Out of the Woods, Into the City: How Camp Prepared Me For My DC Internship
This is my first summer not at camp. For the last twelve years, I have packed my bags, worn my Tevas and headed up to URJ Camp Newman.
Related Blog Posts on Balfour/Brickner Fellows, Burstein Fellows, Eisendrath Legislative Assistants, L'Taken Seminars, and Machon Kaplan
Attending L'Taken inspired me to run for - and win - a seat on my local board of education
Despite growing up in a Jewish household, it was not until high school that my Judaism really shaped my life’s path.
Burstein Fellowship Creates Young Jewish Leaders, Mentors
Inspired by Rabbi Marcus Burstein's commitment to Torah, social justice and developing a new generation of Jewish leaders, the Rabbi Marcus Burstein Fellowship strengthens the group of college students and young professionals helping lead the L'Taken
Watching Adulthood Emerge on Capitol Hill
L’Taken is more than a kid-friendly version of real-life citizen engagement. L’Taken is the next step in the adultification of our youth.
Invited into the halls of Congress to urge their elected leaders to effectuate Jewish values, these soon-to-be voters take personal responsibility for their future. They choose issues they are most passionate about and research them with seriousness. (Our delegation focused on healthcare, LGBTQ rights, immigration, reproductive rights, and campaign finance, and issues related to Israel.) They reviewed briefing papers and studied relevant Jewish texts. They debated potential positions on pending legislation.
Justice, Justice Shall You Pursue: The Power of Citizen Review
The proliferation of personal recording devices in recent years has exposed the general public to an appalling phenomenon woven deeply into the fabric of our nation: racially disparate policing.
The deaths of Michael Brown, Alton Sterling, Philando Castile,
Strengthening Our Commitment to International Religious Freedom
We are lucky to live in country that was founded on the cornerstones of freedom of speech, expression, and religion.
Meet the new Eisendrath Legislative Assistants: Building a world of compassion, justice and wholeness
We are excited to begin this year as the RAC's 2017-18 class of Eisendrath Legislative Assistants.
Invisible Realities
When my younger brother was about eleven, he decided he did not believe in God. My mother, being the supportive, inquisitive person that she is said, “Okay, that is fine, but out of curiosity, why don’t you?”
Jacob responded, in the plainest terms, “I
A Mandatory Minimum of Justice: Ending Mass Incarceration
The United States has the world’s largest prison population: 2.2 million Americans are currently serving time in our nation’s over 5,000 jails and prisons.
At L'Taken, Students Advocate on Refugee Resettlement
Over the winter, nearly 2,000 Reform Jewish high school students came to Washington, D.C. for the Bernard and Audre Rapaport L’Taken Social Justice Seminar, where they learn how to be effective advocates and to think about how issues of contemporary social