IN THE BEGINNING

Dear Reader:
The Journey Ahead
Leading the Movement has been a joyous journey; now it is Rabbi Rick Jacobs’ turn.
by Eric H. Yoffie

JEWISH LIFE



Holidays: A Multilingual Passover to Remember (PDF)
Reciting the first of the
4 questions in 20 languages from Canaanite to Klingon.
by Murray Spiegel
and Rickey Stein

Online Exclusive
What's your favorite language for reciting the first question? Share your most memorable multilingual seder moment. 


 
Judaica:
Jewish Antiques Appraisal Show 
Appraising a Jewish cast metal clock.
by Jonathan Greenstein

Online Exclusive
Discover the value of your antique Judaica. Contact Jonathan Greenstein at jgreensteinco@aol.com. You may see your story in a future Reform Judaism magazine. 


 
Cooking: The Iconic
Jewish Fish Dish 
How "gefilte fish" first came to be; includes recipes for Traditional Gefilte Fish, Gefilte Fish and Horseradish Mold, and Tri-colored Gefilte Loaf, Spanish Style.
by Tina D. Wasserman

Online Exclusive
Watch writer Tina Wasserman's cooking demos. 


 
Books: 
Rebels & Statesmen 
Reviews of The List: A Novel by Martin Fletcher; Ben-Gurion: A Political Life by Shimon Peres with David Landau; and The Arrogant Years: One Girl's Search for Her Lost Youth from Cairo to Brooklyn by Lucette Lagnado.
by Bonny V. Fetterman

Online Exclusive
Read and comment on blog posts about the selected Significant Jewish Books.  

Copyright Note: Stories on this site are the intellectual property of and copyrighted by each author. Should an article be emailed and/or downloaded, both the author's name and the magazine must receive credit, and the text linked to the Reform Judaism magazine website. Reprinting an article from this site in another publication or posting an article on another site requires the additional permission of both the author and the magazine.

SPRING '12 COVER STORY
Love
In what surprising context does the word "love" first appear in the Bible? Who is the first man in the Torah to "love" a woman? Which rabbi affirmed: "Extend what you have in your hands and in your heart toward other human beings. Love will grow along the lines of your giving"? Enjoy learning about these and other understandings of love from the articles below.


Introduction (PDF)
by the RJ editors
A journey of love and "Love in the Movement" photo gallery.

Online Exclusive
Love in the Movement
by and for the Reform Movement
Post photos and stories of meeting, falling in love, and/or marrying in a Reform setting (congregation, camp, Israel program, Biennial, HUC-JIR, etc).

First Love
by Meir Shalev
The very first appearance of love in the Bible.

Lessons from the Sage of Love
by Naftali Rothenberg
Rabbi Akiva's wisdom about the ideal of human love.

Cultivating Love
by Alan Morinis
What can each of us do to foster nefesh —soul love?

Through Laughter & Tears
by Stephen Breslauer
The 55-year love adventure of NFTY's first married couple.

Online Exclusive
A Tribute to Sandy Breslauer
Stephen and Sandy's love story on video.

Love IS Stronger than Death
by Rex Perlmeter
Nurturing love in the face of tragedy.

FEATURE STORIES

 

The Redemption of Ulysses S. Grant
by Jonathan D. Sarna
As a Union general, Grant expelled Jews from his war zone; as U.S. president, he set a new national tone that helped usher in a brief “golden age” in the history of the American Jewish community. On the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, it’s time to set the record straight.


"Lincoln—He Was Like One of Us"
by Gary Phillip Zola 
The man who many have called the greatest of all American presidents has also become a spiritual and moral kinsman of
the Jews. 




Contemplations
Rabbi Eric H. Yoffie reflects on his 16-year legacy as president of the Union for Reform Judaism and on some of the key lessons learned from the experience.




The Biennial That Rocked (PDF)
Remembering the Movement's largest-ever Biennial with photographs, "Notable Quotables," and "How the Biennial Changed Me: 12 Delegates Speak Out."

 What Works: 
A Labyrinth Changes Lives 
How a labyrinth that began as an Eagle Scout project has become an integral part of Congregation Kol Ami in Flower Mound, Texas.
 
 Quotable: In Print
On why we count the omer, the period of waiting between the barley harvest at Pesach and the wheat harvest at Shavout. 



 Noteworthy
URJ launches new platform for state-of-the-art congregational websites; 2011 URJ Biennial photo contest winners; Isaac M. Wise Temple Library's Historic Children's Collection; Reform Jew appointed to National Council on Disability...