Celebrating the Risk of Caring: One Congregation's Holiday Project
One Sunday morning, 50 Congregation Or Ami families hosted 50 New Directions for Youth for lunch, shopping, and connection for Holiday Childspree at Kohl’s, an annual tradition of tzedakah (charitable giving) and gemilut chasadim (acts of lovingkindness).
How to Make Hanukkah an Opportunity to Help Heal the World
Though our kids have a long list of things they want for Hanukkah, we try to navigate the week-long celebration, balancing gifts, donations, and experiences.
8 Fun Menorahs for a Truly Lit Hanukkah
Hanukkah is a great holiday for plenty of reasons, not least of all for the celebrated eating of fried food and gambling with chocolate. If you’re looking to jazz up your Hanukkah a little more, we found eight fun and surprising hanukkiyot that can help kick your festivities up a notch.
A Hanukkah Poem in the Style of Dr. Seuss
What’s the big deal with those Hanukkah lights? Why do we burn ‘em for all of those nights? And why for eight nights, why not for seven? A gift on each night? Why not for eleven?
Why We Need to Raise Up Our Warrior Women
My daughter Eleanor is fierce, feisty, and independent – and I want her to stay that way. I want her and her brother, Julian, to always have strong female role models in their lives and to know that women can be powerful actors.
Why Cindy Stowell is My Hanukkah Miracle
The story of Hanukkah, history’s first armed struggle for religious liberty, symbolizes triumph over impossible odds – just like Cindy Stowell.
2016 in Review: URJ Engaged More Young People In Meaningful Jewish Life Than Ever Before
More than 20,000 youth, teens, and young adults participated in a URJ Youth program here at home, in Israel, and around the world, setting a record for the 9th year in a row. These programs instill a sense of joy, compassion, and pride in being Jewish while nurturing a young person’s innate desire to make a difference in the world. The essential skills of empathy, creativity, and collaboration cultivated by our programs are more important than ever before. Here are just a few of the ways that the URJ’s youth programs engaged more youth, teens and young adults.
A Tri-Faith Holiday Celebration in Israel
In the early 1990s, Haifa instituted an annual cultural event, “Festival of Festivals,” to celebrate Jewish, Christian, and Muslim holidays falling during the winter season.
President Obama Ends Controversial NSEERS Program
On Thursday, the White House announced it will dismantle a dormant but controversial program under the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).