One Student's Testimonial on the Power of the URJ's Intro to Judaism Classes
This is a well-planned class with amazing staff, and I feel like a completely different person from when I started it.
Letting Go at Auschwitz-Birkenau: Lessons from a Zen Peacemaker Retreat
As the son of Holocaust survivors, I ruled out the possibility of ever visiting a concentration camp. Doing so would be emotionally off the charts.
Why Learning about Congregational Finances Is Critical for Clergy
When it is time to think about budgeting and spreadsheets, or when banks or interest rates are discussed at board meetings, I feel lost. And I hate that feeling.
5 Factors that Determine Your Congregation’s Readiness for Change
We all want change, but we usually want someone else to do it. In order to bring about change in a congregation, its leaders need to be ready for it.
Learning to Share Israel With Our Youngest Students
A recent visit to Israel by early childhood educators enriched our ability to engage the next generation of Jews with a rich and meaningful dialogue around Israel.
How a Rare Jewish Ritual Added Meaning to Our Family
When our son was born, we put a modern spin on the rare tradition of pidyon haben, using the ceremony as one way to welcome him to the Jewish community.
Would You Like a Side of Grasshoppers With That?
Although we tend to limit our carnivorous palates to meat, fish, and fowl, a passage in Leviticus opens the door to crickets, locusts and grasshoppers.
How I Found Sacred Partnership in a Finance Course
When I signed up for the URJ’s Congregational Finances Course to prepare for my new role as president, I never imagined I’d find sacred partnership in that online course.
9 Ways Reform Teens Are Leading the Way
Reform Judaism’s young people are stepping forward as leaders -- using the values of our tradition to speak truth to power and promote tikkun olam, repair of our world.
What I Learned from My “Lost Passover”
Two years ago, for the first time ever, I didn’t attend a seder. A virulent infection was poisoning my body and I was fighting for my life.