Related Blog Posts on Interfaith Affairs, Israel, Israel and Its Neighbors, and Rabbi Rick Jacobs

There is Not One Way: How to Teach Israel

Shalom Orzach

How do we teach the full story while fostering a love for our homeland? The methodology we use to teach about Israel must be analogous to the methodologies employed in all our educational endeavors. We surely wish to foster a deep love and nuanced understanding of what it means to be Jewish in the contemporary world. This ought to be achieved through value-driven conversations incorporating moral, ethical and personal dilemmas.

The Courage to Advance Authentic Judaism in Israel

Rabbi Rick Jacobs

Thirty years ago this month, a modern-day Jewish hero was freed from prison. Back then, it never would have occurred to me that Natan Sharansky and I would become colleagues. Today, nonetheless, I am honored and proud to count this man – who has inspired generations of Jews around the world and engendered goodwill even in politically complex scenarios – within my circles. Ours is a relationship borne of a personal bond that began while he was still a Soviet prisoner.

 

ReformJudaism.org Launches New Podcast "On the Other Hand: Ten Minutes of Torah" with Rabbi Rick Jacobs


ReformJudaism.org, the flagship website of the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) reaching more than two million visitors annually, has launched a new weekly podcast entitled On the Other Hand: Ten Minutes of Torah.

Featuring URJ President Rabbi Rick Jacobs, the engaging and entertaining podcast is available now for download and subscription on iTunes, RSS feed, and other platforms.

To access the podcast, visit Reformjudaism.org/podcasts

How We Commemorated Kristallnacht in the Western Galilee

Sharon Mann

In the Western Galilee where I live in northern Israel, the population is diverse – about half is Jewish with the other half a combination of Muslim, Christian, and Druze. Although many of us live in different cities and villages according to faith or culture, some of our communities are mixed, so we share many of the same entertainment venues, businesses, and institutions. We live and work together and must afford one another respect and understanding.

Coming Full Circle: The NFTY in Israel Tikkun Olam Experience

by Sharon Mann The phrase “what goes around, comes around” came to mind recently as I remembered back five years to the time I saw my daughter, Ayelet, off on a flight from Tel Aviv to Toronto, Canada. She was headed to URJ Camp George, a Reform Jewish summer camp where she would spend the summer as a camper, part of an Israeli youth delegation from the Israel Movement for Progressive Judaism. Now, she’s graduated from Mechinat Gal’s Pre-Army Academy, a post-high school Israeli gap year program that emphasizes volunteer work, leadership training, and enrichment studies. As a staff member at The Hannaton Educational Center, she’s come full circle, welcoming North American teens from NFTY in Israel to her home, eretz Yisrael (the land of Israel). At Hannaton, the teenagers participate in a tikkun olam chavaya (repairing the world experience) that includes hands-on volunteer work as they learn to make a positive contribution to Israel and the world.

Israel: Front and Center

Rabbi Rick Jacobs

As we all wait for word about the future of the critical talks between Iran and the P5+1 in Vienna, I want to share a few thoughts about my recent time in Israel, meeting with politicians, fellow Reform Movement leaders, and some of the talented individuals