10 Ways to Welcome Teens at the High Holidays
Looking for innovative opportunities to engage your teens around the High Holidays? These 10 ideas come directly from the source – youth professionals across North America.
What Matters Most to You at the End of Life?
Ninety percent of people say that talking with loved ones about end-of-life care is important, yet only 27% have done so. Have you had this conversation?
To See Spirituality Every Day, Look to Martin Buber's Teachings
Spirituality thrives in homes, offices, and synagogues, hiding in plain sight -- in small talk, and in extended conversations. Jewish thinker Martin Buber called this spirituality “I-Thou.”
Ethical Demands Are Essential for Israel's Success
For most Israelis, Jewish identity is primarily national, ethnic, or ceremonial, while ethical values are seen as obligations for all, with no connection to Judaism.
Vetting Vashti: A Megillah-Inspired Missive
We write to you on behalf of an Iranian asylum seeker by the name of Vashti. The circumstances under which she has become a “displaced person” are as follows.
The New Wave of Anti-Semitism: Lest We Forget
Learning and knowing – the truth and the facts – is the first step to living and acting responsibly. I offer the following poem as one more means to keep the flame of memory and truth ignited.
Justice Delayed: Fighting for LGBT Rights in Israel
Together with the Israeli Gay Fathers Association, we filed a petition with the Israeli Supreme Court to demand action. All the while, we have been pressuring the Ministry of Welfare to carry out its mandate.
4 Ways to Start Planning a Congregational Retreat
My congregation's annual retreat fills the I-didn’t-go-to-camp void in my Jewish experience. Held at URJ Camp Harlam, a two-hour drive from home, it’s close enough for the weekend, but far enough away that we’re not tempted to go home for other events, allowing me to celebrate Shabbat in a way I don’t usually do.
Hope for Independence and Peace for All
On Shabbat a group from Physicians for Human Rights Israel, the only Israeli non-profit allowed to enter Gaza, goes to the West Bank to offer a mobile medical clinic.
Why Pray to a Silent God?
Why pray to a silent God who is not looking down at us and waiting to hear what we want or legitimately need?