Interfaith Clergy Visit Detention Center in McAllen, Texas to Urge End to Separation of Families
On Thursday, June 21, an interfaith delegation of 40 religious leaders representing the Jewish, Catholic, Protestant and Muslim traditions, including the Reverend Al Sharpton; Rabbi Jonah Dov Pesner, Director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism; Monsignor Kevin Sullivan, Executive Director of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York; and Imam Johari Abdul-Malik will visit the U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Centralized Processing Center and hold a press conference outside to demand that the Trump administration immediately end the zero tolerance policy and stop separating families at our nation’s borders.
URJ President: "Just Solution" For Those Seeking Asylum In Israel
Rabbi Rick Jacobs: "We applaud all those who demonstrated and raised their voices to promote a just solution for those seeking asylum in Israel."
URJ President Rabbi Rick Jacobs: “Escalation On Gazan Border Is Tragic And Dangerous”
Rabbi Rick Jacobs, President of the Union for Reform Judaism, issued the statement below in response to recent violence in Gaza: The ongoing escalation on the Gazan border is tragic and dangerous for both Israelis and Palestinians.
Joint Reform Jewish Movement Statement On The 70th Anniversary Of The Establishment Of The State Of Israel
We join with our Israeli brothers and sisters, the worldwide family of the Jewish people, and friends of Israel everywhere, to mark with joy the 70th anniversary of the establishment of the State of Israel.
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.