This weekend, we ran our first Kivunim residential weekend, bringing together 24 young people from across the country. Kivunim is the MRJ’s brand new national B’nei Mitzvah programme for small and mid-sized reform communities across the UK. We had participants from Liverpool Reform, Menorah, Jacksons Row, Sinai, Cardiff Reform and Southend and District Reform come together for the first time in person after beginning their B’nei Mitzvah journey in their local communities in September. All the chanichimot (participants) were prepped and ready to embark on an incredibly exciting weekend exploring their Jewish identity with RSY-Netzer leaders. We started the weekend…

We are delighted that Rabbi Mark Goldsmith of Edgware & Hendon Reform Synagogue had the honour of representing the Reform Movement at the meeting of UK Jewish community leadership with Israel’s President Isaac Herzog. Rabbi Mark noted that what was most striking in both President Herzog and Ambassador Tzipi Hotovely’s speeches was their emphasis that all denominations of Judaism must be welcome in Israel. This is a clear positive signal for Reform engagement with Israel. Amira Ahronovitz, CEO of the Jewish Agency, and Nina Freedman, President of the Union of Jewish Students, both spoke about how Israel is today a…