Rabbi Rick Jacobs

We Jews kindle lights each Shabbat and, each Hanukkah, during the darkest period of the year. We also kindle lights during the darkest moments in history, and in countless ways: in the values we espouse, in the kindnesses we extend, and in the visions we hold

I just returned from a whirlwind two-week trip to Israel, my first as the president of the URJ. It was truly a packed schedule, thanks to the incredible teamwork of our hard-working staff here in North America and in Israel. As promised, I want to share with you a few stories of my time there.

A couple of years ago, at the ripe old age of 96, Simon Wiesenthal died in his sleep. Wiesenthal survived nine different concentration and labor camps and faced certain death on two occasions, but somehow, he outlived his Nazi tormentors. Following the war