Program Idea: Making a Difference in the Lives of Kids with Disabilities
Almost 40 years ago, Temple Israel Sisterhood in Memphis, TN, began a project with the Memphis City Schools’ summer program for visually impaired campers.
Guide for Jewish Students when Israel-Palestine Issues Roil Campus
In mid-2014, following one parent’s anguished public remarks about her daughter’s intimidation and isolation on a campus roiled by political ferment over Israel, conversations among the rabbis and lay leaders of the Social Action Committee (SAC) at Congregation Shomrei Torah (Santa Rosa, CA
One Congregation’s Nip/Tuck on the Face of Jewish Education
In the worthy endeavor of making our Religious School programming as meaningful as possible for our children, we struggle with questions. How can we tweak our program to engage more families? How do we compete with other extracurricular activities? How can we afford to make changes?
InLight: How Cross-Religious Encounters Can Light Up the Darkest Time of Year
During the current Hebrew month of Kislev (November and December), we will celebrate Hanukkah, Christmas, and Diwali, a Hindu festival of lights, together here in southern Israel.
Heeding the Call to Embrace Truly Audacious Hospitality
Congregations are part family, part friendship group. They are microcosms of the Jewish world, a combination of what sociologist Daniel Elazar called "kinship and consent."
Putting Teens in the Driver’s Seat
It’s a question at the forefront of our minds: How do we engage more teens in meaningful Jewish life and use social justice as a powerful engagement tool?
Why I Sat Shiva for My Brother, Who Wasn't Jewish
When my brother Jerry died, the questions were not just where to sit shiva or for how long. They were more fundamental: Should I sit shiva for my non-Jewish brother at all?
Modeling Jacob: the Ability to Provide for our Families
For it was little which you had before I came, and it has increased abundantly; and God has blessed me wherever I turned.
On the Brink of Biennial: Join Us Wherever You Are
Greetings from Orlando and the URJ Biennial 2015! With just about 24 hours until the first official session, the Convention Center is abuzz with activity.
The Future Looks Hopeful: Five Insights on Next Steps for Start-Up Synagogues
Jewish pundits love to predict the eventual demise of the synagogue, decrying its dearth of deep ideas, shortage of spiritual inspiration, and absence of meaning.