Resources
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Israel Must Purge the Bloodguilt of Settler Violence
Rabbi Jonah Winer argues that we must move the North American Jewish community’s discourse from a focus on the crimes of individual radical settlers, to the violence of the occupation and settlement projects as a whole.
High Holiday Sermon Resource: On Settler Violence & State Violence
Use these clergy resources to help your community make a narrative shift: expanding beyond rightful condemnation of settler violence to seeing and working against the violence of the occupation and settlement projects as a whole.
Antisemitism & Immigration: A Messaging Guide for Jewish Clergy
When the fight against antisemitism is used to harm immigrants, rabbis and cantors can be powerful voices to describe what’s at play and advocate for and inspire action towards our shared safety.
The Human Right to Have a Child
Commentary on Rosh Hashanah Torah and Haftarah readings. Reproductive rights have been hijacked. When someone mentions the phrase “reproductive rights,” the first things that usually come to mind are either birth control or abortion. However, the ability to prevent pregnancy is only part of reproductive rights. What about the right to have a child? This...
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Justice and Compassion (Parshat Shoftim)
Commentary on Parshat Shoftim (Deuteronomy 16:18 – 21:9) Parshat Shoftim opens with the injunction of setting judges and officers within your gates (Deut. 16:18). The proximity of Parshat Shoftim to the month of Elul has given way to an interesting inner connection, brought by several Hasidic masters (Avodat Israel, Devarim, Shoftim 1 ; Sefat Emet,...
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Those who served their time deserve a second chance (Shabbat Nachamu)
A d’var Torah on Shabbat Nachamu Clarence Office, Jr., of Miami, FL, served in the U.S. Army for three years in the 1970s and was honorably discharged. Like many veterans, Clarence tragically fell into drug use and was arrested for drug offenses. He served a prison term and paid his debt to society. Clarence now...
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The Weeping Mother Speaks: On Tisha B’Av, Remembering the Pain of Separation
Tisha B’Av reminds us: You know what this awful pain feels like. First, every year, we are supposed to practice feeling the excruciating dissonance between the way things are and the way they should be. We have to feel the deep outrage and pain of the crying mother. But we must also be Rachel, weeping not only for her children, but naming the more compassionate way of being that we know, that we remember is possible.
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Real Leadership
Rabbi David Ackerman on Pinchas' two distinct visions of leadership, and two sharply divergent paradigms of proper behavior on the part of a leader.
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A Very Brief Introduction to the Occupation
This 16-page, pocket-sized pamphlet , produced by T’ruah in partnership with Breaking the Silence, offers basic definitions for understanding the Israeli occupation, testimonies from an Israeli soldier and a Palestinian civilian, a brief text study, and recommendations for further reading. Buy packets of booklets here, to share with your community, friends, and family. (Please allow...
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Lessons in Leadership and Conflict (Parshat Korach)
Conflict is an element of leadership. As the ultimate example of rebellion among the Israelites the core question is this: How are we to deal with conflict when — not if — it arises?
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Every Person Counts? (Parshat Bamidbar)
Commentary on Parshat Bamidbar (Numbers 1:1-4:20) Our Torah portion opens with the taking of another census of B’nai Yisrael – the Children of Israel – this time “listed by their clans, ages 20 years and up, all those in Israel who are able to bear arms…” (Num. 1:2) This is census number three since the...
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