Throughout Europe, Jewish monuments are endangered. Synagogues are abandoned. Cemeteries are overgrown. In many cases, local Jewish communities are too small to keep these heritage sites alive. Nonetheless, there is hope. Jewish communities have been revived in post-Communist countries and Jewish heritage sites are…
Two students live in Finland. One originates in Porto. All are joining up in an exciting new pan-European progressive prayer leader training programme Baalei Tefillah, launched this month. Many Progressive Jewish communities in Europe cannot afford full or even part-time rabbis. In these cases, community…
By Bill Echikson, EUPJ Brussels Director It has been a remarkable renaissance. Over the past three decades, Germany has been home to Europe’s fastest-growing Jewish community, which now numbers some 100,000 affiliated members. Just as remarkable — as Germany celebrates 1700 years of Jewish life…
By Bill Echikson, EUPJ Brussels Director As we approach Passover and its story of wandering and freedom, it’s appropriate to think of today’s refugees – the 80 million people around the world who have fled their homes due to persecution and violence. The European Union…
Austria long portrayed itself as the first victim of Nazi aggression after its native son, Adolf Hitler, annexed the country in 1938. But the country is changing. Eric Frey, the editor of the country’s leading daily, Der Standard, and Or Chadasch Progressive Jewish community in…
Leo Baeck College, the Home of Adult Jewish Learning, trains rabbis and educators equipped for the 21st century. It is where the leaders of Progressive Judaism are nurtured, and where the heart of Progressive Jewish thought is developed. In addition to the academic programmes, the…
By Bill Echikson, EUPJ Brussels Director Sergio Bergman is a social activist, climate-change activist, former Argentinian Environment Minister, friend to Pope Francis – and a rabbi. He is the new president of the World Union for Progressive Judaism (WUPJ), which counts more than 1,200 Reform,…
By Bill Echikson and Justus Becker, EUPJ Brussels Office Germany celebrates 1,700 years of Jewish life this year. It is a history that goes far beyond the tragedy of the Holocaust. Although many celebrations have been called off due to the pandemic, it is an…
By Bill Echikson, EUPJ Brussels Director On Sunday, 31 January 2021, Bill Echikson, EUPJ Brussels Director, hosted our latest EUPJ webinar, a panel discussion on the topic, “Is There a Future for Jews in Europe?” Guest speakers included Prof. Sergio DellaPergola, Professor Emeritus of Population…
The first-ever Progressive Central European Beit Din (CEBD) was created and approved by the European Union for Progressive Judaism (EUPJ) and the EUPJ Rabbinic Assembly (ERA) at the end of last year. Officially launched at the beginning of January 2021, the newest EUPJ-affiliated Beit…