Related Blog Posts on Civic Engagement, Jewish Learning, Rabbi Rick Jacobs, and Social Justice
Building Bridges, Not Walls: A Passover Message
As we gather around the Seder table this year, let's defy the divisions of our polarized world and model a different way of being together.
5784 Hanukkah Message from Rabbi Rick Jacobs
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.
Shalom LinkED: An Educational Opportunity for Your Congregation
The URJ is excited to announce our continued partnership with Shalom Learning to offer Shalom LinkED: Jewish Learning Online. Shalom LinkED provides URJ congregations access to an interactive and engaging online curriculum for grades 1-6 on Jewish values and Hebrew learning.
URJ: 150 Years of Leadership and Light
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.
For Small Congregations: Adult Learning and Purim Celebration
Is your small congregation looking for a way to engage adults in a meaningful observance of Purim? The URJ is partnering with Reform rabbis from small congregations to offer a new opportunity for adult congregants to study the Book of Esther.
Supporting Survivors of Domestic Violence in the Jewish Community
October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month (DVAM) in the U.S. Each of us likely knows someone, either in our Jewish community or our secular communities, who has been impacted by or is a survivor of domestic violence.
What a Trip to Israel Taught Two Faithful Progressives
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.
Two Out of Two
As a graduate of both Tougaloo College and Jackson State University, the bomb threats to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) are personal to me. Since January 2022, over a dozen HBCUs have received bomb threats; several of those threats were received on the first day of Black history month. The continuous attacks on institutions of higher learning; places of worship and individual attacks are a direct threat to our everyday existence.
Introduction to Judaism: Five Best Practices to Try
Supporting newcomers to Judaism and helping them find belonging is one of Rabbi Marina Yergin's greatest joys in her work at Temple Beth-El in San Antonio, Texas where she has served since 2015. Known affectionately to her students as the "Resource Queen," Rabbi Yergin designed a dynamic Introduction to Judaism program where each spring, students learned "Stepping Stones to Basic Jewish Knowledge" followed in the fall by "Choosing Judaism," a discussion-based class geared specifically for those working to become Jewish.
Jewish Institutions Must Also Do T’shuvah
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.