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Appreciating the Stop Signs in Our Lives
In the world there are a number of beautiful things:
Trees and flowers, people and landscapes,
Giving Thanks for #GivingTuesday
Thanksgiving used to be a day unto itself; now we have a whole Thanksgiving season! Americans' shopping habits brought us catchily-named, add-on "holidays" like Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday.
My Double Major in Communications and Jewish Life
Five years ago – amidst AP classes, piano lessons, soccer games, and responsibilities as my temple’s youth group president – I began the college search process. My “wish list” was simple: big school in a big city with a large Jewish population.
If Not Now, When? NFTY’s Role in Freeing Soviet Jews
by Rachel Mersky Woda
Growing up in a Reform Jewish household meant that you learned at an early age the value of tikkun olam, repairing the world. In our home, we were surrounded by opportunities for activism, and the one that occupied us for years was the plight of the Jews in Russia.
In the early 1980s, those of us preparing to become b’nai mitzvah were paired with a “twin,” a Russian refusenik (one who was refused a visa to exit the USSR) who didn’t have the opportunity to achieve this milestone. It was up to us to prepare for this important day with our twins standing on our shoulders so we could enter the Jewish community as young adults in their honor as well.
Introducing the URJ's 2020 Vision: A Clear View of Our Future
When Rabbi Rick Jacobs assumed the presidency of the Union for Reform Judaism two years ago, the URJ committed to develop more coherent and aligned services that not only would significantly strengthen Reform congregations and the pressing issues they face, but also would advance the mission and ideals of Reform Judaism.
To understand the needs of congregations of all sizes and from all over the continent, Rabbi Jacobs and I, as well as other members of the URJ's senior lay and professional leadership visited with congregations, communities, and key leaders throughout North America, engaging in a comprehensive listening tour. Nearly 80% of the Movement's congregations weighed in — telling the team about life in your communities, about your creative approaches to challenges, and about your concerns for Jewish life in the future. Using all your input as data, we have formulated the URJ's 2020 Vision: A Clear View of Our Future, a framework that we believe will help us share your successes, learn from one another, and provide new ideas to solve congregational and Movement-wide challenges.
Chaveirai n'vareich - Let's Praise Birkon Mikdash M'at: NFTY's Bencher
That is how a leader begins the Birkat HaMazon, the blessing recited after a meal. When I think about the process that led to the publication of Birkon Mikdash M'at: NFTY's Bencher, this proclamation resonates like the beautiful walls of sound created by NFTYites and campers as they sing this blessing.
Chicago's Innovative Approach to Engaging Young Families
by Nancy Manewith
It all began with an amazing meeting – a discussion, really – with Susan Zukrow, the URJ’s project director for the Chicago Early Engagement Leadership Initiative (CEELI). This new program, funded by the Crown Family Philanthropies and facilitated by the URJ, brings together 12 cross-denominational Jewish early childhood centers from the Chicago area to strengthen their work of engaging young children and their families through program excellence, while building and sustaining meaningful relationships. Though not an educator herself, Susan painstakingly took the time to learn the history and workings of the Chicago Metro area’s Jewish early childhood community, in order to lead this groundbreaking early engagement leadership initiative.
The Real Hannah Senesh
By Josh Weinberg
It was 70 years ago this week, according to the Hebrew calendar, that a young Jewish girl named Hannah Senesh was executed by firing squad by the Hungarian-Nazi police force. She had been captured after parachuting into Europe with a group of Jewish paratroopers of the Haganah who were sent to rescue Jews from the Nazi war machine.