Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation
Welcome to JRCJRC is a diverse, participatory, and sacred community dedicated to a daring, deeply-rooted Judaism.
Click here to read JRC’s Statement on the crisis in Israel-Palestine
Welcome to JRC
All Together, We are JRC. Daring, Inclusive Judaism.
Our 400-plus household congregation is known for joyful spirituality, intellectual curiosity, inclusivity, and a deep commitment to social justice. JRC is about people – our members- and providing them with meaningful rituals and services and Jewish learning experiences, special events, and many opportunities to make lifelong friends. Come to schmooze, learn, eat, grow, dismantle the status quo, or even pray.
You’ve never known Judaism like this before.
Recon-what?
Reconstructionist Judaism Was Made For This Moment: Rabbi Rachel Weiss
Reconstructionist Judaism is both deeply rooted in Jewish traditions and boldly relevant to the complexity and plurality of the times in which we live. We balance customs and long-observed traditions with the needs of contemporary Jews today. Core to Reconstructionism is the belief that Judaism is the evolving religious civilization of the Jewish people; such a civilization contains ritual, music, text, art, history, sociology, food, literature, politics, and most importantly, Jewish Community.
JRC MEMBER QUICK LINKS
Who can I call in the event of a death or other pastoral emergency?
Call 847-497-5201 and one of our Clergy Team will get back to you.
How can I add someone to the Refuah Sheleymah/Healing Prayer list?
Email the details to JRC’s Operations Director, Leslie Brown at lbrown@jrctogether.org.
How can I share my family’s good news for the newsletter?
Email all the details to info@jrctogether.org.
Who can I contact if I have a question about my JRC account?
Email JRC’s Operations Director, Leslie Brown at lbrown@jrctogether.org
Where should I mail my payment or donations?
You can mail payments to JRC in Evanston:
Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation
303 Dodge Avenue
Evanston, IL 60202
Attn: Leslie Brown, Director of Operations
How do I start to plan a family lifecycle event (wedding/b’nai mitzvah/etc.)?
Email info@jrctogether.org and we’ll start collaborating!
Who can I contact if I have an idea about a program?
We have a form for that! Visit https://jrctogether.org/about-us/board-of-directors/have-an-idea/ to send your idea to our Dream & Plan team!
From Our Director of Education
A Welcome to Families from Director of Education, Soreh Rosenblum
Kehillah, JRC’s boldly reimagined religious school, supports learners of all ages & abilities in cultivating joy & resilience by teaching sacred practices & values. Our Shabbat-based program is infused with joy, allowing us to experience Shabbat together as a multi-generational community, while our Kehillah learners engage in a project-based curriculum.
Every individual in our community is loved for who they are, celebrating their gender identity & expression, sexual orientation, racial identities, degree of Jewish knowledge, or their multifaith families. We partner with parents to cultivate the Jewish values that will serve our children throughout their lives, in their personal relationships and as global citizens. We are a community of learners, with the emphasis on the word “community.”
Voices: JRC’s Congregational Blog
To Be Righteous, Look to the Trees (Rosh Hashanah 5786-2025 Sermon by Rabbi Rachel Weiss)
One of the most delightful things I did this past summer was serve as the Cultural Consultant for the Music Theater Works professional production of Fiddler on the Roof. For months I sat in on production meetings, helping with the details: the ritual objects, the costumes, the pronunciation of Hebrew and Yiddish, even the choreography of a Shabbat table. We worked to reflect the authenticity of the 1904 Pale of Settlement Jewish shtetl, with the context of today’s immigration and refugee crisis at the forefront.
In Between Is Living (Kol Nidre 5786-2025 Sermon by Rabbi Rachel Weiss)
During these Days of Awe, Yamim Nora’im, the book of life is open, the book of life closes. In the middle is the work we do now, and the life we pray we will live.
Humility, Courage, and Return: Learning Teshuvah from Moses, Joshua, and Ourselves
Shabbat Shuvah – Parshat Vayeilech (Deuteronomy 31) 5 Tishrei 5786 (9/26/2025) by JRC member Linda Mathias Kaskel Welcome to Our Season of Return Here we are on Shabbat Shuvah, the Sabbath of Return, we stand in the sacred space between Rosh Hashanah and...