The Hue and Cry at Our House: A Year Remembered
A prism on a kitchen windowsill performs the miracle of fracturing sunlight into the complete spectrum, throwing rainbows on mundane surfaces, elevating them to something celestial and rare. Benjamin Taylor, in his compact and precise memoir, The Hue and Cry at Our House: A Year Remembered (Penguin, 2017), performs the same miracle. His last year of childhood in Forth Worth, TX, explodes into multicolored fragments, illuminating intersecting themes from the Kennedy assassination to Taylor’s homosexuality and eventual diagnosis of Asperger’s syndrome.
The Netanyahu Years
On November 21, 2016, Benjamin Netanyahu surpassed David Ben Gurion’s record of longest continuous service as prime minister of Israel. Though Netanyahu’s years in power have been marked by scandal and political intrigue, his popularity with the Israeli electorate over the past seven years has grown, allowing him to do practically anything he wants.
The Shoah Through Muslim Eyes
A Pakistan-born Muslim woman with a Ph.D. from a South African university who directs the Holocaust, Genocide and Interfaith Education Center at Manhattan College, a New York City Catholic school, has written a pioneering and courageous book about the Shoah (Holocaust).
The Fragile Dialogue: New Voices of Liberal Zionism
Last month, Jews around the world woke up to the news that a group of Reform Jewish leaders in Jerusalem for the ordination of the 100th Israeli Reform rabbi was treated harshly by security guards as they carried Torah scrolls onto the plaza in front of the Kotel, the Western Wall of the Temple Mount.
Eternal Life
It’s hard to think of an author who more skillfully blends secular and religious themes than Dara Horn. Since the 2002 publication of her first novel, In the Image, she has emerged as one of the most important Jewish literary voices of the 21st century. Her stories often intertwine narratives from multiple time periods and involve historical figures and notable events. Her first novel since 2013, Eternal Life, takes its? time jumping into the realm of immortality novels.
Reform Movement Leader on UNESCO's Hebron Resolution
Rabbi Rick Jacobs: It’s hard to fathom how UNESCO can, once again, vote to delegitimize what is demonstrated Jewish history at an ancient holy site. The place where Judaism’s patriarchs and matriarchs rest must not become a political pawn.
2017 URJ Biennial to Bring 5,000 Reform Jewish Leaders to Boston December 6-10 For Learning, Leadership Development, Spirited Worship, Entertainment, and Much More
The URJ will gather 5,000 Jewish leaders at the 74th URJ North American Biennial convention, taking place December 6-10, 2017 at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston, Massachusetts.
Reform Jewish Movement Responds to Manhattan Terror Attack
URJ’s Rabbi Rick Jacobs on Birthright Israel Halting Outreach to Arab Citizens of Israel
Rabbi Rick Jacobs, President of the Union for Reform Judaism, issued the statement below in response to Birthright Israel's decision to halt their outreach to Arab citizens of Israel:
The fact that Birthright Israel has decided to halt their outreach to Arab citizens of Israel shows just how out of touch Birthright is becoming. Arabs make up 21% of the Israeli population, and tens of millions of dollars of Jewish philanthropy from North America, the UK, Israel, and elsewhere is being well spent by supporting and integrating Arab citizens of Israel into education, the workforce, and Israeli civil society.
After Wildfire Severely Damages Camp’s Home, URJ Camp Newman Announces Summer 2018 Plans
Contacts:
Alaina Yoakum, AYoakum@urj.org, 415-991-0364
Lauren Theodore, LTheodore@urj.org, 212-650-4154