March 24, 2025 – כ״ד אַדָר תשפ”ה The Association of Reform Zionists of America deeply mourns the loss of Rabbi Stanley Davids, a past President of ARZA and a champion of Reform Zionism. Born in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1939, Rabbi Davids was ordained from the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in 1965. Very active […]
Friday March 21, 2025 – כ״א אַדָר תשפ”ה For many Israelis who are striving to save Israeli democracy, this past Wednesday brought back “nostalgic” feelings of the pre-October 7th reality. Coming in droves by train to the nation’s capital, they carried signs and banners. They revived familiar chants about democracy, the balance of power, and […]
Friday, March 14, 2025 – י״ד אַדָר תשפ”ה The story, as we know it, is all too familiar. The power-hungry megalomaniacal aspiring tyrant and scapegoat artist who whispers conspiracy theories and plots to rid the nation/empire/world of the Jews with the goal of self-advancement and purported heroism. The Purim story sees the unlikely savior in […]
Friday March 6, 2025 – ז׳ אַדָר תשפ”ה What if I told you that you could do something simple that would have a significant impact on the future of the State of Israel and the Jewish people? Over the past 5 years, especially the past 16 months, many of us have supported or traveled to […]
Friday February 28, 2024 – ל׳ שְׁבָט תשפ”ה “את זוכרת את ההחלטה האחרונה שלנו? בממ”ד, כששאלתי אותך אם ׳נלחמים או נכנעים׳. אמרת לי ׳נלחמים׳, אז נלחמתי.” ~ירדן ביבס, בהספד על משפחתו ב- 26.02.2025 “Do you remember our last decision together? In the safe room, when I asked you, ‘Do we fight or surrender?’ You said, […]
Shekels Matter: Reform Judaism in Israel Shabbat Shekalim and Parashat Terumah March 1, 2025 – א׳ אַדָר תשפ״ה Rabbi Barry H. Block As we prepare to encourage members of our community to Vote Reform! in the upcoming World Zionist Congress election, we must prepare ourselves for some challenging conversations, particularly when we discuss the […]
Friday February 21, 2025 – כ״ג שְׁבָט תשפ”ה דּוֹדִ֥י צַח֙ וְאָד֔וֹם דָּג֖וּל מֵרְבָבָֽה׃ רֹאשׁ֖וֹ כֶּ֣תֶם פָּ֑ז קְוֻצּוֹתָיו֙ תַּלְתַּלִּ֔ים שְׁחֹר֖וֹת כָּעוֹרֵֽב׃ (שיר השירים ה:י) “My beloved is clear-skinned and ruddy, preeminent among ten thousand. His head is finest radiant gold.” (Song of Songs 5:10) The image will likely go down in history as one […]
Friday February 14, 2025 – ט״ז שְׁבָט תשפ”ה Standing Again at Sinai: Our Moment to Shape the Future. “There we were all in one place, a generation lost in space…” We stood together as an entire nation, waiting to be transformed. Our tradition teaches that all Jews—past, present, and future—stood at the foot of […]
Friday February 7, 2025 – ט׳ שְׁבָט תשפ”ה The question that will plague us for the next three years, 49 weeks, and four days is when to take President Trump seriously and when to ignore what he says. How will we know if something he announces, declares, or mentions in passing is a serious and […]
Friday, January 31, 2025 – ג׳ שְׁבָט תשפ”ה No picture is more moving than children reuniting with their parents and families after 481 days of nightmarish captivity. Yesterday (Thursday), today, and tomorrow, we will once again bear witness to frail yet persistent hostages on their way to liberation, making their way through a proverbial […]
וַיֹּ֤אמֶר יְהֹוָה֙ אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֔ה רְאֵ֛ה נְתַתִּ֥יךָ אֱלֹהִ֖ים לְפַרְעֹ֑ה וְאַהֲרֹ֥ן אָחִ֖יךָ יִהְיֶ֥ה נְבִיאֶֽךָ׃אַתָּ֣ה תְדַבֵּ֔ר אֵ֖ת כׇּל־אֲשֶׁ֣ר אֲצַוֶּ֑ךָּ וְאַהֲרֹ֤ן אָחִ֙יךָ֙ יְדַבֵּ֣ר אֶל־פַּרְעֹ֔ה וְשִׁלַּ֥ח אֶת־בְּנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל מֵאַרְצֽוֹ׃ (שמות ז:א-ב) “יהוה replied to Moses, “See, I place you in the role of God to Pharaoh, with your brother Aaron as your prophet. You shall repeat all that I command you and […]
Friday January 17, 2025 – י״ז טֵבֵת תשפ”ה וַיָּקׇם מֶלֶךְ־חָדָשׁ עַל־מִצְרָיִם אֲשֶׁר לֹא־יָדַע אֶת־יוֹסֵף׃ (שמות א:ח) “A new king arose over Egypt who did not know Joseph.” (Exodus 1:8) In the coming days, we are going to experience an emotional roller coaster. There will be excruciating moments of torment each time there might appear to […]