Professor Diane Winston, Knight Chair of Media and Religion at the USC Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism, gave a special talk to the students and faculty at HUC-JIR/Los Angeles on January 19, 2011. Her presentation, entitled "TV vs. Torah: Why 'True Blood' is Winning," chronicled the phenomenon of an increasingly personalized media filling a role in the United States that has been traditionally played by religious community affiliation.

Out of nearly 170 applicants, 20 Reform congregations in North America were selected to receive a URJ Incubator Grant of up to $5,000 from the Union for Reform Judaism to implement new programs to further engage current members and attract new members. "The decision to choose 20 out of 170 was difficult, but there were some that really grabbed our attention and made us really curious to see where they could take these creative initiatives," said URJ Vice President Daniel Freelander.

The National Student Union and the Centre of Jewish Pluralism appealed on Sunday to the High Court against the cabinet decision to continue the payment of stipends to married yeshiva students. The proposal to cut stipends to yeshiva students followed a ruling by the High Court of Justice that the practice violates the principle of equality, since it does not apply to university students. Rabbi Gilad Kariv (HUC-JIR/Jerusalem '03), Director General of the Reform Movement which took part in the petition, said in response that "the government decision to continue paying stipends to Yeshiva students is conscientious, social, governmental and economic bankruptcy. The Israeli government and Ultra-Orthodox politicians are trapping thousands of families in poverty, while causing an actual blow to Israel's economic and social strength. We hope that the High Court will draw a red line before the continuation of discrimination and will signal to the government and the members of the Ultra-Orthodox parties that this celebration at the public's expense is over."

Dr. Mark S. Litwin, a mohel certified by the Berit Mila Program of Reform Judaism and Professor of Urology and Public Health at UCLA, writes, "17 years ago, I became a certified mohel, hoping to marry my surgical skills and my knack for calming nerves with the hopeful optimism of growing families. A bris provides an intimate and reinvigorating view of life's beginning." The Berit Mila Program of Reform Judaism seeks to make the age old practice of berit mila available to Jewish families as a meaningful and relevant Jewish life-cycle ritual. Rabbi Lewis M. Barth, Professor Emeritus of Midrash and Related Literature at HUC-JIR, served as Director of the Berit Mila Program when Dr. Litwin was a participant, and Rabbi Julie Pelc Adler currently serves as Director. For further information, visit www.beritmila.org.

Dena Wachtel Stein (HUC-JIR/New York '10), a student in the School of Jewish Nonprofit Management at HUC-JIR/Los Angeles, writes, "As the Jewish community evolves it is imperative that organizations keep up with the dynamic rate of change if they want to survive. Lay leadership is one area where this change is sorely needed. Agencies must create a quality succession plan and actively seek engagement of young professionals."

Highlighted at the National Museum of American Jewish History is the so-called Trefa Banquet, a controversial 1883 celebration, in Cincinnati, of Hebrew Union College's first graduating class of rabbis that featured such nonkosher delicacies as soft-shell crabs, shrimp salad, oysters and frog's legs. A silver oyster fork and a menu are part of the display. Both architecture and exhibition mirror the tension in the museum's mission, between full-throated celebration and careful delineation of the challenges American Jews have faced-both to their identity as Jews and their citizenship in the U.S.

All arms of our Reform Movement in Israel; HUC-JIR, WUPJ, IMPJ, and NFTY-Israel; will join together at Blaustein Hall at HUC-JIR/Jerusalem for an evening of prayer and song to honor the legacy of Debbie Friedman. The event, "Melaveh Malkah," will take place on January 29, 2011, at 6:30 pm. Click here for further information (English). Click here for further information (Hebrew).

Enjoy the creativity of the next generation of composers and songwriters for the Reform movement at the School of Sacred Music 3rd Annual HUC-JIR Composers' Showcase on Tuesday, February 1, 2010 from 10:45 am to 12:00 pm at HUC-JIR/New York. Featuring original works by students and faculty, congregational and Jewish concert pieces for the synagogue and stage will be presented. Government issued photo ID required for entry. RSVP to Mary Brunner at mbrunner@huc.edu or 212-824-2204.

The President of HUC-JIR invites you to the naming of our Los Angeles campus in tribute to and in loving memory of Jack H. Skirball on Sunday, February 6, 2011 at 1 p.m. Please RSVP: 213-765-2106 or DSauerwald@huc.edu.

Born in Homestead, PA, Jack Skirball (1896-1985) attended the University of Cincinnati and Western Reserve College in Cleveland and then studied for the rabbinate at Hebrew Union College. After his ordination in 1921, he did graduate work in philosophy and sociology at the University of Chicago, then served as an assistant rabbi in Cleveland for two years and rabbi of the Washington Avenue Temple in Evansville, Indiana, for seven years. As a film producer, real estate developer, and philanthropist, Jack Skirball remained active in the Reform Movement, assisting the establishment of new congregations, serving as regional president for the Union of American Hebrew Congregations (now the Union for Reform Judaism) and giving financial support to HUC-JIR. He spearheaded the development of HUC-JIR's Los Angeles campus and established the Skirball Museum at HUC-JIR/Los Angeles, the Skirball Museum at HUC-JIR/Cincinnati, and the Skirball Museum and Center for Biblical and Archaeological Research at HUC-JIR/Jerusalem. Jack Skirball cared for and contributed generously to Jewish life and to American society as a whole. His memory is a blessing.

The 10th Yarzeit Memorial Gathering for Professor Michael Klein, z"l, will take place on Monday, February 7, 2011 at 7:00 pm at the Murstein Synagogue at HUC-JIR/Jerusalem. The evening will include guest speaker Professor Stefan Reif of Cambridge University, who will discuss "Remembrance of Research, Relationship, and Respect." Professor Reif was both colleague and dear friend of Michael Klein. Professor Eli Scleiffer will offer words and music. Musical interludes will be led by his son Mattan Klein, to be joined by Shoshi Klein.

The Skirball Center for Adult Jewish Learning at Temple Emanu-El celebrates its winter semester with the inaugural Charles Grossman Lecture in Jewish Intellectual History, featuring guest speaker Rabbi David Ellenson, President of HUC-JIR. Dr. Ellenson will speak on "Spinoza, Mendelssohn, and the Parameters of Modern Judaism." The lecture will take place on Tuesday, February 15, 2011 at 6:30 pm at Temple Emanu-El in Manhattan (One East 65th Street). Attendance is free and open to the public.

The Cincinnati campus will pay tribute to Debbie Friedman, z"l, through a special service focusing on her impact and contribution to worship. The service will not only feature the music and personal reflections of Debbie Freidman, but also liturgical music composed by women she inspired. Va'ad Beit Haknesset representative Meredith Kahan and Cantor Yvon F. Shore, Director of Liturgical Arts, will co-lead this service on March 25, 2011 in the Scheuer Chapel.