WUPJ News

On October 31 to November 2, close to 60 youth and young adults came together in Belarus for a Netzer, Reform Zionist youth movement, conference. With students of the University of Moscow in attendance, participants explored ways to advance Netzer in the coming years, including strengthening current projects in communities in the region, and developing new ones to meet growing needs among the next generation.

Ambassador Rabbi David Saperstein, President of the World Union, met with the board of the Union of  Progressive Jews in Germany, spoke at a reception of the Union in his honor on Saturday and was the guest of honor of the gala dinner on the occasion of the annual general meeting of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, addressing its delegates (orthodox and reform) as the only speaker.

On November 1-3 a delegation of the board of Beth Hillel Roma, along with its Rabbi, Joel Oseran, visited Gil Geneva. The aim of the visit was for Beth Hillel to learn from Gil’s strategies and operations and for Gil to learn about Beth Hillel’s progress and future steps. This was the third occasion for the respective communities to share updates and deepen their relationship as part of the World Union’s congregational twinning program. 

K’lal Yisrael – one Jewish people. It is not surprising that WRJ offers us an opportunity to connect and partner with the World Union for Progressive Judaism (WUPJ). You may think of Argentina or Australia as places where Jews live, but do you also think of China or the Czech Republic? Would you guess that the Progressive Jewish community is experiencing resurgence in Germany, Spain, and Russia? It is WUPJ’s goal to ensure that all Jews have access to a vibrant and personally meaningful Jewish life.

Join the World Union for Progressive Judaism for an evening of celebration. The Gala Dinner will honor the dean of the HUC-JIR/Jerusalem Taube Family Campus, Rabbi Naamah Kelman; and the Rabbi Emeritus of the Kol Haneshama Congregation in Jerusalem and President of the Rabbis for Human Rights, Rabbi Levi Weiman-Kelman. As part of the URJ Biennial, the celebration will pay special tribute to Rabbi Daniel H. Freelander, President, 2014-19.

Rabbi Julia Margolis, from Beit Luria Progressive Shul in Johannesburg, was invited by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community South Africa to participate in their Interfaith Peace Symposium and talked about Unity in Diversity.

On October 29, the World Union in New York hosted a Planned Giving Webinar, offering participants a new way to think about legacy giving. Middle income donors often feel like they can’t afford to make a major gift to an organization they care about, but legacy donors are among our most valued major donors.

During Sukkot celebration in October, the Sandra Breslauer Beit Simha Center in Minsk hosted its annual “Readings in the Sukkah” where guests took part in reading from Ecclesiastes (“Kohelet”) and prayers for peace in eight languages, as by Irina Belskia, Beit Simha’s Jewish educator. Festival participants developed the initiative to create an interfaith text for reflection to read at various memorial services after a peace prayer.

The World Union joins members of our global movement – in Germany and around the world – in expressing our horror and sadness upon hearing of the brutal attack on a synagogue in Halle, Germany. We grieve the loss of life and the terror enacted upon those who came together to pray on Yom Kippur, the holiest of days in the Jewish calendar. 

We are excited to welcome Nicki Braun to lead Netzer Olami in a newly-envisioned role for the global movement. Nicki grew up in Netzer Australia, participated in Shnat Netzer Gap Year in Israel, and took on key leadership roles. Now that she moved to Jerusalem, Nicki will play a key role in Shnat Netzer, the Progressive Jewish Gap Year program in Israel, and will spend time in communities around the world during her tenure.