Religious Freedom
By Reform Movement , 8/30/2018
On August 22, 2018, we sent a list of questions to Congress regarding the nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh as Associate Justice of the Supreme Court. As a Movement rooted deeply in enduring Jewish values and committed to the principles of justice, equality, the rule of law and compassion, we urge members of Congress to make use of these questions during Judge Kavanaugh’s hearing, explore these issues of concern with Judge Kavanaugh if they meet with him, and call for full disclosure of Judge Kavanaugh’s records. General Jurisprudence Upon the... Read More
By Rabbi Allison Berry, 7/25/2018
When I was in second grade, I won an essay contest. The Jewish Agency asked young people across the country to respond to one question – what does Israel mean to you? In retrospect, my family should have understood this as a sign that I was destined to be a rabbi. But back in 1986, all I remember was my elation at winning the $200 prize. Last year, while cleaning out the basement I stumbled across my essay. The handwriting was something that only an eight-year-old girl could replicate, with hearts drawn in place of dots over the “I’s,” I wrote, “what Israel means to me is hope. Hope that... Read More
By Cantor Annice M. Benamy, 5/30/2017
I like to celebrate often after a period of spiritual reawakening and rededication to Torah study and observance. In traditional Judaism this is called a Bat Mitzvah Sheni (a second Bat Mitzvah) and I am not obligated to have one since my first bat mitzvah was Shabbat HaGadol, April 9, 1976. So what went into my decision to create a Bat Mitzvah Sheni ceremony for myself? I will start in 2008, when I took my first trip to Israel with my husband, David (z’l”). We went to the women’s section of the Kotel and I was not pleased not being able to be with David and pray according to my... Read More
By Julia Weinstein, 5/28/2017
When I signed up for WRJ’s 2017 Journey to Israel I knew that the itinerary would not only include the historical and cultural sights one would expect to visit in Israel but also offer unique and very special experiences that would set it apart from my previous two trips decades ago. And indeed, this last week delivered on the promise: long days spent together with a bus load of WRJ women and their mothers, mothers-in-law, daughters and friends; a panel discussion with local women rabbis and another with participants in a Mother/Daughter Bat Mitzvah program; a visit to the Druze village of... Read More
By Mira Weller, 4/25/2017
I'm standing amidst a crowd of rabbis in the thick of a long, tumultuous autumn in Jerusalem. I can hear the sounds of people shouting, whistles blowing, and feet scuffling through the divided entrances of the Western Wall Plaza. But the most important sound is the sound of the Reform rabbi beside me, an older man who urges me to enter through the leftmost archway: "Knisa l'gvarim." My march to the Kotel begins as I walk through the men's entrance. As I join the gathering of progressive Jews advancing through the Western Wall Plaza, the opposite crowds I face are impassioned and even... Read More
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