Dear Friends,

We have just marked the first anniversary of the founding of the Society for Classical Reform Judaism on January 31, 2008. Our inaugural year has been filled with remarkable achievements and progress!

The SCRJ has already emerged as the recognized and respected voice of advocacy for the historic ideals and worship traditions of our Reform Movement, as vital and viable options for contemporary Jews. Our mission embraces the preservation, creative nurturing, and new interpretations of Classical Reform principles and practice:

 - An inclusive, accessible, primarily English language worship service, enriched by a high standard of teaching and music, which both inspires and challenges us intellectually.

- The spiritual values, grounded in the timeless, universal vision of our Prophetic tradition, that inspire our personal decision-making and ethical action as a central expression of our religious commitment as Reform Jews.

- The centrality of the American experience in the shaping of our Jewish identity and commitment, celebrating the contributions our people have made to the founding and building of the pluralistic, democratic society of the United States.

- An active outreach and warm, unconditional support for interfaith couples and multicultural families - including the celebration of their weddings - and a welcome to all those seeking to become part of the Jewish community, regardless of their religious backgrounds. We believe that the broad, inclusive and universal spiritual values of the historic Reform tradition offer an inspiring message for all people on their spiritual journeys.

We are proud to highlight some of the major accomplishments of our inaugural year:

 * We have developed deeply committed and talented leadership from around the country. Our Board includes rabbis, cantors and lay people of all ages, and has been meeting regularly, with recent gatherings in Dallas, Chicago, and New Orleans. Our Board has developed energetic and creative agendas for programming, communications and publications, strategic planning and financial development.

*   An important indication of the depth of support for our mission has been our success in launching our efforts on a strong financial foundation - significantly exceeding our initial fund-raising goals from contributors around the country, even in the midst of the current economic crisis. There has been a very successful response to the matching grant, contributed by one of our leaders, which doubled every contribution to the SCRJ in 2008. This $100,000 Challenge Grant has been renewed for 2009, and we trust that all of our supporters will help us to maximize its great potential benefits.

*   Our website is attracting significant attention at www.renewreform.org. Our newsletter and journal, The Reform Advocate, has also garnered widespread interest. It has become a significant and effective forum, not only for reporting our progress, but also for the exchange of ideas on issues of interest to the Society. There has been great interest and enthusiasm in response to our messages in this past year’s issues of Reform Judaism magazine. Hundreds of inquiries and a new national network of supporters have resulted from this outreach to Movement. We are now working with the editorial staff of RJ in preparing formal articles in the magazine that will convey our message and share our story in greater depth.

*   The Society has already sponsored special programs at a number of major temples around the country, and a particular priority is the fostering of regular worship opportunities in the Classical tradition in congregations, as an affirmation of our commitment to diversity in our progressive spiritual community.

*  We have met with very warm response in our efforts to develop cooperative programs with the national institutions of Reform Judaism. The SCRJ envisions itself as a positive, constructive and collegial resource for our broader Movement. We seek to offer support for rabbis in embracing the diversity within our congregations, to help serve the needs of those of our members of all ages who are committed to the historic practices and perspectives of Classical Reform.

 We have already presented seminars on the Society’s vision to this year’s Ordination Classes at the Hebrew Union College campuses in Cincinnati and New York, and a number of rabbinic and cantorial students have emerged as committed supporters. We are challenging the new generation of Reform rabbis to deepen their own personal understanding of our liberal Jewish heritage, as well as raise awareness of the pastoral opportunities to serve Classical Reform members of their congregations.

 We are now developing cooperative programs with both the Union for Reform Judaism and the Central Conference of American Rabbis, including formal representation and workshops at upcoming Biennials and Conventions. We have emphasized that we are seeking to challenge the Movement to embrace its progressive ideal of respecting pluralism within the Reform family, as well as preserving the history and heritage that we all share.

As we enter our second year of activity, we are deeply encouraged by these great initial successes. They vindicate the vision of our founding leaders and early contributors, who firmly believe that there has been a great need for a shared articulation of the commitments and concerns of those many thousands of American Jews who remain devoted to the Classical Reform tradition. We also know that there is a vast potential following for the Society, particularly among young interfaith families, for whom our inclusive values and accessible approach to worship have particular meaning.

We need your active participation and practical support. Our impact on individual congregations and rabbis and the broader Reform Movement will be determined by the breadth and strength of our voice. We invite and challenge you to step forward - and to encourage others to share with us – as we renew the historic vision of American liberal Judaism for the 21st century!