Displaying 11 - 20 of 24
Resources for Understanding the Current Israeli-Palestinian Crisis
While some see this conflict in only stark black and white terms, it is intensely complex. To help navigate this complexity, we offer this resource guide, including material that may be helpful in laying out the context and nuances of this latest round of violence between Hamas and Israel.
A Prayer for Jerusalem
Today we celebrate Yom Yerushalayim, the anniversary of that fateful day in 1967 when the Israeli paratroopers reached the Western Wall and announced: "הר הבית בידנו" -- “The Temple Mount is in our Hands.” That moment ushered in the the promise for Jews everywhere, after years of dreaming and longing, to come and pray before this sacred space.
Ethics Accountability for Sexual Misconduct is Crucial to the Safety of Our Communities
Much communal focus has been appropriately directed at making the places we Jews gather safe from violent attacks by those who wish to cause us harm, from the spread of the deadly coronavirus during the pandemic, and other grave external threats. The time is long overdue, however, to confront an internal threat: abuse, misconduct, especially sexual misconduct in spaces for which the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) is responsible.
This Mother’s Day, Let’s Fight for Black Moms
When my husband and I learned that we were going to be parents, we wondered how the actual birth would go. We had heard some devastating statistics about the maternal mortality rate in the United States. Black women in the United States die from pregnancy-related causes at three to four times the rate of white women, regardless of education, income, or other socioeconomic factors.
Reform Jewish Leader Applauds the Passage of Hate Crimes Legislation
"We celebrate yesterday’s House bipartisan passage of the combined COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act and Khalid Jabara and Heather Heyer NO HATE Act."
To Life: An Israeli Wedding Story
Shira and Ron, two young industrial engineers, approached me this past March, when Israel took its first steps out of the pandemic.
How My Texas Congregation Led the Way to Support Immigrant Families
Our congregation in McAllen, TX, is the go-to congregation for donations in support of immigrant families; the response from the Reform Jewish community has been amazing.
Guide to the Complex
Much of the rhetoric coming out of an American understanding of the Israeli-Palestinian interrelationship seriously lacks nuance. Nuance is cavalierly sacrificed on the altar of the soundbite and the hashtag. Those who preach liberal politics and tolerance based on their American experience seem unwilling to understand the complexity of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
When Your Family Is in Need, You Show Up
I thought the email was spam. “We are putting a small group of New York area rabbis together to go to Israel for a few days to show solidarity.
Choosing Vision Over Victimhood
he current violent events in Israel have a strong tinge of déjà vu for me. However, over the past two decades, I’ve had the time to envision what a Jewish state might look like.