Blog | Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism

It's Time for Mom's Equal Pay

Sarah Greenberg

June 10, 2014

In the month between Mother’s Day and Father’s Day, we honor and celebrate parents. On June 12, just three days before Father’s Day (June 15), we take action on Moms’ Equal Pay Day, the day in when mothers’ salaries would catch up to fathers’ salaries over the

Economic Justice

Reform Movement Responds to Kidnapping of Schoolgirls in Nigeria

Judy Silver Weisberg

May 13, 2014

Rabbi David Saperstein’s statement on the kidnapping of schoolgirls in Nigeria was quoted in the Jerusalem Post. You can read the full article here.

Several weeks ago, Boko Haram, a militant Islamist group whose name means “Western education is sinful”

L'Taken Seminars

Teens Connect to Judaism Through Justice

Joy Friedman

Annabelle Hanflig

Rabbi Greg Litcofsky

Rabbi Michael Namath

January 4, 2013

Every year, nearly 2,000 high school-aged Reform Jewish students participate in the Religious Action Center's L'Taken Seminar in Washington, D.C. At the beginning of December, Rabbi Greg Litcofsky, took the confirmation class at his congregation, Temple Emanu-El of West Essex, to Washington D.C. to participate in the L’taken Seminar. The program is designed to expose students to a variety of public policy issues, explore the Jewish values surrounding these issues and teach the skills of an effective advocate. Below, Rabbi Litcofsky and one of Temple Emanu-El’s students, Annabelle Hanflig, reflect on their experience.

25 Years Later: Solidarity with Soviet Jewry

Daphne Lazar-Price

December 6, 2012

The blogosphere, my Facebook page and my Twitter feed are abuzz with people’s memories and testimonies of the 25th anniversary of the National March on Washington for Soviet Jewry. Twenty-five years ago today, approximately one quarter of a million people descended on the National Mall in Washington to call for the freedoms of an open society in what was then the U.S.S.R.

Civil Rights & Voting Rights

Increased LGBT Presence at National Political Conventions

Benny Witkovsky

September 10, 2012

Judaism puts a lot of stake in celebration. There are days when we are explicitly commanded to be happy (are you ready for Sukkot yet?), mountains periodically skip like rams, and you cannot leave a Jewish wedding without the song running endlessly in your

Protecting Choice: L'Dor v'Dor

Rabbi Jessica Oleon Kirschner

August 30, 2012

We believe that both American and Jewish tradition entrust patients with autonomy in making health care decisions, free from government and interference.

Chick-fil-...what?

Rabbi Josh Whinston

August 3, 2012

I love the recent Chik-fil-A debate, in which the CEO of Chick-fil-A has publicly condemned gay marriage, sparking many public figures to speak out against the restaurant chain. Regardless of how one might feel about the issue of gay marriage, the fact that

Economic Justice

Leaving the Corners: A Report from the Field

Rabbi Joel Mosbacher

July 25, 2012

You shall leave the Peah (corners) of the field– they are for the poor and the stranger among you.

Don’t Just Intend to…Do it!

July 25, 2012

By Rabbi Janice Elster

Below is a meditation on last week's parsha, Matot-Massei (Numbers 30:2-36:13) How many times have we meant to call our legislator, wanted to sign that petition but let it fall to the bottom of our e-mail inbox, planned to sign up

How the Religious Action Center Changed My Life

Stephanie Fields

July 23, 2012

It was January of my sophomore year of college and the thought passed through my mind: What am I going to do this summer? Going back to camp just did not seem like a realistic choice for me; my only options seemed to be a real internship or job.