URJ Responds to Accusations Reportedly Made By Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas
Union for Reform Judaism President Rabbi Rick Jacobs issued the following statement reacting to reports of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas’ invocation of the classic anti-Semitic canard of water poisoning:
It is deplorable that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas engaged in spreading libelous accusations against Israeli rabbis in his remarks to the European parliament today. This persistent lie dates back thousands of years and is no more true today than it was in medieval ages.
URJ Responds To UUA Rejection of Divestment From Israel
Rabbi Rick Jacobs, President of the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ), issued the following statement today reacting to a vote taken on June 25th at the General Assembly of the Unitarian Universalist Association defeating a resolution to support Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) against Israel:
URJ's Rabbi Rick Jacobs on Knesset's New Mikvaot Bill
Rabbi Rick Jacobs, Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) President, commented today on a new bill being promoted by the Haredi parties in the Israeli Knesset. The bill seeks to overturn a recent Israeli Supreme Court decision to allow Reform and Conservative conversions in state-controlled mikvaot (ritual baths).
Reform Leader Condemns Horrific Attack on Orlando Nightclub
In response to the tragic violence in Orlando, Rabbi Jonah Dov Pesner, Director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism issued the following statement:
The horrific violence in Orlando shakes us to our very core. The staggering loss of life, yet again facilitated by a military-style weapon that has no place on the street, causes us deep pain. We pray for those who were murdered, for healing of body and soul for the injured, and for comfort to the families of all who were present in Pulse nightclub.
We are grateful to law enforcement, the first responders, and all those volunteers who are helping during this crisis.
URJ's Rabbi Rick Jacobs On Today's Prayer Service At The Western Wall's National Plaza
Rabbi Rick Jacobs, Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) President, issued the following statement:
“Today’s prayer service, 500 strong, at the National Plaza adjacent to the Kotel represents simply the legitimate right of the Jewish people to gather in prayer as we have done in that holy place for millennia. The National Plaza, especially, must be a place where all Jews are treated equally and no stream of Judaism has a monopoly."
Reform Jewish Leaders Meet in New Oreleans, Renewing Focus on Oil Disaster
Contact: Eric Harris
202.618.0722 | news@rac.org
After the Spill: Interfaith Community Launches Long-Term Gulf Restoration Project
Rabbi Saperstein: "Five years after Hurricane Katrina and six months after the Deepwater Horizon explosion, people of faith remain committed to restoring the Gulf Coast."
Reform Movement Welcomes Injunction Baring "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"
Pelavin: "Yesterday's ruling makes clear that DADT is unsustainable as a policy and a detriment to our nation's and the world's security."
Contact: Eric Harris or Amelia Viney
202.387.2800 | news@rac.org
Reform Movement Condemns Graffiti and Arson Attack on a West Bank Mosque
Reform Movement Condemns Graffiti and Arson Attack on a West Bank Mosque Saperstein: "It is as well our fervent hope that despite the destruction and hurt caused by this attack, its perpetrators will not succeed in destroying the fledgling peace process."
As Mental Illness Awareness Week Begins, Reform Movement Urges Congress to Support Mental Health Policy Legilsation
Pelavin: "On this anniversary, we recommit ourselves to continuing to strive for a world in which people with mental illness are supported and treated with the care they deserve."