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 Provides New Opportunities for Congregations to Share Learning, Interests and Strategies
Reform Movement Troubled by Reports of Abbas Linking Zionism with Nazism
URJ Launches Communities of Practice to Promote Innovation in North American Congregations
January 27, 2013, Chicago, IL - At a three-day conference held this week at the Intercontinental Chicago O'Hare Hotel, the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) officially launched three of the initial "communities of practice" -
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."
One Month After Newtown Tragedy, Reform Movement Leads Religious Call for Congressional Action to Prevent Gun Violence
WASHINGTON, D.C., January 15, 2013 -- Today, religious leaders gathered under the banner of Faiths United to Prevent Gun Violence to call on Congress to act swiftly to pass comprehensive legislation to address gun violence.
Diverse National Civic and Religious Leaders Unite to Call for an End to Senseless Gun Violence
"We seek to bring our communities together in support of reasonable steps taken to prevent future suffering such as that endured by the bereaved and traumatized families of gun violence victims...