I Lost My Father in Mitzrayim
Passover is usually one of my favorite holidays. I love the ritual of preparing the house, the smell of the food, and the joyous atmosphere at the seder table. But this year is different. Passover began only three days after the one-year anniversary of my father’s suicide.
US and Canadian Synagogues Partner to Help Refugees
Imagine you are running for your life. Your survival depends on the mercy of strangers. Your home is in ruins and your neighbors have fled. There is no turning back. When you reach the crowded camp, you join thousands who ache for a life they will never know again.
Reaffirming "Commitment to Constitutional Principles"
JUNE 23, 2003 - Affirming its longstanding commitment to the Constitutional guarantee of the rights to privacy and due process, the Union of American Hebrew Congregations Board of Trustees unanimously approved a resolution that seeks to balance the measures the government has used
A Promised Land for Those Seeking Refuge
When I learned that I would be spending my spring break in McAllen, Texas, with Temple Sinai, volunteering with migrants fleeing from violence in Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador, I didn’t know what to think.
For Those Whose Exodus Continues Today
For more than 3,000 years, Jews have gathered to retell the story of Passover and celebrate our deliverance from slavery in Egypt. In the Book of Exodus, we are not only told to observe Passover (Exodus 12: 17); we also are taught that, “In every generation all of us are obliged to regard ourselves as if we ourselves went forth from the land of Egypt” (Exodus 13:8). We must not only gather for seder and replace chametz with matzah, but we also must take ownership of the Passover narrative and experience it anew each year.
Reform Movement Condemns Death Threats Against Israeli Arab Knesset Members
Saperstein: "While we may not always agree with the ideas expressed, our deep commitment to Jewish and democratic values requires that we defend the free speech of all Israel's citizens, including its Arab citizens."
Reform Zionism: What Do the Four Children Have to Say?
The Land of Israel is a ghost throughout the haggadah, even as it is a constant presence in the background of the Passover story. Liberation isn’t solely freedom from Egyptian bondage; it’s also intentional direction toward Sinai and the ultimate arrival in the Promised Land. Yet Eretz Yisrael itself is rarely mentioned in the haggadah text.
Reflecting on Racial Justice during Passover
On Passover, we confront a central, inextricable tension: we must simultaneously hold the joy of our exodus from slavery in Egypt with the persecution we see all around us in the world. For many centuries, that persecution was directly experienced by Jews themselves.
Moving Social Justice to the Center of Synagogue Life
A new URJ Community of Practice, “Moving Justice to the Center of Your Congregation,” will bring together clergy and lay leaders from 12 Reform synagogues to do what Or Ami did: to use the tools of community organizing to bring together your synagogue community to make the world more just.