Displaying 1 - 10 of 19
13 Jewish Stories about Moms for Mother’s Day
This Mother’s Day, we’ve rounded up a few of our favorite stories about moms to share with you. We hope you’ll read them, enjoy them, relate to them, comment on them, and maybe share stories of your own mothers. Happy Mother’s Day!
Ghetto: A Poem
the path that we now follow / is the Exodus our ancestors never chose / flooding with pain they died not to swallow / the past spills into the river and flows
Honoring Native American Heritage Month by Listening to Native American Voices
November is Native American Heritage Month, a time when being instructed to listen is especially important.
Important Message on Ethics Accountability
In recent weeks, there have been several public reports of leaders in our Reform Jewish Movement who have engaged in abuse, misconduct, and sexual assault. The pain endured by the victims is heartbreaking. We hope the reports of these brave victims will empower others who have suffered in silence to come forward so that there can be both accountability and healing. We commit without hesitation that the Union for Reform Judaism (the URJ) will address all reports of misconduct appropriately and transparently, centering the survivors as we move forward.
Remembering Kristallnacht After Pittsburgh
On November 9, we will mark the anniversary of Kristallnacht (Night of the Broken Glass), the Third Reich's first large-scale attack on the Jews of Germany and Austria in 1938.
A Jewish Approach to Transgender Awareness Week
After services one Friday night, I was approached by a woman and child I had not seen before. The woman knew I was a rabbinical student, and said she had an important question to ask me. Then, slowly, trying to find the right words, she said, “Let’s say there was someone who was born female but realized they were male—a female to male transgender person. Would that person be able to have a bar mitzvah? Is that something Judaism would allow?”
Reform Jewish Leader Celebrates the American Families Plan
"After months of extreme hardship caused by the pandemic and years of underinvestment, we welcome the significant investments proposed in the American Families Plan to improve access to education, health care, and economic security for workers and families across the United States."
For George Floyd’s Family
After a moment of joy and relief at the guilty verdicts in the murder of George Floyd, my overwhelming emotion is sorrow in my heart for a daughter without her father and a brother without his brother. This is a prayer for justice and healing. My anger and indignation were already expressed in “Strangled by Police: Psalm of Protest 17” which is added here to create a two-prayer liturgy. Both pieces refer to Amos 5:24, envisioning a time when justice will flow as water.
America Needs a Just and Equitable Immigration Policy: If Not Now, When?
It is difficult to imagine anyone not moved by the scenes of children seeking asylum at our southern border.
For Some of Us the Holidays Are Just…Hard
As we head into the holiday season, I am acutely aware of how much different this year is going to be than previous ones. I will be celebrating without my mom for the first time. My mother died in January 2021, and I'm still dealing with the unexpected waves of grief that wash over me, sometimes out of nowhere. As I head into this first winter holiday season without her, I'm not quite sure I know what to expect, other than everything is going to be very different.