USCJ: United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism

Read the May eNews

Parashat HaShavuah (This Week's Torah Portion)
Saturday, May 10
Parashat Emor
Annual Torah Reading: Leviticus 21:1 - 24:23
Triennial Torah Reading: Leviticus 21:1 - 22:16
Haftarah: Ezekiel 44:15 - 31
Torah Sparks
Two-Minute Torah

Counting the Omer

Starting on the second day of Passover, we count the omer every day until we end up celebrating our gift of Torah on Shavuot. Click here to learn where we are in the count.

Helping Ashkelon and Sderot

The crisis in Ashkelon and Sderot continues. Masorti congregations in the area are affected by it, and they also are reaching out to help others. Read more about the situation and how you can help.

Go to Argentina with the Conservative/Masorti Movement

Meet Latin-American Masorti lay leaders, rabbis, youth leaders, and other Jewish professionals in Argentina at the first Latin American conference of Conservative/Masorti Judaism from May 25 to June 1.

Learn With Us At Imun

Do you want to learn how to read Torah, lead services, or present a d'var torah, or do you want to learn how to do them better? Come to Imun, our program for lay leaders, from July 6 to 14 at Camp Ramah in the Berkshires.

Solomon Schechter Award Winners

At our biennial convention, United Synagogue presents the Solomon Schechter Awards, given to synagogue programs that demonstrate unusual creativity or go beyond what is expected to reach unexpected heights of excellence.

Two-Minute Torah

Want to study Torah but don’t have much time? Want a new, fast take on the text? Koach, United Synagogue's program for college students, has inaugurated Two-Minute Torah, a weekly podcast d’var Torah that is available over the web at www.koach.org or by subscription on iTunes. They’ll be given by professional, lay, and student leaders - that range of backgrounds is sure to produce a range of styles and ideas. If you want a take on the Torah parasha that's both short and smart, give it a try.

Celebrating Israel at 60

The Conservative movement is celebrating Israel's 60th birthday in 2008, offering a movement-wide calendar that includes information about commemorations and trips to Israel and downloadable pdfs of program materials. The Road to Sixty is a program of study and celebration.

Today’s Israel

Because United Synagogue’s Israel Commission wants all of us to know what the real Israel, the country where real people live, actually looks like, it offers Today's Israel. Click on the link to read news of the Conservative/Masorti movement and learn more about Israel.

Study with Hazak in Israel

Hazak offers 10 days of study at our Fuchsberg Jerusalem Center; if you are over 55 and belong to one of our affiliated synagogues, we invite you to spend June 22 to July 2 with us in Israel.

Project Etgar

Project Etgar, a middle school curriculum designed for sixth, seventh, and eight graders in synagogue schools, is accepting applications for the 2008/2009 academic year. The program, a joint project developed by United Synagogue and the Jewish Theological Seminary, helps students make meaning out of their Jewish education.

Walking With God

United Synagogue has partnered with the Ziegler School of Rabbinic Studies and the Rabbinical Assembly to provide rabbis with a book that contains 12 units of an adult education course called "Walking With God". Each unit includes a background essay by a well-known scholar, primary texts, a bibliography, and lesson plans and suggestions for facilitators. Click here to begin.

Ask a Conservative Rabbi

Have you been wondering about some fine point of Jewish law? Do you want to know why you do something, or how you should do something, or whether you should do something? A group of Conservative rabbis, each a specialist in some aspect of halakha, can answer your emailed question. These rabbis should not be seen as replacements for your own rabbi, whose opinion is definitive in his or her own synagogue, but they can provide in-depth explanations to a whole range of questions. To ask a question, email askarabbi@uscj.org.

Hekhsher Tzedek

The United Synagogue and the Rabbinical Assembly are considering the possibility of establishing the hehksher tzedek, which would certify kosher products as being consistent with Jewish social values. We are beginning by looking at the conditions for workers at meat-packing plants.

Your Child

Read Your Child, the education department's online newsletter for parents of young Jewish children. The spring 08 issue is now up.

Remembering the Kidnapped Soldiers

Years have passed since three of Israel’s sons – Gilad Shalit, Ehud (Udi) Goldwasser and Eldad Regev – were kidnapped by Hamas and Hezbollah. The American Jewish community must make our voices heard and do all we can to help return these kidnapped soldiers to their families.

To this end, the American Zionist Movement is spearheading a campaigndemanding a “Sign of Life.” The campaign consists of sending postcards to the UN Ambassadors of Lebanon, Iran, and Syria, urging them to use their diplomatic powers to produce a sign of life from the abducted soldiers while working toward their immediate release.

For more information on theSign of Life campaign go to www.azm.org.