Gender Equality
A basic value of Reconstructionism is that men and women, boys and girls, are ritually completely equal. (In fact, the first Bat Mitzvah was Judith Kaplan, the daughter of Mordechai Kaplan, the founder of Reconstructionism. Her ceremony was in 1922!). Our textbooks tell women's stories as well as men's. Our expectations of what each child will learn has to do with that child's individual capabilities, rather than with his or her gender.

Respect for Tradition
Reconstructionism has a specific process for making changes in the tradition. Our procedure is to study a traditional practice, learn what it meant to the people who engaged in it, "try it out" if possible, and work toward a practice that recreates the same meaning for us. As we do that, we blend our own sensibilities about our culture, both Jewish and general, with the messages from the past that have brought us here.

Children (male and female) are encouraged to wear a Kippah during class and services. While wearing a kippah is not required, we do not permit baseball hats or other secular head coverings to be worn during class or services instead of a kippah.

Pluralism
Reconstructionism understands that Judaism has always evolved. At any given moment, there have been a number of different ways of performing rituals, observing Jewish holidays, and celebrating the Jewish life cycle. There is no one right way to be Jewish. In class, we will periodically look at the many different ways people celebrate their Jewishness.

Cooperation, Tolerance, Support
An important by-product of pluralism is tolerance and support. As much as we can, we will promote cooperation rather than competition. We also have a very important rule at Congregation Kehillat Shalom's Hebrew School: NO PUT-DOWNS! The Talmud says that the temple in Jerusalem was destroyed because of unnecessary meanness. Twenty centuries later, meanness can also destroy the fabric of our own community, indeed of our society. We must resist it whenever we can.