URJ Heller High: Creating a Better Jewish Future
If progressive Judaism is going to prevail, the Union for Reform Judaism must be investing in ways to connect young Jews to our traditions, to Israel, and to our future.
Seeing, Learning, Doing: My First Few Months as the URJ's Presidential Fellow
I don’t have all of the answers about how to accomplish the challenge of engaging Jewish millennials, but here are three of the insights I have gained from simple conversations with them.
7 Webinars You Should Attend Through the End of November
As the holidays wind down and your congregational leaders look forward to focusing on important aspects of congregational life, here are seven upcoming URJ webinars that should be on your radar.
5 Ways Sukkot is the Perfect Inclusive Holiday
Every holiday should be inclusive, but some lend themselves more naturally toward being inclusive than others. Sukkot is one of those.
The Message at the Heart of the Scroll
On Simchat Torah, may Torah’s holy message dance forth from our sanctuary and our hearts.
Persecuted at Home, Uighur Muslims Share Chinese Cuisine in Diaspora
Tensions have long persisted between China’s government and the Uighur Muslim population concentrated in China’s western Xinjiang region. Uighur Muslims are ethnically Turkic, practice Islam, and have close cultural ties to Central Asia.
Three Small Letters Make a Big Difference in the Jewish World
AEPi, the Jewish fraternity, trains future Jewish leaders and provides opportunities for members to socialize, achieve academic excellence, and perform acts of charity and community service.
How to Create Meaningful Mitzvot Opportunities for B'nai Mitzvah
Reform Congregation Keneseth Israel in Elkins Park, PA, began its journey in the pilot cohort of the URJ’s B’nai Mitzvah Revolution by asking our eighth grade families one question: What could we have done to better prepare your family for your child’s bar or bat mitzvah?
What Happened When I Walked to Shul
Punch block, no punch back!" This Yom Kippur, I found myself thinking about a family tradition involving sibling punches on the sidewalk. But what does that have to do with Jewish youth?
How I Re-Lit the Flame of Youth Engagement (By Leaving During the Busiest Week of the Year)
In the last week of September, just days before Rosh Hashannah, more than 50 youth professionals gathered at the picturesque URJ Kutz Camp in the heart of the Hudson Valley for a few days of learning and growing. The retreat was part of a pilot for the Youth Professionals 101 Community of Practice, a new cohort for congregational youth professionals in the first two years of our roles to learn best practices for youth engagement and build a network.