Strong Evidence of the Impact of Reform Movement Youth Programs on Lifelong Jewish Identity
Reform Jewish Movement Welcomes New House Resolution on Anti-Semitism, Anti-Muslim Discrimination and Bigotry
Rabbi Jonah Dov Pesner, Director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, issued the following statement on behalf of the Union for Reform Judaism, the Central Conference of American Rabbis, and the wider Reform Movement institutions:
“We welcome today’s House resolution condemning anti-Semitism, anti-Muslim bigotry and other forms of hate. Importantly, the resolution makes clear that these hatreds, though centuries old, feed on and legitimize each other, inflamed in our time by forces on the left and right. There is no place for these, or any form of hate in our society, no matter the source.
Statement of Union for Reform Judaism President Rabbi Rick Jacobs in Response to the Attacks on the Al Noor Mosque and Linwood Mosque in Christchurch, New Zealand
Following the attacks on the Al Noor Mosque and Linwood Mosque in Christchurch, New Zealand, Union for Reform Judaism President Rabbi Rick Jacobs issued the following statement: Yet again the world is shaken by extremist violence against innocent people at prayer, targeted in deadly acts of hatred. Too often we have been sickened that sacred places of worship have become sites of slaughter. A few months ago the massacre happened in a synagogue on a Saturday in Pittsburgh, this time in mosques on a Friday in New Zealand.
Dear Bibi, We're Concerned
URJ Leadership Statement About New York Times Article
Six Teen Leaders To Watch: Newly Elected NFTY Board Steers the North American Reform Jewish Youth Movement, Including New Racial Justice Campaign
Six outstanding teen leaders have been elected to serve on the North American Board of NFTY, the Reform Jewish youth movement, for the 2017-2018 program year. Reform Judaism is the largest and most diverse movement in Jewish life, reaching nearly 900 congregations and more than 1.5 million people.
Israeli Government Poised To Walk Away From Agreement To Provide Egalitarian Prayer Space At The Kotel In Jerusalem
Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) President Rabbi Rick Jacobs issued the following statement today about the Israeli government's agreement to provide an egalitarian prayer space at the Western Wall in Jerusalem:
We have seen the recent reporting that the Israeli government will suspend its plan to move forward with an egalitarian, pluralistic prayer space at the Kotel. Those reports are deeply alarming, but, sadly, not surprising.
URJ President Rabbi Rick Jacobs: Israeli Government's Reversal On Egalitarian Prayer Space At The Kotel In Jerusalem Is "An Unconscionable Insult"
URJ President Rabbi Rick Jacobs: Israeli Government's Reversal On Egalitarian Prayer Space At The Kotel In Jerusalem Is "An Unconscionable Insult"
Reform Movement Cancels Meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu
Rabbi Rick Jacobs: “We cannot go about our scheduled meetings as if nothing has happened. The annulment of the Kotel resolution and the passing of the conversion law have caused an acute crisis between the Israeli government and diaspora Jewry. After yesterday's shameful decisions, we feel that at this moment, after more than four years of negotiations, it is not clear that the current Israeli government honors its agreements."
Reform Movement Leadership on Today's Conversion Bill Postponement
Leaders of the Reform Movement in Israel and North America, Rabbi Gilad Kariv, President and CEO of the Israel Movement for Reform and Progressive Judaism, and Rabbi Rick Jacobs, President of the Union for Reform Judaism, have issued the following statement:
Today’s decision by the Israeli cabinet to postpone further action on the offensive “conversion bill” is an important rebuke to the aggressive behavior of the ultra-Orthodox toward diaspora Jewry and the non-Orthodox streams. That is why we supported the temporary delay.