WUPJ News

The WUPJ Conference in Odessa was an excellent platform for participants to study and discuss the ideology and mission of our Movement. Representatives of the communities of Russia, Ukraine and Belarus, along with youth leaders and activists from Netzer participated in lively discussions about the future of the movement, about the priorities that we want to set for ourselves over the next two years and expressed opinions on how to build a link between different generations in communities.

“One building, two communities” isn’t just a catchy phrase. This is a reality for International Jewish Center (IJC) and Beth Hillel congregations in Brussels. Since last January, both progressive communities have effectively begun co-habiting in the spacious and beautiful building of Beth Hillel.

The second general assembly of the Italian Federation for Progressive Judaism (FIEP) was held on 4 November on the theme ‘The future is Now’. Introduced by the co-presidents’ report,  Franca Eckert Coen and Joyce Bigio, the morning continued with a constructive and lively debate on the current state and perspectives of the  Jewish  Progressive Movement in Italy.

One of my favourite quotes, by Martin Nieumöller, and a modern day adaptation of it that I found on Twitter. I share them now because they’re something that we can all learn from.

In January 2006, I attended the Beutel Leadership Seminar in Israel. The seminar, which was then in its third year, was organised and run by the Anita Saltz International Education Center (now called the WUPJ Center for Leadership Development and Education), and we were based at its international headquarters in Jerusalem The Beutel Leadership Seminar’s […]

It is with profound sadness that the World Union for Progressive Judaism reaches out to the Jewish community of Pittsburgh to send its condolences. We stand with you. We share your pain and shock. Please find resources from across our regions and way you can stand in solidarity against anti-Semitism.

On October Monday October 15th, the World Union, and its partners in the Institute for Modern Jewish Studies – Russian State  University, Abraham Geiger Kolleg, and Potsdam University – came together to dedicate and open the Frances Aaron Hess Memorial Library at the Institute.

The World Union was honored to host and sponsor a festive evening honoring the volunteers from Project Yadayim “Hands-On” on October 7, 2018 at Beit Shmuel. 

MJLF Rabbi Delphine Horvilleur was chosen by the international foundation Global Hope Coalition  as one of five 2018 “Heroes Against Extremism and Intolerance”.  The award was made by Ronald Lauder, President of the World Jewish Congress, on 28 September, in the presence of heads of state and government present in New York for the United Nations General Assembly.   Delphine Horvilleur was the first rabbi to receive this global award.  Serge and Beate Klarsfeld were honoured in this way when these awards were first granted in 2016.

This is an unusual travelogue for me.

The afternoon before Rosh Hashanah, I was eating lunch at a Balinese vegan food restaurant with a Frenchman.  He was telling me that he had put up a mezuzah on the door of his Balinese hotel room, when three lovely young Indonesian women, sisters from Jakarta, turn from their table and say, “I just couldn’t help but overhearing.  Shanah Tova!”

This year I volunteered to serve a small and unusual kehillah (community) in Bali, Indonesia.