Giving Tuesday: More Than a Day on the Calendar

I am grateful to work for an organization that's dedicated to fortifying Jewish communities and bettering the world, especially in challenging times. Since Hamas's October 7th attack on Israel, the Reform Movement has been playing an indispensable role in providing local communities throughout North America with centers for connection, healing, spiritual grounding, and action. The bonds formed through our congregations, camps, youth movement, and other initiatives give us the strength to move forward.

As we approach #GivingTuesday and prepare to exemplify one of our core values by giving tzedakah, the Reform Movement is continuing our dedication to strengthening local and global Jewish communities. #GivingTuesday is a day of hope, when we remember how powerful we can be when we work together to make change.

Gifts on #GivingTuesday directly support initiatives that nurture our communities, build resilience, and combat antisemitism.

The URJ has helped mobilize the North American Jewish community to advocate for justice in several impactful ways. Here are just a few things we've accomplished together:

• Mobilized 10,000 volunteers through our nonpartisan Every Voice, Every Vote campaign, reaching over 750,000 voters  
• Nurtured the Jewish identities of 12,000 young people through our 14 summer camps, NFTY, fellowships, and Yallah! Israel programming 
• Organized New York voters to pass the New York Equal Right Amendment, which passed by a margin of 62%

Together, we are still taking action. The URJ provides resources and programs to help people understand what is happening in Israel and around the world while building relationships, cultivating spirituality, and advocating for justice. We also support the vibrancy of over 850 congregations and communities by developing leaders, nurturing innovation, and bringing the best of our programming to their members. Our programs empower individuals to deepen their engagement with their community both inside and outside of their synagogue while helping them connect with their spirituality. In 2024, our member congregations accessed leadership trainings and resources, webinars aimed at increasing engagement and creating communities of belonging, and online religious education through our partnership with ShalomLinkED. The URJ is also working with 12 leaders through our new Jewish Community Cultivators Cohort to nurture and support recently-formed Jewish communities across North America. 

Our 14 summer camps and year-round youth programs work to nurture our young leaders and empower future generations. These programs help our young people develop invaluable life skills, cultivate life-long friendships, and connect with their Jewish identities. We know from experience that these skills, friendships, and values sustain us even through the most difficult times.

Since 2021, we have provided resources to individuals and congregations, hosted webinars, connected congregations to security resources, created online and print resources, and helped teens stand up to antisemitism and hate. We have had two cohorts of Reform congregations participate in our partnership program with the ADL and Kulanu - Synagogues in Action Against Antisemitism. We've recently launched our third cohort of more than 105 congregations.

This #GivingTuesday, I hope you will join me in sustaining the Reform Movement's vitally important work in North America and around the world. Here are a few ways you can help:

• Give to the Union for Reform Judaism. Robert and Sherry Wiener have pledged to match gifts to this page up to a total of $100,000!
• Give to the Religious Action Center. Gifts on this page will be matched dollar-for-dollar up to $25,000, thanks to a gift from a very generous anonymous family.
• Support your local teens by donating to NFTY.
• Support ARZA and the URJ's work in Israel.
• Donate to one of our 14 camps.

#GivingTuesday is more than a day on the calendar - it's a call to action and unity and reminds us of our sacred obligation to heal the world. Together, we pursue our vision of a world in which all people can experience peace and wholeness (shalom), justice and equity (tzedek), and belonging and joy (shayachut and simcha).