Women of Reform Judaism

The themes of Passover have broad resonance with many of the most critical social justice causes of the day: reading about Israelite slavery reminds us of those who are not free today, focusing on our food calls our attention to those who are hungry and hearing about forced labor in Egypt brings our attention to [...]

By Connie Kreshtool As I look forward to the commemoration of the 40th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision I recall the relief that I experienced when the Supreme Court announced its decision.  I represented the Women of Reform Judaism on the Board of Directors of the Religious Coalition for Abortion Rights (now Religious [...]

By Rabbi Shira Stern and Rabbi Donald A. Weber In late 1983, we were overjoyed to learn that we were pregnant with our first child. That joy lasted until our four-month checkup, when our obstetrician met us with “that look.” What followed were blood tests, amniocentesis, and finally a high-resolution sonogram which showed that our [...]

By Rachel Laser, Deputy Director of the Religious Action Center A few years ago, I made myself a scrapbook of key documents I had saved from my past. The second page is an article that my mother wrote for WOMANKIND, published by the Chicago Women’s Liberation Union in October 1971, entitled “…and Jill came tumbling [...]

By Lindsey Oren, Age 15 As women, it is both our biological duty and right to be the mediators between society and our bodies. In a world where the ideals and thoughts of true beauty are far from true and forever changing, it is imperative that we remain in control ourselves. Yet acquiring and maintaining [...]

For someone in her early 20s, forty years ago feels like a different era. After all, it was a time before cell phones, before laptops, before Twitter and Facebook. Did such a world even exist, I sometimes find myself wondering? Apparently, I’m not alone in my lack of concern for or even knowledge of the [...]

There has been a great deal of ‘piling on ‘ in recent days following Missouri Rep. Todd Akin’s statement about “legitimate rape” and his assertion that in such cases women don’t get pregnant because “the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down.” Of course, partisan advocacy groups and women’s rights [...]

Well, it’s about time. After decades of diligent voting, my vote finally counts. According to recent New York Times article, “In Weak Economy, an Opening to Court Votes of Single Women” (August 7, 2012), pollsters and politicians have finally realized that us single gals are a force to be reckoned with. According to the article, [...]

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 [...]

I recently had the opportunity to represent WRJ at two events dealing with social action issues. Living in the greater DC area, both of these meetings were easily accessible in downtown Washington, and I welcomed the opportunity to be part of an impressive network of people coming together for tikkun olam, the repair of our [...]