Why "UN COP 21 Paris" Matters for Reform Jews and the World
World leaders, environmentalists, faith leaders and activists will soon gather in Paris, a city so recently plagued with violence and terrorism, to create a framework to reduce the grave dangers of escalating clim
A Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, and Ambiguous World
When the world is changing quickly, unpredictably, in new and confusing ways, it seems to be human nature for us to look for ways to try and slow down that change or control it. Or, failing that, we look for someone to blame.
Some in our great nation, in this "VUCA" world, are falling back on the oldest scapegoat in the world, in a desperate move to try to slow the rate of confusing change. They want us to blame 200,000 El Salvadorians who fled earthquakes and gang violence 16 years ago. They want us to blame the 800,000 "DREAMers"-- young people who were brought to this country as children by their parents. They want us to blame the 11 million undocumented residents of this nation who live in the shadows, all while working hard, raising American children, contributing greatly to our nation and, oh, by the way, committing crimes at a much lower rate than native-born American citizens.
How We Commemorated Kristallnacht in the Western Galilee
In the Western Galilee where I live in northern Israel, the population is diverse – about half is Jewish with the other half a combination of Muslim, Christian, and Druze. Although many of us live in different cities and villages according to faith or culture, some of our communities are mixed, so we share many of the same entertainment venues, businesses, and institutions. We live and work together and must afford one another respect and understanding.
The Future Looks Hopeful: Five Insights on Next Steps for Start-Up Synagogues
Jewish pundits love to predict the eventual demise of the synagogue, decrying its dearth of deep ideas, shortage of spiritual inspiration, and absence of meaning.
Holding One Another On Our Shoulders
This passage is excerpted from a d’var Torah shared at the URJ Biennial convention's Shacharit service focused on tikkun olam, repair of the world.
The poet Naomi Shihab Nye tells this story:
In Place of God? In God’s Place?
After a natural calamity or terrorist attack an understandable question presents itself: Where is God in all this?
What Does It Mean to Be a Man in Full?
One day, I may give a sermon titled: "Everything I Need to Know I Learned from a Pagan Philosopher." This is thanks to the book, The Art of Living ,1 by Sharon Lebell.
Pagination
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