Union for Reform Judaism Invests in LGBTQIA+ Leadership Development
URJ Stands with Israel and the Residents of the South
URJ's Rabbi Rick Jacobs Welcomes Rabbi Hara Person as CCAR Chief Executive
Following today's announcement that Rabbi Hara Person will become the next Chief Executive of the Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR), Rabbi Rick Jacobs, President of the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ), stated: "I could not be more excited to welcome my friend and colleague Rabbi Hara Person to her new, and richly deserved, position as Chief Executive of the Central Conference of American Rabbis."
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.
Reform Movement Welcomes Judge's Ruling Blocking Parts of Arizona Anti-Immigrant Law
Pelavin: "Above all, Judge Bolton's decision again makes clear the urgent need for Congress to address comprehensive immigration reform."
Reform Jewish Movement Celebrates 20th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act
Rabbi Landsberg: "On this historic anniversary, we give thanks for rights won and we reaffirm our commitment to the ADA and to changing attitudes that hinder equality."
More than 200 Rabbis Urge Action on Child Nutrition Reauthorization
"Now more than ever, we must take up the commandment to 'Defend the poor and the orphan; deal justly with the poor and the destitute. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.'"
Unemployment Benefits Extension Long Overdue
Pelavin: With one job available for every five jobless workers, Congress must make the plight of the unemployed their first priority as they work to strengthen our economy, and the extension of unemployment benefits is vital to achieving that goal.