Strong Evidence of the Impact of Reform Movement Youth Programs on Lifelong Jewish Identity
Statement of Union for Reform Judaism President Rabbi Rick Jacobs Responding to the Mass Shooting in El Paso, TX
URJ President Rabbi Rick Jacobs: “Israel’s Decision To Bar U.S. Representatives Is Wrong. Democracies Do Not Hide.”
URJ President on United Methodist Church Rejecting BDS
This week’s clear decision by the United Methodist Church rejecting the efforts of those who misguidedly sought to draw the Church into the boycott, divestment, sanctions campaign to delegitimize Israel is a welcome step in support of peace between Israel and the Palestinians.
URJ Launches JewV’Nation Fellowship: An Interfaith Outreach Incubator for Emerging Jewish Leaders
Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) today launched the JewV’Nation Fellowship, an innovative year-long project incubator and leadership development program supporting emerging Jewish leaders and creative interfaith outreach initiatives. The program, which will begin in early 2017, is supported in part with a Jewish Funders Network grant from Avenues to Jewish Engagement for Intermarried Couples and their Families, in honor of 2015 Genesis Prize Laureate Michael Douglas.
The JewV’Nation (pronounced “juvination”) Fellowship program will be led by April Baskin, URJ’s Vice President of Audacious Hospitality, and seeks to engage a new generation of leadership by valuing the perspectives and insights of the younger members of the community and supporting them with resources and strategies to bring their best ideas to life. The fellows themselves will define and create exciting and contemporarily relevant Jewish programming.
Reform Movement Hopes Souter Successor Preserves Church/State Separation
Pelavin: "We hope that the next Supreme Court Justice will follow in Justice Souters footsteps as strong defender of religious freedom and the separation of church and state."
Saperstein Welcomes Dismissal of AIPAC Case
"We are gratified that the government has made the decision to drop the charges against Steve Rosen and Keith Weissman and welcome the dismissal of this case."
House Passage of Hate Crimes Bill Vital Step Forward for Civil Rights
Saperstein: "Crimes rooted in bias, hatred and intolerance against people who belong or are perceived to belong to particular groups are intended to intimidate and victimize entire communities and cannot be ignored."
On Equal Pay Day, a Reform Jewish Call to End Wage Discrimination
Weinstein: "In these trying economic times, fair pay is not only a right but a vital tool, enabling women to provide for themselves and their families."
Saperstein Calls to Eliminate Crack-Cocaine Sentencing Disparities
"Prison bars do not treat addiction and prison walls cannot rehabilitate communities. We must support at-risk communities and decrease demand for illegal substances."