The URJ Youth Summit is underway in Chicago, IL, where it’s running parallel to NFTY Convention, bringing together a total of more than 1,400 Reform Jewish teens and educators from across North America.

Joe’s d’var Torah, " The Quiet Message: How Parashat Yitro Teaches Us to Lead," focuses on leadership and authenticity in relationship to Parashat Yitro.

For me, the march meant taking inspiration from Shabbat services, joining hands with my friends from NFTY, and marching in a rejection of hate. A month later, I’m reflecting on the act of showing up and what it means for our youth engagement work.

In the early 1980s, I was a camper in the UAHC (now URJ) Camp Swig Hevrah unit. In addition to the usual fun camp activities, this particular unit at camp focused on social justice. Our theme that summer was Soviet Jewry, and during our three weeks we learned the ins and outs of the issues, heard stories about Soviet Jews, and explored what we could do to make a difference. During the last few days of the session, we traveled to San Francisco to march in solidarity with Soviet Jews, equipped with “Save Soviet Jewry” banners and t-shirts, ready to perform, sing, and make our voices heard.

What a year it’s been. With 2017 fast-approaching, we’ve rounded up the top 18 Reform Movement stories of 2016, listed in no particular order. Happy new year!

A week before school started, one congregation found itself in need of a third teacher for its 8^th and 9^th grade program. Here are five factors that contributed to the surge in enrollment. 

Greg Kellner, director at URJ 6 Points Sci-Tech Academy, is the recipient of the 2016 Covenant Foundation Pomegranate Prize, which recognizes rising leaders in the field of Jewish education for their leadership, willingness to take risks, and tremendous promise.

At Congregation Or Ami, in Calabasas, CA, our kids leave the High Holiday children’s services kvelling. In fact, their parents often need to pry them away from hugging the teenage service leaders who shower them with love and Jewish teachings.

A few months ago, writer David Brooks penned an op-ed in The New York Times entitled Making Modern Toughness.