This is the Forward’s coverage of Reform Judaism, a major liberal Jewish denomination.
Reform Judaism
The Latest
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News Reform Reaches Past Synagogue
The leaders of Reform Judaism, America’s largest Jewish denomination, aim to staunch their movement’s erosion with a new strategy to reach beyond the synagogue and actively search for Jews living outside the community’s established framework. The strategy, articulated at the group’s recent biennial national conference, is the brainchild of Rabbi Rick Jacobs, the movement’s newly…
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Israel News Obama Wins Rousing Cheers at Reform Biennial
In a speech aimed at liberal Jewish voters, President Obama sought to rebut Republican claims that he was soft in his support for Israel and praised Reform Judaism’s support for civil rights and social justice in his address at the biennial meeting of the Union for Reform Judaism. The crowd of 6,000, in turn, enthusiastically…
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News Barak Shows Friendly Face to Obama, URJ
The Israeli government chose to show its friendly face to the Reform movement by sending defense minister Ehud Barak as the top Israeli representative to the biennial conference of the Union for Reform Judaism. Barak meet with President Barack Obama for 30 minutes at the conference center. The Defense Ministry said in a statement that…
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Fast Forward Cantor Gets Polite Reception From URJ
The biennial conference of the Union for Reform Judaism may not be the best fit for ultra-conservative House Majority Leader Eric Cantor. The movement is known for its strong support for social justice and its moderate views on the Arab-Israel conflict. On most issues, Cantor (R-Va.) represents the opposite approach. But Cantor, the sole Republican…
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Fast Forward Reform Movement Biennial Opens With Mogel, Sharansky
Best-selling author Wendy Mogel and Chairman of the Jewish Agency for Israel Natan Sharansky will be among the speakers at tonight’s opening plenary of the Union for Reform Judaism’s biennial conference. The gathering, which runs through Sunday, will also feature keynote addresses by President Barack Obama, U.S. House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, and Israeli Defense…
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News Yoffie Led Return to Reform Roots
Say this about Rabbi Eric Yoffie: He goes where others have not. In 2006, he went to that bastion of Christian fundamentalism, the Rev. Jerry Falwell’s Liberty University, and reminded the students of the religious values he shares with them, and the ones (reproductive rights, gay rights) that he does not. Then, in 2007, he…
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News Walking Streets of Jaffa to Promote One-State Solution
It’s an ideology with few followers among Israeli Jews, but activists for the one-state solution are reaching out to American visitors via tours of the Arab-Jewish town of Jaffa. And they are doing so with the help of Israel’s Reform movement. Jaffa, now part of the municipality of Tel Aviv, was a town in which…
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Life The ‘Friday Night Lights’ Rabbi
On the day I was to interview Rabbi Holly Cohn, the new spiritual leader at the lone congregation serving a 100-mile radius of West Texas, at Odessa’s tiny Temple Beth El, the television series “Friday Night Lights” was trending on Twitter. The story of the fictional town of Dillon, Tex., where high school football is…
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News Analysis: As Democrats unite behind Platner, Schumer’s future as leader faces tests
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