Don’t Curse the Darkness, Light a Candle
In his essay, “The Legacy of the Maccabees,” Dr. Shaye Cohen writes: “From the perspective of world history and Jewish history, the Hasmonean (Maccabean) revolt was epoch making.
Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing in the Pews: A Parent’s Perspective
As we approach Deaf and Hard-of -Hearing Awareness Shabbat, I am reminded of Leviticus 19:14, "You shall not insult the deaf."
Congregational Life: Why I Joined, Why I Stayed
I was recently asked by someone I very much respect to address "the" question. So I started to write the answer in a post... about five times without any luck. The "Why does a 20-something join a Reform Congregation" question.
Let's Get Sustainable in 5771
In Memoriam Faye Tillis Lewy
With profound sorrow, the Officers, Board of Trustees and staff of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations mark the death of our esteemed friend and colleague, Faye Tillis Lewy.
"Men Can Be Rabbis?!"
“Who’s that guy?” I asked my mom.
“He’s the rabbi,” she answered. I stared up at my mom, with a blank gaze on my face.
When I was eight years old, my family joined a synagogue for the first time.
Hard of Hearing, but not of Living Jewishly
How to Engage Your Members Beyond the Synagogue's Walls
Learn how one congregation with geographically dispersed members maximized its reach in a world with increasing competition for people’s time and energy.
My Homeland, My Self, part 1
Israel is the new frontier of Reform Judaism. Since the 1990s the number of Progressive/Reform congregations and minyanim has doubled from 15 to 30, many of them served by native Israeli rabbis ordained at our Movement seminary in Jerusalem. Five thousand families send their children to Reform-affiliated schools, and last year a record 50,000 Israelis attended Progressive High Holy Day services throughout the country.