JVoices: your jewish wake up call

Among all of the deeply rewarding elements of the pulpit rabbinate, none has been as meaning-filled, for me personally and on a broader communal level, as guiding the study and rituals of those who choose Judaism and the Jewish people as their own.
Each of the individuals who have invited me to join them — at [...]

On August 1st, I participated in a small tour through Canada Park lead by Eitan Bronstein, the Director of Zochrot [Remembering], an organization of Israeli citizens working to raise awareness of the Nakba, the Palestinian catastrophe of 1948. Canada Park is run by the Jewish National Fund (JNF) and lies thirty minutes outside of Tel [...]

Noted author Garry Wills wrote an excellent book last year about American Christians. Or rather, ‘Head and Heart: American Christianities.’ After reading it, I was finally able to make sense of the relationship between seemingly disparate phenomena, such as:

Where did Christian Zionism come from, and why is it strongest in the US?
Why do some Christians [...]

I’m off this weekend to attend the Righteous Indignation conference at Hebrew College. Dan asked me to present with him on online organizing, which is the bestest way ever to build a loyal friendship! When it’s my turn, I’ll talk about some of the things I love about the rise of online advocacy - the [...]

When I heard that Leveling the Playing Field: Advancing Women in Jewish Organizational Life by Shifra Bronznick, Didi Goldenhar, Marty Linsky, and Beverly Joel (who did layout and design for the book) was out, I knew I’d want to get at least an excerpt for readers.
While my experience in Jewish communal life is more [...]

A week ago, Wednesday, March 26th, was the first anniversary of the Jewish Theological Seminary’s decision to admit openly gay and lesbian rabbinical and cantorial students, following on the Committee on Jewish Law and Standards’ December 2006 vote. In celebration, the students of JTS’s Committee on Inclusion a fantastic program called “Hazak Hazak V’Nithazek: Celebrating [...]

For folks who are looking for a place to grow your leadership skills in the social justice world, and to do so with other Jews, definitely check out this opportunity!

The Selah Leadership Program* trains a cross-section of leaders in Jewish and secular organizations to be effective, sustainable and collaborative agents for change. Through it’s six [...]

(apologies to those who aren’t living in new york city - this is an event announcement)
(it seems like there are many more radical purim extravaganzas going on all over the country, though, and i’m posting this announcement in part to encourage folks to think big and exciting for next year…)
this year’s eighth-or-so edition of the [...]

I could say I wish I was young enough to do this, but I don’t wanna be that young again–at least not literally.
So, for those that are, here’s a great opportunity for young folks, ages 15-19, to apply to make a high quality film with professional resources, even if you have no prior filmmaking [...]

Remember this debacle? Everyone had something to say about it (including many disturbing comments on Digg, so folks who wanna join Mobius in changing Digg up, hit him up), and Smith quickly responded with a statement:
“It is an awful and disgusting lie,” Smith said in a statement released Monday, regarding the suggestion that he believes [...]