A Closer Look at LGBTQ Life in Not-Quite-Tolerant Jerusalem
Unfortunately there are people in this world who look upon the LGBTQ community and see it as a threat, a scourge to be wiped off the earth, a people whom God has cursed. But if they were to look closely, to speak with people, to get to know this community up close and personal, surely they would see that, in fact, it is a community God has blessed.
"The Best Thing I Have in My Life," Two Abayudaya Jews' Stories
They left Africa for the first time, to connect with other Jews in Wisconsin, and the experience has been warm and affirming.
Zelophehad, Hillary, and Our Daughters
Something historic occurred last week. It was more than a simple nomination. It is nothing less than a challenge to all of us: to acknowledge our diversity and to see the Divine in each and every human being.
A Conversation with Authors Helen Kiyong Kim and Noah Samuel Leavitt about Their Shared Values and Raising a Family
In their new book JewAsian: Race, Religion, and Identity for America’s Newest Jews, scholarly husband/wife team Helen Kiyong Kim and Noah Samuel Leavitt examine the intersection of race, religion, and ethnicity in the increasing number of households that are both Jewish American and Asian American (like theirs is).
A Jew-By-Choice Experiences Anti-Semitism for the First Time
I have always believed that here in the United States, anti-Semitism couldn’t possibly be as entrenched as in other parts of the world. In 35 years of life, I had never directly encountered anti-Semitism – until last week.
Let There Be Understanding Among Us: People with Disabilities and Interactions with the Police
Only one month after the horrific mass shooting at the Pulse Nightclub in Florida, a different Florida shooting evoked new pain.
A Conversation from Two Sides of the Jewish World
Recently, together with new Israeli friends who joined them for a week, participants in the URJ’s NFTY in Israel program learned the story of the modern state of Israel. There are so many amazing parts of this country that are connected to living in a public culture that is Jewish and so many ways that Jewishness shapes the realms of language, literature, film, TV, social media, and more. In Israel, public space is Jewish space, and having a public culture that reflects this reality is one of the most important reasons the Jewish people needs its own country (like all other peoples). However, our young people also have learned about the challenges of needing a Jewish sovereign state so that we can control our own political destiny (again, like all other peoples), and why Zionism was the liberation movement of the Jewish people.
Thoughts on Increasing the Federal Minimum Wage
As someone on the line between childhood and adulthood, I’m exploring what it means to make choices for myself. During high school, I chose where to apply for a job and where to apply for college.
Save the Bald Eagles, Save the World
On the first day of my internship, I found out that one of the issues I’d be working on was the Endangered Species Act. There was one problem: when it comes to social justice, I’m in it for the people. Not so much the bald eagles.
Early Childhood Education Centers Are Revolutionizing Jewish Engagement
We’re working to create a shared vision for excellence in early childhood Jewish education and to ensure our ECE centers will thrive in the future. For the past two years, we have worked as part of a team in the greater Denver/ Boulder Jewish community to enhance our early childhood education centers.