Rabbi Rick Jacobs (he/him) is the president of the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ), the largest Jewish movement in North America, with almost 850 congregations and nearly 1.5 million members. An innovative thought leader, dynamic visionary, and representative of progressive Judaism, he spent 20 years as the spiritual leader of Westchester Reform Temple in Scarsdale, NY. Deeply dedicated to global social justice issues, he has led disaster response efforts in Haiti and Darfur.
While Psalm 30 promises that God can turn our "mourning into dancing," as we prepare for Simchat Torah this week, this year the tradition of dancing with the Torah scrolls feels like too big of a leap.
What a joy it was to know and work closely with Sue Klau z"l who passed from this world Thursday morning. For every one of her 89 years, Sue was a bundle of creativity, commitment, and love. Along with her late, beloved husband, Jimmy, they were generous with their time, care, and resources toward every single part of our global Reform Movement.
While we recognize that the deep conflict between Israelis and Palestinians will not be resolved over the summer, we believe that come the fall, college campuses must once again be safe for all students - and this includes Jewish students living their Jewish commitments openly and proudly.