World Union for Progressive Judaism Conference in Moscow

I have been back from Russia for several weeks and I am still reliving the most personally and professionally profound experience of my career.

The 32nd International Convention of the World Union for Progressive Judaism in Moscow was attended by over 400 Jews from more than 24 countries around the world.

We began with a keynote speech from Rabbi David Ellenson, President of Hebrew Union College/Jewish Institute of Religion, along with additional speakers, Rabbi Richard G. Hirsch(Israel), Honorary Life President and former Executive Director of WUPJ and Dr. Mikhail Chlenov (Russia), Secretary General of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress, followed by simultaneous workshops highlighting not only “Jewish renaissance” in the Former Soviet Union, but also developing Progressive communities and movements in Germany, Poland, Hungary, Spain, Argentina, Brazil, and Chile and the activities of more established communities in Australia, New Zealand, and Asia.

Michael arrived in Moscow at this point and we experienced Shabbat worship services led by Rabbi Alex Dukhovny (Ukraine), Rabbi Gregory Kotlyar (Russia), and Rabbi Grisha Abramovich (Belarus). Passages in the service were delivered in nine different languages and the siddur was printed in both Russian and Hebrew. The rest of the day was spent in common-interest discussion sessions. In the evening, before Havdalah service, all the delegates reconvened to listen to Cantor Elena Zarkh, Cantor Roslyn Barak, Cantor Marina Belenky and Kol B’Seder. The cantors were all originally from the FSU and had not been back to Russia since they were children.

These cantors and Cantor Jeff Klepper were at Mendeleyvo Retreat Center with me for three days prior to the WUPJ conference. At the Retreat Center, my responsibility was to teach and facilitate synagogue administrative issues to Jewish professional from the countries representing the FSU. Even though I had a translator who helped overcome the language barrier, this was truly a challenge because of the tremendous range of experience of the FSU representatives.

It was so rewarding getting to know these colleagues and feeling that I truly had helped them and at the same time appreciate the opportunity of a first-hand glimpse of Jewish life in modern Russia and the FSU. I brought a suitcase full of Judaica to distribute and was hugely gratified to be able to give them to my new friends to use in their growing synagogues.

I was amazed to walk into my conference session in Moscow to find more than 25 people at my workshop “10 Commandments of Synagogue Administration”. Again, the range of experience was from the beginner to rabbis who had as many years in the field as me. It was clear that the need for NATA’s presence on an international level will be explored at our convention in Houston later this year.

The conference moved from Moscow to St. Petersburg where Michael and I were privileged to be invited to attend the installation of Rabbi Michael Farbman as rabbi of Congregation Shaarei Shalom in St. Petersburg. Rabbi Farbman is a native of Belarus, attended the Leo Beck Institute in London and served as Associate Rabbi at the West End Synagogue in London for several years before returning home to assume his position of leadership in St. Petersburg. I got to know Rabbi Farbman well when we spent several days together at Mendeleyvo just outside of Moscow as we developed a vision for the future of the FSU with NATA as partners in the resurgence of Judaism.

On the plane home and for weeks afterward, Michael and I talked about this remarkable experience in Russia - the people we met and the huge differences as well as the amazing similarities that existed between us. The bottom line was that regardless of the country, regardless of the language ...we were all Jews and we all participated in our religion together with a unity of purpose.

(Re-printed from the September, 2005 Covenant)