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One Month After Newtown Tragedy, Reform Movement Leads Religious Call for Congressional Action to Prevent Gun Violence

January 15, 2013

WASHINGTON, D.C., January 15, 2013 -- Today, religious leaders gathered under the banner of Faiths United to Prevent Gun Violence to call on Congress to act swiftly to pass comprehensive legislation to address gun violence.

Diverse National Civic and Religious Leaders Unite to Call for an End to Senseless Gun Violence

January 14, 2013

"We seek to bring our communities together in support of reasonable steps taken to prevent future suffering such as that endured by the bereaved and traumatized families of gun violence victims...

The Gun Debate: "There is No Pathos in These Debates"

Rabbi Mark H. Levin

All of these arguments going on around me, arguments about whether we have the right to have guns, or whether guns kill people or people kill people, or whether gun control will save lives.

Guns and Talmud

Rabbi Jeffrey Goldwasser

America is facing a choice about guns that will have to be settled in public opinion, in Congress, in state legislatures, and in the courts. The question is whether it is right to place further restrictions on the possession and use of firearms.

Newtown - A Reflection

Rabbi Fred Guttman

I have been working with young people for thirty-eight years. Each time I see the faces of the children lost in the Newton, Connecticut massacre, I see such expressions of the presence of God. Each expression is also one of a future denied. Let us not blame others. It is now OUR RESPONSIBILITY to ensure that this will never, ever happen again. The only way to repair the soul of our nation is to encourage our legislators to act responsibility concerning both sensible gun control and proper mental health funding.

Teens Connect to Judaism Through Justice

Joy Friedman

Annabelle Hanflig

Rabbi Greg Litcofsky

Rabbi Michael Namath

Every year, nearly 2,000 high school-aged Reform Jewish students participate in the Religious Action Center's L'Taken Seminar in Washington, D.C. At the beginning of December, Rabbi Greg Litcofsky, took the confirmation class at his congregation, Temple Emanu-El of West Essex, to Washington D.C. to participate in the L’taken Seminar. The program is designed to expose students to a variety of public policy issues, explore the Jewish values surrounding these issues and teach the skills of an effective advocate. Below, Rabbi Litcofsky and one of Temple Emanu-El’s students, Annabelle Hanflig, reflect on their experience.

Reform Jewish Movement Congratulates Israeli Prime Minister-Elect Ariel Sharon

NEW YORK, February 7, 2001 - Rabbi Eric H. Yoffie, President of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations (UAHC), sent the following letter of congratulations to Israeli Prime Minister-elect Ariel Sharon. The UAHC is the synagogue arm of the Reform Movement of Judaism.

Words Not Spoken . . . Words Not Heard

October 13, 2012

Words are powerful. In Genesis, chapter one, God creates through words: “God said, ‘Let there be light!’—and there was light. . . . God said, ‘Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters,’. . . . God now said, ‘Let us make human beings in our image,’ ” (Genesis 1:3, 6, 26).

The Challenge of Righteousness

October 20, 2012

The wording of the verse gives rise to this debate. The text states that “Noah was a righteous man,” but immediately follows with the phrase “in his generation, he was above reproach. . . ” All of us, including the ancient Rabbis, are left to wonder if Noah is exceptional or not, if his righteousness would be universally righteous or simply righteous in his time.

Jewish Views on Civil Rights

American Reform Jews have historically supported a variety of civil rights issues, including equality for the LGBT community, hate crimes legislation, the death penalty, criminal justice reforms, disability rights, and legislative protections from religious discrimination in the workplace.