And Two Hard Boiled Eggs

My event planner friend told me that a recurring dream that's common in her profession is perfectly captured by the Marx Brothers in the stateroom scene in "A Night at the Opera." Change the dream location to anywhere - a dorm room, classroom, living room, studio, restaurant, office - the dynamic is the same. It starts with a simple food order that gets add ons, people pour in, then chaos begins as it all comes together.

Which brings me to United Synagogue's Centennial Celebration, October 11-15, 2013, in Baltimore. 

I wrote last October about the vision for the Centennial. To mark the 100th anniversary of the founding of United Synagogue, the simple order was to create a gathering to honor our history and celebrate our future. More than a party, it would be a conversation: the Conversation of the Century. We planned for a series of conversation starters with notable speakers to jump start our thinking, followed by workshops led by experts who would help us dig in to the topics. We were pleasantly surprised when more than 100 experts answered our call for workshop proposals, and our challenge began to find time and space for all of the wonderful people who wanted their voices to be heard.

Our menu "add on" was Shabbat. Our plan was that Shabbat would set the stage for conversation. We would experience the best of Conservative Jewish worship, learning, music, contemplation and relaxation together. So five different services were planned, with surprise and variety that would demolish anyone's definition of a "typical" Conservative religious service. Learning and music would punctuate the weekend. We added a Ramah-USY Family camp, so that the Shabbat immersion experience could start as early as possible for young families. 100 USY teens would be there as the next generation of leaders of our Conservative Jewish kehillot. 

And two hard boiled eggs.

As of last week, we realized that with a month to go, and the local Baltimore/Washington registrations still coming in, we had outgrown our space at the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront on Friday night. Rather than risk what happens at the end of the Marx Brothers' scene, we had to explore our options. Should we break up into two groups, one at our hotel and another in a different space? Should we declare our Shabbaton sold out, collectively hold our breath, and squeeze in? Or find another space that can accommodate everyone and more?

It was not hard to come to a conclusion, based on our original vision of having as many people as possible come together on Shabbat for joyful worship, learning, and contemplation. Friday night at the Centennial needs to set the stage for our celebration and shared experience of the best of Conservative Judaism. So, our Friday night dinner and services will be moved to a bigger stateroom at a nearby space in the Inner Harbor of Baltimore, one where we can stay together in our dynamic, multi-generational, historical gathering.

Join us for this once-in-a-century experience. There's still room.