Israel

Yom HaZikaron: Israel’s Fallen Heroes and Us

Rabbi Natan Trief

The day is a gut-wrenching one, and yet one profoundly important in the life of a country. It is a day when we let the pain in, when we listen to and internalize the myriad stories, when we understand that their fight is also our fight.

Black and white image of the courtroom during the Eichmann trial

Jewish History

The Eichmann Trial 60 Years Later: What Have We Learned?

Rabbi A. James Rudin

April 9, 2021

April 11, 2021, marks the 60th anniversary of the opening of Adolf Eichmann’s trial, which coincided with the young Jewish state’s bat/bar mitzvah year of independence. These two events represent a microcosm of modern Jewish history.

A few Israeli flags on flagpoles against a blue sky background

Yom HaZikaron & Yom HaAtzmaut

Spread the Word: Virtual Events Commemorating Yom HaZikaron and Yom HaAtzmaut

Rabbi Josh Weinberg

April 5, 2021

As Yom HaZikaron and Yom HaAtzmaut approach during this continued period of social distancing, you're invited to join the Reform Movement and our partners for any and all of the following online events in observance of the two holidays.

Contested Utopia: Jewish Dreams and Israeli Realities

Rabbi Robert Orkand

Growing up in the years following the founding of the State of Israel, I, like so many of my generation, was taught that the new Jewish state was the fulfillment of a utopian dream: a Jewish homeland after almost 2000 years of exile. It would be a refuge for persecuted diaspora Jews and its governance guided by Jewish values.

Group of students standing in an ancient cave with a teacher at the front

Israel Programs

Teaching the Biblical Period Builds a Foundation for Jewish Identity

David Alon

March 30, 2021

The Tanach is our owner’s manual. If we want to operate this complex thing we call Jewish identity, it’s probably worth reading the instruction book. Are we doing enough to engage on a daily basis with our ancient sources?