Blog Filtered | Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism

Shabbat Message: A Galvanizing Visit to Israel That Fills Me With Encouragement

Rabbi Rick Jacobs

March 4, 2022

In meetings with the President of Israel, Isaac Herzog, Defense Minister Benny Gantz, Finance Minister Avigdor Lieberman, Transportation Minister Merav Michaeli, and Foreign Minister and Alternate Prime Minister Yair Lapid, we discussed the crisis in Ukraine, the future of the Kotel, ensuring more funding and rights for non-Orthodox Jews, combatting racism, and stopping extremist violence against Palestinians, in addition to other pressing issues.

Israel and Its Neighbors

We Hold All of these Truths

Rabbi Rick Jacobs

May 20, 2021

The current wave of violence in Israel and Gaza is a heartbreaking human tragedy. The loss of innocent life (including that of children) rends the heart, destruction of homes and endemic fear defy the peace and security in which every human being deserves to live.

Israel and Its Neighbors

Resources for Understanding the Current Israeli-Palestinian Crisis

Rabbi Josh Weinberg

May 19, 2021

While some see this conflict in only stark black and white terms, it is intensely complex. To help navigate this complexity, we offer this resource guide, including material that may be helpful in laying out the context and nuances of this latest round of violence between Hamas and Israel.

A few Israeli flags on flagpoles against a blue sky background

Israel Programs

Spread the Word: Virtual Events Commemorating Yom HaZikaron and Yom HaAtzmaut

Rabbi Josh Weinberg

April 5, 2021

As Yom HaZikaron and Yom HaAtzmaut approach during this continued period of social distancing, you're invited to join the Reform Movement and our partners for any and all of the following online events in observance of the two holidays.

Israel

Urge the Israeli Government Not to Carry Out Unilateral West Bank Annexation

Rabbi Hara Person

Rabbi Rick Jacobs

June 18, 2020

This moment requires a strong moral voice.

The Union for Reform Judaism and Central Conference of American Rabbis have undergone a process with our respective leadership, listened to experts, worked closely with our beloved Israeli Movement, our partners at

Israel

Loving Israel, Even When Israel's Government Doesn't Show Love for Jews Like Me

Mattan Berner-Kadish

July 30, 2018

This is not a eulogy. I have not changed my belief in and love for Israel, nor have I given up hope for its future. Israel will be what we make it and will belong to those who fight for it.

International Issues

UNESCO Resolution Denies Jewish Connection to Temple Mount

Shelby Friedman

October 27, 2016

On Wednesday, October 26, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) passed a resolution that recognized the Temple Mount as a site holy only to the Islamic faith.

International Issues

World Mourns Loss of Shimon Peres, Giant of Israeli Politics

Shelby Friedman

September 30, 2016

On Friday, September 30, world leaders gathered in Jerusalem to honor Shimon Peres.

Israel

Opposing BDS on College Campuses

Rebeca Feldman

August 15, 2016

Eleven years ago, Palestinian civil society groups created a call for a series of universal boycotts, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) against Israel.

International Issues

Reuniting Families and Communities: Aliyah for Ethiopian Jewry

Rabbi Shira Milgrom

August 10, 2016

Three years ago, in 2013, my husband David Elcott and I traveled to Ethiopia to witness the airlift of the last of the Ethiopian Jewish community to Israel.

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