Resources Archives

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Engaging Interfaith Families for the High Holy Days: A Checklist for an Inclusive Synagogue Experience

By Tema Smith

This is the perfect inclusive synagogue checklist to read through for the High Holy Days. The High Holy...

Professional Development, Professionals, Resources

Image of two sets of feet wearing hiking boots and walking in the woods with the sun shining through the trees.

How Do We Bring Two Faiths into Our Everyday?

By Laura Drescher

Often couples of the same faith join a religious community together after getting married. As an interfaith...

Identity, Religion, Religious Life, Resources, Spirituality

My Mission to Welcome

By Rabbi Sarah Tasman

This blog post originally appeared at Rituallwell.org One of my favorite parts of being a rabbi and the director...

Clergy, Clergy Weddings, Resources

An Open Letter to Judaism from an Interfaith Family

By Liz Polay-Wettengel

Dear Judaism, Well I’ve gone and done it. I didn’t mean to make you mad, but I can tell that I did. There I...

Policy, Resources

How Can We Enact Jewish Values?

By Rabbi Jillian Cameron

Madeleine Albright speaking at the Consultation on Conscience conference We live in a world of infinite choices,...

Chicago, Policy, Religious Education, Religious Life, Resources

Be Courageous

By Jane Larkin

An email from the family in charge of leading the discussion for the next fourth-grade book club landed in my...

Religious Life, Resources

Wanted: Members

By Rabbi Ari Moffic

The Chancellor of the Conservative Movement’s Jewish Theological Seminary wrote a recent article which appeared...

Identity, Op-ed, Resources

“How We Be” – Our Day at Camp JRF

By Rabbi Robyn Frisch

Everyone stand in a big circle. If you have a parent who is not Jewish, take a step inside the circle. Stay...

Camp, Religious Life, Resources

New Ideas about Jewish Newcomers

By Rabbi Ari Moffic

I’ve been out and about lately (Diversity Shabbat at Temple Chai in Long Grove and the PJ Library Conference...

Religious Life, Resources

Talking Interfaith at TribeFest 2014

By Rabbi Ari Moffic

Lindsey Silken and I recently attended TribeFest which is a conference of the Jewish Federations of North America....

Religious Life, Resources

Ending the Shabbat Protests

By Jessie Boatright

I read Jodi S. Rosenfeld’s post about peeking through her fingers at her kids during candle lighting instead...

Resources

Rabbi Ari Moffic’s Sermon on Today’s Judaism

By Rabbi Ari Moffic

The following is my sermon given on March 7, 2014 at Temple Beth El in Munster, IN. The weekly Torah portions...

Professional Development, Professionals, Religion, Religious Life, Resources, Synagogue

What Happens When Judaism Becomes Ethics?

By Rebecca Goodman

One of my favorite camp counselors from my youth, now a respected university instructor and demographer, Marc...

Clergy, Resources, Synagogue

Who is IN and Who is OUT?

By Rabbi Ari Moffic

I recently attended a think tank talking about how to expand “our” reach to interfaith families, Jews of all...

Clergy, Professionals, Resources

Jewish Educators: Keeping It Real

By Rabbi Ari Moffic

My last blog post was a plea to program providers to look at their enrollment forms with new lenses this summer....

Clergy, Professionals, Religious Education, Religious Life, Resources

Why I Now Officiate at Interfaith Weddings

By Rabbi Robyn Frisch

When I was ordained as a Reform Rabbi in 2000 I was certain that I would never officiate at interfaith wedding...

Clergy Weddings, Officiant, Officiation, Religious Life, Resources, Weddings

What Apple Stores Can Teach Synagogues

By Rabbi Ari Moffic

An Apple store opening in Chicago A Reform educator in town, Vanessa Ehrlich, wrote an interesting blog post...

Resources

The Challenge of a Jewish Education – A Plea to Educators

By Wendy Armon

I am a day school kid. I didn’t like learning Hebrew much but I didn’t like school much either. I have some...

Policy, Religious Education, Resources

Try Being a Stranger

By Rabbi Ari Moffic

We speak a lot about the importance of welcoming interfaith families to organized Jewish life. Congregations...

Policy, Religious Life, Resources

Membership Possibilities: the Give and Take Model

By Rabbi Ari Moffic

Many rabbis I meet with me tell me that they need more members in their synagogues. They want to retain their...

Religious Life, Resources, Synagogue

Rabbis and Intermarriage

By Edmund Case

I recently read an article, Debatable: Should Our Seminary Admit Students with Non-Jewish Partners?, in the...

Clergy, Policy, Resources

Something I’ve Been Thinking About…

By Rabbi Ari Moffic

I love brainstorming ideas for Jewish education and engagement (outreach). One idea I’ve been tossing around...

Religious Life, Resources

Jewish Organization Equality Index

By Benjamin Maron

Last winter, I received a request to fill out a survey from our friends at Keshet (working for the inclusion...

Policy, Resources

Where Are Your Kinsmen?

By Rabbi Ari Moffic

I recently officiated a wedding in which there were only a few Jewish people there (and I was one of them)....

Breaking the Glass, Clergy Weddings, Counseling, Engagement, Resources, Seven Blessings, Weddings

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