I refer to notions that opposes moral relativism, that are concerned by the idol worship of the individual and that determines life to have a meaning greater than the here and now. One has a duty to act in order to affect. We have not forsaken the innocent trust that what we strive for is indeed true and just. We look around us and see suffering, alienation, cynicism, detachment. Our heart is open, and contains awareness to the global situation : environmental , economical and cultural. Specially as residents of the middle east we must be aware to all these, so we will be called to action. Our actions are dictated by our values. Therefore I see a need here to witness my fate in Reform-Zionist Judaism. We embody within us the legacy of those two great movements in the history of our nation. I am proud to be a Zionist Reform Jew here in ארץ ציון ירושלים. Firm and steady is my confidence in the roll that we have to act in contemporary Judaism. We are the possibility for moderate and humanistic Judaism and for the everlasting commitment toward our national home in this place, may it always dwell in peace and prosperity. Since the down of our independence we have strive to create a model society, according to moral of the prophets. Education toward leadership is our way to express that devotion and to pass it on to our disciples. When the craft is done well, one can tell it by the flame in the eyes, and by the desire to act. All this makes the question of leadership very crucial. No task is more important or urgent.
Now, I would like to tell you some words about CARMEL, and about conceptualization of values. We established Carmel 3 years ago. We dreamed about a vibrant program for young progressive Jews from around the world, that will contain the practicin values. Those wonderful young people come here for a year long program. During this time they leave an pray together, they learn in the lokey academy and in Haifa university (that supplies the academic umbrella), they learn Hebrew in ulpan, they volunteer in various tikkun olan projects and they the get to know Israel the Israely society. It is A Very intense year. If you come – it will change your life.
Now let us focus in one example: we have defined, as a goal and as a value, practicing how to live in a community, Community that is also a congregation. We named it in Hebrew "קהילה קדושה"(or "עדת השם", sometimes), and then we checked how this theme will manifest, will reveal it self in the daily life of the program. In the first two Machzorim we prayed everyday, in various methods. Please remember it is a year program. Not common it is for reform Jews to pray daily. We did it as an act of plain discipline for us, common believers, and also as a token of our intension to create an environment of spiritual practicing group. For me, it was important that people will feel enough calm to bring various methods, traditions, experiments, and that the group will be able to contain those enterprises. So, what have we achieved by it from the leadership point of view? First- the educatee practiced perseverance in an intensive Jewish way. It creates commitment. It creates self confidence and diminishes uncertainty. secondly - It cultivates tolerance. You must be present in all services, and take part in what ever spiritual method your colleague will bring to the community circle. Finely, and very important, it creates well skilled שליחי ציבור. Those people will now be able to lead service in campus or congregation, as needed. Meaning that since they have practiced, they will be able to step forward, and speak on behalf of their communities in front of the almighty.
I would like to point one more example "from the field". In our weekly Beit- Midrash we hold a session called "Leadership". At all, I can say that we do everything in order to learn from one semester to the next, but this course was perhaps the ultimate challenge. What should you teach? In every semester the staff have debated it over and over. I will give you the spectrum of ides we had, and I am asking you to think what is the level, or layer, of the discussion – knowledge, skills or values?
a. global issues
b. the Jewish world and his challenges
c. personal skills: giving and receiving feedbacks, speaking in public…
d. community projects
e. ideological and moral questions.

( a short discussion with the audience)
What we finely did this year, and it might change, regarding the different natures of different groups, is to give a wide panorama upon the Jewish world, its challenges and possibilities. This is done with deep commitment to the Value of כלל ישראל. The sense of people hood that connects us through continents and ideologies. We thought that this is a must in order to train Jewish leaders. Another thing that is done partly in the leadership course is the building of the communal mission statement. Each year writes a document that conceptualizes their faith, their values, their vision and what are they going to do about it. Hold this- the commitment to the future can be very modest, but without it those are merely empty words.
I mentioned that this labor is done party in the "leadership" class, the other part that contains the moral- ideological inquiry is done in the "reform Zionism" class.
Other community projects are dealt in the weekly "Asefat Kehila", group gathering. For example – last year we had some difficulties with an orthodox group that tried to prevent us from meeting and praying in the dormitories synagogue. The group discussed it in the weekly Assefa, and decided to take an action. They fundraised money and donated to that synagogue a bookshelf covered with books dealing Reform-Zionist thought. The IRAC and HUC press generously took part in it. The bookshelf sigh says it is dedicated to the pluralism and harmony in the students community. So, it is a group project , a leadership action and pride to all of us.
Finely I would to say a few words about how we see our graduates. I trust them to be deeply involved in the core of creating the future of our nation. They can live in Israel or elsewhere. Personally I prefer them in Israel. They can be professional (educators, Rabbies…) or lay leaders (here I have no perforation). For the few tens who went trough this process – we had already made the difference. If we will succeed in the long term and in large influence – yet it is unrevealed. But this I can tell – before everything else, this movement is a strong alliance of communities. Those communities are built from responsible and determined individuals. Being an appropriate modeling and growth-nest for those individuals is our mission, and that we shall achieve.