The inside story and practical lessons from one of the most exciting developments in contemporary Judaism. Part description and part prescription Empowered Judaism is a manifesto for transforming the way Jews pray andmore broadlyfor building vibrant Jewish communities.... It represents the latest chapter in an uplifting history of religious creativity. This is a book that every Jewish leader will want to read and every serious Jew will want to contemplate. from the Foreword by Prof. Jonathan D. Sarna Why have thousands of young Jews otherwise unengaged with formal Jewish life started more than sixty innovative prayer communities across the United States What crucial insights can these grassroots communities provide for all of us Rabbi Elie Kaunfer one of the leaders of this revolutionary phenomenon offers refreshingly new analyses of the ageold question of how to build strong Jewish community. He explores the independent minyan movement and the lessons it has to teach about prayer community organizing and volunteer leadership and its implications for contemporary struggles in American Judaism. Along with describing the growth of independent minyanim across the country he examines The roles of liturgy space music and youth in this new approach to prayerLessons to be learned from the concept of immersive intensive Jewish learning in an egalitarian contextJewish values in which we must invest to achieve a vibrant robust American Jewish landscape for the twentyfirst century show more