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IRAC and the URJ Stand Together Against Hateful Attacks in Israel
The Israel Religious Action Center has long brought our attention to the long, hard work that needs to be done to rid our Jewish homeland from violence, hate and discrimination. Unfortunately, IRAC was forced to remind us last week of just how much work there is to do. On Wednesday and Thursday, two religious buildings were torched, first a mosque in the West Bank town of K’fir Jab’a, then a Greek Orthodox Seminary in Jerusalem. Anat Hoffman, Executive Director of IRAC, discussed this in the IRAC newsletter, the Pluralist:
Understanding the Unique Effect of Climate Change on Women
Today marks the last day of Women’s History Month! We’ve spent this month lobbying for the Violence Against Women Act at our L’Taken Social Justice Seminars, remembering the women of the civil rights movement during the 50th anniversary of Bloody Sunday, and advocating for reproductive rights. As this month comes to a close, let’s not forget about gender inequity, but continue to highlight how gender plays a role in all forms of inequality and injustice. Women’s history does not just extended to conversations about reproductive health, violence against women and civil rights, but also to issues surrounding the environment and climate change.
Important Message on Ethics Accountability
In recent weeks, there have been several public reports of leaders in our Reform Jewish Movement who have engaged in abuse, misconduct, and sexual assault. The pain endured by the victims is heartbreaking. We hope the reports of these brave victims will empower others who have suffered in silence to come forward so that there can be both accountability and healing. We commit without hesitation that the Union for Reform Judaism (the URJ) will address all reports of misconduct appropriately and transparently, centering the survivors as we move forward.
Reform Jewish Leader Celebrates the American Families Plan
"After months of extreme hardship caused by the pandemic and years of underinvestment, we welcome the significant investments proposed in the American Families Plan to improve access to education, health care, and economic security for workers and families across the United States."
For George Floyd’s Family
After a moment of joy and relief at the guilty verdicts in the murder of George Floyd, my overwhelming emotion is sorrow in my heart for a daughter without her father and a brother without his brother. This is a prayer for justice and healing. My anger and indignation were already expressed in “Strangled by Police: Psalm of Protest 17” which is added here to create a two-prayer liturgy. Both pieces refer to Amos 5:24, envisioning a time when justice will flow as water.
Putting the Jew in Sustainable Food Justice
By Becky Wasserman
Sustainable food is trendy. More and more, people gloat about the heritage, organic, local tomatoes they bought from the farmer’s market and scoff at the McDonald’s burger. While it’s great that more people are starting to consider the human and environmental impacts of their consumption habits, an even bigger hurdle awaits in finding ways to make this food accessible to everyone. The good news is that Jewish communities are on the forefront of the fight for sustainable food justice.
This Passover, We are Guiding People Home
By Lara Pukatch and Rebecca Koppel
As Passover approaches, Jews remember that we were once slaves, forced into backbreaking labor and oppressed by the Egyptian pharaohs. Our escape from bondage came after forty years of wandering without a place to call home. At this time of year and throughout the Passover Seder, we often think of those who are less fortunate, who are oppressed and, of course, those who are still finding their way home.
America Needs a Just and Equitable Immigration Policy: If Not Now, When?
It is difficult to imagine anyone not moved by the scenes of children seeking asylum at our southern border.
The Eichmann Trial 60 Years Later: What Have We Learned?
April 11, 2021, marks the 60th anniversary of the opening of Adolf Eichmann’s trial, which coincided with the young Jewish state’s bat/bar mitzvah year of independence. These two events represent a microcosm of modern Jewish history.
Passover as a Vehicle for Personal Reflection and Transformation
Perhaps more than any other holiday, Passover opens wide the doors between our past and our future, between our people and all people.