RJ Blog

L’hitraot, for Now...

After four years of bringing you a new episode nearly every week, this podcast is taking a little break. Listen to this episode to learn more about our hiatus and where to find us in the meantime.

The Antidote to Kvetching

Most of us today aren’t tasked with wandering through the desert, like the ancient Israelites were... but we still find plenty to kvetch about! What if, instead of focusing on small annoyances, we turned to community-building and togetherness? This episode first aired in May 2018.

URJ Youth

Build Longer Tables, Not Higher Walls

Build Longer Tables, Not Higher Walls

D'Var Torah By: Rabbi Alex Kress

jstern April 9, 2021
In Parashat B'haalot'cha, Miriam is stricken with tzara’at, a skin ailment associated with punishment for slander. To recover from the illness brought on by her actions, and also for the community to move on, Miriam – not Moses or his wife, whom she slandered – had to leave the community. This is a lesson in radical inclusivity.

Embracing the Unknowable

Embracing the Unknowable

D'Var Torah By: Rabbi Alex Kress

jstern April 9, 2021
We crave reason and predictability, but certainty is often elusive. Instead, we must embrace the unknowable. Fortunately, an approach to faith in which God is not beyond the world but immanent in it, helps us to recognize that rationality and spirituality are not only compatible but dependent on one another.

On the Other Hand

Reform Jewish Leader Celebrates the American Families Plan

"After months of extreme hardship caused by the pandemic and years of underinvestment, we welcome the significant investments proposed in the American Families Plan to improve access to education, health care, and economic security for workers and families across the United States."

Reform Jewish Leader Responds to Guilty Verdict in George Floyd, Jr. Murder Trial

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 20, 2021

WASHINGTON – In response to the jury’s guilty verdict in the trial of Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd, Jr., Rabbi Jonah Dov Pesner, director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism and senior vice president of the Union for Reform Judaism, issued the following statement on behalf of the Union for Reform Judaism, Central Conference of American Rabbis, and the wider Reform movement institutions:

RJ Blog Social Justice

Don’t Sacrifice My Trans Child on the Altar of Political Opportunism

Don’t Sacrifice My Trans Child on the Altar of Political Opportunism jstern May 10, 2021

LGBTQ+ Jewish Life
trans rights flags and hands
Last year, my 15-year-old daughter, Eva, adopted at birth, was thrilled to discover through DNA

How to Observe Shavuot from Home This Year

How to Observe Shavuot from Home This Year kbkaput May 5, 2021

Shavuot
Home desk setup with Torah study displayed on the screen
The COVID-19 pandemic has shifted so much of how we engage Jewishly, but Shavuot is a fantastic holiday for families to celebrate from the safety of their homes. Here are a few ways you and your family can observe this rich, festive Jewish holiday this year.

RJ Blog Jewish Life

A Jewish Ecovillage Founder on Celebrating Earth Day in Ghana

A Jewish Ecovillage Founder on Celebrating Earth Day in Ghana kbkaput April 19, 2021

Social Justice
Isaac Hirt Manheimer and wife Ewoenam who founded the UnityEco Village pose among lush greenery with their three young children
Isaac Hirt-Manheimer is the founder of Unity Ecovillage in Ghana, constructed according to eco-friendly principles that he learned while attending the Green Apprenticeship training program at Kibbutz Lotan in Israel.

Announcing the Launch of the Reform Movement's 2021 Racial Justice Campaign: What You Need to Know

Announcing the Launch of the Reform Movement's 2021 Racial Justice Campaign: What You Need to Know kbkaput April 6, 2021

Advocacy
Cardboard sign reading WE STAND AGAINST RACISM
This campaign aims to help dismantle systemic racism by educating, inspiring, and empowering individuals and communities to look inwardly to make communal change and outwardly to win legislative change.

RJ Blog Practice

14 Ways to Celebrate Jewish American Heritage Month

14 Ways to Celebrate Jewish American Heritage Month kbkaput April 10, 2021

May is Jewish American Heritage Month, established by President George W. Bush in 2006. Learn more about the history of the month… then get to work celebrating it!

The Omer: Finding Hope and Wisdom in the Counting of Time

The Omer: Finding Hope and Wisdom in the Counting of Time kbkaput April 1, 2021

Jewish Rituals and Symbols
Yellow alarm clock fading away at the edges as if to represent the passage of time
Counting is never more important than between Passover and Shavuot; we call this ritual counting the Omer. Each day we recite a blessing marking that this period of time is meant to be one time of reflection, revelation, and change.

RJ Blog Learning

How to Observe Shavuot from Home This Year

How to Observe Shavuot from Home This Year kbkaput May 5, 2021

COVID-19
Home desk setup with Torah study displayed on the screen
The COVID-19 pandemic has shifted so much of how we engage Jewishly, but Shavuot is a fantastic holiday for families to celebrate from the safety of their homes. Here are a few ways you and your family can observe this rich, festive Jewish holiday this year.

On Yom HaShoah, Hear the Message of the Saved Remnant

On Yom HaShoah, Hear the Message of the Saved Remnant kbkaput April 7, 2021

Death and Mourning
Black and white image of the authors parents on their wedding day
My mother’s answer to hate is love. When I asked her what she wishes for herself and for the world, she said, “For myself good health, so I can be good to others. For the world, peace not war. No bad person wins in the end. What did Hitler achieve?”

RJ Blog Jewish Holidays

A Bittersweet Reunion with the Shtisel Family

A Bittersweet Reunion with the Shtisel Family kbkaput April 13, 2021

Israeli Arts and Culture
Promotional poster for the Netflix show Shtisel
Sometimes the acting ends in joy and other times the results are devastating. Ultimately, the writers and actors draw us into their stories so that we cannot deny that art can elicit understanding, peace, and even deep love.

7 Movie Stars Who Have Played Israeli Prime Ministers

7 Movie Stars Who Have Played Israeli Prime Ministers kbkaput April 12, 2021

Israel
Lynn Cohen with her face in her hands as Golda Meir in a scene from Steven Spielbergs 2005 film Munich
Just a month after it was announced that the Israeli star Shira Haas would portray Meir in a TV series, The Hollywood Reporter revealed this week that Oscar winner Helen Mirren would portray Israel’s only female prime minister in an upcoming biopic.

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