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.
On the Shores of the Sea: Passover Lessons from the Beach
No matter how we choose to observe the seder – on the shores of the sea, in the sands walked by our ancestors, or seated around our dining room tables – we are celebrating and learning together. Each seder provides a new opportunity for soul-cleansing, reflecting on what the story means to us in today’s world, and building meaningful connections and memories.
To Gov. Bryant: Veto Mississippi's HB 1523
Is Religion Blind to Its Own Flaws?
Hardly a week goes by without news of religious extremists committing atrocities against people of other faiths in the name of God or some other holy cause. As a result, “religion” itself has been put on trial. Is religion to blame for the moral failures of the world, as some charge, or is it humankind’s best hope for peace?
Why I Wrote A Kinder, Gentler "Chad Gadya"
“I have no problem with the melody,” my daughter-in-law told me, “but those lyrics are so violent. I am just not comfortable exposing my children to them.” That’s how I ended up sitting down to write kinder, gentler lyrics to the Passover faborite 'Chad Gadya.'
Strange Fruit
After seeing the infamous 1930 photograph by Lawrence Beitler, which depicts the mob lynching of two young black men, a Jewish high school teacher named Abel Meeropol wrote a haunting poem titled "Strange Fruit." The poem was first published in 1936 in The New York Teacher, a union magaz
What's at Stake? A Look at the Western Wall Agreement
The compromise will bridge a festering schism between Israel and American Jewry, who have voiced concern about the government’s failure to recognize their authenticity and their needs. The hope is that the Western Wall will be an enduring symbol of Jewish unity, not fractious division.