Women of Reform Judaism

WRJ and the Reform Movement released the following statement today: April 25, 2013, New York, NY — The Reform Movement is encouraged by the Jerusalem District Court’s ruling today that determined that recent detention of Women of the Wall members for their activities at the Western Wall was unjustified and for denying local police requests [...]

By Resa S. Davids WRJ-Israel came into being in Jerusalem on March 19, 2009. I had arranged a luncheon for women to be held during the WUPJ International Convention in order to strengthen the women’s track of workshops and to encourage more Israeli women to participate in the convention. Previously, I had visited 15 congregations [...]

Editors’ Note: This speech was given at the 5th Annual WRJ-Israel National Meeting at Beit Daniel in Tel Aviv on Friday, March 8th and is centered around Kehillat Emet VeShalom, Nahariya and Temple Emanu-El of Tuscon, AZ’s participation in the WRJ-Israel Twinning Program. Two years ago, Kehillat Emet VeShalom, Nahariya and Temple Emanu-El, Tuscon, AZ’s [...]

As I write this a cool wind is blowing across the Negev and the sun is shining over the beautiful ‘crater’ at Mitzpe Ramon. I now know that the ‘crater’ is not really a crater, but rather a unique and breath-taking geological formation. Having visited David and Paula Ben Gurion’s graves near their home at [...]

This Shabbat is Shabbat Shuvah – The Shabbat that falls between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, in the midst of our High Holy Days. These are the ten days in which we are on a higher spiritual plane – having begun our reflections of our deeds in the past year and leading to a plea [...]

by Sharon Mann Jewish women are united by faith and fate whether they live in Israel or in the Diaspora. Nevertheless, the geographic distance between us is great and sometimes concerns and cultural differences can be large as well. So, when Resa Davids, Chair, WRJ-Israel, suggested a twinning relationship to Kehillat Emet VeShalom, Nahariya (located eight [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

Sitting at Ben Gurion Airport, awaiting my return flight, I finally have a few quiet moments to reflect on our many visits, consider all that I learned, and once again bid farewell to our homeland, now filled with so many new friends. Among our final opportunities was participation in a national steering committee meeting of [...]