Newsletter Weekly Guest Statement
Larry Lockshin
Co – President UPJ
Registrations are now open for our upcoming Biennial Conference, B’Yachad Kadima (Moving Forward Together), 19–22 November in Melbourne. At its heart, the Biennial is about five things: community, learning, connection, engagement and inclusion. It’s where our movement comes together, shares ideas, and leaves stronger than it arrived.
This is the first Biennial I have chaired, though I’ve attended many since my first one in 2000, and those years have shown me just how much the conference delivers on each front.
Community. For many first-time attendees, arriving at a Biennial feels like discovering a much larger extended family. Small congregations, especially those far from other Jewish communities, often feel like family in themselves but the Biennial extends that feeling outward. You won’t meet everyone there, but every small group session and shared meal becomes a place to connect with people who understand your experience, even where opinions vary widely.
Learning. Roundtables of synagogue leaders regularly turn into idea exchanges: successful programs, ways of engaging members, or simple formats like geographically organised members’ brunches with set discussion points, later shared with the board. The practical takeaways matter, but just as often the real outcome is members meeting each other and enjoying one another’s company, many for the first time.
Year after year, communities bring home at least one good idea from the Biennial: program models, management approaches, writing a values statement, hiring a rabbi, fundraising, or even new songs. The UPJ’s role in helping communities strengthen their own synagogues is one of the clearest and most consistent outcomes of attending.
Connection and engagement. Beyond the practical takeaways, the Biennial is where serious conversations open minds and sharpen thinking. And it’s simply fun being surrounded by enthusiastic Progressive Jews navigating the same questions gives people a real sense of belonging to something much bigger than their own congregation.
Inclusion. Whether attending as a synagogue leader or an individual member, everyone’s voice has a place at the Biennial. That’s part of why so many people keep returning, conference after conference, long after any formal role has ended.
Why not join us in Melbourne this November?
It will be fun and engaging, and you’ll bring home ideas and skills for yourself and your community including how to have difficult conversations with people you don’t agree with, and how to clarify your own views on Israel so you can share them confidently with family and community.
UPJ AWARDS
It’s also a good time to think about who in your community has helped sustain it over the years. The UPJ sponsors three awards recognising exactly this kind of contribution:
· The Ner Tamid — for behind-the-scenes members who continue to serve and sustain their community, often without recognition.
· The Ner Atid — for emerging leaders aged 21–35 who have already contributed to their community and are likely to keep doing so.
· The Vatik — for past presidents who have continued serving their community for at least five years after stepping down.
Recognising those who maintain and grow the flame of Progressive Judaism matters. Use the link below to download the criteria and nomination forms.
