Laborers in Jerusalem collecting plastic
containers for recycling from a plastic
recycling container. (Yossi Zamir)
In Israel, composting and recycling programs in
new ecology push
By Jessica Steinberg
From composting in Modiin to recycling in
Jerusalem, Israelis are starting to catch up
with the rest of the Western world when it comes
to sorting trash.
Read more »
REFORM MOVEMENT
IN THE NEWS
Reform Movement Expresses Concern Over Komen's
De-Funding of Planned Parenthood
Rabbis Saperstein and Feldman: "We urge you
to use your leadership in Komen for the Cure to
reinstate funding to PPFA for breast cancer
screening, to reconsider the standard by which
the organization makes funding decisions, and to
continue to fight for the health and lives of
women everywhere."
Read more »
Jewish Week: Camp-School Pilot Stresses
Connections
New effort, spearheaded by the Foundation for
Jewish Camp (FJC) and the Union for Reform
Judaism (URJ), is aimed at making Jewish
education a year-round experience.
Read more »
eJewishPhilanthropy: On the Influence of Camp
There is little doubt that the kind of
influence that camp has had on synagogue worship
in the Reform movement is paralleled by similar
influence elsewhere in the Jewish community.
Read more »
Jewish Chronicle: Green activists
hoping to harness pedal power
An initiative to get Jews on their bikes has
won the support of London's best-known cyclist,
Boris Johnson.
Read more »
JTA: Environmental group sets greenhouse
reduction target
Among the signers is the president of the
Union for Reform Judaism, the largest synagogue
denomination in the United States, and the head
of the Orthodox Union, one of the largest
Orthodox Jewish organizations in the United
States.
Read more »
See also:
The Forward: Social Workers Help L.A.
Synagogues
Two of L.A.'s wealthiest congregations,
including the Reform University Synagogue, have
welcomed an unfamiliar sort of professional to
their regular synagogue staffs: a social worker.
Read more »
Jewish Week: Saying Yes, Saying No
Rabbi Marci Bellows asks: How many of us
Jewish adults know how to give ourselves a true
Shabbat, a day of rest, a day to recharge, and a
day to reconnect with our divine nature?
Read more »
Ynetnews: Appoint non-Orthodox Jerusalem rabbi
Reform Movement petitions High Court,
claiming allotment of funds to Orthodox
neighborhood rabbis only is 'forbidden
discrimination.'
Read more »
Rabbis on Marriage Equality
Reform rabbis in New Jersey testify at the NJ
Senate Committee on behalf of same-sex marriage.
View video »
JEWISH WORLD NEWS
In Jewish fracking debate, it's the environment
vs. energy independence -- and energy's winning
In the Jewish community, the fracking debate
pits two established communal policy objectives
against one another: protection of the
environment vs. the desire to achieve
independence from Arab energy sources.
Read more »
On Iranian nuclear issue, mixed signals
proliferate
Recent developments on the Iranian nuclear
front spur speculation: Will Iran bend under the
weight of sanctions? And will Israel strike?
Read more »
Controversy grows in Israel over extension of
Tal Law granting haredim army exemptions
When Israel’s first prime minister granted
a few hundred haredi Orthodox Jews an exemption
from army service, it’s likely he never
dreamed that 63 years later, tens of thousands
of haredi Israelis would claim the exemption --
or that the issue would be among the most
contentious in modern Israel.
Read more »
For some schoolkids in southern Italy, meeting
their first Jew on Holocaust Day
When columnist Ruth Ellen Gruber talks to
Italian schoolchildren on International
Holocaust Memorial Day about what it means to be
a Jew, she gets a question about the murdered 6
million to which there is no good answer.
Read more »
DISCUSS ON THE BLOG
A Prayer for My Commonwealth
Rabbi Jonah Pesner offered the invocation at
the annual Massachusetts State of the
Commonwealth Address given by Governor Deval
Patrick.
Read more »
Sense and Nonsense about Jewish Students on
Campus
When it comes to discussing Israel, Rabbi
Eric Yoffie states: We can try to censor and
silence Jewish students on campus, or we can
appeal to their idealism. I prefer the latter.
Read more »
My Invisible Line of Connection
The day after the first yahrzeit of his son,
Rabbi Rex D. Perlmeter starts blogging about his
own spiritual and contemplative journey, and how
an unexpected connection reaffirmed his
decision.
Read more »
D'var Torah: B'shalach, Exodus
Lucy H. F. Dinner asks, "What does it mean to
trust God as healer?" and Brigitte Rosenberg
discusses the power of song in worship.
Read more »
Rosh Chodesh: My "Girl" Gathering
Rabbi Vicki Tuckman discuss the tradition of
women gathering for Rosh Chodesh stretching back
to biblical times
Read more »
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HOLIDAY RESOURCES
 URJ's
Tu BiSh'vat Resources
Tu BiSh'vat begins at sundown on
February 7. Here are a variety
of resources to consider in your planning.
Read more »
Tu BiSh'vat: A Personal Reflection
Barbara Kavadias discusses how the
progressive roots planted by the Reform Movement
in Israel have had a major influence on the
current political landscape.
Read more »
 URJ
Books and Music: Digital Download of the Song
"For Trees"
The charming song "For Trees" from the album
"Little Taste of Torah" by Peter & Ellen Allard
is available as a digital download for only 99
cents! Perfect for the holiday of Tu BiSh'vat,
"For Trees" is a joyous celebration of the many
different kinds of trees in the world and all
the wonderful things that they provide us.
Read more »
This
month, the URJ highlights Caring
Community resources, including the
Caring Community 101 guides and resources
for Jewish Disability Awareness Month.
Read more »
Highlights from RJ Blog:
Being Present for Each Other
Rabbi Lynne Landsberg reflects on how, in the
aftermath of a traumatic brain injury, a
community of faith gave her the strength and
resilience to rebuild her life.
Read more »
A House of Prayer for All Children
How Reform congregations are providing Jewish
enrichment to children with special needs;
including time-tested ways to offer them
creative and fulfilling b'nai mitzvah
ceremonies.
Read more »
URJ Camp Experience for Teens with Autism
Mitzvah Corps at URJ Kutz Camp offers an
inclusion-based Jewish summer camp experience
for teens ages 13-19 diagnosed with Austism
Spectrum Disorders. The program has added a
third one-week session for 2012 as a result of
its growth and success.
Read more »
NFTY Resources to Help Teens and Their Families
"Living NFTY" resources include information
on LGBT inclusion, eating disorders, bullying,
grief and mourning and safe driving.
Read more »
See also:
UNION NEWS
Host a Campership Concert: Help Send Kids to URJ
Camps!
Please consider hosting an ACC-URJ Campership
Concert in your congregation or community. Don't
miss out on this exciting opportunity to help
send more kids to URJ camps than ever before.
Read more »
Know of a Jewish Composer Between 18 and 35 from
Anywhere in the World?
The Guild of Temple Musicians is looking for
submissions for the annual Young Composer's
Award, which helps promote and encourage musical
works of young Jewish composers and helps enrich
and preserve a vibrant musical tradition.
Read more »
Schindler Fellows Membership Certification
Program
April 19-22, 2012, Cleveland, OH
Four days of comprehensive training in all
aspects of
membership: recruitment, integration and
retention. Limited scholarships are available.
Read more »
Scheidt Seminar for Congregational Presidents
April 26-29, 2012,
Atlanta, GA
Registration is now open
for the 14th annual Scheidt Seminar, a training
institute for congregational presidents and
presidents-elect. Participants will hone skills
in community building and synagogue management.
Read more »
Small Congregations Kallot
March 24-25 in
Sacramento, CA
May 11-12
in
South Bend, IN
June 16
in
Harrisburg, PA
TBD- Lake
Charles, LA
Join other members from
small congregations to study together, network
with like-minded lay leaders and learn from a
vibrant community of committed learners and
knowledgeable teachers. Topics include
leadership development, finances and outreach.
Read more »
Torah at the Center: Youth Engagement
Practitioners reflect on their experiences
and lessons learned experimenting with new ways
to engage youth and their families in our
congregations.
Read more »
Upcoming URJ Webinars
Feb. 7:
Torah Alive: The Great Jewish Literature No One
Knows - What Second Temple Authors Did to the
Bible and Jewish Law
Feb. 28:
February 28, 2012 - Creating a Jewish Teen
Foundation: A New Approach to Engagement
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