Our History
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 organization.... Read More
2/12/2014
by Dr. Jonathan D. Sarna, Brandeis University Good afternoon. It is really an honor to be here–truly a once-in-a-century opportunity. And congratulations to everyone on the publication of "Sisterhood: A Centennial History of Women of Reform Judaism." I hope that you are all as proud of the volume as I am. Standing up here, however, I have to admit that I am reminded of the story of a Jewish woman named Chaya who miraculously survived the great Johnstown Flood of 1889. Chaya lived a long life, but eventually her time came and she ascended to heaven, whereupon she was immediately admitted.... Read More
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