WUPJ News
Tamar Tikkun Olam Seminar Revisits Rio Doce River to Continue Working For the Community
The Areal Community, in the district of Linhares in the state of Espirito Santo, Brazil, was one of the communities affected by the mineral residues from the rupture of the dam of the Samarco mining company in 2015. Located in the mouth of the Rio Doce river, the community, made up of 250 indigenous inhabitants, was deprived of the only leisure activity that the population had: swimming in the river and lakes. The World Union for Progressive Judaism (WUPJ) together with the Unidos Pela Vida (UPV) (United for Life) Institute visited the region in December 2016 during the 1st Tamar Tikkun Olam Seminar. Now, participants returned with additional resources to build a soccer field and more for the community and its children.
Representing Global Reform Judaism at the United Nations
On August 10, 2017 representatives from the World Union for Progressive Judaism (WUPJ), Union for Reform Judaism (URJ), Women of Reform Judaism (WRJ), Israel Movement for Progressive Judaism (IMPJ), the Association of Reform Zionists of America (ARZA), and ARZENU, the International Federation of Reform and Progressive Religious Zionists, met in person and virtually to discuss the global progressive movement’s efficacy at the United Nations in New York.
Promoting a Shared Society in Israel: Jews and Arabs Working Together
On the fifth of the Hebrew month of Iyar, 5708 (May 14, 1948), the leaders of the newly established State of Israel signed a Declaration of Independence. … Almost 70 years later, the State of Israel still struggles to balance its Jewish and democratic character – to remain committed to its Jewish values while at the same time remembering that those values obligate it to treat those who are not Jewish as equals.
[AMSTERDAM] How a Visit to an Amsterdam Synagogue Changed Our Entire Vacation
What does it mean to be part of a global Jewish community? For many of us, the concept can be difficult to truly grasp. My father, sisters, and I recently had the chance to understand a little more about it, though, during our recent visit to the Progressive/Liberal Jewish Community of Amsterdam (LJG) when we met in […]
Leo Baeck College Makes History as Seven New Rabbis are Ordained
Seven new European Progressive rabbis have been ordained by Leo Baeck College, including the first ever Spanish born Progressive rabbi. Six of the rabbis will serve Reform communities. Rabbi Haim Casas will make history when he returns home to begin work in communities in Spain, as well as France and Switzerland. He was one of the […]
Second Tikkun Olam Seminar in Brazil Continues its Impact
“The month of July 2017 marked 20 months of the day when the mud from Samarco reached the ocean. Twenty months of mud and struggle. Today we get together to remember, we get together to feel, we get together to pray, we get together to act for the regeneration of the Rio Doce river. We […]
Shaarei Shalom on Wheels: Journeying to the Reform Jewish Communities of Prague and Berlin
The Shaarei Shalom community in St. Petersburg, Russia has begun a new project, the idea of which is to touch upon Jewish history and gain a better understanding of the life of today’s Jews in Europe, specifically the life of the Reform communities in Prague and Berlin. The founding member of this project is Ilya […]
Announcing the Appointment of Lior Argaman to Interim Director of Netzer Olami and Tamar, the World Union’s Reform Youth and Young Adult Movements
The World Union for Progressive Judaism is excited to announce the appointment of Lior Argaman as Interim Director of Netzer Olami and Tamar. Lior will be replacing Maoz Haviv who, after two decades of dedicated and devoted service, is retiring at the end of the month. Lior served as the Director of Shnat Netzer, the […]
A Statement by Rabbis Laura Janner-Klausner and Danny Rich on Behalf of Britain’s Alliance for Progressive Judaism Israel Desk
This reversal of a promise made by the Israeli Government, under pressure from the Ultra-Orthodox, is a betrayal of Israeli and Diaspora Jewry. The Diaspora stands with Progressive Jews in Israel in continuing the fight for an egalitarian prayer space at the Kotel. The majority of Jews in Israel, and all around the world, believe […]
South African Center for Religious Equality and Diversity (SACRED) Press Statement
South African Center for Religious Equality and Diversity (SACRED) notes the abandonment of the January 2016 agreement to create a new egalitarian prayer space at the Kotel with intense disappointment. It is painful to us that some of our Jewish brothers and sisters cannot find it in their hearts to ensure that all Jews can […]