Ways Your Congregation Can Act Now for Racial Justice
Here are a few things your congregation can do now to support Black and Brown people both within the Jewish community and beyond, both directly and on a systemic level.
Related Blog Posts on Disability Rights, LGBTQ+ Equality, Classes and Learning, A Taste of Judaism, Audacious Hospitality, diversity, Racial Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion, Introduction to Judaism, and JewV'Nation
Making the High Holidays Inclusive and Meaningful
As the High Holidays approach once again, we have created a number of resources for individuals and congregations to utilize as we mark these most important days in the Jewish calendar. We know we will be a stronger, more vibrant Jewish community when we fully incorporate the diversity that is the reality of modern Jewish life. We hope that each of these materials will help your High Holiday experiences and programming serve a wide range of identities and help you create communities of belonging.
9 Things to Consider When Creating an Inclusive Security Plan
After several synagogue shootings, American Jews are grappling with the need to keep our communities safe and to remain open and welcoming to seekers of all backgrounds.
In the Wake of a Pandemic, URJ Camps Prioritize Racial Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (REDI)
As we make the joyous return to camp this summer, many of us are looking forward to seeing old friends, making new ones, as well as attending camp for the very first time!
Toward Gender Equity: Tools for Reform Jewish Communities from the Task Force on the Experience of Women in the Rabbinate
When we initially convened this Task Force, we began a process of creating resources, as well as making recommendations for policy changes. Many critical resources are now complete and available to congregations and Jewish communities.
Resurfacing the Conversation About Reparations
It is well understood that there is no amount of money that can be paid to right the wrongs of the many atrocities and genocides that have warranted the payment of reparations. But to truly begin to heal the wounds caused by over 400 years of inequities and dehumanization, acknowledgment, a truth and reconciliation process, apology, and reparations would be places to start. Watch the recent webinar series "Understanding Reparations" to learn more.
We Celebrate Trans Children
Our transgender children are being attacked in statehouses throughout our country, and the Jewish community cannot stand idly by. According to the Human Rights Campaign, state legislatures have introduced (and in some cases passed) more than 250 anti-LGBTQ
First Thoughts on the Latest Pew Research Center Study on Jewish Americans
In the days and weeks ahead, much will be written about the Pew Research Center’s "Jewish Americans in 2020." Having just received the full study today, we are still absorbing its findings. The Pew data is likely to provide a wealth of information that can be a useful resource for understanding many aspects of our community
Accessing a New Kind of Jewish Community Through Introduction to Judaism Online
Three years before the COVID-19 pandemic response sheltered millions of people at home and drove us to do all things virtual, the URJ was crafting online communities of learners as they journeyed together through our 21 sessions of Introduction to Judaism Online.
Don’t Call it Hybrid: Multi-Access is the Future for Jewish Communities
Not surprisingly over the past number of months, the word “hybrid” has become popularized to refer to this new world we have entered. We want to make an argument for a new, and more precise term that some congregations have started to use: multi-access.