More Conventions Coming to Philly

Hot on the heels of news that the Pope will come to Philly in September and the Democratic National Convention will show up next year comes the news that two significant gatherings of Jewish leaders will convene in the City of Brotherly Love.

Philly is all about the conventions lately as groups from all over choose the city as a meeting place.

The first  of the two is the National Jewish Day School Conference, a three-day gathering at the Philadelphia Marriot Downtown. It kicked off on Sunday. On March 15 rabbis from coast to coast will convene for the annual Central Conference of American Rabbis. Over six hundred people are expected to attend the first event, and close to one thousand will attend the latter one.

The National Jewish Day School Conference is for educators and support staff of Jewish day schools: Reform, Orthodox, and pluralistic. Rabbi Michah Lapidus told JewishExponent.com that the convention is “an opportunity to connect with the broader field, see friends, get some new ideas, and also share what we’re doing in our school.” They also can discuss issues like rising tuition costs, which Lapidus calls a major issue facing Jewish day schools.

Lapidus calls the Central Conference of American Rabbis “the home team,” as it revolves around Reform Jewish rabbis. The CCAR gives rabbis from around the country the chance to network and meet other rabbis, a situation that is both educational and inspirational.

Philadelphia is a hot location for conventions and large events for several reasons. It’s a big city and can accommodate a crowd, certainly, but there’s also the great atmosphere and tremendous sense of history that permeates Philly.