Reform Jewish Movement Responds to School Shooting in South Florida
Reform Movement leadership statements in response to yesterday’s mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, which left at least 17 people dead and many more injured.
Rabbi Rick Jacobs: Israeli Ministers Must Stop Their Hate Speech
Union for Reform Judaism Establishes Presidential Fellowship on Millennial Engagement
The Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) is launching a new high-level fellowship to strengthen its engagement with millennials. The first Fellow will be Evan Traylor, 21, of Edmond, Oklahoma. Traylor, who will graduate from the University of Kansas in May, will work alongside URJ President Rabbi Rick Jacobs and leaders of the Reform Movement to develop a toolkit for engaging millennials as partners in creating a more just, whole, and compassionate world.
Rabbi Rick Jacobs: Ultra-Orthodox MKs Must Learn the Torah of Respect
Statement by Rabbi Rick Jacobs, President of the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ):
MK Israel Eichler’s comments yesterday are yet another example of the extreme intolerance of the ultra-Orthodox religious establishment. Clearly they feel a seismic shift in their decades-old monopoly on Judaism in Israel. Their stranglehold on Judaism is being loosened, and their response is desperate and pathetic.
It is hard to imagine what twisted Torah MK Eichler studies when he characterizes the largest Movement in Jewish life as “mentally ill.” Our Torah teaches us the values of pluralism and of tolerance - and it teaches us not to use phrases like “mentally ill” as an epithet.
A Crucial First Step for Our Environment, Our Economy, and Our Health
Saperstein: "Passage of this vital bill shows that we can tackle climate change in a way that protects our planet and the poorest and most vulnerable members of society, in our nation and around the world."
Reform Movement Commends Report on Prison Rape, Calls for Action
Saperstein: "These numbers, likely underreported, serve as an alarming reminder of the scourge of prison rape and the immediate need for preventative programs, treatment, and investigation."
Reform Movement Condemns Repressive Violence, Mourns deaths of Iranian protesters
Saperstein: "Above all, we mourn the senseless deaths, condemn the violent repression of the rights of free assembly, speech, and dissent, and urge that these human rights violations cease immediately."
Hate Crimes Bill Would Give Nation "The Ability to Respond"
"Hate crimes are nothing less than attacks on those values that are the pillars of our republic and the guarantors of our freedom. They are a betrayal of the promise of America."
On Anniversary of Caputre, Reform Movement Prays for Release of Gilad Shalit
Pelavin: "We hope and pray that a renewed effort and diplomatic ingenuity can, at last, help deliver Gilad home safely"
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At Interfaith Service, Saperstein Stresses Urgent Need for Health Care Reform
"Universal means universal: for the rich and the poor, for the old and the young, for the chronically ill and the disabled, and it must focus on preventative and primary care, saving lives while containing cost."