I Want to Observe Shabbat. Where do I Begin?
The best way to begin observing Shabbat is by starting small and adding to your Shabbat observance as you grow more comfortable. If you are interested in ritual, try learning the blessings of the Shabbat table.
Green Eggs and Hamantaschen: Creative Purim Gift Bags Bring a Community Together
Purim at Or Chadash, in Flemington, N.J., includes many of the usual traditions: putting on a Purim spiel (play), using boxes of pasta as gragers, baking hamantaschen with our students, reading the Megillah, and hosting a spectacular carnival that features Esther’s Salon, Mordecai’s March Madness, a photo booth, and plenty of prizes and food.
Three Jewish Community Federations Receive Shutafim Award for Outstanding Federation/Synagogue Partnerships
NEW YORK--January 11, 2012-- Every two years, the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) Synagogue-Federation Relations Committee presents the Shutafim Award for Outstanding Federation/Synagogue Partnerships to three communities -- one small, one mid-sized, and one large -- in special recognition o
Four Questions to Ask Ourselves When It Comes to Youth Engagement
Blessings for Festival and Yom Tov Candle Lighting
We Ourselves Went Forth from Egypt
Our encounter with the offerings made in the Tabernacle is interrupted on the Shabbat of April 4th by a description of the Exodus that we celebrate on this day, the first day of Pesach.
Union for Reform Judaism to Award Up to 20 Grants to Fund Innovative Projects to Engage Members in Congregational Life
NEW YORK, January 9, 2012 – For the second year, the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) is offering Incubator Grants to member congregations. Up to 20 projects will be funded a maximum of $5,000 for fiscal year July 1, 2012 - June 30, 2013.
Half a Shekel of Guilt Money
My Uncle Max, of blessed memory, used to put a few coins into the pushke of a little yeshivah in Jerusalem every time its representatives would come to America, knocking on doors.
Fly Fishing and Conservation
Chazak, Chazak, V'nitchazeik
As we complete each book of the Torah, it is customary to repeat the words "Chazak, chazak, v'nitchazeik." These words, understood as "Congratulations!" actually have a more profound message.