Wear Orange on June 2: National Gun Violence Awareness Day
On June 2, National Gun Violence Awareness Day, people around the country will Wear Orange to bring attention to the epidemic of gun violence that kills 90 Americans each day. One of those lives lost was Hadiya Pendleton.
How Saying “Yes” Transformed my Youth Program
I thought Thursday, September 8th was going to be a typical Thursday evening on a call with teens - an hour-long call in which we'd likely encounter some tech problems, side conversations, and background distractions before everyone rushed off to their next commitment.
Galilee Diary: The Neighbors
Whoever saves one life in Israel [i.e., of a Jew] is as if he had saved an entire world.
– Mishnah, Sanhedrin 4:5
Whoever saves one life is as if he had saved an entire world.
How the Trump Administration Budget Would Affect Crucial Government Programs
Yesterday, the Trump administration released its budget proposal for FY 2018.
Peace Is Not Possible Now, Says Leader of America's Reform Jewry
(CLEVELAND, June 1, 2001) The leader of North America's Reform Jewish community tonight conceded "peace is probably not possible now" as he admitted he had been wrong to believe Yasser Arafat would live by the "normal standards of moral judgment."
Ki Teitzei: When You Go Out as a Warrior
Parashat Ki Teitzei includes a rich and varied collection of directives that serve as a partial blueprint for behaviors and norms to create the emerging covenantal culture. As Professor Adele Berlin notes, “Issues pertaining to women are prominent in this parashah. . . .
How Tikkun Olam and Pikuah Nefesh Will Help Me Prepare: A #BlogElul Post
Last week I had lunch with a rabbi friend who told me he’s in the midst of preparing four different sermons for the upcoming High Holidays.
Syrian Refugees
With more than 500,000 people displaced to neighboring countries by the violent civil war in Syria, the Jewish Coalition for Disaster Relief (JCDR) has opened a fund to provide humanitarian aid to the refugees.
"What Can I Do?" Bringing Together Jewish and Muslim Moms
Through a Jewish/Muslim playgroup, my sister found an answer to a question many of us ask when we learn of incidents of anti-Semitism and Islamophobia: “What can I do?”
Monkeys, Lizards, and an Unexpected Lesson in Jewish Values
We must not judge people by their looks, even though the ancient wiring in our brains urges us to do so. As Jews, we are given mitzvot (commandments) about how to treat people precisely because our instincts can deceive us.