Our History
By Ali Rosenblatt & Katie Wysong, 8/18/2020
Amidst nationwide protests and a historic election, we must remember women’s right to vote was not granted, rather it was fought and protested for. It was only after 150 years and persistent advocacy from suffragists that the women finally secured the right to vote with the 19th Amendment. Now, 100 years later, as we celebrate the centennial of this momentous occasion, we must also remember the women who the suffrage movement and the 19th Amendment left behind. Suffragists began working forcefully towards achieving the right to vote for women beginning with the Seneca Falls convention in... Read More
11/05/2015
by Rachel Shapiro-Wicks Every year, my sisters, our mom, and I take a trip: a long weekend in a new city to spend some quality time together. It’s a new tradition I’ve come to look forward to each year. We don’t see much of one another during the year, living our lives in different cities with varying schedules and priorities. So our time together, while short, has become precious. It’s not just those trips; time has become much more precious as I age. Spending quality time with friends and loved ones has become a greater priority for me in recent years. I turned 40 the year our weekend... Read More
By Rabbi Marla J. Feldman, 6/26/2015
I confess to being a bit jaded after 30+ years as a public policy activist (40+ years if you want to count my high school and college activism during the early era of the fight for Soviet Jewry). Over the years I’ve come to learn that you ‘win some, lose some.’ When we win, victory can be fleeting and there will be others who will try to chip away at our success–think reproductive rights and health care reform. When we lose, there will always be future opportunities for progress and we need to take a long term approach–think about the ongoing fight against poverty and environmental standards... Read More
6/10/2015
by Rabbi Jonah Pesner and Jordan Dashow This week we are featuring pieces on inclusion in Reform Judaism at the individual, communal, and institutional levels. Today we celebrate Pride Month and learn about the history of the Reform Movement's support for the rights and inclusion of LGBTQ Jews, which was led by a historic WRJ Resolution in 1965. Learn more about WRJ and LGBTQ Rights. As we celebrate LGBT (Lesbian, Gay Bisexual, Transgender) Pride Month this June, the Reform Jewish community has a lot to be proud of. For decades the Reform Movement has been one of the leading faith voices in... Read More
By Rabbi Marla J. Feldman, 7/06/2014
[Adapted from ‘Why Advocacy is Central to Reform Judaism’ published by the Commission on Social Action of Reform Judaism, 2007] “We are a fellowship of women, religiously motivated… dedicated to the service of Jewish and humanitarian causes through the centrality of Judaism, the religion through which we translate our beliefs into deed for the benefit of K’lal Israel (the whole of the household of Israel) and mankind.” So wrote Dr. Jane Evans, first Executive Director of the National Federation of Temple Sisterhoods (NFTS, now WRJ) in a 1949 statement on the philosophy of our... Read More
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