Reform Movement Applauds House Passage of Voting Rights Legislation
RAC-IL Applauds Gov. Pritzker's Decision to Welcome Refugees in Illinois
Reform Jewish Movement Denounces Decision Weakening the Affordable Care Act
URJ Biennial, North America's Largest Jewish Gathering, Begins in Chicago
December 11, 2019; Chicago, IL – The Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) has gathered more than 5,000 Reform Jewish leaders and community members at the 75th
Jennifer Brodkey Kaufman Elected to Serve as Chair of the Union for Reform Judaism's Board
Jennifer Brodkey Kaufman, of Sacramento, CA, has been elected to serve as the next chair of the North American Board of Trustees of the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ). The role is the top lay leadership position in the URJ, which represents North America’s largest and most diverse movement in Jewish life.
Torah Scroll Rescued from the Holocaust To Be Returned Home To New Czech Republic Congregation
A Torah scroll that miraculously survived destruction during the Holocaust and was cherished for decades by generations of North American Reform Jewish youth leaders at URJ Kutz Camp will be returned home as a symbol of the rebirth of Jewish life in Central Europe. Reform Jewish Movement leaders chanted from this remarkable Torah scroll during Shabbat worship services at the URJ Biennial, the largest Jewish gathering in North America, and then the symbolic transfer announcement of this Torah was made.
JCC Association of North America and The Union for Reform Judaism Launch Unprecedented Partnership to Strengthen Field of Jewish Early Childhood Education
JCC Association of North America and the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) announced a major new partnership to address immediate challenges facing the field of Jewish early childhood education and family engagement. This marks the first time JCC Association and the URJ, the two largest providers of Jewish early childhood education in North America, are partnering on a joint initiative of this scale. Their work together impacts more than 65,000 children from 50,000 families and 10,000 educators across 475 early childhood centers in the United States and Canada.
Who Is the Supporting Cast in the Story of Your Life?
I am a rabbi because of a game of catch I played at camp with a rabbi more than three times my age. ... Others people who have changed my direction are like supporting actors in my life. ... In Parashat Vayeishev, Joseph goes out searching for his brothers who are supposed to be in the field tending the flock. ... Along the way he meets a man whose name we never know: The Torah refers to him simply as ha-ish, ”the man” who saw Joseph wandering in the field (Gen. 37:15).
Dream a Little Dream, and Then Interpret It
The entire story of Joseph, which spans three parshiyot in the latter third of the Book of Genesis, centers around dreams: their interpretation and the actions that interpretation then inspires. This week, we read the second portion in that series, Mikeitz.
Can You Find the Good in a Catastrophe?
As we begin Parashat Vayigash, Joseph is seated as second in line to the pharaoh in Egypt. His brothers had come down to Egypt seeking food as there was a famine in the land of Canaan. Joseph concealed his identity from his brothers, and in last week’s portion, Mikeitz, he framed them for stealing and held his brother Simeon for ransom until they return with Benjamin.