URJ Books and Music Releases the Ultimate Debbie Friedman Anthology
April 10, 2014, New York, NY – URJ Books and Music is proud to release the ultimate anthology of the musical works of Debbie Friedman, z''l (1951 – 2011.) Regarded as one of the most influential Jewish singer-songwriters in history, Debbie is known for her timeless Jewish folk music, fil
Union for Reform Judaism's Pilot Programs Deepen Jewish Engagement in Chicago
April 10, 2014, New York, NY – A recent grant will allow the Union for Reform Judaism to create two Chicago area pilot programs to grow and expand Jewish engagement.
Reform Movement Leader Responds to Tragic Shooting at Jewish Community Sites in Kansas
Washington, DC, April 13, 2014 --In response to today's shootings at several Jewish communal institutions in Overland Park, KS, Rabbi David Saperstein, Director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, issued the following statement:
Reform Movement Leader Responds to Vote to Keep J Street Out of Conference of Presidents
May 1, 2014, New York, NY – In response to yesterday's vote by the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations to reject J Street's application for membership, URJ President Rabbi Rick Jacobs made the following statement:
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.
Failure to Advance Minimum Wage Increase in Senate Disappoints
Saperstein: "No one should work full time and live in poverty, yet the current minimum wage of $7.25 and the tipped minimum wage of $2.13 leave too many workers doing just that."
Reform Movement Responds to Key Affirmative Action Case
Rabbi Saperstein: "As the Jewish people have historically known the injustice of discrimination and the way in which its effects linger long after the discriminatory acts themselves, we know that efforts to diminish diversity, no matter what form they take, are of great
On Earth Day, Reform Movement Calls for Immediate Climate Action
Barbara Weinstein: "This Earth Day, we must seek the renewal of our earth, liberation from dependence on fossil fuels, and freedom from environmental injustice that continues to plague the most vulnerable populations worldwide."
Reform Leader Responds to New Reports of Anti-Semitism in Ukraine
In response to reports of demands that Jewish residents of Donetsk, Ukraine register with the government and pay fees or risk serious penalties, Rabbi David Saperstein, Director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, issued the following statement: