Media coverage of Stephen Wise Free Synagogue has included feature articles and highlights in the many local, national and international news outlets. Below is some select coverage that highlights the synagogue.
Press inquiries may be directed to Communications Director Ryan Greiss at rgreiss@swfs.org or (212) 877-4050, ext. 267.
Israel Hayom (Hebrew): A senior Reform rabbi with an unusual warning: ‘the movement will split because of anti-Israel trends’
Jun 5, 2023
Rabbi Ammi Hirsch initiated a conference at New York’s Stephen Wise Free Synagogue attended by about 300 Reform Jewish leaders from around the U.S. According to Hirsch, the purpose of the conference was to reverse the anti-peoplehood and anti-Zionist drift in the movement, which may destroy it.
The Jerusalem Post: Protesting Israeli officials abroad sends the wrong message to the world – analysis
Jun 4, 2023
“Hundreds of thousands of people have taken to the streets each Saturday night over the last 22 weeks to protest the judicial reform and the current government in Israel. But do these protests need to be exported and transplanted to cities abroad?” asks Herb Keinon in an analysis in The Jerusalem Post. He quotes our Rabbi Ammi Hirsch: “To critique decision-makers is what Jews do. To turn against Israel; to join our ideological opponents and political enemies in castigating Zionism is a sign of Jewish illness, an atrophying of our intellectual and emotional commitment to our people.”
The Jerusalem Post: American Jewry’s strong connection to Israel is extremely vital – editorial
Jun 4, 2023
Against the backdrop of waning support for Israel among liberal Jewry and an American media complex that amplifies Jewish criticism of Israel, hundreds of Reform rabbis, cantors, educators and lay leaders gathered for the Re-CHARGING Reform Judaism conference. It was initiated by our Rabbi Ammi Hirsch, who has been at the forefront of Reform leaders working to prevent a stream hostile to Israel from becoming the movement’s dominant roaring river, writes The Jerusalem Post editorial staff.
Times of Israel: New York’s Celebrate Israel Parade set to take place under shadow of judicial strife
Jun 3, 2023
During Sunday’s Celebrate Israel Parade, the march will feature a program by Stephen Wise Free Synagogue that matches teenagers who are interested in politics with elected officials.
Jewish Journal: An Idea to Re-Charge Reform Judaism: Make it More Sephardic
Jun 1, 2023
Reflecting on the Re-CHARGING Reform Judaism conference, Los Angeles Jewish Journal publisher and editor-in-chief David Suissa writes: “Although I’m in the Orthodox world… I’ve always felt that all denominations have something to offer and that we can all learn from one another. In that spirit, I asked myself: What would I have talked about at the conference if I were one of the speakers?”
Jewish Journal: Re-CHARGING Reform Judaism Conference Keynote Address
Jun 1, 2023
The Los Angeles Jewish Journal published the full text of Rabbi Ammi Hirsch’s keynote address at the opening of Re-CHARGING Reform Judaism, a two-day conference gathering more than 300 Reform clergy, educators and lay leaders at Stephen Wise Free Synagogue. In his speech, Rabbi Hirsch discussed the three ideological pillars on which the movement’s future rests: commitment to Zionism, balancing universal and particular values, and elevating ritual and religious practice.
Jerusalem Post: Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch: ‘We are losing the soul of the Reform movement’
May 31, 2023
Speaking at Re-CHARGING Reform Judaism, a gathering of 300+ Jewish leaders at Stephen Wise Free Synagogue, our Rabbi Ammi Hirsch expressed his concern that the North American Reform movement is at an inflection point in its history and his fear that if the movement becomes perceived as anti-Zionist and anti-particularistic, most American Jews will abandon it.
Jerusalem Post: Reform rabbis gather for NYC conference to cement Reform Jewish values
May 31, 2023
Hundreds of Reform Jewish clergy, educators, synagogue presidents and board members were set to arrive at Stephen Wise Free Synagogue, a historic 116-year-old Reform congregation on New York’s Upper West Side on Wednesday for a two-day conference today. Titled “Re-CHARGING Reform Judaism,” it was initiated by Stephen Wise Free Synagogue’s Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch, who has been what some consider the “opposition” in the American Reform movement in terms of its relationship with Zionism, Israel and tradition.
NY Jewish Week: NYC’s Celebrate Israel Parade set to draw big crowds — and protests — amid Israel’s political turmoil
May 31, 2023
“It is more important than ever to participate in the Celebrate Israel Parade because it represents our commitment not to elements of this government but to our relationship with the people, the state of Israel, and the Zionist ideal,” our Rabbi Ammi Hirsch told NY Jewish Week. “The best response is not to walk away but to double down with those in Israel who are as distressed as we are and want to see a more representative Israeli government.”
Jewish Currents: (Opinion) Reform Judaism Needs an Identity Beyond Israel
May 30, 2023
A major conference proposes to “re-charge” the movement by strengthening ties to the Jewish state, neglecting an opportunity to develop its unique religious vision, writes retired Rabbi David Regenspan in an opinion piece for Jewish Currents ahead of the Re-CHARGING Reform Judaism conference to be hosted at Stephen Wise Free Synagogue May 31–June 1, 2023.
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