Fresh Updates from RAC

No, I don’t mean Chanukah. No, I don’t mean the month-long slog toward Christmas. I don’t even mean the impending rush to solve our nation’s fiscal crisis before Congress and their staff tries to get home for Christmas.

No, now is the time to apply for the Commission on Social Action’s 2013 Fain Awards! What better way to mark this holiday season than by applying for a chance to highlight your congregation’s impressive social justice work at next year’s Consultation on Conscience.

Irving J. Fain, who passed away in 1970, was a passionate proponent of social justice and of the Reform Movement’s active commitment to the work of tikkun olam, serving for a decade as Chairperson of the Commission on Social Action. The Fain Awards, established in 1983 in honor of his memory, are awarded every two years to congregations whose work in the area of social justice is exemplary. Nominate your congregation to be a Fain Award winner this year!

You could join the ranks of synagogues like Temple Beth El of Chappaqua, New York, a 2011 Fain Award winner. Temple Beth El sought to forge a relationship with local Muslim organizations and created a multi-generational Muslim-Jewish dialogue. Not only did this commendable group help educate Jews and Muslims about one another, it also enabled them to create interfaith responses to crises like the war in Gaza and the flood in Pakistan.

Another 2011 Fain Award winner was the Touro Synagogue in New Orleans. The Touro Synagogue developed a deep-seated partnership with a neighboring at-risk public school through numerous initiatives such as tutoring, repairing the school building, mentoring and organizing winter coat drives. The partnership succeeded in helping to meet the needs of local school-kids and strengthened the bonds of community in the neighborhood.

If your synagogue run an excellent program like one of these, or something we’ve never seen before, apply for the 2013 Fain Awards today! Make sure you get your application in by December 31^st, 2012 to be considered.

What’s been growing at Temple Emanuel in Dallas, TX? Besides cabbage, cucumbers, and pumpkins, a new love for the Earth has blossomed among preschoolers at this URJ congregation. Connecting preschoolers with Judaism through nature, the Gan Shalom Chai garden serves as the preschool’s outdoor classroom for lessons in planting, ecology, nutrition and animal science.

Temple Emanuel is just one of dozens of Reform congregations that have started food-producing gardens in their backyards. Whether congregations are looking to create a hands-on learning tool for people of any age, broaden their social justice work by donating the produce to those in need, or establish a shared space for worship and celebrations, gardens can transform congregational life. If you are interested in bringing this amazing project to your synagogue, join us on April 3 for a special webinar “Planting to Pe’ah: How-To’s of Starting a Food-Producing Garden at Your Congregation” to learn how to get started! Read more…

This past weekend, hundreds of rockets were fired by terrorist groups from Gaza Strip into Be’er Sheva, Tel Aviv and Ashdod.

In response to the barrage of violence, Rabbi Rick Jacobs, President-elect of the Union for Reform Judaism, issued the following statement:

“We unequivocally condemn the launching of rockets into Israel by terrorist groups in the Gaza Strip. We are deeply saddened by the physical and emotional injuries sustained by those who have been terrorized and wounded by the attacks. We pray for strength for all those affected and their families. Beyond the tragic human toll taken by the attacks, this violation on a sovereign country’s borders and the continued rejection of Israel’s right to exist by its neighbor is outrageous.

“We call on all who oppose violence, no matter where they live, to join in our condemnation of these attacks and make it clear that rockets from Gaza are not the path to peace.”

During Thursday morning’s plenary session at the 71^st URJ Biennial, Ambassador Nancy Brinker will receive the Maurice N. Eisendrath “Bearer of Light” Award for Service to the World Community in recognition of her tireless work to find a cure for breast cancer through her founding of Susan G. Komen for the Cure®.  Ambassador Nancy G. Brinker, who served as the American ambassador to Hungary from 2001-2003 and is currently serving as the World Health Organization’s Goodwill Ambassador for Cancer Control, has successfully led the battle to make cancer research, prevention and treatment permeate the public sphere. After receiving her award, Ambassador Brinker will speak.

Read more…