On Reconstructionist Jews...

When I lived in Japan, my friend, Carnie Rose (the rabbi there), told me that I am a Reconstructionist Jew.

While my observance falls more in the "Conservadox" range, at least as it relates to my philosophy of "minhag optimization,"there may be some truth to that.

Today, we were in Philadelphia for the naming of my cousin's 3rd child. My cousin's wife is one of my best friends from childhood. (Small world, eh?)

She's a Reconstructionist Rabbi. We got there a little bit late for the ceremony, but here's my basic observation.

When it comes to injecting emotion and spirituality into the ceremony, the Reconstructionists lead the pack. What I saw today showed a firm commitment to using traditional texts as a foundation, but then rounding out the service and increasing the accessibility through the injection of emotional accelerants. It really was a beautiful ceremony...and brought me back to my Reconstructionist roots :-)

Whether you are a religious leader or a business leader, getting people to feel is key to a memorable experience.