Welcome to the Forward’s coverage of Reform Judaism, a major liberal Jewish denomination.
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Fast Forward Reform leaders warn Netanyahu over Orthodox takeover of Zionist institutions
Representatives of Reform Jewish communities across North America warned Thursday that the implementation of an agreement that would effectively strip the progressive Zionist movements and parties of influence in key institutions would have dire consequences for Israel’s relations with the Diaspora. Agreements on the divvying up of positions and departments in the Zionist institutions have…
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Life Is the word ‘God’ the hurdle?
Still Small Voice is a collection of 18 interviews with clergy and scholars tackling 18 questions about God, published during the month of Elul, a time of Jewish reflection and accountability. Click here to read the introduction to the series. It feels like a radioactive proposition — that the word “God” might be the obstacle…
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News A conversation with Rabbi Rick Jacobs about the future of the Reform movement
The umbrella organization that serves the 850 synagogues of the Reform movement, the nation’s largest Jewish denomination is laying off about 20% of its staff, in addition to furloughs. The Union for Reform Judaism made the announcement after it decided amid the coronavirus pandemic to close all of its summer camps, forfeiting its single largest…
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News Reform Judaism is a wounded giant. A historian explains why it got so big.
Amid a seeming avalanche of Jewish organizational cutbacks, closings and furloughs, the Union for Reform Judaism (URJ) announced last Wednesday, that it would be cutting its staff by 20% due to coronavirus-related stresses. As with so many basic institutions of American life, the economic disruption caused by the pandemic is highlighting existential questions about the…
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News Now that Conservative Judaism is O.K. with livestreaming, how is it different from Reform?
Conservative and Reform Judaism — the United States’ two biggest egalitarian denominations — have been converging for decades. Now coronavirus has wiped out yet another difference between them. Even before the pandemic, Reform communities had embraced streaming services. Conservative synagogues, however, mostly avoided it in order to keep technology from creeping into Shabbat observance. Now…
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News Reform leader: merging national organization with others ‘a very real possibility’
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…
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Fast Forward Reform movement cuts staff by 20%, citing existential threat
The Reform movement — the largest Jewish denomination in the country — announced layoffs today in its main umbrella organization, the Union for Reform Judaism, citing an existential threat brought on by the coronavirus economic crash. “Unfortunately, we are now at the point that the long-term viability of the URJ is at risk if we…
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Life ‘Extra screen time is totally fine’: and more tips for doing summer without camp
On Thursday afternoon, a long-dreaded email arrived in inboxes throughout the Reform Jewish community. Amid concerns about operating safely during the coronavirus pandemic, it announced, the Union of Reform Judaism had decided to cancel all sessions in its large network of summer camps. 10,000 campers ages four to 18 are affected by the shutdown, and…
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