"Fractured Bubble," by Henry Grosman and Babak Bryan of Long Island City, N.Y., was the winner of the Sukkah City architectural competition in Manhattan. (courtesy of Reboot)
Sukkah City, the architectural competition that brought a dozen radically reimagined sukkahs to Manhattan's Union Square Park, is set to branch out nationwide next year. Read more »
Rabbi Shlomo Amar, the Sephardic chief rabbi of Israel, has no understanding of American politics, and his misconceptions are dangerous to the well-being of the State of Israel. Read more »
The Reform Movement, which has been a leading supporter of gay rights, reacted angrily. "This action is troubling on at least three levels," said Mark Pelavin, associate director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism.
Read more »
Nearly two-thirds of Israeli Jews believe that non-Orthodox converts to Judaism should be considered Jewish, a new Israeli government survey reveals. Read more »
The Israel Project has been reaching out aggressively of late to the Palestinians. Insiders says it's a signal of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s seriousness in his direct talks with Palestinian leaders. Read more »
During last week’s gathering of world leaders for the annual opening of the United Nations General Assembly, some of the proceedings inside were nearly as farcical as the proceedings outside. Read more »
An Irish Nobel laureate was refused entry to Israel because of her involvement in a Gaza-bound flotilla. Read more »
Union News
SAVE THE DATE to Help Shape the Future of the Reform Movement!
The URJ, CCAR and HUC-JIR are convening a Think Tank to address important issues facing the future of the Reform Movement. Don't miss your chance to be a part of this critical conversation: save the date for Nov. 21 at 4 pm (PT); 7 pm (ET) to participate in a "watching party" and public forum. Stay tuned for more information.
The North American Forums are three-day intensive conferences full of learning and networking opportunities. Discuss congregational membership, social action and lifelong Jewish learning in Chicago, Nov. 5-7. Focus on adult learning, early engagement and Hebrew education in Atlanta, Nov 19-21. Read more »
URJ Books and Music offers MP3 digital downloads of Tzedek Tirdof, The Social Action Songbook. Download well-loved favorites for $.99 per track or just $10.95 for the entire album. Read more »
The URJ Techies contest recognizes member congregations that are successfully using social networks and technology to engage members online. Submissions are due by Nov. 15. Read more »
Connect with hundreds of teens at NFTY Convention to experience ruach-filled song sessions, cutting-edge tefillah, and make new friends from across North America. Read more »
October 5: Differentiating Instruction: Modify Lessons to Reach Every Child October 6: How Do I Fit In? Small Congregations and the New Union October 7: What does a "Youth Friendly" Congregation Look Like? October 8: Money REALLY DOES Matter: An Introduction to New Middle School Curriculum Read more »
"The conflict between modern states and pre-modern indigenous or nomadic peoples is not exactly unique to Israel... However, perhaps it is more acute here because the Bedouins are, after all, Arabs, and we have a fraught relationship with Arabs in general." Read more »
Several Reform synagogues are becoming environmentally sustainable AND reaping community-building as well as long-term economic benefits in the process. Read more »
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