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WUPJ Statement on the Arrest of Six Suspects in Connection with Murder of Palestinian Teen
The following statement comes from leaders of the World Union for Progressive Judaism, in response to news of the arrest of six individuals in conjunction with the murder of a Palestinian teenager:
Six suspects, members of a Jewish extremist cell accord
Mother and Daughter Reflect on Going to Kutz
by Julie Hollander Eichelbaum and Emma Eichelbaum
As the URJ Kutz Camp enters its 50th year, campers emerge as members of a vast network of Kutz alumni. For a select few of those campers, the alumni network includes their parents, also products of NFTY’s campus for Reform Jewish teens. Emma Eichelbaum (Kutz ’12-‘14) and her mom Julie Hollander Eichelbaum (Kutz ’80 and ’81) are quintessential examples of generational involvement in NFTY, URJ Camps, and Reform Jewish Life. Following are some cross-generational reflections of Emma and Julie, and their thoughts on growing as leaders at Kutz.
Emma: Being a second-generation camper at the URJ Kutz Camp is different from being a second-generation camper at any other URJ camp. It wasn’t our parents or its geographic location that brought me or my mom to Kutz, but our involvement in Reform Jewish leadership. My mother went to Kutz in 1980 as a leader of her Temple Youth Group, and again in 1981 as a member of the NFTY Social Action Network. The Program Room still features a picture of her with her fellow Kutz Campers, displayed prominently for the camp community to see. I was elected to my regional board as a high school junior and had my first experience at Kutz as a participant at Mechina, NFTY’s regional leadership preparation event. It was there, with the rest of the NFTY General Board, that I first saw my then-17-year-old mother smiling in that picture, giving me a connection to this new camp and youth group experience. No matter the board position, for both of us Kutz was a camping match made in heaven.
6 Ways URJ Camps are Leading the Way in Jewish Camping
The Forward recently shared "Jewish Camp Trend-Spotting: 10 Ways a Summer Ritual Is Changing," detailing how the world of Jewish camping is evolving – and the Reform Jewish Movement’s 15 summer camps are leading the way! Here are a few ways URJ Camps are on the cutting edge:
The Century Ends: NFTY Music of the 90s
Sometimes I feel like I was born in the wrong decade. I have often wondered what it would have been like to be a songleader with my mentors, my friends, and my “heroes” in the 70s. Yet, as I reflect back on the time when I was a young songleader, during the years when I was in the thick of camp songleading, I see the 90s as the most extraordinary time to have been a part of NFTY - the Reform Jewish Youth Movement, and Jewish music.
Men of Reform Judaism Announces New Strategic Plan
The Men of Reform Judaism (MRJ) met recently in New Orleans for their annual convention where they announced significant organizational changes to better advocate for and support compelling strategies to engage and connect the men of Reform Judaism. MRJ is the affiliate organization of the Union for Reform Judaism that is focused on connecting and engaging men in Reform Jewish life.
MRJ President Stuart L. Leviton of Congregation Kol Ami in West Hollywood, CA, says,
"While honoring and preserving the legacy of Brotherhoods and the men who have sustained MRJ throughout the past 90 years, MRJ has embarked on an exciting new phase. Working in greater alignment with the URJ, we will now be more seamlessly integrated into the fabric of the Reform Movement and will be better equipped to engage men in the real issues they face in Jewish life across North America.
Saperstein: Recent Spate of Anti-Semitic Incidents Prompts Alarm
In response to recent anti-Semitic episodes in Los Angeles and Paris, as well as incidents across the United States and Europe, Rabbi David Saperstein, director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, issued the following statement:
"We are deeply disturbed by the recent violent anti-Semitic and anti-Israel uprisings. Over the weekend, rioters, wielding bats and chairs, tried to break into the Don Isaac Abravanel synagogue in Paris while worshippers were blocked inside. In Los Angeles' Westwood neighborhood, a peaceful demonstration was violently disrupted by agitators, leading to shots being fired. In Frankfurt, a local synagogue was attacked as an anti-Israel rally turned violent. In Bastille Square, demonstrators held signs that read 'Death to Jews.'
The Walkman Generation - NFTY in the ‘80s
By Rabbi Roxanne J. Schneider Shapiro
More than the Jewish people have kept the Sabbath; the Sabbath has kept the Jewish people. – Ahad Ha’amWhen I reflect on NFTY in the ‘80s, I would revise Ha’am’s quote to:
More than Reform Jewish teenagers have kept NFTY; NFTY has kept Reform Jewish teenagers.I cannot speak for all who were involved in NFTY in the ‘80s, but for me, NFTY was a holy sanctuary – it was what I would refer to as a beit midrash (house of study), beit t’filah (house of prayer), and a beit k’neset (house of meeting), all in one. Teens in the ‘80s were learning about Judaism ‘on the go.’ We were the “Walkman generation.” Finally, we could take music with us. This represented more than just music on the go ― for us it was the beginning of portable Judaism. I practiced for my bat mitzvah service with a cassette tape in my Walkman. I could play my tapes of NFTY I, II, III, IV, V, and my MoVFTY mix tapes over and over in the car, on a walk, and at NFTY events. Our music and our experiences were not limited to places where a music box could be plugged in; rather, they were everywhere. We were learning that Judaism was not limited to our homes and synagogues―it could be taken with us.
Colleagues, friends and family gather to remember Rabbi David J. Forman
By Terry Hendin
Some 65 people ranging in age from a few months to 95 years old gathered in Jerusalem’s Kiryat Hayovel neighborhood on Monday, May 19, 2014 at the Kehilat HaDror Community Garden. The Kiryat Hayovel neighborhood was the home to our colleague, mentor, teacher
NFTY Alumni Profile: Jason Cohen
If you watched the Academy Awards this year, the film title Facing Fear may sound familiar. If you were in JFTY in the late 1980’s, the film’s producer/director’s name - Jason Cohen - may sound familiar.
Eight Ways Your Congregation Can Be More Welcoming for the High Holidays
The High Holidays are a special time in the Jewish calendar, a time when many unaffiliated Jews (those who are not members of a congregation) may feel the need to connect to the broader Jewish community. Even if they don’t attend synagogue throughout the year, the High Holidays may inspire these individuals and their families to find a congregation where they can attend services or special holiday programming.
There are several ways to leverage your congregation’s communications tools and human resources to make your synagogue more welcoming to unaffiliated Jews, especially leading up to the High Holidays.