Dear friends, We are entering Passover at a fragile time, when fragmentation feels close to the surface. Public discourse is ever more brittle. Democratic norms are strained. Antisemitism has become more visible and
Reconstructing Judaism President and CEO Rabbi Deborah Waxman is among more than 1,100 Jewish clergy from 45 states who have signed a statement affirming their
This is so hard. Everything changes and changes again and then changes again. The world we knew when we entered Shabbat on Friday was gone when we woke up the next day. Suddenly, America is at war and Israel is at war again and millions of people across the Middle East are under attack and seeking shelter, even where no shelters exist. While we have hopes and prayers and ideas and recommendations, we do not know how this will end, and many Americans are devastated at how it started—before every diplomatic avenue was exhaustively pursued and without adequate consultation with or oversight from Congress, in direct violation of the US Constitution.
Rabbi Deborah Waxman, Ph.D., president and CEO of Reconstructing Judaism, will be a featured speaker at J Street’s 2026 Convention in Washington, D.C. The four-day
Adding our voices to millions of others across the United States, leaders of the Reform, Conservative/Masorti, and Reconstructionist Movements of Judaism condemn, in the strongest terms, the violence with which the Department of Homeland Security is enforcing American immigration law—above all, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, as well as in cities and towns across the nation.
Why does the World Zionist Congress matter? It directs over $5 billion in global Jewish resources, shaping everything from land policy to religious life to what gets built – and importantly, where. Rabbi Waxman joined “Word on the Street Live” with J Street founder Jeremy Ben-Ami and Rabbi Jill Jacobs, CEO of T’ruah, to offer insight into the inner workings of the World Zionist Congress and to discuss the Reconstructionist values driving the progressive Hatikvah Slate.
High Holy Days are an inflection point. They are a time to pause and absorb words of wisdom, comfort, and purpose from the bimah. As Reconstructionists across the country wrestle with the ongoing situation in the Middle East and search for light and joy, we want to share a few recent High Holy Day sermons with you. While our rabbis do not have all the answers, they have some, especially when they hold up a mirror to our collective struggles and speak about them with refreshing candor and insight.
To respond to the strains Jewish writers are experiencing, Ritualwell is launching a new initiative, Jewish Writers’ Circles. Starting this fall in multiple cities across North America and Europe, as many as twenty Jewish Writers’ Circles will meet monthly, with Ritualwell providing session guides and coaching support. These circles will nurture Jewish literary community, strengthen participants’ writing, and enrich their lives with Jewish wisdom.
Thursdays, January 15, 22, 29 @ 8:00pm-9:30pm We are witnessing a resurgence of antisemitism across the political spectrum that, for many Jews, has strained relationships,
Serving as central organization of the Reconstructionist movement
Training the next generation of groundbreaking rabbis
Modeling respectful conversations on pressing Jewish issues
Curating original, Jewish rituals, and convening Jewish creatives
