Israel
Starting my Year in Israel by Standing Up for Social Justice
This summer, I began my rabbinical school studies at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. During my plane ride from Chicago to Tel Aviv, I started writing a short to-do list of things I wanted to do, see, and accomplish during the year I get to
Marching with Pride in Jerusalem
Across the world, pride parades are often more than a celebration of the LGBT community; they can be acts of solidarity in the face of discrimination and fear. This was especially true in Jerusalem last week, when 25,000 people marched through the streets of
What I Learned When I Volunteered in a German Refugee Shelter
This blog originally appeared on ReformJudaism.org.
In children, the effects of trauma and displacement wrought on refugees from the Middle East are clearly evidenced. These children are often very aggressive with each other, hitting one another and pulling
Next Year at the Kotel
When I embarked on my Birthright journey to Israel with URJ Kesher in December 2015, I packed my beloved tallit along with my Chacos and water bottle, but my tallit never saw the light of the Jerusalem sun.
Rabbi Pesner's Statement on Party Platform Draft Progress
Washington, D.C., July 6, 2016 – In response to the release of the draft 2016 Democratic Party Platform, Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism Rabbi Jonah Dov Pesner issued the following statement:
