“Im Ein Ani Li Mi Li” – If I Am Not for Myself, Who Will Be For Me?
NFTY Studies the Power of Personal Expression

WHEREAS Exodus 35:10 states, “Every naturally talented individual among you shall come forth and make all that God has ordered,” and;

WHEREAS Golda Meir, former Israeli Prime Minister, once said, “Make the most of yourself by fanning the tiny, inner sparks of possibility into flames of achievement,” and;

WHEREAS "The Source", an Israeli information-access magazine geared towards citizens and families looking for outlets of expression, supports the notion that "religious observance through functional art is a form of personal expression that has manifested itself in many examples throughout the ages,” and;

WHEREAS as one of its guiding principles, the Union for Reform Judaism upholds the belief in “Choice Through Knowledge,” the idea that every Reform Jew has the right to make their own individual choices about how to live a Jewish life independently of one another, and;

WHEREAS when individuals are able to identify with their own set of personal beliefs, the power of a larger community becomes even stronger, and;

WHEREAS the 5769-5770 NFTY Study Theme, “Bakesh Shalom v’Radaph’hu: Seek Peace and Pursue It – NFTY Studies Peace,” contained one tenet that focused specifically on “individual peace,” and;

WHEREAS the 5770-5771 NFTY Study Theme, “HaShevet: The Tribe – NFTY Studies What Makes a Jew Jewish,” focused on the power of the greater Jewish community as a whole, and;

WHEREAS the Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR), one of NFTY’s strategic partners, recently released Mishkan T’fillah: Journal Edition, a new edition of the Reform Movement’s prayer book, which contains prompts for readers to fill in throughout the service so that they can express their personal thoughts on various prayers and songs, and;

WHEREAS the standard edition of the CCAR’s Mishkan T’fillah allows for readers to make their own individual choices about how they wish to pray through such resources as alternative readings and additional informative footnotes, and;

WHEREAS one of NFTY’s Thirteen Principles, “Pluralism – Kol Yehudim,” states that NFTY serves to encourage “alternate modes of Jewish Experience,” and;

WHEREAS one of NFTY’s Thirteen Principles, “Partnership – Shutafut,” states that NFTYites must work together to “foster each individual’s connection and commitment to ensuring the vibrancy of our movement,” again stressing the importance of the individual to the strength of the community, and;

WHEREAS music as an outlet for personal expression is a vital part of NFTY and URJ Camp culture through such traditions as song sessions, Siyum, and “NFTY-style services,” and;

WHEREAS musical artists such as Debbie Friedman, z”l, and Dan Nichols have helped to shape the way we as NFTYites view ourselves as Jews, and,

WHEREAS NFTY Northeast Lakes currently hosts an event called “Debates,” a competition based on personal expression that includes debate, song, visual art, and speech, and;

WHEREAS each Convention year, NFTY holds the NFTY Competitions, a series of contests based on songwriting, D’vrei Torah writing, and graphic design to allow for another medium of personal expression in NFTY, and;

WHEREAS the URJ Kutz Camp, NFTY’s summer home and the home of the NFTY Leadership Experience, offers several majors that focus on personal expression, including the Creative Arts Experience, Digital Media, and Songleading, and;

WHEREAS “Personal Expression” is a broad topic that encompasses a variety of creative outlets for participants to express themselves, and,

WHEREAS programming based on “Personal Expression” is extremely open-ended and will provide NFTY regions with the opportunity to explore a wide range of programmatic designs and themes, and;

WHEREAS it has been shown in our history that personal expression by a single individual can be used as an effective vehicle for positive change;

THEREFORE LET IT BE RESOLVED that the NFTY Study Theme for 2011-2012 and 5771-5772 will be “Im Ein Ani Li Mi Li – If I Am Not For Myself, Who Will Be For Me?: NFTY Studies the Power of Personal Expression,” and;

LET IT BE FURTHER RESOLVED that NFTY regions write at least one program annually pertaining to the study theme in the coming year, and;

LET IT BE FURTHER RESOLVED that this theme is a continuation of the learning and community-building found in past study themes, allowing participants to draw a connection between the power of an individual within a powerful community, and;

LET IT BE FURTHER RESOLVED that all NFTYites will be challenged to discover their own means of personal expression through local, regional and North American programming.

Respectfully Submitted,
Jacob Meiner, NAR President
Forrest Yesnes, NO President
Jenna Gorlick, STR President
Tali Merdler, NEL President
Liza Moskowitz, TOR President
Jodie Friedman, MI PVP
Kate Nienaltow, NAR W/FMVP
Maddy Frumkin, SAR RCVP

Co-signed,

Avra Bossov, PAR President Hannah Humphrey, SO President Justin Elliot, MV President Rebecca LaMarche, NW President Shayna Bannister, SAR President Ari Saperstein, MAR PVP Ben Varhula, NO PVP Dori Singer, SW PVP Haley Burns, MV PVP Imogene Winkleman, NAR PVP Leah Cohen, CAR PVP Noah Mindel, STR PVP Becca Diamond, GER RCVP Becky Morris, SW RCVP Charlotte Sall, NE RCVP Jacob Georginow, STR RCVP Jacob Glickman, NW RCVP Malcolm McElheny, CWR RCVP Marissa Schiller, TOR RCVP Michael Sobin, NO RCVP Shira Moskowitz, NAR RCVP Tara Levine, PAR RCVP Zach Goldberg, SO RCVP Allie Weintraub, SW SAVP

Amy Nicotra, SAR SAVP Anna Gordon, NW SAVP Brittany Levy, NEL SAVP Estelle Winkleman, NAR SAVP Elyse Bandes, CAR SAVP Leah Staffin, GER SAVP Marisa Goldstein, NO SAVP Stephanie Shyken, MV SAVP Alyssa Magier, SoCal MVP Danny Dubin, CAR MVP Evan Traylor, TOR MVP Jeremy Levine, NAR LIMVP Max Hendrix, NO MVP Taylor Lyles, SO MVP Noah Herreid, MV Western MVP Allie Burger, CWR CVP Natalie Steiner, TOR CVP Sara Greenhalgh, NO CVP Spenser Blank, SW CVP Jen Guller, MV CVVP Alyssa Gorenberg, CAR Secretary Sam Brodkey, CWR Treasurer Stevie Robinson, CAR Treasurer Mikey Davidson, NEL Nebbish