JEWISH. INDEPENDENT. NONPROFIT.
The national leader of American Judaism’s biggest denomination said he is considering the possibility of merging parts of its operations with those of other liberal Jewish movements. It’s “a very real possibility” despite some religious differences between the denominations, said Rabbi Rick Jacobs, the leader of the Union for Reform Judaism, which has over 850…
JERUSALEM (JTA) — The Israeli government minister whose approval is needed to advance the plan for the Western Wall’s egalitarian section has dropped her support for the proposal. Miri Regev, the culture and sport minister, announced in a Facebook post late Wednesday that she would not approve the plan in her position as chairwoman of the…
Seventeen months after a historic deal was reached that would allow egalitarian and non-Orthodox prayer spaces at the Western Wall, Israel’s governing cabinet suspended the agreement, bowing to pressure from Haredi parties in the government who wish to maintain the status quo. Reaction throughout the Jewish world has been swift and loud. Diaspora Jews, particularly…
On Rosh Hodesh Iyar, the 8th grade students of the Solomon Schechter School of Manhattan school confronted a difficult reality shared by many Jews trying to connect with Israel. At a kibbutz the group stayed at in the Galilee, they were told that we would not be able to use the Sefer Torah (a handwritten…
A version of this piece originally appeared in Plus61J, an Australian Jewish publication. “If a society uses language that doesn’t have gendered forms, is that society more egalitarian?” The question from Professor Tsvia Walden, psycholinguist, peace ambassador and daughter of the late Shimon Peres, met with a thoughtful silence from the cohort of 14-year-olds at…
It is a dark time for many Americans. The election of Donald Trump, coupled with Republican domination of Congress, the Supreme Court, and the vast majority of state legislatures threaten much of the progress many demographics, such as women and LGBT people have achieved not only during the Obama years but over the past several…
Chances for de-escalation between Israel’s religious establishment and non-Orthodox movements in Israel and North America appear increasingly unlikely as new developments pile atop old ones adding layers of injury. Today, events seem to be careening toward a perfect storm. In recent weeks alone, the government has made clear that it intends to renege, for the…
Bitya Rozen-Goldberg had no idea she wanted to be a rabbi when she immigrated to Israel from France 11 years ago. In the years since settling in Jerusalem, the 33-year-old tour guide studied Talmud in numerous female settings. But as “female rabbi” has long been an oxymoron in the Orthodox world, she never thought she…
Hybrid: Online and at the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan
Oct 2, 2022
6:30 pm ET ·
A Sukkah, IMKHA, created by artist Tobi Kahn, for the Marlene Meyerson JCC of Manhattan is an installation consisting of 13 interrelated sculpted painted wooden panels, constituting a single work of art. Join for a panel discussion with Rabbi Joanna Samuels, Chief Executive Director of the Marlene Meyerson JCC of Manhattan, Talya Zax, Innovation Editor of the Forward, and Tobi Kahn, Artist. Moderated by Mattie Kahn.