Get Out and Vote in 2016
The Iowa and New Hampshire caucuses earlier this month marked the official start of the 2016 election cycle. Over the coming months, millions of Americans will take to the polls to exercise their constitutional right to determine who represents them at all levels of government.
How to Find Your Voice – and Why it Matters
Within our congregations are individuals who live with disabilities, as well as family members and friends and people who support people with disabilities. As Jewish leaders, we simply cannot ignore a fifth of our community or treat them as marginal members.
Justice and Mercy: Federal Sentencing Reform and Native American Communities
Last month, my colleague Adam Waters wrote about the Sentencing Reform and Corrections Act (S.2123), and its potential to move us closer to a truly reformed criminal justice system.
Welcoming People with Disabilities: Laws Can't Mandate Access to the Heart
In this, the 26th year of the ADA, I hope the wider Jewish community will vow to raise the consciousness of synagogues everywhere, so when they meet such a child or adult or family, their hearts and arms are already wide.
The Gift of the Cantor, the Gift of Inclusion
The modern cantor has a place in all of Jewish communal life. The cantor interacts with everyone in the community, and therefore, the cantor has a great opportunity to affect positive change for people with disabilities within the community.
Calling for Criminal Justice Reform in my Community
As president of NFTY I have had the unique privilege of traveling across the U.S and internationally to address issues of social injustice and push for young adult voices to be heard loud and strong.
Connection Fuels Jewish Disability Advocacy Day 2016
Maria Town, the Associate Director of the White House's Office of Public Engagement addresses JDAD 2016
ReformJudaism.org Launches New Podcast "On the Other Hand: Ten Minutes of Torah" with Rabbi Rick Jacobs
ReformJudaism.org, the flagship website of the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) reaching more than two million visitors annually, has launched a new weekly podcast entitled On the Other Hand: Ten Minutes of Torah.
Featuring URJ President Rabbi Rick Jacobs, the engaging and entertaining podcast is available now for download and subscription on iTunes, RSS feed, and other platforms.
To access the podcast, visit Reformjudaism.org/podcasts
The Torah In Haiku: T'tzaveh
For whom is the inscription intended? Was it for the Israelites, that they would recognize the sacred nature of Aaron's position? Or was it for Aaron, to remind him that he was serving God as the representative of a holy people?