General
How do I make changes to my reservation – contact information, deposit number, etc.?
At this time, all changes will need to be made by emailing LTaken@rac.org
How will I know when my students have registered for L’Taken?
RAC staff will be updating reports for each weekend on a weekly basis. These reports will let you know which of your students and chaperones have registered for L’Taken.
I need an excused absence letter for my students. Where can I find this?
You can find an excused absence letter on the RAC website.
I need a packing list for my students. Where can I find this?
You can find a packing list on the RAC website.
What is your cancellation policy?
You can find a complete breakdown of our deposit and cancellation policy on the RAC website.
How much money should I have my students bring for offsite meals?
We recommend that students bring about $75-90 for offsite meals. This includes Saturday dinner, Sunday dinner, and Monday lunch.
If I have 8th graders interested in attending L’Taken, can I bring them?
Our program is designed for 9-12th graders. We typically discourage congregations from bringing younger students as the programming is built with high school students’ education in mind. Additionally, the age breakdown of our attendees is about 50% 10th grade and 50% 9th, 11th, and 12th graders. This makes it especially difficult socially for those younger than 9th grade.
Forms & Registration
What information will my students' families need to have on hand while they fill out registration?
They will need to have the delegation that their child is traveling with, the date of their child’s L’Taken, their child’s health insurance information, and their congressional district.
If the congressional district is unknown, each participant can find their district at house.gov, which is linked to on the registration form.
How long will it take families or chaperones to register?
It should take about 15 minutes for families and chaperones to register for L’Taken. Each family will register their child in our registration system. It should be noted that you cannot save your registration form and come back to it. It must be completed in one sitting.
One of my students entered the wrong Delegation on their registration, what do I do?
Please email LTaken@rac.org
When are my forms due?
Your student registration, Room Assignment form, and Travel form will be due 10 weeks before your weekend. You can find exact dates on the RAC website.
Can I have my students be paired with students from another congregation for rooming?
We only pair L'Taken participants with other participants that they already know. If this applies to your delegation, both delegations should indicate that on their rooming form including names of all students in the room and their delegations.
My congregation is planning on arriving a night early. Where should I indicate this?
When you fill out your Travel and Room forms, you will indicate your arrival and departure date. We will book any extra hotel rooms accordingly, and the charge will be added to your final bill.
How do I get my student’s health and safety information?
Two weeks before L’Taken, the L'Taken Team will provide you with your students’ health and safety information.
Transportation
How much does the RAC transportation cost?
The RAC transportation costs $89/person. This covers Saturday, Sunday, Monday, and transportation to your departure location. This is required if you will need ground transportation provided to you throughout the weekend.
Can congregations use their own transportation during the L’Taken weekend?
Yes, some congregations use their own transportation buses to get around DC during L’Taken. We don’t allow the use of Uber or other rideshares in place of RAC transportation because it can often lead to a delay in your travel, and therefore missing parts of the program.
What time should my transportation arrive and depart the city?
You can find guidelines to travel times from all DC airports as well as Union State on the RAC website.
What is the best way to get from my arrival location to the hotel on Friday?
You can find guidelines for arrival transportation from all DC airports as well as Union State on the RAC website.
We are traveling in our own bus and have extra seats. Is there anything we can do with this space?
Yes, often the RAC will use your extra seats for small congregations who do not have their own transportation. You will indicate that you have this space when you fill out the Travel form. For transporting another group(s) we offer an $85 refund per person.
Billing
Will families pay on an individual basis?
Families will not be given the option to pay when they register. Delegations will pay for the entire group.
When will my Delegation receive our invoice?
Delegations will be sent their invoice 6 weeks before their weekend.
How will Delegations pay the final bill?
Delegations will have two options when they pay their final bill. Either they can send the RAC a hard copy check or pay by credit card.
Where can I find a statement of my L’Taken charges?
Under the “Financial Management” tab in CampMinder, you will be able to view your full statement.
Programming
How does the RAC choose which policy issues to teach about at L’Taken?
Every L'Taken seminar addresses 10-12 different issue areas in a variety of interactive formats. These issues, ranging from Gun Violence Prevention to Criminal Justice Reform and Racial Justice, from LGBTQ+ Rights to environmental and economic justice, are selected based on both the current legislative agenda and issues of primary concern to the Reform Movement. The students are exposed to multiple perspectives on the issues, the Jewish values, texts, and teachings that guide our thinking, and the positions adopted by the Reform Movement.
What does it mean that the RAC does non-partisan advocacy work?
Part of the great religious prophetic tradition is to explore what is broken in our world and, inspired by our faith, work to repair it. The First Amendment to the Constitution recognized the importance of the religious voice when it ensured that the government would not be allowed to stifle that voice. With that right comes the responsibility to engage in discussions about public policy in a non partisan way.
Like every other religious denomination in America, the RAC's positions are based on the consensuses of decision-making processes of its national organization. The RAC does not speak for each of the members of Reform Jewish congregations and cherishes the rich diversity of views among those members.
The RAC, like Reform synagogues and other religious organizations across the U.S., is a 501(c)3 tax exempt religious organization. This status allows us to engage in advocacy about the issues we care about as Jews and Americans. (For example, we advocate on issues ranging from supporting paid family and medical leave to strong North American leadership in the Middle East peace process.) At the same time, our tax status forbids us from endorsing or opposing any political candidate or party. In shorthand: we engage on issues, not individuals or political parties.
While the general stance of the positions taken by our national organizations is moderate-liberal, reflecting the trend of the broader Jewish community at the polls, the RAC has played a distinctive role in forging bipartisan and interfaith coalitions during Congresses and Administrations controlled by both parties that have been effective in finding common ground. We take seriously the importance of being non-partisan and welcome opportunities to work with elected officials from across the political spectrum.
How are the positions of the Reform Movement decided?
The Religious Action Center implements the policy positions adopted by the Union for Reform Judaism and the Central Conference of American Rabbis. Ultimately it is the members and rabbis of Reform congregations who set the policy for the Movement. During the Union for Reform Judaism's Biennial General Assembly, nearly 2,000 delegates from the majority of our nearly 850 member congregations consider, debate, and vote on resolutions that reflect the consensus positions of our membership. Similarly, at the annual conference of the Central Conference of American Rabbis, the rabbis vote directly on the policy positions of the CCAR. In our work, we never claim that these positions reflect the view of every Reform Jew; only that they are democratically-decided policies of the institution. The democratic process and the commitment of the Reform Movement to speak out on issues of concern is as old as the Movement itself, and is evidenced by the hundreds of resolutions adopted since its inception. It is these resolutions that give the RAC its mandate to act. All resolutions are posted on the URJ website.
How are diverse opinions explored and encouraged throughout the conference?
RAC's positions are based on the consensuses of decision-making processes of its national organization. The RAC does not speak for each of the members of Reform Jewish congregations and cherishes the rich diversity of views among those members.
During the opening, Friday night sermon at the L'Taken seminar, the L'Taken team emphasizes the importance of respecting and exploring diverse viewpoints, reminding students that while the Reform Movement has taken a particular stance on each of the issues that we explore, our tradition values debates and discussion around issues. We encourage students to picture a page of Talmud, where both the majority opinion and the minority opinion are preserved and respected. The value of considering multiple perspectives on a particular policy issue is reiterated in different ways throughout our programming.
Are L'Taken participants required to advocate the positions of the Reform Movement?
No student will ever be asked to advocate a position with which he or she disagrees. Each student speaks on only one topic during the group's visit to Capitol Hill. Since they are on Capitol Hill representing our Movement, we do ask that students select an issue with which they agree with the position of the Reform Movement. We work closely with individual students to explore the issues and answer their questions to ensure they are comfortable with and knowledgeable about the issue. Throughout the weekend, a broad range of issues are addressed -- including those affecting the U.S. (e.g. homelessness), the world (e.g. the climate crisis), and Israel (e.g. the peace process). Students are almost always able to identify an issue that they are excited to speak about.
During our lobby preparation process, we always offer to schedule visits for students in their home states with Members of Congress if they are unable to lobby on an issue that they are particularly passionate about. We strongly encourage all participants to take seriously the right and opportunity they have to make their voices heard, regardless of their views on the issues that we present.
Information for First-Time Groups
New groups and congregations join us each year. Let us help you make this a reality for your delegation! First time groups and groups that have not attended L’Taken in the past four years receive a L’Taken scholarship. We also have a variety of resources available to support groups in their first year of L’Taken.
Additional questions? Email us!
