Pretzel Challah
Why Is Challah So Beloved by the Jewish People?
What's Real about a Virtual Shabbat Service?
Frankly, I was skeptical about attending services online – but it was the occasion of the yahrzeit (anniversary of death) for my wife’s brother, and this was our only option for respecting her wish to recite the Mourner’s Kaddish with our Jewish community.
How I'm Finding Blessings Amid the Separation
As challenging as these days of quarantine have been, I take comfort in the many ways this strange time of separation have enabled us – however ironically – to come together. Here are a few of the “blessings of separation” I’ve experienced in the age of COVID-19.
Pandemic in the Petri Dish of Prison: A Jewish Call for Justice
The Book of Proverbs instructs us to “speak up for those who cannot speak...to raise our voices on behalf of the vulnerable and downtrodden.” (Proverbs 31:8-9). The individuals who make up America’s prison population are isolated, vulnerable, and voiceless.
From Tragedy to Celebration, We Honor the State of Israel
Cold: Prayer for a Chilly Shabbat
Snow days can be fun; not so this kind of cold. It was colder in Chicago this week than it was in the North Pole.
Remembering Victims of Gun Violence: Join the National Gun Violence Prevention Shabbat
Tragically, 2017 has been a particularly deadly year for gun violence. Partner with us in the struggle to prevent gun violence – join the National Gun Violence Prevention Shabbat.
Read Rabbi Rick Jacobs' D'var Torah to the URJ Biennial 2017
This d'var Torah for Parashah Vayeishev was presented before the 74th Union for Reform Judaism Biennial convention on Saturday, December 9.
Cultivating a Culture of Inclusion: April Baskin's Remarks to the URJ Biennial 2017
As the Vice President of Audacious Hospitality, I deeply believe that every person should have a community where they feel fully supported and unconditionally accepted. One they can count on to be there for them over the course of their lives.