Top 5 Highlights of the URJ Board Leadership Mission to Israel
Earlier this month, I joined URJ president Rabbi Rick Jacobs, Director of Israel Engagement Rabbi Yehudit Werchow, and nearly 50 URJ leaders for an incredible four days in Israel on the URJ Board Leadership Mission. It was a working visit, and it's difficult to boil down such an intense trip into five highlights moments, but here goes:
- Spending Shabbat in Israel is always meaningful, but on this trip, we could truly feel the impact of the Reform Movement. Friday night we attended services at IMPJ communities across the country, and during a Shabbat lunch with HUC-JIR students. Meeting dynamic, indigenous leaders we experience the strength of the Reform Movement in Israel - and could see it is growing stronger.
- Throughout the trip, Israeli leaders affirmed the importance of Reform Judaism. It was clear through our meetings with Prime Minister Netanyahu, President Shimon Peres, Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai, and Cabinet Secretary Avichai Mandelblit that the Reform Movement is taken seriously and greatly respected in the halls of government in Israel.
URJ to Expand Campaign for Youth Engagement with New Programming and Grants
October 3, 2012, New York, NY - With a continued goal of increasing the level of Jewish teen engagement within its Movement, the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) today announced expansion of its national Campaign for Youth Engagement.
URJ Announces New NFTY Director to Transform Jewish Youth Movement
May 2, 2014, New York, NY -- The Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) announced that a new Director of NFTY. Micol Zimmerman Burkeman took the helm of the Reform Jewish Youth Movement this week.
Camp Harlam Receives Largest Gift Ever
New York, NY | May 22, 2014 – Camp Harlam, the Union for Reform Judaism's regional overnight camp based in Pennsylvania, announced today that it has received the largest gift in its history.
URJ Announces New Director for Jacobs Camp
May 22, 2014, New York, NY -- The Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) announced this week that Anna Blumenfeld Herman will be the new director of the URJ's Henry S. Jacobs Camp in Utica, Mississippi. Ms.
URJ President Rabbi Rick Jacobs: We Condemn President Abbas' Recent Statements
Rabbi Rick Jacobs, President of the Union for Reform Judaism, responds to recent statements by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas: We condemn unequivocally President Abbas’ recent statements rejecting the Jewish people’s connections with Israel, denying the legitimacy of a Jewish State of Israel, and promulgating conspiracy theories about the creation of the State of Israel.
Reform Jewish Movement Statement on Expulsion of Asylum Seekers from Israel
Organizations of the Reform Jewish Movement, the largest movement in Jewish life, issued a statement strongly urging the Israeli government to reverse its decision and recognize the legitimate status of the 37,885 asylum seekers in the country.
Rabbi Rick Jacobs’ Podcast “On the Other Hand: Ten Minutes of Torah” on ReformJudaism.org Celebrates Third Anniversary with First Live Studio Audience Recording
ReformJudaism.org, the flagship website of the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) reaching 3.2 million visitors annually, is celebrating the third anniversary of the On the Other Hand: Ten Minutes of Torah podcast featuring Rabbi Rick Jacobs, the President of the URJ with its first episode recorded before a live audience. The special anniversary episode, “Courageous Leadership,” focusing on parashat Yitro, was recorded at the sold-out URJ Biennial convention in Boston last month.
URJ’s Rabbi Rick Jacobs: Statement on Polish Government’s Proposed Holocaust Law
Rabbi Rick Jacobs, President of the Union for Reform Judaism, issued the statement below in response to the Polish government's approval of a new law barring discussion of Polish responsibility during the Holocaust:
We were deeply disheartened by the Polish government’s approval of a new law that not only bars reference to “Polish death camps” but to discussion of the responsibility of Polish citizens during the Holocaust.