A central theme of Hanukkah is Jewish sovereignty. To commemorate our independence and express our Jewish pride, we light our hanukkiyot publicly after sundown each night – outside in public spaces, or in a window or doorway at home. Doing so allows others to see the candles shining in the darkness, symbolizing the open expression of our Jewish identity.

Twenty-eight congregational leaders met in Cincinnati in the summer of 1873 to establish the Union of American Hebrew Congregations (UAHC), which we now call the Union for Reform Judaism. And so, 150 years ago, the Reform Movement in North America was born.

Last week, we traveled together to Israel and the Palestinian territories with a remarkable group of Black civil rights leaders and Reform Jewish leaders, including those who sit at the intersection of being Black and Jewish. We imagined that there would likely be bumps along the way, and there were. However, our group knew one another from our ongoing social justice and racial equity work in the United States, so there was a reservoir of goodwill and commonality that served us well.

I pray that our observance of Yom Kippur will be probing and transformative, helping us become the best people and the most inspiring Movement that we are meant to be.

Blaming God for such tragedies is theologically problematic; blaming God for failed human policies is blasphemous. This idea is worth considering as we cope with the devastating aftermath of the multiple disasters confronting us. 

Read Rabbi Rick Jacobs' remarks at the recent webinar co-hosted by the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) and the Anti-Defamation League (ADL).

Americans can and do differ on many policies and candidates – but we should all join together to condemn all support for white supremacists and all efforts to undermine the election.

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death on Rosh HaShanah has triggered a tidal wave of grief. That she left us at the start of the new year has brought to mind the Jewish belief that righteous souls die on Jewish holy days.

As a Movement that puts Ahavat Yisrael as one of its highest values and with our deep commitment to Israel as both a Jewish and democratic state, we must strongly oppose the potential annexation after July 1st.