URJ President to Spend Night at Synagogue Homeless Shelter He Founded 30 Years Ago
Brooklyn, NY, January 14, 2014 – In 1983, when Rabbi Rick Jacobs was the rabbi at Brooklyn Heights Synagogue (BHS), he had a vision to start a shelter to address the growing problem of homelessness in New York City.
3,000+ Teens From Five Major Jewish Youth Movements to Join Together in Atlanta
February, 5, New York, NY - BBYO, the leading pluralistic Jewish youth movement, and NFTY, the Reform Jewish youth movement are collaborating to maximize their efforts to engage Jewish teens.
Six Teen Leaders Elected to Lead North American Reform Jewish Youth Movement
February 23, 2015, New York, NY -- Six outstanding teen leaders will lead NFTY, the Reform Jewish youth movement, for the 2015-2016 program year.
Five Reform Jewish Teens Win Award for Creative Excellence
February 24, 2015, New York, NY --Every two years, NFTY, the Reform youth Movement, challenges their teens to explore their creative and innovative outlets within a Jewish context through NFTY Competitions.
Reform Jewish Leaders Respond to Arson Attack at Greek Orthodox Seminary in Jerusalem
February 26, 2015, Jerusalem -- Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) Rabbi Rick Jacobs, Execuitve Director of the Israel Religious Action Center (IRAC) Anat Hoffman, and IRAC Director Rabbi Noa Sattath visited the Greek Orthodox Seminary in Jerusalem that was set on fire in a suspected hate crime by ul
URJ Condemns Harsh Ad, Calls for Respectful Debate
February 28, 2015, New York, NY -- As Jews around the world read the portion for Shabbat Zachor in Deuteronomy, which warns about the intractable enemies of the Jewish people beginning with Amalek, Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, hid behind the façade of "The Values Network," and published a grotesque ad
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 Board Adopts New Resolutions on Paid Leave, Immunizations and Predatory Lending
The Union for Reform Judaism North American Board this week overwhelmingly adopted new resolutions on Paid Family Leave, Mandatory Immunizations and Predatory Lending. The resolutions’ adoption concludes a consultative and inclusive process that began before the recent Biennial assembly held in November 2015 in Orlando, FL. The resolutions add to the canon of hundreds of URJ resolutions adopted over more than a century and which outline the URJ’s values and priorities.
URJ President: We're Opposed to Israeli Legislation on NGOs
In response to attacks against human rights NGOs in Israel, including the advancement of a “Transparency Bill” in the Knesset, Rabbi Rick Jacobs, President of the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ), issued the following statement.