Displaying 1 - 10 of 35
Jewish Resources for Coping with Acts of Terror and Violence
In the wake of senseless violence, we mourn, we come together, we offer words of condolence – and we ask how we can prevent these tragedies from happening again.
Six Teen Leaders Elected to Lead North American Reform Jewish Youth Movement
February 23, 2015, New York, NY -- Six outstanding teen leaders will lead NFTY, the Reform Jewish youth movement, for the 2015-2016 program year.
Jewish Resources for Coping after the Pittsburgh Synagogue Shooting
The horrific and deadly attack on Tree of Life – Or L’Simcha Congregation in Pittsburgh marks one of the darkest days in American Jewish history.
#MeToo Movement One Year Later
Over a decade before #MeToo took over the internet, activist Tarana Burke was working to empower and heal young survivors of sexual violence.
In the Wake of Tragedy: Resources for Coping after the Pittsburgh Synagogue Shootings
All of us are hurting as we try to make sense of the horrific and deadly attack on Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh.
Prayers After Terror
As we mourn lives lost and changed forever by terror, we pray for the victims and for the future of our country. Here are a few prayers (including transliteration) and poems to help us find the right words to speak to God about our grief.
Finding Hope for International Religious Freedom Amidst More Acts of Violence
The news from around the world has recently been filled with visible and violent instances of religiously-targeted violence. Just last week, as many as 250 gravestones were vandalized in a cemetery in Eastern France, an area that used to have a large Jewish population. The Jewish community in France has seen this as a reminder of the increasingly visible and vocal anti-Semitic sentiment that lingers in the country. Though French government leaders have quickly spoken out in condemnation of these attacks and in reassurance to French Jews that they are integral to France, the attacks are upsetting, unsettling and sadly no longer unimaginable acts of hate.
4 Ways to Talk to Teens after the Pittsburgh Shooting
On Saturday night, I asked my 15-year-old son how he was doing. Was he scared? Overwhelmed? As I listened to him, my heart broke – but I couldn’t deny his reality. For him, this act of hate was terrible. And heartbreaking. And normal.
Rabbi Jacobs Reports from NFTY Convention
I dare any of those who are uneasy about the North American Jewish future to maintain their pessimism after spending, as I have just done, 72 hours with the teen leaders of our Movement at the 2015 NFTY Convention and Youth Summit in Atlanta. I attend a lot of conferences, and I have never walked away from one feeling as inspired and energized as I am today. After spending time with 1,000 teens, upwards of 200 adults and an incredible group of more than 200 volunteers and URJ staff who live and share the values and dreams that we as Reform Jews seek to represent in the world, I am inspired by the power of our community and ready for a spirit-filled future.
I had the honor of sharing the bimah with NFTY's extraordinary president, Debbie Rabinovich from Temple Beth El in Charlotte, NC, as she and I presented a joint D'var Torah on Shabbat morning. Drawing insightfully on this week's Torah portion, Debbie observed that this convention marks a fundamental turning point for NFTY, as it embraces a more mission-driven future. "Never be afraid to go big! The more focused each of us is - the more change we can make." she said powerfully to a sea of NFTY teens.