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How Can Congregations Be Secure and Communities of Belonging at the Same Time?
We want everyone in our communities to feel safe, including those from marginalized backgrounds, and therefore we must acknowledge that the best security practices are unified with principles related to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
The URJ Reflection Project: Go Deeper on “The Spiritual”
As part of the URJ Reflection Project, a new set of offerings and experiences for the High Holidays in a time of social distance, we’ve also developed three short essays that allow you to go deeper into the essence of Jewish wisdom that grounds these rituals.
Environmental Injustice and the Legacy of Redlining
Although Judaism frames our responsibility to care for the planet in forward-looking terms, our commitment to environmental protection requires that we look backwards, too. This Earth Day, we must consider the connection between historic injustices, who bears the burdens of environmental harm, and solutions to correct these injustices.
A Charlottesville Rabbi Reflects on the Infamous Hate Rally and Its Aftermath
Many white Jews were raised to believe that America was a kind of promised land, where mass public demonstrations of hatred towards Jews was a thing of the past. Then came August 12, 2017, the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, VA.
The New URJ/ADL Partnership: Responding to the Uptick in Acts of Antisemitism and Hate
The Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) and the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) recently entered into a formal partnership in response to the question posed by URJ president Rabbi Rick Jacobs: “How are we going to respond to the uptick in acts of antisemitism and hate in a thoughtful, intentional, and effective way?” On July 27, 2021, the two organizations co-hosted a webinar to address this question.
Calling Out Antisemitism Wherever It Is Found, Especially When Criticism of Israel Crosses the Line Into Antisemitism
Read Rabbi Rick Jacobs' remarks at the recent webinar co-hosted by the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) and the Anti-Defamation League (ADL).
Why We Can't Legislate, Litigate, or Lobby Our Way Out of Hate
Read Jonathan Greenblatt's remarks at the recent webinar co-hosted by the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) and the Anti-Defamation League (ADL).
Oppressed Communities Must Define the Bigotry We Face on Our Own Terms
Read Carly Pildis' remarks at the recent webinar co-hosted by the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) and the Anti-Defamation League (ADL).
None of Us are Free Until We’re All Free
Read Yolanda Savage-Narva's remarks at the recent webinar co-hosted by the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) and the Anti-Defamation League (ADL).
An Elul Letter of Gratitude to our Clergy, Administrators, and Educators
Every year I look forward to this time as a reset button, and a chance to truly evaluate who I am and who I am becoming. I also know, from my time as a congregational rabbi, that for those of us working in the Jewish world, Elul takes on its own strange character.