The Yavneh Story

In the last days of the Roman siege of Jerusalem in 70 C.E., anticipating the inevitable the fall of the city and its Holy Temple, Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai had himself smuggled out of the city in a coffin.  His students carried the coffin into the camp of the Roman general Vespasian.

Rabbi Yochanan rose before the general and greeted him as an emperor. Vespasian appreciated the prediction and asked the rabbi what reward he might wish for his prophecy.  Rabbi Yochanan asked for permission to establish a rabbinic academy in Yavneh, a town near the Mediterranean coast.

Biblical Judaism ended 2000 years ago with the Roman destruction of the Second Temple, but Rabbi Yochanan and other religious leaders of the time assured the continuation of Jewish spiritual life with the audacious transformation of its earlier forms into the practice of what has come to be called Rabbinic Judaism.

In profound teachings going back several decades, Reb Zalman Schachter-Shalomi challenges us to recognize that we, too, are living in a Yavneh moment. 

We are at a point in history where the future transmission of the treasures Judaism brings into the world depends on a transformational renewal of individual and communal Jewish practice, learning, and worship. The call to undertake this sacred work has been heard by thousands of people from all Jewish denominations, and by many lovers of Judaism who have not yet formally joined our faith community.

Within the post-denominational container of Jewish Renewal - a laboratory for spiritual exploration - every manifestation of our expansive tradition can be honored, explored, and, when necessary, transformed.  It is the goal of Renewal to respond to the evolving spiritual needs in every aspect of modern life:  social, political, psychological, and environmental. 

Our congregation has taken "Yavneh" as its name to honor the spirit that moved Rabbi Yochanan and his community to ensure that Judaism would be vital and alive to future generations.