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Keeping Family Close, Regardless of Distance
As I boarded the plane to Israel in the summer of 2002 for my first year of rabbinical school at HUC in Jerusalem, my mother said, "Please, just don't meet an Israeli." As soon as the plane touched down at Ben Gurion airport, I knew that I was home. A few months later, I met that Israeli. From our first conversation, he understood that I was studying to be a rabbi, and I understood that he wanted to live only in Israel.
An Al Cheit for Asylum Seekers, Refugees, and All Those Seeking Safety
The following blog post is adapted from a prayer shared by Legislative Assistant Rachel Klein at the #1YearAfterDelRio March and Vigil for Haitian Migrants and Asylum Seekers on September 23, 2022.
Antisemitism Finally Hits Home for Me
In the many years (57 to be exact) that I have been in an interfaith marriage, I felt somehow removed from antisemitism. I was raised in a Roman Catholic family, and, while there were a few comments from aunts and uncles when I got engaged, it was the 1960s, and I was in love. I believed we would figure it out as we went along.
Reform Jewish Leader Joins Interfaith Response to Cruel and Inhumane Immigration Tactics
Today, Barbara Weinstein, Director of the Commission on Social Action of Reform Judaism, joined a press conference with a range of faith leaders to call out the cruel and inhumane immigration tactics, initiated in recent weeks by Governors Greg Abbot (TX), Doug Ducey (AZ), and now Ron DeSantis (FL), transporting asylum seekers and other migrants to Washington, D.C., the New York metropolitan area, and now Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts.
A Climate Reading of the Unetaneh Tokef
I have long wondered: what must Isaac have been thinking as his father bound him and laid him across the altar? Isaac must have realized his father had lied to him - did Isaac cry out? Did Isaac see his father pick up the knife?
Try Anyway
We are nearing the end of the book of Deuteronomy. This week's Torah portion, Haazinu, consists mainly of a poem or a song that Moses sings to the people as he nears his death. Considering how hopeful the last few chapters have been, one might have expected that this poem would continue the same line of thinking. However, the poem is more fatalistic.
Lead Your Board Through Self-Reflection for the High Holidays
On the Jewish calendar, the start of the month of Elul signifies the beginning of the High Holiday season. As individuals, it is during this time that we begin the process of cheshbon hanefesh (accounting of the soul), reflecting on the past year. So too, it is important for your leadership and community to reflect on the past year and consider how to do better moving forward.
Hispanic Heritage Month Has Begun!
Hispanic Heritage Month is particularly important for me this year as I feel more connected to my Hispanic, Latino identity than I have in the past.
U.S. Jewish Organizations' Letter to Senate Supporting Respect for Marriage Act
On behalf of the Union for Reform Judaism, Keshet, and 108 additional Jewish organizations, the following letter was shared in support of the Respect for Marriage Act (S. 4556).
Reform Jewish Leader Joins Interfaith Call on Congress for Bold Legislation to Protect the Civil Rights of all Americans
Today, Rabbi Jonah Dov Pesner, Director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism and Senior Vice President of the Union for Reform Judaism, joined the interfaith, multi-racial Poor People's Campaign A Call for Moral Revival to speak with Congress on behalf of the Union for Reform Judaism, the Central Conference of American Rabbis, and the wider Reform Movement ,and ask that they renew their commitment to pass bold legislation which protects the civil rights of all Americans.