Suicide Prevention and Awareness Is Our Communal Responsibility
Elul is upon us. The sound of the shofar reminds us that this silent epidemic must be addressed. Its cries echo those left in the depths of sorrow, feeling alone, believing that those who love them most would be better off without them. Our fear of mental illness must be replaced with a resolve to educate ourselves and others.
ReformJudaism.org’s Top 10 Stories of 2018
As we prepare to ring in 2019, we look back on the year we leave behind, and… whew, what a year!
I was a NFTY Social Action Leader. Here’s Why I Think You Should Go to Consultation
A quick note from Logan Zinman Gerber, our National Teen Campaign Organizer:
Meet the 2016-2017 Eisendrath Legislative Assistants
The beginning of the program year is always an exciting time at the RAC, as we begin a new cycle of tikkun olam work.
Happy New Year! Check out the Reform Movement's Top Stories of 2018
With 2019 coming up quickly, we’ve rounded up the top Reform Movement stories of 2018.
RAC Illinois Celebrates Our First Win, for Immigrant Survivors of Domestic Violence and Assault
The Illinois Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism (RAC-IL) is excited to announce that the VOICES Act is now law in Illi
How and Why Teen Leaders Can Strengthen Your Congregation
Tomorrow’s leaders are in our congregations (and ready to lead) today.
Saperstein's Letter to Obama Addresses an Era of Great Challenge and Opportunity
"In this time of economic upheaval and military challenges, the pursuit of justice is more urgent than ever."
Contact: Kate Bigam
202.387.2800 | news@rac.org
The External War and the Internal War
This week's Torah portion is called Ki Teitzei — meaning literally, "When you go out." It is a reference to violence and war. "When you take the field [literally, "When you go out"] against your enemies, and the Eternal your God delivers them into your power and you take some of them captive ... " (Deuteronomy 21:10).
This sentence is but a tiny portion of more than a thousand verses in the Tanach that deal with war. Our Holy Scriptures came into history in a world in which fighting was a normal and often necessary activity. The ancient communities of the Middle East were governed according to tribal custom and law, and each ethnic community was in a combative relationship with its neighbor. There was no United Nations in those days, no European Union designed to administer diverse people according to collective rules and laws. Some tribal federations such as the twelve tribes of Israel pooled their resources, but that was for protection rather than for advancing peaceful relations with the rest of the world. The harsh social-economic and political reality of the ancient world often triggered violent and deadly conflicts between communities and peoples, and it is rare that we read a comment such as is found in Judges 3:11: " ... and the land had peace for forty years."