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September 22, 2019 | 22 Elul, 5779
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9/18/2019
It's tiiiiime: The full 2019 URJ Biennial schedule is now live!
Head to the URJ Biennial Schedule page to check out all the worship options, learning sessions, Biennial Extensions, Biennial Intensives, late night entertainment, networking sessions, and offsite oppirtunities - and if you've been waiting for a peek at the Biennial schedule before registering, now is your chance!
While we have your attention, a few more reminders:
- Build your delegation: Who else do you know who would love Biennial? Encourage them...
By Michael H. Goldberg and Larry Glickman, FTA , 9/17/2019
Two years ago, we at the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) wrote about what keeps congregational leaders up at night, which looked at the challenges facing contemporary synagogues – framed through the lens of the thousands of questions congregational leaders have asked the URJ Knowledge Network team. Two years later, data shows that the challenges remain the same – governance and leadership culture, support through...
Read More By Dr. Steve Weitz, 9/17/2019
At its best, the synagogue is a sacred space and a spiritual home for all who enter its doors, a place in which everyone in the community – members, lay leaders, clergy and professional staff – acts according to Reform Jewish values. However, when individuals engage in inappropriate or unethical conduct, they harm others and damage the community itself.
For these reasons, the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) strongly encourages congregations to develop and implement a code of ethics that everyone understands they must adhere to if they wish to...
Read More By Rabbi Rick Jacobs, 9/16/2019
In Hebrew, the High Holidays are called Yamim Nora-im, often translated as “Days of Awe,” because we stand in awe before the Holy One and the eternal questions we are summoned to consider. During this season, our tradition imagines the gates of forgiveness opening and with them, we hope our often hardened hearts will open as well.
In the Hebrew – “Yirah” – the root of the word “Nora-im” means “awe” but also “fear.”
For too many of us, a real fear grips us on the eve of 5780. Of course, there is the fear that comes with the dramatic rise in anti-Semitism we are witnessing in...
Read More By Allison Gelman, 9/16/2019
This is a time of year when many congregations appoint a new budget committee chair. If you’re one of them, we want you to know: We know your new leadership role can be overwhelming and that, even if you have a background in budgeting, congregational finances are unique. Your congregation’s annual budget tells a story that’s more than money collected and money spent; it’s a story of community values and priorities.
Although every congregation’s budget is different, certain principles should guide all congregations. Here are five important things every budget committee chair needs...
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Inside Leadership, the blog at URJ.org, is a source for Reform Jewish leaders to get the latest news and though-provoking articles about Jewish communal life.
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