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What We Gain From Interfaith Dialogue: Project Understanding

What We Gain From Interfaith Dialogue: Project Understanding jemerman April 26, 2023

What happens when you take six Jewish teens and six Catholic teens to Israel? This was the very question that Roger Tilles and the late Fr. Tom Hartman hoped to answer in 1988 when they organized Project Understanding.

Israel at 75: Forging the Path Together

Israel at 75: Forging the Path Together jemerman April 21, 2023

In November 2006, I set out with a pack on my back to walk the Land. I knew that before I enlisted in the Israel Defense Forces, I wanted a more intimate relationship with the country that I had made my home.

Celebrating the Trailblazing Mothers of Zionism

Celebrating the Trailblazing Mothers of Zionism jemerman April 13, 2023

While many are acquainted with the "fathers" of modern Zionism (Theodore Herzl, Leon Pinsker, David Ben Gurion, and others) early women Zionists have been largely overlooked. Their contributions to Zionism and Jewish kibbutzim were vital to establishing the state of Israel. It's time that their work was celebrated and recognized.

5 Ways to Observe Yom HaZikaron Outside Israel

5 Ways to Observe Yom HaZikaron Outside Israel chill April 11, 2023

Though most of us in North America don’t have the same connection to those who have died in service to Israel, we can still observe Israeli Memorial Day as we mourn from afar.

How to Help Support Israel's Democracy

How to Help Support Israel's Democracy urjadmin April 1, 2023

Here are some ways you and your community can support Israeli democracy and the Israeli Reform Movement during this critical moment.

Building Deep Relationships with Israel: URJ Heller High and the People of Israel

Building Deep Relationships with Israel: URJ Heller High and the People of Israel jemerman March 16, 2023

Heller High aims to build deep, lasting relationships between North American Jewish teens and Israel, developing the next generation of Reform Jewish Zionists. The Heller High program gives students the opportunity to learn from and get to know different groups of Israelis.

Seeking Jewish Values Amidst Broken Glass

Seeking Jewish Values Amidst Broken Glass jemerman January 18, 2023

Nearly two months ago, our Just Zionism group landed in Israel as the election to cement a far-right government in the Knesset was taking effect. When we landed, I had a surface-level understanding of Israeli politics but was about to get a crash course on the election's implications for the activists who were heartbroken by the results.

Israel is Messy and I Love It

Israel is Messy and I Love It jemerman December 20, 2022

On November 2, 2022, I landed at Ben Gurion Airport for the first time. Filled with many emotions, this being my first trip to Israel, I decided to keep an open mind as I joined twelve young adult leaders on a journey to learn more about Israel, Zionism, and why Jews in the Diaspora, especially in the United States, should be engaged.

Aliyah to Israel is a Reform Value, Too!

Aliyah to Israel is a Reform Value, Too! jemerman October 18, 2022

There are a few days in my life that stand out. There are the big milestones: my first days of school, going to camp for the first time, and my first homerun. Another one of those dates that stands out is December 28th, 2015. That was the day that I made aliyah and became an Israeli citizen.

Keeping Family Close, Regardless of Distance

Keeping Family Close, Regardless of Distance jemerman September 21, 2022

As I boarded the plane to Israel in the summer of 2002 for my first year of rabbinical school at HUC in Jerusalem, my mother said, "Please, just don't meet an Israeli." As soon as the plane touched down at Ben Gurion airport, I knew that I was home. A few months later, I met that Israeli. From our first conversation, he understood that I was studying to be a rabbi, and I understood that he wanted to live only in Israel.