How Does Reform Judaism Affirm the LGBTQ+ Community?
Reform Judaism has a long and proud history of working for the full inclusion of LGBTQ+ people in Jewish life and for their full civil rights.
How does Reform Judaism define who is a Jew?
Reform Judaism accepts in broad outlines the traditional definition of Jewish status: to be a "Jew" one must be a member of the Jewish people, a status obtained either through birth or conversion. Jewish identity is not determined purely by the individual.
Will A Rabbi Officiate My LGBTQ+ Wedding?
Mazel tov on your upcoming wedding. Although different rabbis may respond differently, nearly all Reform clergy would be happy to work with you.
Do Jews Celebrate Secular Holidays?
A reader asks whether Jews observe civic and secular holidays.
I've been given an aliyah at my nephew’s bar mitzvah. How can I prepare?
Being called to the Torah to chant the blessings before and after the Torah reading is a great honor.
Are Jews allowed to donate organs?
Jewish law does, in fact, permit organ donation! Whatever you have heard, whatever you thought you learned, set that all aside. Jewish law permits us to sign our donor cards and, when someone we love dies, to use their body to save other lives
Does Judaism advise spanking a disobedient child?
Rather than answering this question myself, I’m going to refer you to this great answer by Dr. William Berkson, director of the Jewish Institute for Youth and Family, which originally appeared in Reform Judaism magazine
Does one wear a tallit to services the night of Yom Kippur (Kol Nidrei)?
In the book of Numbers (15:38-39), we read that the Israelites were instructed to "make for themselves fringes on the corners of their garments…that they shall look at it and recall all the commandments of the Eternal and observe them..."
How can I observe Sukkot if I do not have a sukkah?
It is a mitzvah to build a sukkah and to celebrate in a sukkah.
What, if anything, can be done with the etrog after Sukkot?
The etrog is the citron fruit used as a component in the arba minim, the four species.