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.
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 President Rabbi Rick Jacobs Responds To Nomination Of David Friedman To Be U.S. Ambassador To Israel
URJ President Rabbi Rick Jacobs Asks President-Elect Trump About Comments By David Friedman
URJ Commends Prime Minister Netanyahu For Commitment To Aleppo's Wounded Civilians
In response to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s announcement that Israel will find ways to assist wounded civilians from Aleppo, Syria, Union for Reform Judaism President Rabbi Rick Jacobs issued the following statement: In these darkest days of the year, we applaud and are heartened by Prime Minister Netanyahu’s bold decision to help alleviate the devastating scale of human suffering by, according to news reports, seeking ways to expand Israel’s medical assistance to the civilian casualties of the Syrian tragedy, specifically in Aleppo.
Statement of URJ President Rabbi Rick Jacobs On Proposed U.N. Resolution On Israeli Settlements
The Union for Reform Judaism, representing the largest segment of American Jewry, has a long-standing policy of opposition to the Israeli settlements in the West Bank. At the same time, we stand firmly against any U.N. resolution that would dictate the way forward on this complicated issue. The United Nations has a long and troubling record of hostility to Israel, and it has proved itself incapable of playing a constructive role.
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.