URJ President Speaks to Knesset Committee on Anti-Semitism in the U.S.
Rabbi Rick Jacobs, President of the Union for Reform Judaism, spoke this morning before the Israeli Knesset’s Committee for Immigration, Absorption and Diaspora Affairs at its hearing on anti-Semitism in the United States. Rabbi Jacobs was the only American to speak at the hearing, which was also broadcast on the Knesset’s television channel.
URJ Leadership Mission Meets With Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah
Contact: Lauren Theodore at 212-650-4154
“We clearly did not agree on everything, nor did we expect to. We were warmly received, and our conversation was positive.”
Rabbi David Saperstein Joins URJ and RAC as Senior Advisor for Policy and Strategy
Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) President Rabbi Rick Jacobs announced today that Rabbi David Saperstein will return to the URJ senior staff as Senior Advisor for Policy and Strategy. He will assume this new position as of April 1, 2017.
Union for Reform Judaism and Ruderman Family Foundation Deepen Partnership On Disabilities Inclusion Work
The Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) and the Ruderman Family Foundation (RFF) today announced the strengthening of their important partnership supporting the URJ’s vital work around disabilities inclusion.
The RFF has contributed close to $1 million to the URJ in a unique partnership for disabilities inclusion awareness work, including a new $300,000 grant over two years for the URJ RFF Disabilities Inclusion Initiative.
URJ President Rabbi Rick Jacobs Responds to Senate Confirmation of David Friedman as U.S. Ambassador to Israel
Reform Movement Urges Congregations to Protect Undocumented Immigrants Facing Deportation with New Resolution
Reform Jewish Congregations are being urged to protect undocumented immigrants facing deportation. The Union for Reform Judaism’s North American Board of Trustees took this historic step in response to the growing concern about an increase in deportation activity by federal authorities and Congress’s failure to comprehensively address immigration reform. This resolution responds to the urgent need of undocumented immigrants living in fear of deportation. The Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) and Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR) have historically stood with immigrants and refugees, and this resolution provides guidance and support for congregations doing this vital work today.
URJ President on United Methodist Church Rejecting BDS
This week’s clear decision by the United Methodist Church rejecting the efforts of those who misguidedly sought to draw the Church into the boycott, divestment, sanctions campaign to delegitimize Israel is a welcome step in support of peace between Israel and the Palestinians.
URJ Launches JewV’Nation Fellowship: An Interfaith Outreach Incubator for Emerging Jewish Leaders
Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) today launched the JewV’Nation Fellowship, an innovative year-long project incubator and leadership development program supporting emerging Jewish leaders and creative interfaith outreach initiatives. The program, which will begin in early 2017, is supported in part with a Jewish Funders Network grant from Avenues to Jewish Engagement for Intermarried Couples and their Families, in honor of 2015 Genesis Prize Laureate Michael Douglas.
The JewV’Nation (pronounced “juvination”) Fellowship program will be led by April Baskin, URJ’s Vice President of Audacious Hospitality, and seeks to engage a new generation of leadership by valuing the perspectives and insights of the younger members of the community and supporting them with resources and strategies to bring their best ideas to life. The fellows themselves will define and create exciting and contemporarily relevant Jewish programming.