RJ Blog

About 200 Jewish activists, rabbis, and communal leaders gathered in New York City for the Jewish Organizing Institute and Network for Justice’s (JOIN for Justice) recent National Summit. At the summit, JOIN for Justice honored the URJ’s Senior Vice President Rabbi Jonah Pesner with the Tekiah Social Justice Award. Rabbi Pesner was honored for his work as a pioneer in the field of Jewish organizing and particularly for founding Just Congregations, the URJ’s groundbreaking community organizing effort. During his 20-year career, he has engaged thousands of synagogue congregants to join together in successful campaigns for health care access, affordable housing, [...]

by Rabbi Andy Bachman Earlier today, I stood on the steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art together with New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and many of Congregation Beth Elohim’s (CBE) neighbors and friends—the Brooklyn Public Library, The High Line, the Guggenheim Museum, the Tenement Museum, and many, many others. I was absolutely thrilled when the mayor announced that CBE has been chosen from among hundreds of applicants from throughout the five boroughs as one of only 40 finalists in American Express’ Partners in Preservation (PiP) program with the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission and the National Trust [...]

by Cantor Alane Katzew A congregational seder is a wonderful way for a small congregation to build community while sharing the experience of the Exodus. While it can be daunting for one person, when the work is shared and delegated among many according to their interests and abilities, the results can be awesome, educational and fun. We developed this easy to use guide specifically to provide small congregations with the basics. Of course, contact us if you’d like to discuss in more detail, and discuss below what ingredients you would add to this recipe for your community. Ingredients of the [...]

by Stephanie Zinn Our congregation, M’kor Shalom of Cherry Hill, NJ, has introduced a unique program which has personally touched my soul. It is a monthly gathering, led by our own Rabbi Richard Address, entitled “How to Talk to your Child About…”  While the talk is open to everyone in our community, it is geared mostly toward preschool mothers like me, as the title suggests. Taking place directly after the rush of the morning drop-off, we enter our synagogue’s cozy chapel where chairs are arranged in a welcoming circle. A delicious selection of baked goods and warm tea or coffee [...]

by Samantha Dresser For the last five summers, I’ve been part of the URJ’s Kutz Camp community in Warwick, NY, where approximately 200 teens from all over the country come together for intense leadership training, Jewish living, celebration and fun. Kutz also is home to Mitzvah Corps, a unique entrée into Jewish camping for teens with Autism Spectrum Disorders.  Working together with teen leaders who provide individualized support and peer mentoring, campers form Jewish relationships, pursue their interests, and build on existing connections to Judaism—all within a fun, safe and inclusive camp environment.  Most importantly, these amazing campers positively influence [...]

by Dana Rosenbloom, M.S. Ed. Each August early childhood program teachers, and teachers of all ages, keep an eye on their mailbox or their inbox for the roster of children who will be in their class the coming year. Are there any children we know? Parents we’ve had before? Children with special needs?  As an educator who works both in a school and in the home, I advise parents to let their school and teachers know if their child is receiving special services.  Parents often respond with, “Will they hold it against my child?” “Will my child be labeled?”  I [...]

by Benjamin J. Dubin Some 35 years ago my wife, Esther, gave birth to an adorable girl, Rachel. It was not until Rachel was three that we knew she had a hearing loss. Then, at the age of five, Rachel lost all her residual hearing. Esther, a coronary care nurse, took a break in her career to be with Rachel and to be her ears when necessary. Together the three of us advocated for the deaf and hard of hearing:  Rachel testified before the United States Congress beginning at age eleven while Esther and I were involved in local and [...]

Last Monday, it was my great honor to offer the invocation at the annual Massachusetts State of the Commonwealth Address given by Governor Deval Patrick.  Here are the words that I shared: In the Torah portion That the Jewish people read this week We hear the story of the exodus; Specifically, the recitation of the plagues God brings down upon Egypt Calling out to Pharaoh: How long Will you refuse To humble yourself Before me? Let my people go That they may serve me…

by Anita M. Rosenberg Kahal Kadosh Beth Elohim in Charleston and Temple Sinai in Sumter, South Carolina, share a storied past dating back to 1815 when members of KKBE ventured to Sumter to establish a Jewish community there. The Sumter community flourished until the past few decades, when declining membership and changing demographics indicated a fading future. Robert A. Moses, whose grandfather served as Temple Sinai’s second president in 1882 and who has himself been a member of the congregation for nine decades, told a powerful story at a board meeting this past summer. He described the “unbreakable and warmly [...]

by Michael Hauptman, AIA For American Jews, the festival of Sukkot is a celebration of the fall harvest, of family traditions centered on constructing a backyard sukkah, decorating it with autumn vegetables and having family meals inside. Besides the Thanksgiving aspect of the holiday, Sukkot reminds us of our forty years spent wandering the desert after we left Egypt, when we slept in huts and looked at the stars through the spaces between the branches and leaves that made up the roof. Tradition calls for us to invite friends and even strangers to join us in the sukkah, making the [...]