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Statement from NFTY in Response to the Deadly Shooting at Chabad of Poway
On the last night of Passover and six months after the tragedy of the Tree of Life Synagogue, news of a shooting at a Chabad in San Diego shook our movement. The shooting claimed one life and injured several: one injured was under the age of 18.
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NFTY Goes Big in April
April is known for many things… rain showers, warmer weather, and flowers just to name a few. For NFTY, April is “NFTY’s Big Month” – it’s when each region has at least one event and 2,000 teens are engaged in all different kinds of programs, ranging from mental health and wellness to leadership training; sexual.
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5 Reasons I’m Proud to Work with NFTY Teens
By Jenny Travis, URJ Youth Communications Associate When I was in second grade, my friend and I both won goldfish at our synagogue’s Purim carnival. I made what I thought was the perfect home for my new pet: a fishbowl with colorful rocks and a plant.
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4 Ways to Change The Conversation to Reflect Our Values
By Nina Heller, NFTY CWR Our culture is filled with many different values. Both secular and religious, these values permeate all aspects of our society and guide us in determining right from wrong.
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Why We Need to Lift Up the Voices of Sexual Assault Survivors
By Rachel Landis, NFTY NAR Last fall and again in recent weeks, the American Jewish community was rocked by sexual assault allegations against many of its most prominent members. As a Jewish woman, I was particularly upset to see how so many men who claimed the same faith as me could come away from their.
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NFTY Stands with the Women
Yesterday, a New York Times article was released called, “Michael Steinhardt, a Leader in Jewish Philanthropy, Is Accused of a Pattern of Sexual Harassment.” As members of the Reform Jewish community, fiercely committed to the fight against sexual violence, this news is jarring. The women quoted in this article are our teachers and our leaders,.
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This is Our Work
My own social justice journey largely began my freshman year of high school, as a member of NFTY’s Southern Tropical Region. The summer of 2015, as a participant at a Union for Reform Judaism summer camp, I sat in the lobby at camp and watched President Obama give the eulogy at Reverend Clementa Pinckney's funeral.
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This is Our Fight: What’s Next for NFTY’s Gun Violence Prevention Efforts
By Jess Becker and Zoe Terner A year ago this March, our lives changed forever. We marched on Capitol Hill, we walked out of our schools, we demanded that our representatives listen.
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“We’re Not Just Teens, We’re Changemakers”
On Wednesday, March 13, Rabbi Jonah Dov Pesner, Director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, met with the NFTY Social Action Vice President-elect Jess Becker to discuss their shared visions for the Reform Movement's commitment to social justice. Their conversation - which covered gun violence prevention advocacy, the power of the youth vote, the Torah's teachings on pursuing justice, and more - highlights the power of the adult-teen partnership.
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Helping Teens Find Their Voice
As many people in NFTY know, if I hadn’t become a NFTY regional director, I would have become a music teacher. I have been incredibly lucky to have had opportunities to build meaningful relationships with students through teaching music in various capacities over the past decade.
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