KESHER, 
,
in
Hebrew means “connection.” It is the name of the branch of the UAHC
(Union of American Hebrew Congregations, the congregational arm of the
Reform Jewish Movement) devoted to the education and involvement of college
students. KESHER is a wonderful resource for your group. It offers you
a program bank to give you ideas, grants money for Reform programming,
and provides direct affiliation with other Jewish campus organizations
and the Religious Action Center (see appendix 10).
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KESHER is the college movement of North American Reform Judaism, an affiliate of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations that connects college-aged Reform Jews, Reform college groups, and college campuses to each other and to the Reform movement, in order to promote continuous involvement in Reform Judaism. GOALS 1. To make the name KESHER recognizable to all college and incoming college students. 2. To encourage the formation of KESHER affiliated chavurot on campuses. 3. To provide support and resources for existing KESHER affiliated chavurot on campus. 4. To encourage each KESHER affiliated chavurah to fulfill the mission statement and reflect the goals of KESHER. 5. To encourage each KESHER affiliated chavurah to exist under the umbrella of any formal Jewish organization on campus such as Hillel or the Jewish Student Union. 6. To encourage and support religious services; social justice work; and cultural, educational, and social programming on campuses across North America. 7. To raise consciousness about Israel and Israel experiences. 8. To serve as a resource to distribute materials (programs, services, speakers, etc.) and to provide information on Reform Judaism, chavurah building, and/or any other issue that may arise on campus via e-mail, telephone, newsletters, etc. 9. To maintain a network of students who serve as contact people on campuses across North America for the distribution of materials from the North American office. 10. To encourage participation in regional and continental KESHER events. 11. To help Reform Jewish college students keep in touch with the rest of the North American Reform Jewish Community. 12. To encourage a relationship with Tamar in order to encourage discussion with Reform Jews around the world. |
In addition to the activities of each chavurah, KESHER plans several supplemental events to bridge all campuses in North America. Annual KESHER events include the four-day KESHER Convention held in the spring, the College Colloquium in the fall (cosponsored by Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion), and sometimes even a trip to Israel over winter break.
Throughout this guidebook, “KESHER” represents the North American organization, while “Kesher” represents individual campus chapters.
Internet Resources: http://www.keshernet.com
KESHER has its own Web site, http://www.keshernet.com, which gives the current KESHER activities, offers software that can be downloaded, provides an on-line way to subscribe to UAHCampus, and serves as the home to the KESHER Directory. The KESHER Directory is a compilation of students’ names and addresses listed by state and school. It is an excellent resource for high school students wishing to contact a Reform Jewish student at a particular college or university they may be considering. It is also a good way for current students to make contacts with each other. The same information is also available in printed form.
KESHER also sponsors an e-mail discussion,
UAHCampus,
which connects hundreds of students across North America. Topics cover
the gamut of issues, including those that face Reform Judaism as a whole,
activities in Israel, current events, or even just general thoughts.
It also serves as a resource for weekly Torah readings and offers opportunities
for students to increase their Jewish knowledge.
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To
Subscribe to UAHCampus
1. Write to listproc@shamash.org without a subject, the following message: Use
your actual name.
2.
That’s it! You will receive each posting as it comes in.
3.
If you want one e-mail a day containing all the day’s postings,
write to listproc@shamash.org
with the words: set UAHCampus mail digest
4. To post something to the list, send your message to UAHCampus@shamash.org 5. To view older issues, go to http://shamash.org/listarchives/uahcampus |
Be sure to post a flyer in your building (available from KESHER by writing to KESHER@UAHC.org) about the listserve and send out an e-mail about it a few times during the school year to invite students to join the list.
Is KESHER NFTY or Not?
As mentioned previously, every KESHER group is significantly different. Since KESHER is a part of the UAHC, it is often thought of as a college version of NFTY (North American Federation of Temple Youth). This is simply not the case. While some groups draw a heavy "NFTY alumni" population, KESHER is not meant to be exclusively for this group. However, use any leadership skills you gained from NFTY and the enthusiasm it builds to your advantage. It is our hope that KESHER will expand and draw all Reform Jews into an environment where they feel comfortable identifying with and practicing their Judaism.
In fact, using your NFTY connections can help in organizing a NFTY or UAHC camp reunion, as a possible event, a way to draw a new group of people to KESHER.