Reception and Lecture with Penn Hillel Executive Director Rabbi Mike Uram – Winner of the 2016 National Jewish Book Award
Rabbi Uram, winner of the 2016 National Jewish Book Award in Education and Jewish Identity, will discuss his new book Next Generation Judiasm: How College Students and Hillel Can Help Reinvent Jewish Organizations.
The nature of community in American life and role of large organizations is changing at lightning speed. These seismic shifts present real Rabbi Uram, winner of the 2016 National Jewish Book Award in Education and Jewish Identity, will discuss his new book Next Generation Judiasm: How College Students and Hillel Can Help Reinvent Jewish Organizations.
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Book Description
The nature of community in American life and role of large organizations is changing at lightning speed. These seismic shifts present real challenges for religious and community legacy organizations that rely on membership, affiliation, attendance, annual donations, and large physical buildings. While so many organizational leaders know that radical changes are necessary to revitalize their organizations for the next generation, many hesitate to adapt because the old model is still working in some ways and are not yet sure what the future model will be. This book is for both professional and volunteer leaders of organizations who are looking to reinvent their organizations for the future and who are more focused on making a deep impact in people’s lives than on just ensuring the continued survival of the organization.
Biography
Rabbi Mike Uram is the Executive Director and Campus Rabbi for the Hillel at the University of Pennsylvania. Mike has spent time in all of the different denominations and is most passionate about breaking down the personal, spiritual, and intellectual boundaries that prevent people from having full self-actualized Jewish identities. Mike helped to create a Jewish engagement ‘start-up’ called the Jewish Renaissance Project (JRP) that reaches thousands of students on the Jewish periphery with cutting-edge methods for building alternative Jewish communities and delivering content-rich Jewish experiences. JRP was recently included in the 2014-2015 Slingshot guide for most innovative Jewish organizations in North America.
Rabbi Uram has consulted and written on the changing nature of the American Jewish community and new models that can help promote thriving Jewish life. Mike was named to the 2012 Forward 50 recognizing Jewish leaders who made the most significant impact on the news in the past year. In the spring of 2012, Mike received the Ally of the Year award from AIPAC for his campus work during the Penn BDS Conference. In the winter of 2007, Mike received Hillel’s highest award for professional achievement, the Richard M. Joel Exemplar of Excellence. He has written a number of articles and is currently writing a monthly column for philly.com.
Rabbi Uram has taught at the Jewish Theological Seminary, the Rabbinical Assembly Conference, Limmud NY, and Hillel’s International Staff Conference and New Professionals Conference. He serves as a Jewish educator for the Philadelphia Federation’s Men’s Cabinet and Round Table. Mike serves as a senior faculty member for the Schusterman Fellowship, a prestigious leadership development program for the most promising talent in Jewish professional sector. Mike holds a BA in History and Religious Studies from Washington University and Rabbinic Ordination from the Jewish Theological Seminary. He lives outside Philadelphia with his wife Leora and their children Avital, Benjamin, and Coby.