RJ Blog

I think the Jewish question is no more a social than a religious one, notwithstanding that it sometimes takes these and other forms. It is a national question, which can only be solved by making it a political world-question to be discussed and settled by the civilized nations of the world in council. -Theodore Herzl, The Jewish State, Introduction A significant part of the activity of our seminar center here at Shorashim, over the past two decades, as been in the area of fostering cooperation and mutual understanding between Jews and Arabs. The Galilee Circus, our bilingual website, our encounter program [...]

by Ellen S. Glazer Several years ago I had a running buddy who was a rabbi. We covered many miles together and many topics, among them his beliefs about interfaith weddings. As a member of the Conservative Movement, he said he would not perform interfaith marriages because he felt that Jews should be married in Jewish ceremonies and, in his words, “It’s not a Jewish ceremony if it is between a Jew and a non-Jew.” Interestingly enough, when two of our fellow runners – both Christians – asked him to marry them, he happily said yes. “After all,” he quipped, [...]

Want to create a culture that embraces, supports and encourages Jewish choice for interfaith families in your synagogue? Here are 18+ ways, from easy to advanced, that your congregation can begin and continue. Order and display the Union for Reform Judaism brochures “Intermarried? Reform Judaism Welcomes You” and “An Introduction to Sanctuary Etiquette.” Include the words “We welcome interfaith families” in advertising, website and program materials. Take advantage of proven, successful programming for interfaith families that appear in the “Outreach and Membership Idea Book Series.” Send one or more of your lay leaders to the Schindler Fellows Program for Interfaith [...]

by Rabbi Rachel Gurevitz Last Saturday evening I was given an opportunity to be part of a truly wonderful celebration – the Sweet 16 party of a very special young woman. As I explained to the guests gathered there that evening, this was an evening of firsts for me.  We don’t really make much of the 16th birthday in the UK, probably because 18 is not so far away. In the UK, 18 takes on greater significance as it is the legal drinking age.  So last Saturday was my first ever Sweet Sixteen party. Another new and special part of [...]

Just before Shavuot, The New York Jewish Week published a piece from Editor Gary Rosenblatt about “the dangerous fissures in Jewish life today,” namely conversations about who is and is not a Jew. In “Ruth’s Conversion Would Be Rejected Today,” Rosenblatt writes, I can’t help but think that if Ruth lived under the current Chief Rabbinate of Israel, with its increasingly rigid and restrictive interpretation of the laws of conversion, she would not be accepted as a daughter of Israel, and the trajectory of Jewish history would be altogether different.

I knew a woman whose husband was having trouble getting work. He was offered a position quite far from home, but times were tough so they took their two sons and moved. The family did well, the boys grew and married, and life moved forward. Unfortunately, the husband became ill and died. Shortly after that, the sons were involved in a terrible accident in which they perished. And my friend was left a widow, as were her two daughters-in-law. My friend decided to move back to her family’s hometown, where she still had relatives. She had a good relationship with [...]

The URJ is proud to announce the 20 Reform congregations across North America that will receive a prestigious Incubator Grant. Incubator Grants provide up to $5,000 in seed funding for innovative projects to actively engage more people in Reform synagogue life. This year’s call for proposals stimulated creative thinking in three main areas: creating a culture that supports and encourages conversion; retention and engagement of post b’nei mitzvah teens and their families; and engagement in synagogue life. More than 300 URJ congregations have applied over the first two years. The selection committee had a very difficult task in selecting the grant recipients. We [...]

by Rabbi Evan Moffic Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg had a big week. He took his $100 billion company public and got married. As a full-time rabbi and part-time Facebook user, I’m more interested in the latter event. Mark is Jewish. His wife is not. Was Judaism a part of his wedding? Was a rabbi there? I hope so. Many in the Jewish community see interfaith marriage as a grave threat. The media has already picked up articles decrying Zuckerberg’s decision. I see it differently, and that’s not only because my wife works at Interfaithfamily.com. Interfaith couples deserve full and unremitting support by the [...]

When the founders of modern Zionism hoped that having a country of their own would make Jews like all other nations, they didn’t think that the Jews would adopt any of the despicable traits of the anti-Semites among whom they lived in dispersion. The aim of Zionism was not only to liberate the Jews from their perilous existence as pariahs but also to enable them to live by the highest ideals of their tradition. Yet more than six decades after the establishment of the State of Israel that has indeed afforded Jews who settled here freedom from persecution  – and [...]

by Mark Wendel My Rabbi motions me to come up to the bemah. I am reading a Psalm in front of the congregation. The week before we were worshiping in a church I had actually looked forward to being in a church – the first time in decades. I remember Dad reading Psalms in front of our congregation back when I was a Christian. Because of Dad I am now part of a religion again, I never even cared to talk to him about religion back when I was anti-religious. Last year we had plenty to talk about. This year [...]

by Pat Whitlock “So, how many children do you want?”  Not an unusual question for a man to ask his girlfriend when he is beginning to think about a future with her.  However, when I heard this question, it came from the cute, industrious Israeli I had been dating for about six months and I actually laughed.  “You mean grandchildren, right?”  You see, at 38, I had been a single parent for 18 years, and I was looking forward to the next phase of my life.   But, as we continued to talk, I started to think that parenting with a [...]

by Rabbi Brian I. Michaelson It was Yom Kippur morning.  I had just sat down after doing the blessing of the non-Jewish spouse and introducing the Haftarah portion.  As I sat, I kept thinking about the fact that we have done the blessing of the non-Jewish spouse for a number of years and I know that it was appreciated, but what else were we doing for them?  It was then that the idea came to me that I should set up some kind of meeting with the non-Jewish spouses who are part of the congregation.  This was the moment when [...]

by Marcia Brandt Frezza Several years ago my husband Tony and I moved to Hilton Head Island in South Carolina and joined Congregation Beth Yam.  What a blessing for us to find this amazing community!  What is unique about Congregation Beth Yam is that the  we have developed  a culture of caring that is part of the fiber of our congregation.  We believe when it comes to the members of our congregation you cannot talk the talk without walking the walk.

by Annette Powers It was over brunch on our fourth date when I told him, “This can’t go anywhere…I’m Jewish and you’re not.” After years of Jewish camp, Hebrew school and lectures from my parents, I was fairly certain that the eleventh commandment was “Thou shalt meet a nice Jewish boy, get married and have beautiful Jewish babies.” With an ancestral chain of more than 2,000 years I couldn’t bear the guilt of deviating from the plan. After all, my people had been fighting for survival for lo these many centuries. Who was I to go and ruin it all [...]