ARZA

Numerous news articles have come out in the Forward, New York Times, Jewish Week and Haaretz covering the vote in the UN on upgrading the status of Palestine in the world community. Statements have also been released by URJ and CCAR, with the support of ARZA and ARZA Canada, as well as controversies arising from [...]

There is an old Chinese saying: women hold up half the sky. It would seem that, in this world view, women and their contributions to life are of equal importance to those of men. This does not really speak to the nature of those contributions, if they are the same or different efforts, but that [...]

Since last summer’s tent city protests in Israel, there has been a great deal of public debate about the public subsidy for Yeshiva studies, coupled with its exemption from Israel’s Universal Draft, used almost entirely by Haredi Jews.  This topic was taken up by the Israel Courts, who found the current system unacceptable.  It was [...]

The News behind the News:  How did Rabbi Alona Lisitsa, a Reform Female Rabbi, become seated on the Religious Council of Mevasseret outside of Jerusalem? Hopefully you will have all learned by now that Rabbi Lisitsa has been named and seated on the Religious Council of Mevasseret, a suburb of Jerusalem.  By all reports, she [...]

Temple Beth Shalom in Santa Fe, NM and Yedid Nefesh in Carmiel, Israel have formed a twinning relationship this year through ARZA.  They are coming up with some very creative ways to get to know each other and to form a Mifgash or connection.  Their Pesach project provides all of us with a window on the practice [...]

Welcome to the new ARZA Blog!  As part of the URJ family, ARZA now has a place to share the latest thinking and news about our work and that of the Reform Movement in Israel. We will be featuring posts from ARZA staff, Rabbis across the US and in Israel, as well as leaders from [...]

by Barbara Kavadias While we have been having a relatively warm winter in the United States, it cannot compare to what winter is like in Israel.  It is the rainy season there, the time of year that Israel greens up, with cooler temperatures and rain (which feels like a miracle every time I experience it) [...]