WUPJ Connections 2023 | Rabbi Sergio Bergman Keynote Address

President Rabbi Sergio Bergman committed the World Union for Progressive Judaism (WUPJ) to inclusivity, innovation and grassroots community leadership in his keynote speech at Connections 2023. Addressing more than 250 Progressive Jewish leaders attending from around the world, he described a vision of WUPJ as a connector that supports and empowers Progressive Jewish communities as […]

Wrapping up Connections 2023

Connections 2023, our WUPJ biennial in Jerusalem, is now over. But the connections made and renewed — all energizing and empowering our communities across the globe — will seed opportunity and growth for our Progressive Movement far into the future.    “It was a chance to dream together, to learn from each other, to celebrate […]

Comparing a locally grown etrog (left) with Israeli imports in Indonesia.

[ASIA] Sukkot in Asia 5779

This year Sukkot was celebrated by WUPJ Communities across the Asian continent this year with much joy and in a uniquely Asian style. At the United Jewish Congregation in Hong Kong, their Sukkah frame survived the lashings of Typhoon Mangkhut which swept through the city before Yom Kippur. Luckily there was no s’kach covering on […]

Connecting with Ohel Jakov in Lisbon, Rosh Hashana 2018

[PORTUGAL] Rosh Hashanah in Lisbon: A Tale of Discovering Connections and Family

Earlier this year, while I was diarising our summer cruise dates, I realised that we would land in Lisbon the morning before Rosh Hashanah. I knew we had a Progressive/Reform kehillah there – Ohel Jakov – as I had had the pleasure of meeting some of the community members four years earlier; and so I contacted their passionate leader and champion – Adriana de Souza – and arranged for us to join them for dinner and a service on Erev Rosh Hashanah, in their proudly sacred space– a five room apartment (up three flights of stairs, in an old building, hidden away in a suburb of Lisbon), which they had recently reorganised, repainted and refreshed. They had a “synagogue”, library, meeting/dining room, office and kitchen with a small balcony.

The World Union’s 2017 Annual Report

We are pleased to share the World Union for Progressive Judaism 2017 Annual Report highlighting our accomplishments, activities, and financial results. We thank you for your support and partnership in growing and strengthening Reform Judaism across the world. To download a pdf version of our Annual report, click here: The World Union’s Annual Report 2017.

Reflecting on Twenty Years of Directing Netzer Olami and Tamar

In the summer of 1994, I set out for North America with my wife and two children as a shaliach (emissary) to the North American Federation of Temple Youth (NFTY), the North American branch of the Reform youth movement. My service in the U.S. was cut short due to my wife Tikva’s cancer diagnosis, but […]

MK Stav Shaffir To Join Program of CONNECTIONS 2017

Stav Shaffir is the youngest female Knesset member in Israel’s history, outspoken for demanding fiscal oversight of settlement funding and supporting a wide array of social justice issues: from affordable housing for young Israelis to the rights of Women of the Wall. Shaffir placed second in the January 2015 primaries of the Labor Party and […]

[ISRAEL] First-time Bnot Mitzvah at the Kotel

The idea came to us last year during a discussion with Ruth Bohm, a representative of Women for Reform Judaism (WRJ) in Latin America. We were talking about ways to connect Jewish women from our region, with diverse backgrounds, in a new and exciting way. That’s when it dawned on us: the most special rite […]