Religious Freedom
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
By Rabbi Marla Feldman, 1/30/2017
Dear Senators and Representatives, I’m sure that you are aware that the recent Women’s March, held around the world, was among the largest unified gatherings in human history. Sadly, it is unlikely the Administration was paying attention – our new president seemed much more focused on measuring the size of his crowd than noticing the millions of women and their supporters speaking out for their rights and their values. So now I turn to you – our elected representatives, to let you know that I am holding you accountable. Whether or not I vote for you, or actively seek your defeat, when... Read More
9/20/2016
by Micaela Russell WRJ Program and Communications Associate When I saw an announcement for a panel discussion hosted by Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion (HUC-JIR) following the launch of Central Conference of American Rabbi’s (CCAR) A Sacred Calling: Four Decades of Women in the Rabbinate, I knew I needed to be there—both in my new role as a professional in the Reform Movement and as an active Jewish feminist. I had read Rabbi Toba Schaller’s blog about her experience as approximately the 760th woman to be ordained by HUC-JIR and what we can learn from the past 40 years.... Read More
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