Who Should Teach About Hanukkah and What Should They Be Teaching?
Now that my daughter is in preschool, I've come to realize that hearing about cultural and religious practices directly from the practitioners only emphasizes our otherness.
Teaching Children About Welcoming Guests (Hachnasat Or'chim)
Purim: It's More than Just a Carnival
I remember the Purim celebrations of my youth: homemade cardboard crowns wrapped in aluminum foil; groggers fashioned from Styrofoam cups, dried beans, and masking tape; my brothers dressed in bathrobes, beards and mustaches sketched on their faces. As in many other congregations, our Purim carnival was run by the youth group as a fundraiser, and when I reached high school, I became a planner instead of a participant. We planned games and activities that sounded like fun to us teenagers and would be enjoyed by the religious school kids who were our target audience. Neither preschool children nor their parents were part of the planning equation.
Resources for Combatting Islamophobia
Following the recent attacks in Paris in November 2015 and San Bernardino in December 20
Purim, Bed Rest, and a Hidden God: A Pregnant Rabbi's Modern-Day Midrash
Purim is coming, a wild holiday that holds its place alongside Yom Kippur and Passover as a dramatic story in the Hebrew Bible’s accounts of redemption and revelation. But, unlike these other stories, Megillat Esther does not mention God. How can this be? According to the ancient rabbis, God is hidden.
Focusing on One Topic of Congregational Life Can Be a Game-Changer for Your Community
If your congregation spent 12-24 months focusing on one topic of your congregational life, could it transform your entire community? If you decided to really delve into engaging baby boomers or figuring out how to focus on social justice issues, could it be a game changer for your congregation? This year, we’re excited to launch four new Communities of Practice, and applications are open through May 9th, 2016.
Join Us for a Webinar on Voter Engagement and Immigration Reform
There is perhaps no more important form of civic engagement than voting. The vote is the cornerstone of our democracy, ensuring that those who govern are chosen by and beholden to the people.
A River Flows from Eden: Rabbi Rick Jacobs' Address to the URJ Biennial
This movement’s task, in this moment, is to nurture the natural waterways that connect us. To keep our congregations the strong sources of life they have always been and will always be.
The Courage to Advance Authentic Judaism in Israel
Thirty years ago this month, a modern-day Jewish hero was freed from prison. Back then, it never would have occurred to me that Natan Sharansky and I would become colleagues. Today, nonetheless, I am honored and proud to count this man – who has inspired generations of Jews around the world and engendered goodwill even in politically complex scenarios – within my circles. Ours is a relationship borne of a personal bond that began while he was still a Soviet prisoner.
A Hanukkah Tradition From My Christian Mother-in-Law
Sometimes we create our own traditions, sometimes we carry on a tradition we inherit, and sometimes a tradition can come from unexpected places.