In the Press

Rabbi Galit Levy-Slater, June 2018 Published in Jewish Community Chronicle (Long Beach)   My friends and members of my congregation will be the first to tell you that I am “not your grandfather’s rabbi.”   I was raised in a family and an environment that gave me an insight into the horrors of the holocaust […]Read More »

Rabbi Ivan Browner, UJUC Founder writes from Tokyo, Japan   In today’s day and age, we as a people find ourselves closer together in so many ways.  Advances in Technology and engineering, allow me to type this blog, and instantly share it with people all over the world at the push of a button.  Unfortunately, […]Read More »

By Rabbi Deborah Reichmann Give now! Crowdfund! It’s my birthday, donate to my fundraiser! Support my cause! We can’t do it without you! Your donation will save a life! It is relentless. It has stopped prodding our consciences. It isn’t even an annoyance anymore, it has become another thing that we ignore. We are pulled […]Read More »

By Rabbi Daniel Betzel   If we were to meet in my office to discuss your upcoming inter-faith marriage, here are some of the ideas I would want to share with you:   First, I would want you to know that you have done NOTHING wrong by falling in love with someone from another faith […]Read More »

My 94 year old cousin died recently. He lived a great life, and it could truly be said about him, he died with no regrets. I was struck by the tributes he received. He was very successful in business; he earned a lot of money in his life and supported a great many philanthropic causes. […]Read More »

Rabbi Diane Rose Those of us who are part of progressive spiritual groups and participate in interfaith activities often speak of the belief that all religions are here to serve the same purpose in different ways. Whether we are Jewish, Muslim, Christian, Hindu… aren’t we all searching for answers, working toward peace, and living our […]Read More »

Rabbi Blane writes: To answer those questions, I need to revisit a bit of personal history.   When I first conceived of Jewish Universalism, it was during a transitional period when I declined my synagogue’s offer of a contract renewal in January, and I had to remain in my position until July. For Rabbis and […]Read More »

May 17, 2017| Rabbi Dina London Recently, I attended a performance at the Goodman Theater in Chicago called “Destiny of Desire,” a take on the Spanish soap opera. The playwright, Karen Zacarias, was quoted in the playbill as saying, “Destiny is different from fate.  Destiny is what your life can be if you realize your […]Read More »

April 27, 2017| Rabbi Judy Ginsburgh Earlier this year, I had the wonderful opportunity to hear Dr. Diana Butler Bass speak on two different occasions.  She is an author, speaker, and independent scholar specializing in American religion and culture.   Her latest book is called “Grounded: Finding God in the World, a Spiritual Revolution.”   During […]Read More »

February 23, 2017| by Rabbi Linda Goldberg Purim comes not a moment too soon, March 11-12, this year. While I always look forward to its approach as a sign that winter is nearly past, this year observing Purim seems especially relevant. It offers a fine occasion to remember our heritage, to do some good for […]Read More »

December 16, 2016| by Rabbi Deborah Reichmann Festivals of light, now more than ever I was going to start with a tirade. Railing against the hatred and intolerance I see spewing from all sides. Bemoaning the sorry state of the world. I won’t. It’s not that these things aren’t happening, but ranting won’t make it […]Read More »

By Rabbi Diane Rose | November 10, 2016 Whether you wore a hat with an H or one that ordered you to make America great again, Whether you are pro-choice or pro-life, Whether you live in rural Texas or urban Los Angeles, There is one thing we can all agree on… This country is divided. […]Read More »

October 28, 2016 | by Rabbi Kenneth Hahn What does the holiday of Sukkot have to do with letting go of our need to control outcomes? First of all, before we get to that, what is Sukkot anyway? Like many Jewish holidays, it combines historical, spiritual and agricultural elements. It’s the holiday where we build […]Read More »

By Rabbi Elisheva Irma Diaz, MTS, DD | October 1, 2016 To be exiled is to be separated from ones familiar everyday life and surroundings. It is waking up one morning and feeling the breeze of a homesick life in a foreign place. If you are on a vacation or on an occupational venture you know you are returning […]Read More »

By Rabbi Steve Blane | September 21, 2016 Jewish Universalism is not a finite concept. Yes, we have a mission and we have doctrines.  At present, we have fourteen rabbis around the world who represent our ideas and principals. But we are not an island. We do not stand before G-d or humankind and represent […]Read More »

By Rabbi Nancy Tunick | Sept 1, 2016 Reprinted with permission from Temple B’nai Israel, Alabama President James Garfield was quoted as saying “Man cannot live by bread alone, he must have peanut butter.” That is not the original conclusion of the famous biblical quote “Man does not live by bread alone, but rather by, whatever […]Read More »

By Rabbi Diane Rose | August 22, 2016 Reprinted with permission from coolshul.org Sometimes it’s hard being Jewish, and even more difficult being a teacher of Judaism. What do I tell my Bar and Bat-Mitzvah students when we read in their Torah portions that the God we pray to washed away all of human and […]Read More »

By Rabbi Galit Levy-Slater | August 7, 2016   A visitor recent attending my services asked, “You’re very new. What are you, Reform?”   The answer I gave him, “We are Universalist,” gave him pause, so I continued, “We do not believe in ‘labels’.”   My Jewish education has been as diverse as the demographics […]Read More »

By Rabbi Diane Rose | July 1, 2016 Reprinted with permission from coolshul.org Yesterday I became a Rabbi. Okay, that’s totally not true. I actually became a Rabbi nearly 6 months ago.  But I haven’t felt like a Rabbi.  Not for even one minute. “Didn’t you start feeling like a Rabbi while you were teaching […]Read More »

By Rabbi Em Mueller | June 28, 2016 Reprinted with permission from rabbiem.com Sim Shalom On-line Synagogue Sh’lach l’cha: Numbers 13:1-16:41 In this Torah portion, scouts go into the land that God promised to our ancestors. The Israelites have been at Mount Sinai; they’ve wandered through the wilderness; they’ve committed offenses and suffered plague and […]Read More »

by Rabbi Diane Rose|June 19, 2016 There is so much going on this week in Parshat Nasso, it’s hard to even know where to begin.  So, I’m going to focus on 3 elements that I am going to attempt to tie together in the name of feminism.  Now, This is definitelynot a favorite parshah for feminists, […]Read More »

by Rabbi Nancy Tunick | June 9, 2016 It’s almost summer, and we have a couple of beach trips planned. The first thing my kids want to do when they get to the beach is build sand castles. There are a couple of different varieties. Louis likes to use the bucket molds where you pack […]Read More »

By Rabbi Judy Ginsburgh | June 5, 2016 As presented at the PRIDE worship Celebration on June 5, 2016 at City Hall in Alexandria, Louisiana. Hine Ma Tov uma naim Shevet achim gam yachad How good it is that we gather All together peacefully. How good it is that we share That we care, respect […]Read More »

Are We Home Yet? By Rabbi Diane Rose| May 31, 2016 Reprinted with permission from coolshul.org Close your eyes… Oh, wait.  If you close your eyes you won’t be able to read this. Okay, read this, try to remember it, and then close your eyes. Imagine you are standing before God. Pause!  I heard that.  Those […]Read More »

by Rabbi Kenneth Hahn   Even those of us who are members of the Jewish Universalist movement often wonder exactly what the phrase means. I’ve been thinking about the concept of Jewish Universalism quite a bit lately, and here’s what I’ve come up with. Jewish Universalism has everything to do with making Judaism more accessible to […]Read More »