RJ Blog

by Rabbi Michael Mellen “I am outraged,” cried Jewish Ethics after reports that some religious figures in the United States suggest girls should not receive the HPV vaccine. “Really, c’mon,” the notable Jewish leader exclaimed, “this is all about preserving life, caring for children, and stopping a killer when you have the opportunity.” “But what about the sexual implications?” cried out one attendee at a recent speaking engagement. “Sexual implications?” replied Jewish Ethics, perplexed for a moment by the connection. “Oh, you mean that getting the HPV vaccine implies that girls and women may have sexual relations outside of marriage?” [...]

I’ll never forget Sarah. Sarah was a young woman who sought me out for guidance and support during a very troubling time. She had had sexual intercourse for the first time. Not only was she devastated that afterward the guy revealed that he didn’t really like her as much as she liked him, but also she was nervous about being pregnant. They had had unprotected sex. As her rabbi, I held Sarah’s hand as she waited for the at-home pregnancy test to reveal its results. (Thankfully, it was negative.) As her rabbi, I counseled her about opening up to her [...]

by Rabbi Fred Guttman and Rabbi Andy Koren Here in Greensboro, N.C., we at Temple Emanuel have devoted much thought, time, and resources to youth engagement for more than a decade. The results have been impressive: We retain around 80% of our B’nai Mitzvah students though the end of 12th grade. Of those retained, some 75% will travel to Israel prior to graduation. Based upon our experiences, we’ve compiled a dozen suggestions as to how congregations can increase youth engagement.

by Rabbi Eric YoffieOriginally published on The Huffington Post I am a 63-year-old rabbi. The most difficult task that I have as leader of a national religious organization is talking to teenagers. For me at least, the cultural and generational gaps are intimidating. What follows are excerpts from my most recent effort, a sermon to 700 teenage leaders. I know it is not easy to be a teenager. The high school years are in some ways the worst period of your life — the most awkward, uncomfortable and embarrassing of all times, and in many ways, the most fruitless. It [...]

by Kate BigamPress Secretary, RAC At her Shabbat study luncheon at last week URJ Biennial in Toronto, noted sex therapist Dr. Ruth Westheimer closed by telling attendees, “Now I want all of you in relationships – don’t pick up someone in the hallway, I’m very old-fashioned – to go to your hotel rooms tonight and try a new position. And call me up afterwards.” In New Voices magazine’s analysis of the Biennial, addressing, specifically, why our most unusual suspects (Tony Blair and Dr. Ruth) were our most effective speakers, blogger Carly Silver writes: Dr. Ruth Westheimer is a Jewish celebrity [...]

by Jill Zimmerman(First posted on the RACblog)Jill Zimmerman is an Eisendrath Legislative Assistant at the Religious Action Center. A new report released Monday by D.C. health officials says that at least 3% of residents in our nation’s capital are living with HIV or AIDS, a 22% increase from the nearly 12,500 reported in 2006. And since research indicates that one-third to one-half of infected people are unaware, the real number is almost certainly higher. That makes the D.C. AIDS epidemic worse than West Africa’s. According to the report, every mode of transmission is on the rise, and it’s affecting every [...]

By Rebecca Blake Chaikin(Cross Posted with the RACBlog)The National Abstinence Education Association is in the midst of launching an aggressive campaign to drum up support among parents for sex education curricula that teaches abstinence only until marriage. They are hoping to enlist 1 million parents to lobby their local schools to adopt such curricula and to elect candidates in all levels and branches of government who support this agenda. What is truly egregious about this campaign is that its proponents, like much of the abstinence-only curricula itself, twist the truth and even straight out lie. A debate over ideals and [...]