Blog

As Reform Jews, we stand strongly together with our brothers and sisters in Israel. Over the past 48 hours, Hamas has launched a massive barrage of rocket fire on southern and central Israel. At last report, six Israeli civilians have been killed and hundreds of thousands more - from Tel Aviv to Beersheba –are confined to bomb shelters. Innocent civilians in Gaza have fallen victim to this latest round of violence as well. Furthermore, the rapid escalation of violence within Israel's own borders between Jewish and Palestinian citizens of Israel is a new, and deeply troubling, development. We pray that calm will be restored soon.

In the days and weeks ahead, much will be written about the Pew Research Center’s "Jewish Americans in 2020." Having just received the full study today, we are still absorbing its findings. The Pew data is likely to provide a wealth of information that can be a useful resource for understanding many aspects of our community

Three years before the COVID-19 pandemic response sheltered millions of people at home and drove us to do all things virtual, the URJ was crafting online communities of learners as they journeyed together through our 21 sessions of Introduction to Judaism Online.   

Today we celebrate Yom Yerushalayim, the anniversary of that fateful day in 1967 when the Israeli paratroopers reached the Western Wall and announced: "הר הבית בידנו" -- “The Temple Mount is in our Hands.” That moment ushered in the the promise for Jews everywhere, after years of dreaming and longing, to come and pray before this sacred space. 

Rabbi Gilad Kariv made history on March 23, 2021 when he became the first Reform rabbi to win a seat in the Israeli Knesset. The former head of the Israel Movement for Reform and Progressive Judaism is number 4 on the Labor Party slate. The following is adapted from his debut address to Parliament as a member.  

The COVID-19 pandemic has shifted so much of how we engage Jewishly, but Shavuot is a fantastic holiday for families to celebrate from the safety of their homes. Here are a few ways you and your family can observe this rich, festive Jewish holiday this year.

Being Black in America is its own journey within the journey of just being human, and living, and discovering who you really are on a soul level. Then there’s being Black and Jewish. And then there’s being Black, Jewish, married to a white Jew, and having bi-ethnic Jewish kids. It’s another journey, not an easy one at times, and instead of getting easier as I get older, we seem to be facing more challenges.

June and her partner, Betsy, adopted two girls from Guatemala and raised them together until Betsy died of cancer 4 years ago. June talked with me about the great joy she felt in fulfilling her dream of becoming a mom and the challenge she and her teenage daughters faced after suffering such a tremendous loss.