IN THE BEGINNING

Dear Reader:
When God is Trivialized
Reform Judaism provides a compelling way for Jews to get to God.
by Rick Jacobs 

JEWISH LIFE

Synagogue:
Strengthening Community with Social Media
Five ways to use social media to engage members and potential members.
by Lisa Colton

Online Exclusive
Sign up for the URJ's complimentary Social Media Boot Camp!

Lifecycle: A Home Dismantled with Devotion
A prayer that can help us in the sacred task of closing down and emptying out our parents' home after they die. by Jack Riemer



Israel: Transcending Walls in Tel Aviv
How the free-for-service models at The Daniel Centers for Progressive Judaism might be applied to URJ congregations.
interview with Rabbi Meir Azari

Online Exclusive
What Israel Has
Taught Me
10 lessons from 40+ trips to Israel.
by Robert Orkand

Medical Ethics:
The Morality of Marijuana—2 Views
Two medical doctors who are Reform Jews debate the issue. PDF. Share your perspectives on this article. 
by Donald I. Abrams and Jim Hornstein

Portrait:
Jackie Curtis Silverman
The founder of The New Orleans Women's Shelter reflects on having decided "to no longer live my sheltered life telling myself that homelessness was a government problem to solve." PDF.
Q&A with Jackie Curtis Silverman 

Judaica:
Jewish Antiques Appraisal Show
Appraising a 1905 medallion commemorating the 250th year of Jewish settlement in the U.S.
by Jonathan Greenstein

Online Exclusive
Discover the value of your antique Judaica. Contact Jonathan Greenstein at jgreensteinco@aol.com.  

Books:
A Change in Perspective
Reviews of Binocular Vision: New and Selected Stories by Edith Pearlman; Following Ezra: What One Father Learned about Gumby, Otters, Autism, and Love from His Extraordinary Son by Tom Fields-Meyer; Here I Am: Using Jewish Spiritual Wisdom to Become More Present, Centered, and Available for Life by Leonard Felder.
by Bonny V. Fetterman

SUMMER '12 COVER STORY
Catalyst for Change
The Union for Reform Judaism's new president Rabbi Rick Jacobs reflects on his formative experiences, the lessons he has learned about personal and synagogue transformation, his vision for the future of the URJ and the Reform Movement, and his determination to surmount the monumental challenges on the road ahead.

New! Browse through the entire issue by clicking on the cover.

FEATURE STORY

 

The God Survey
by Mark Dov Shapiro
Does God exist? What does God do or not do? Last Yom Kippur I sent a survey to my congregants at Sinai Temple, Springfield, Massachusetts to find out what they believe. The results surprised me.

Online Exclusive 
What do you believe about God? How do your beliefs compare with others in the Reform Movement? Be counted. Take the North American-wide survey exploring the God beliefs of Reform Jews.

FOCUS: CIVILITY

Conviction with Compassion
by Arnold S. Gluck
What Judaism can teach us about learning to respect and care for those with whom we profoundly disagree.

The Insult That Destroyed Jerusalem...
by Hayyim Nahum Bialik and Yehoshua lana Rawnitzki
...And Who Is to Blame
by Arnold S. Gluck
The Talmudic tale of Kamtza and Bar Kamtza (Bialik and Rawnitzki), and what we can learn from it (Gluck). PDF.

Civility as a Spiritual Practice
by Alan Morinis
Jewish tradition emphasizes kindness, graciousness, and respect to teach us to uphold the human ideal—and to promote good government. 

R.E.S.P.E.C.T.
a conversation with Edythe Mencher and Dale Atkins
When we assert ourselves respectfully while avoiding the temptation to act unkindly towards others, no one is diminished as a human being. How can we best practice R.E.S.P.E.C.T., and how can society support us in doing so?

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.

What Works:
A Torah Class That Lasts
The adult-ed Torah study class at Temple Isaiah in Stony Brook, New York is still going strong after 23 years.

Noteworthy
Plaut Torah Commentary in Russian... Tri-Faith Campus Going Up in Omaha... Women in U.S. & Israel Celebrate Simultaneous Shabbat... Mishkan T'filah iPad App...

Quotable: In Print
RAC Director Rabbi David Saperstein on contraceptives... Jewish Environmental and Energy Imperative statement signed by the URJ president... IRAC's precedent-setting Supreme Court ruling...

 Quotable: The Blogs
Youth Programming Director Craig Parks on how "the Three Rs"—relationships, respect, and relevance—have transformed the youth community at Temple Solel, Cardiff by the Sea, California. 

 

 Farewell: Remembering Rabbi W. Gunther Plaut
1912-2012
A tribute to the renowned scholar, author, and leader of Reform Judaism who wrote and edited The Torah: A Modern Commentary, featuring examples of his writing.