Brit Olam Reproductive Health & Rights Cohort: A Reform Jewish Issue
How My Judaism Inspires My Social Justice Endeavors
As I enter a new phase of life as a retired person, I have a wonderful opportunity to volunteer for causes at the intersection of Judaism and social justice.
Words Not Spoken . . . Words Not Heard
Words are powerful. In Genesis, chapter one, God creates through words: “God said, ‘Let there be light!’—and there was light. . . . God said, ‘Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters,’. . . . God now said, ‘Let us make human beings in our image,’ ” (Genesis 1:3, 6, 26).
The Challenge of Righteousness
The wording of the verse gives rise to this debate. The text states that “Noah was a righteous man,” but immediately follows with the phrase “in his generation, he was above reproach. . . ” All of us, including the ancient Rabbis, are left to wonder if Noah is exceptional or not, if his righteousness would be universally righteous or simply righteous in his time.
Brit Olam Reproductive Health & Rights Cohort: Glossary of Terms
'Impatient with injustice': Rabbi Rick Jacobs' call for immigrant rights
The following are Union for Reform Judaism President Rabbi Rick Jacobs' prepared remarks for the speech he delivered at the Moral Monday mass gathering in El Paso on July 28, 2019.
Jewish Views on Civil Rights
Why We Are Bearing Witness at the Border
I’m here in El Paso this weekend because I worship a God who is impatient with injustice, a God who demands that migrants must not be wronged.
How to Avoid Getting Stuck in Balak’s Trap
In Parashat Balak, King Balak and the people of Moab, central characters in the weekly Torah portion, are afraid of the Children of Israel. Balak tries to recruit the prophet Balaam to curse the Children of Israel in order to weaken them and save Moab from impending defeat. King Balak sends for his prophet twice and Balaam barely responds. Three times Balak attempts to force a curse on Israel out of Balaam's mouth and three times he fails. It is fascinating to try to understand what causes a king to attempt the same solution, and fail again and again, and despite this, to not change his strategy.