URJ Books and Music Releases the Ultimate Debbie Friedman Anthology
April 10, 2014, New York, NY – URJ Books and Music is proud to release the ultimate anthology of the musical works of Debbie Friedman, z''l (1951 – 2011.) Regarded as one of the most influential Jewish singer-songwriters in history, Debbie is known for her timeless Jewish folk music, fil
Union for Reform Judaism's Pilot Programs Deepen Jewish Engagement in Chicago
April 10, 2014, New York, NY – A recent grant will allow the Union for Reform Judaism to create two Chicago area pilot programs to grow and expand Jewish engagement.
Reform Movement Leader Responds to Tragic Shooting at Jewish Community Sites in Kansas
Washington, DC, April 13, 2014 --In response to today's shootings at several Jewish communal institutions in Overland Park, KS, Rabbi David Saperstein, Director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, issued the following statement:
Reform Movement Leader Responds to Vote to Keep J Street Out of Conference of Presidents
May 1, 2014, New York, NY – In response to yesterday's vote by the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations to reject J Street's application for membership, URJ President Rabbi Rick Jacobs made the following statement:
Reform Jewish Movement Responds to School Shooting in South Florida
Reform Movement leadership statements in response to yesterday’s mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, which left at least 17 people dead and many more injured.
Rabbi Rick Jacobs: Israeli Ministers Must Stop Their Hate Speech
Union for Reform Judaism Establishes Presidential Fellowship on Millennial Engagement
The Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) is launching a new high-level fellowship to strengthen its engagement with millennials. The first Fellow will be Evan Traylor, 21, of Edmond, Oklahoma. Traylor, who will graduate from the University of Kansas in May, will work alongside URJ President Rabbi Rick Jacobs and leaders of the Reform Movement to develop a toolkit for engaging millennials as partners in creating a more just, whole, and compassionate world.
Rabbi Rick Jacobs: Ultra-Orthodox MKs Must Learn the Torah of Respect
Statement by Rabbi Rick Jacobs, President of the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ):
MK Israel Eichler’s comments yesterday are yet another example of the extreme intolerance of the ultra-Orthodox religious establishment. Clearly they feel a seismic shift in their decades-old monopoly on Judaism in Israel. Their stranglehold on Judaism is being loosened, and their response is desperate and pathetic.
It is hard to imagine what twisted Torah MK Eichler studies when he characterizes the largest Movement in Jewish life as “mentally ill.” Our Torah teaches us the values of pluralism and of tolerance - and it teaches us not to use phrases like “mentally ill” as an epithet.
Failure to Advance Minimum Wage Increase in Senate Disappoints
Saperstein: "No one should work full time and live in poverty, yet the current minimum wage of $7.25 and the tipped minimum wage of $2.13 leave too many workers doing just that."
Reform Movement Responds to Key Affirmative Action Case
Rabbi Saperstein: "As the Jewish people have historically known the injustice of discrimination and the way in which its effects linger long after the discriminatory acts themselves, we know that efforts to diminish diversity, no matter what form they take, are of great