The UJC made something of a daring move Monday morning, opening up its only plenary of the day to seven young Jewish innovators and activists — leaders that stray from the typical mold of the federation “leader,” who is much older and much wealthier than those on display this morning.

They included a young up and coming film producer, Ari Sandel, who won an Academy Award for his short film, “West Bank Story,” a farsical musical about a love that springs between the scions of two warring fast food joints — one kosher and one Hallal — in Israel. There was also our own Dan Sieradski, a Jewish Web-maven who in his other life outside JTA is known as Mobius, the Orthodox Anarchist, and is prone to post-Zionist outbursts.

Despite Sandel’s admission to JTA after his speaking engagement that he knew little to nothing about the federation system, and despite Sieradski giving the UJC elders on hand some serious mussar — generally that the federation system needs to drop more cash into helping the young develop their own initiatives — the plenary was well received by the federation stalwarts on hand.

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My favorite dovish and hawkish propaganda items circulating at the G.A. …

Photo by David Karp

Here’s the full-text (ie., unedited version) of my speech delivered today at the GA plenary on “The Next Generation.” It’s also up on Jewcy.com where there’ll hopefully be some interesting discussion happening… Video from my speech is online here.

Every so often, a conversation will arise in Jewish professional circles around “the next big Jewish idea.” The question is asked, what’s the next big thing that’s going reinvigorate and renew Jewish life for an increasingly intermarried and disinterested American Jewry? What’s the silver bullet that’s going to save us from our own self-destruction?

Brandeis is currently offering a professorship and a six-figure salary graciously provided by Charles Bronfman to someone who can devise, if not a solution, a pathway towards a solution to this question.

Yet it is my belief that the next big Jewish idea will not be hatched inside a board room. It will not be the result of a research study. It will not come from within an institution at all. Rather, the next big Jewish idea will be the work of a young, independently minded individual seeking to address the needs of his or her own self or his or her own immediate community.

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Don’t worry, I found dinner last night. Then I swung by the “LGBT Welcoming Communities Reception.” About 50 people showed up for an open bar and some kosher desserts (pies, cookies, etc.). I’m told that this is the first such event at a G.A. [CORRECTION: OK, OK, not the first time.] My first thought was: If you’re celebrating all of this diversity, why is this reception being held in a room that was about a dozen turns and hallways from the main hall? But one of the speakers at the LGBT event — Idit Klein of Keshet — gave a speech at Monday morning’s main plenary.

So much for that conspiracy theory.

The LGBT event opened with a few remarks from Susie Gelman, a top lay leader at the Jewish federation in D.C., and the self-described proud mom of an openly gay son who recently moved to Tel Aviv. She described the Israeli city as a benchmark for tolerance; Jerusalem, she added, not so much.

In addition to Klein, brief presentations were made by Andrea Fram Plotkin, associate director of the UJC Jewish Peolpehood and Identity pillar, and Gregg Drinkwater, executive director of Jewish Mosaic: The National Center for Sexual and Gender Diversity.

Half of the fun of the GA is all of the free, made-in-China trinketry that Jewish organizations hope will help sell their causes.

I haven’t even hit the convention area where scores of Jewish organizations are giving away free plastic wares as they peddle themselves to potential donors. But I’m already loaded down.

For me the GA is a way to stock up on free pens. I don’t know where Hermitage Lighting is, but their free pen sponsoring the GA just helped me take down the American cell phone number of the head of UJC’s Israel office, Nachman Shai.

The niftiest so far is the pen that UJC’s Washington office gave out that has in it a retractable scroll that lists all 155 Jewish federations that the UJC serves. I think it will actually become a useful little crib sheet back in the office for when I can’t remember the names of all 8 federations in Illinois, or for when I want to feel reassured that there is indeed someone trying to raise money from Jews in Mid-Kansas.

The most inexplicable, however, is the triangular highighter that can barely fit in my hand, not to mention my pocket. It comes from something call CBL and will hit the garbage as soon as I publish this post… Though I do expect some fading neon Jewish themed tagging going on a the Opryland, what with all the young leadership here.

I’d keep all of the pens in the free plastic beer cup with the Nashville Predators’ logo, if I only had a place to carry it.

My favorite giveaway:

The taglit-birthright israel lip balm did come in handy. But one has to wonder if birthright organizers realized the irony that, while they are giving away lip lubricant, birthright trips are also quickly gaining the reputation as the greatest Jewish make-out event in the history of the world. Just ask the tens of thousands of young Jewish women aged 18-25 who have now made out with IDF soldiers over the past seven years. Better yet, ask the soldiers.

Story developing.

Sorry, I’m late, but I had a Bat Mitzvah back in N.Y. I missed the opening plenary, but now that I’ve checked in to the hotel, showered and shaved, snuck into one of the fancy dinners for some salad, I’m ready to roll.

Still asking around, but so far, here’s the buzz…

Howard Dean’s speech was way too partisan for this event (it’s a safe bet that the bulk of the delegates at the G.A. are Democrats, but they’re not hear to organize for 2008 or cheer for anti-GOP broadsides; not to mention that there are plenty of GOPers here, including some big donors to the federation system). We’re told that invites went out to President Bush and House Speaker Pelosi; Bush is sending Condi Rice, Pelosi sent Dean.

As Dan Sieradski mentioned, Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni backed out. Unclear why. So Israel’s top diplomat isn’t coming, but America’s is. Put aside that this is the annual gathering of a charitable system that sends hundred of millions of dollars a year to Israel, the Annapolis summit is just a few weeks away. Livni has nothing important to say to 3,500 of the most active people in American Jewish life? More on this later.

Now I need to go find a main course.

Rabbi JJ Shachter

VT Gov. Howard Dean

Coach Bruce Pearl

TN Gov. Phil Bredesen

More photos at my Flickr

Israeli FM Tzipi Livni had to back out, apparently-no word on why. They sent the Minister to the Diaspora, Itzhak Herzog, instead who, IMO gave a relatively droll speech that expressed little of significance other than an unexpected pronouncement that he has great hope in the upcoming Annapolis conference, and that he belives it will restart the long-stalled peace process.

He was followed by a chayelette who told us that the IDF’s equivalent of the GI Bill has provided her with an unparalleled opportunity to get an education she didn’t think she’d ever get. Not to be curt, but had she immigrated anywhere in the EU, she would’ve gotten a free education without having to spend 5 years fetching an officer coffee.

The session closed with YU’s Rav JJ Shachter, the scholar in residence and keynote of keynotes, who led some loynin’ on Avraham Avienu’s relationship with his son Yishmael as a commentary on the unaffiliated.

The keynote plenary is well under way.

Following a standard reception from TN governor Phil Bredesen, U of T Coach Bruce Pearl got the crowd going with a hilarious personal account of his rise to success amidst the challenges he’s faced as Jew in a non-Jewish dominated arena.

Howard Dean followed, and it was a little awkward. For example: Dean took an indirect stab at Bush (which ought to be safe territory considering Bush’s approval ratings and the overwhelming disapproval of the Iraq war within the Jewish community) saying that, after seven years the US needs to regain the moral high ground. Instead of a cheer, Dean received a lukewarm applause. However, when he added that the reason Israel has managed to survive is because it’s maintained the moral high ground — thunderous applause.

Overall Dean was very definitive in his pro-Israel message and credited UJC with providing unparalleled opportunities to, among others, Ethiopian olim.

His most interesting remark though was, in the context of grassroots organizing, that “The Democratic Party can’t win an election. Only you can.”

Hey, this is Dan Sieradski, JTA’s Director of Digital Media, writing to you live from the Gaylord Opryland Hotel and Convention Center in Nashville, TN, where the 2007 UJC General Assembly is currently under way. Over the next few days, I, JTA Managing Editor Ami Eden, Publisher Mark Joffe, and Staff Writer Jacob Berkman will be bringing you live coverage as events proceed. Keep an eye out here on the Telegraph for regular updates.