Featured Resources

WATCH: When Israel Breaks Your Heart

A briefing with Breaking the Silence about the current reality in Israel, the plan for Gaza, and the mass devastation in Gaza from a lens of understanding of the military and the work needed to build a just future.

Photo of the author, Rabbi Jacob Chatinover

Korach: The Entire People is Holy

The entire people is holy, each of them. God is with their pain and their needs. As narrow as our focus can be when we are in acute moments of pain, in struggling with what to say and when to say it as a leader, I see that there are times to push, times to be silent, and times to support.

Criticism of Israel and Antisemitism: How to Tell Where One Ends and the Other Begins

In this time of inflamed passions, it’s crucial both to ensure that criticism of Israel does not cross the line into antisemitism, and to protect the free speech of those protesting Israel’s actions.

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The Generous Heart

by Rabbi Rachael Bregman
Kaethe Morris Hoffer, Executive Director of CAASE (Chicago Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation) does the following exercise with groups: Think back to a recent walk in a public space. Imagine someone, anyone, you passed on your way. Now, how much money would it take for you to perform a sex act with, on, or to this...
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Extra Virgin Human Rights

by Rabbi Becky Silverstein
Parshat Tetzaveh focuses on the priests’ vestments and ordination, building on last week’s plan and vision of the mishkan. The pivot point between these topics is a singular commandment about a particular activity within the daily service: “You (Moses) shall further instruct the Israelites to bring you clear oil of beaten olives for lighting, for...
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Crying Out Loud

by Rabbi Marc Philippe
A year ago exactly, we were preparing for our Human Trafficking Awareness Shabbat. The theme resonated so much–as it still does today–with the biblical narrative: Jewish bondage in Egypt. We never expected that a real life sex trafficking case would happen practically on our doorstep. It happened two blocks south of our synagogue, in the...
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Pharaoh and King

by Rabbi Howard L. Jaffe
Martin Luther King, whose birthday we remember and celebrate this week, confirmed what Pharaoh’s behavior already taught us: God helps each of us become who we are determined to become. Amongst the most obvious differences between the modern giant of social justice and the ancient Egyptian ruler is that MLK had, in his own words,...
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Fear

by Rabbi Jennie Rosenn
In December I sat with M., a thirty-four year old man who is seeking asylum. Over the course of 3 ½ hours, M. told me what he had endured for many years in his country that propelled him to leave his home and his country to embark on a harrowing journey in search of asylum....
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Rosh Pinna: Keystone of Justice

by Rabbi Mordechai Liebling
I am standing by a pristine mountain stream at 10,000 ft. in the Wind River Range in Wyoming and sobbing. My hiking partner Ed, whose family has been here for hundreds of years, has just said to me that the land belongs to me as much as it does to him. That was nearly 40...
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Mi Sheberach for Survivors of Human Trafficking

A prayer for survivors of human trafficking that can be said during the Torah service, after the prayer (Mi Sheberach) for healing.
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Release and Hold Harmless Agreement

All participation in T’ruah programs in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories is governed by this “Release, Indemnification, and Hold Harmless Agreement.” By signing up for a program, participants have agreed to accept these terms. A link to this document is always provided during the registration process.
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On That Day

by Rabbi Dr. Aryeh Cohen
“Our God and God of our ancestors: in Your glory, rule over the entire universe; in Your splendor, be exalted over all the earth; in the majestic beauty of Your overwhelming presence, appear to all the inhabitants of Your world. Then, all that You have made will recognize You as their maker, all that You...
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T’shuvah, Hope and the Struggle for Justice

by Rabbi Neal Joseph Loevinger
It’s hard to hope for peace these days. The ceasefire in Gaza holds but there is no political breakthrough; President Obama has just announced a new and complex military action against a brutal enemy in Iraq and Syria; Ukraine is bleeding, and anti-Semitism in Europe has turned ugly and violent. Here at home, the suburbs...
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