Major Progress in Campaign against Death Penalty in 2015
2015 was a year of major milestones in the campaign against the death penalty in the United States.
How the URJ Can Help Congregational Leaders Inspire Sacred Action
Each congregation has its own way of cultivating leadership. To assist this sacred work, the URJ offers a variety of programs that enable leaders to learn, network, and worship together, all of which are specifically designed to meet the needs of leaders of different positions and take into consideration different ways of rising to leadership.
Klal Yisrael: The Challenges and Opportunities of Uniting a People
We live in an era of contradictions. Although we have the ability, today, more than ever, to create an interconnected “global village” and foster a sense of unity with Jewish communities around the world, in reality, we’re often far from united.
Sports vs. Values: What are We Teaching Our Children?
What do we teach our children when we seek entertainment in the spectacle of two human beings each trying to maim the other or render her senseless? And yet, should we be surprised? After all, we live in a country where mass murder occurs on a regular basis.
The Good Book: Writers Reflect on Favorite Bible Passages
The Bible continues to be the best-selling book in history, perhaps because each reader can identify with some aspect of its ancient text. It is this notion that informs the essays of the 24 novelists, poets, scholars, and journalists who answered the call to write about a Biblical book or passage with personal meaning to them.
Five Ways Jews Can Respond to Anti-Muslim Rhetoric
As Jews, we have an obligation to defend a fellow minority under siege – but some of us don’t speak up because we don’t know what to say. Here is list of statements you are likely to hear and how you might respond.
Blockbuster Achievements and Coming Attractions: The URJ in 2016
According to box office reports, I was not the only person who saw the new Star Wars movie over the long New Year holiday weekend.
In addition to having a great time for a couple of hours, I was struck by what a Reform approach the moviemakers took.
How so?
Reproductive Justice as a Jewish Moral Imperative
In the days before Roe v. Wade declared abortion a constitutional right, the symbol of women’s underground, dangerous – and persistent – efforts to obtain abortions was the simple wire coat hanger. Despite the constitutional protections in place since 1973, this gruesome symbol has recently made a troubling return to our discourse on reproductive justice.
The Stories That Shape our Work to Eradicate Homelessness
Participants of the RAC’s Bernard and Audre Rapoport L’Taken Seminars, often share with us that one of the most inspiring moments of the weekend is hearing a presenter from the