Union for Reform Judaism
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| Union for Reform Judaism | |
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| Type | {{{company_type}}} |
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| Founded |  Cincinnati, Ohio (1873) |
| Headquarters | |
| Website | http://www.urj.org |
The Union for Reform Judaism (URJ), formerly known as the Union of American Hebrew Congregations (UAHC), is an organization which supports Reform Jewish congregations in North America. The current President is Rabbi Eric H. Yoffie, and the Chairman of the Board is Robert M. Heller.
This organization was founded in 1873, in Cincinnati, Ohio, by Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise, originally as the Union of American Hebrew Congregations. At the time it consisted of 34 congregations. As of 2005 some 900 synagogues are now associated with it.
In 2003, at the Biennial convention, the General Assembly officially changed the name of the movement to the Union for Reform Judaism. The former name had reflected Wise's expectation that the whole of American Jewry would eventually affiliate with the Reform movement. It also lacked recognition of URJ-affiliated congregations outside of the United States. The organization is often referred to simply as "the Union."
In 1875, the Union created the Hebrew Union College (HUC), the Reform movement serminary to train rabbis and later cantors and other Jewish professionals. Rabbis in URJ member synagogues are members of the Central Conference of American Rabbis (CCAR).
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[edit] Youth
The URJ Youth Division funds and organizes two youth wings, NFTY and KESHER, for High School and College students, respectively. The Youth Division also runs international travel programs to Israel and Europe and administers the URJ Camping system.
[edit] Political Outreach
The political and legislative outreach of the URJ is performed by the Religious Action Center (RAC), operated in conjunction with CCAR. The RAC advocates policy positions based upon religious values, and is generally associated with political progressivism.
[edit] Camps
The URJ owns and operates 12 summer camps in the United States and Canada.[1] An additional camp is currently under construction in Washington, and a further four are operated by URJ-affiliated synagogues. When not in use as camps, some of these facilities are often used by other community groups, including NFTY national and regional events. Many of the camps have long provided the opportunity for high-school aged campers to travel to Israel during a summer.
[edit] Hava Nashira
Hava Nashira is an annual Jewish songleading workshop held every spring at URJ Olin-Sang-Ruby Union Institute camp. The workshop is open to URJ camp songleaders as well as to synagogue music specialists and all those with a serious interest in Jewish songleading and music. Hava Nashira draws the best of modern Jewish musicians, including Debbie Friedman, Craig Taubman, and Dan Nichols to lead specialty tracks. Examples of creative tracks offered in previous years: "URJ Camp Songleading" by Dan Nichols and Rosalie Will Boxt, "Repertoire Renewal" by Debbie Friedman, and "Music for Young Children and Families" by Peter and Ellen Allard.
