Displaying 21 - 30 of 38
Crossing the Sea of Reeds was Easier than Crossing the "Sea of Peace"
As I started reading this week's portion, Parashat B'shalach, I could not believe its implication for what is currently happening in Israel.
Civil Rights: Music, Torah, and our Tradition
On the coat-tails of the recent civil unrest in Ferguson, MO, we see racial tension that was perhaps lurking just below the surface stirred up into a national battle-cry for accountability and equality.
Jewish Values: Protecting Endangered Species
Not only does the way we treat the environment affect human health, but it also has drastic affects on other living creatures that require sustenance and safe habitats to survive. Our environment is continually changing, causing habitats to be altered and modified.
Reform Movement Mourns Slain NYPD Officers and Prays for Healing
Contact: Max Rosenblum or Claire Shimberg
202.387.2800 | news@rac.org
Reform Movement Condemns Today's Terrorist Attack in Paris
The World Union for Progressive Judaism issued the following statement today in response to news of a terrorist attack at the Charlie Hebdo magazine in Paris that killed 12:
The World Union for Progressive Judaism expresses our deepest sympathies to the families and friends of the victims murdered on Wednesday January 7, when hooded gunmen stormed the Paris offices of a weekly satirical magazine, killing at least 12 people, including two police officers, in the worst terrorist attack on French soil in decades. The WUPJ condemns this act of exceptional barbarism. Rabbi Daniel H. Freelander, President of WUPJ states: "We join our French congregations in expressing our horror at the targeted killings in Paris Wednesday morning. This abhorrent act raises the concern of all who value free speech and religious diversity. Our future ultimately depends on the determination of governments to defend and protect pluralism, and show no tolerance for the descent into this kind of violence." As an organization founded on and guided by a fervent belief in cultural pluralism and political liberalism, we consider any attack on any symbol of free expression anywhere to be an assault on the pillars of Progressive Judaism: justice and equality, democracy and peace, personal fulfillment and collective obligations. Our European Union for Progressive Judaism leaders, Leslie Bergman (President) and Miriam Kramer (Chairman), add: "The leadership of the EUPJ deplores the atrocity which took place earlier today in Paris. Free speech is a cornerstone value of our faith and together with the citizens of France we mourn the brutal deaths of those who were assassinated." As Paris mourns and the world consoles, we continue to hope that the souls of all humankind will one day be stirred by the heartfelt prayers and commitment to "Choose life, so that you and future generations may live." (Deuteronomy 30:19) Rabbi Daniel H. Freelander, President WUPJ Michael Grabiner, Chairman WUPJ Dr. Philip Bliss, WUPJ Advocacy Committee Chair
Combatting Bisexuality Erasure
Last month, I wrote about the importance of ensuring that our advocacy is trans inclusive, however, trans individuals are not the only people who are commonly erased in larger conversations about LGBT rights. Often times, the ‘B’ in LGBT is also overlooked, leading to the erasure and, at times, even rejection of bisexual identities.
Reform Movement Responds to Ferguson Grand Jury Decision
Contact: Max Rosenblum or Claire Shimberg
202.387.2800 | news@rac.org
Tikkun Olam Calendar
Tikkun Olam Calendar Indianapolis Hebrew Congregation 6501 North Meridian Street Indianapolis, Indiana 46260 317-255-6647 IHC's website Indianapolis Hebrew Congregation sought to underscore its commitment to social action by creating a Tikkun Olam calendar, designed to encompass all of the
Why I'm Running in the World Zionist Congress Elections
When the ARZA slate for the World Zionist Congress elections was officially announced earlier this month with my name on it, I was humbled.
Why I’m on the ARZA Slate
When the ARZA slate for the World Zionist Congress elections was officially announced last week with my name on it, I was humbled. The World Zionist Congress is the democratic body of the Jewish people worldwide that will meet this fall for the first time since 2010, and as a member of the ARZA slate, I will have the opportunity to represent Reform values to the World Zionist Congress and advocate for more funding to programs that promote religious pluralism, equality, and peace in Israel.
Yet aside from being humbled, I thought back to my experience on my Birthright trip three years ago. I remembered my night out in Tel Aviv and my trip to the Western Wall, but the most lasting images are from all those hours I spent on our tour bus, crisscrossing from Haifa to Tiberias to Jerusalem to Beersheva. I remember most strongly the scene as we left Tiberias, driving up the winding roads from Lake Kinneret to the hills beyond. Looking out the window, I saw the yellow-brown grass everywhere, green bushes dotting the landscape and the occasional signpost that listed our location in Hebrew, Arabic and English. The land looked so serene from my seat on the bus, equal parts austere and equal parts welcoming.