RJ Blog

by Sarah Mednick Through the Reform Movement’s Tikkun Olam program in Israel, I’ve been volunteering at Hagar & Miriam, an organization that provides guidance and support for pregnant refugees from Eritrea, Darfur and other parts of Africa, who live in south Tel Aviv. This Wednesday, we volunteers finally received our ‘next steps’ and ‘intake’ forms in Tigrinya, the language spoken in Eritrea. (Ninety-nine percent of the women we see are from Eritrea and don’t speak much English or Hebrew.) This will literally change my life. Why? So many reasons! When I first started doing intakes, we had to write down [...]

While Hurricane Sandy may be a week behind us, it continues to affect millions in the Northeast. Homes and synagogues were heavily damaged or destroyed, many remain without power, and entire communities are struggling to get back on their feet. Today the URJ formalized our partnership with NECHAMA – the Jewish Response to Disaster. The Reform Movement recognizes the incredible work that so many in our communities are already engaged in, and this partnership will provide a coordinated approach to relief work – sending volunteers to the most needed areas, and ensuring that no community’s needs are overlooked. We will [...]

In the Torah portion of the week we were in Birmingham, we read about Balak and how when an obstacle is in your way, it might be there for a reason. Prejudice in the South has, in my opinion, made that community stronger. The people there have had to deal with hate and hardship, and have continued to survive. Birmingham has changed since the time of Martin Luther King Jr., and while prejudice may still exist, we have the strength to overcome it.

After visiting Urban Adamah, I am inspired to change the way I live my life back home.

The URJ Camps are proud to partner with the Gift of Life Foundation on their “Finding the Hero In You At Camp” campaign. Between this summer and last, all of our 13 URJ Camps will have hosted Bone Marrow Registry Drives to help identify potential bone marrow donors who can truly help to save a life.