As their MASA program in Israel, “Reform – Your Personal and Professional Future,” came to a close, students from the Former Soviet Union spent the afternoon touring the Jerusalem neighborhood of Rehavia
On the morning January 27th, 2019, International Holocaust Remembrance Day, members of Kehilat Natan-Ya, in Netanya Israel, woke up to discover their sanctuary was not only broken into but vandalized in a terribly cruel and destructive manner
eida Olami, the global summit of Netzer leadership, took place on January 15 – 20 at Beit Shmuel in Jerusalem. The Veida is convened annually as the governing body of Netzer to share best practices in young adult education, leadership, Israel engagement, as well as provide a global networking opportunity.
A lifetime of Jewish connections in one summer! The WUPJ 2018 Youth Camping Report highlights the impact of our international camping movement throughout the world, featuring statistics and locations of summer camps, counselors in key countries around the world!
In 2018, Netzer Olami introduced a new focus for Shnat Netzer participants increasing the partnership between participants of Shnat Netzer and Shnat Sheirut (pre-army volunteer program of Noar Telem, Israel’s Reform Youth Movement). Throughout the year, participants of both young leadership programs met for joint activities and discussions in an effort to build connections between them. This added focus received great feedback, leading to stronger social and ideological relationships among all involved.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ARZENU, representing Reform and Progressive Religious Zionists around the world and in Israel, congratulates longtime friend of our Movement Isaac Herzog on his unanimous election to the post of Chairman of the Jewish Agency of Israel. Mr. Herzog’s appointment reflects the deep concern of the Jewish Zionist leadership […]
On May 23-24, the World Union for Progressive Judaism (WUPJ), the Institute for Modern Jewish Studies and the Russian State University of Humanities (RSUH) in Moscow, in cooperation with The Department for Diaspora Activities, the Department for Zionist Activities in Israel and Combatting against Antisemitism of the World Zionist Organization (WZO) held a momentous academic […]
This Torah portion is known for its story of the Golden Calf, built when Moshe failed to return from the mountain on exactly the 40th day as expected. The people panicked, thought Moshe was dead, and that God had abandoned them. Aaron, ever the peace-lover, reasoned that the people needed a visible symbolic representation of God to reassure them. The People were not denying the God of the first commandment, but rather broke the second commandment prohibiting the building of idols. When Moshe returned with the tablets, he was indignant and smashed the tablets to show that the covenant between God and the Children of Israel had been shattered.
It is reasonable to assume that no one reading our weekly Torah portion, Vayeshev, will consider these innocuous lines of Torah to be of any particular importance. Coming as they do inside the dramatic first part of the Joseph story, the narrative which will continue until the end of the Book of Genesis, there seems no reason to take special note of this rather curious mention of “a man” meeting Joseph on his way to find his brothers and giving Joseph directions. Rather, the camera is fixed on Joseph, the major protagonist of the narrative, whose tragic life story begins to unfold in our Parasha. Tension mounts as we read about Joseph’s narcissistic dreams, his visions of grandeur, his preferential status in his father’s eyes and his antagonistic relationship with his brothers ending in his being sold into slavery and his eventual imprisonment in Egypt. With all these action scenes to cover in the Parasha, who would possibly pay attention to the few lines describing “the man” giving directions to Joseph.
After the days of Awe – the days of judgment and blot, forgiveness and repentance – come the days of celebration, the days of joy and of praise. After fasting, we rejoice in Sukkot as the Torah instructs us in Deuteronomy 16:15:
Seven days shall you keep a feast to the Lord your God in the place which the Lord shall choose; because the Lord your God shall bless you in all you increase, and in all the work of your hands, and you shall be altogether joyful…
The feast of Sukkot, of all our holidays, is the one is characterized by the idea of universalism.