Women of Reform Judaism

Where do you find your “Jewishness” during the summer?  Is it during travel, visiting museums, finding special exhibits, film festivals or?????  This summer I was fortunate enough to explore, enrich and appreciate, my “Jewishness” at many different places. Friday Night Services on a Transatlantic cruise….I was at sea on my 1st cruise with my husband, [...]

Where in the world can a group of 15 Jewish men and women sit in the highest office of the land and discuss a dozen sensitive, challenging and timely concerns?  Arguably there are a few places in addition to the United States of America – but it is certainly a right and privilege of American [...]

As a new(ish) staff member, WRJ’s national board meeting two weeks ago served as an exhilarating experience. I loved meeting everyone and hearing the passionate speeches that recounted where WRJ has been during the past year, and summarized the goals we are working towards for the coming year. One of those goals for 2012-13 is [...]

By Rabbi Daniel R. Allen Editor’s Note: The following post was issued as a press release by URJ/ARZA yesterday afternoon following the news today that Rabbi Miri Gold would become the first non-orthodox Rabbi to be paid by the State of Israel. Israeli Reform Rabbi Miri Gold will be the first non-orthodox Rabbi to be [...]

by Peter Radvanszki I spend the last year of my studies in Toulouse, France, where I have a full-time placement in the Liberal Jewish Community of Toulouse, which allows me to help develop the community in several ways. Besides the usual rabbinic tasks of leading services and teaching, I started a cantillation course, in order [...]

By Marcia J. Levaur In the fall of 1963 my Mother and I planned a trip to Europe and Israel.  Mother told our rabbi, Dr. Solomon B. Freehof, of our plans.  He advised that we plan to spend Yom Kippur in Jerusalem and offered to write to the rabbi there. We re-arranged our schedule so [...]

By Resa Davids Visiting the Reform Movement in Israel can seem like visiting the whole alphabet with stops with HUC/JIR, WUPJ, Gan HaChaim, EIE, and IRAC. WRJ is a major supporter of HUC, The Hebrew Union College, with its campuses in New York, Cincinnati, Los Angles, and Jerusalem.  We give scholarships to student rabbis and [...]

By Resa Davids Lynn Magid-Lazar, president of WRJ, and Rabbi Marla Feldman, executive director of WRJ, joined me in Israel for a 6-day whirlwind tour of WRJ-Israel and the IMPJ (Israel Movement for Reform and Progressive Judaism). We began in the moshava (almost a town) of Even Yehuda at the new congregation, Kehilat HaShachar.  The [...]

By Jordán Raber Since it is always difficult to begin a piece of writing, I will resort to a quotation. In “Shosha,” the eminent Isaac Bashevis Singer, states: “The walls were covered by paintings of Jewish artists …. In a display cabinet there were some Jewish antiques, boxes with spices, a gold and silver benediction [...]

Today has been our busiest day so far on our WRJ-Israel Mission, involving meetings with many of our institutional partners in the Reform Movement. It was a veritable alphabet soup of organizations: IRAC (Israel Religious Action Center) IMPJ (Israel Movement for Progressive Judaism) HUC-JIR (Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion) WUPJ (World Union for Progressive [...]