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.
Religion News Service: Should I stay or should I go?
Jun 14, 2024
“In the immortal words of The Clash: ‘Should I stay or should I go?'” writes Rabbi Jeffrey Salkin in his Religion News Service column. “That was a question that was on the lips of many of us participating in the “Re-Charging Reform Judaism” conference at the end of May at Stephen Wise Free Synagogue in New York. An intergenerational gathering of more than 250 leaders of the movement struggled with the essential questions of Reform Jewish identity — and most notably: What does it mean for us, as Reform Jews and liberals, to be Zionists?”
Jewish Journal: Soul Searching: Reform Movement Aims to Liberate Its Zionist Calling
Jun 5, 2024
“The question before us is the same one that splintered the Reform movement a century ago and almost broke us: Are we truly committed to Jewish peoplehood? If so, what are our obligations flowing from that commitment? Are we truly committed to the Zionist idea and the State of Israel?” asked Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch in his passionate keynote address at the second Re-Charging Reform Judaism Conference at the Stephen Wise Free Synagogue on NYC’s Upper West Side May 29-30. But some of the other speakers at the two-day conference did not share the same Zionist passion and moral clarity…
JNS: Reform Judaism event probes post-Oct. 7 course corrections
Jun 3, 2024
Reform Judaism may be the epicenter of the ways that Hamas’s Oct. 7 massacre and its aftermath have changed the American Jewish landscape. “We haven’t moved on. It’s still Oct. 7 for us,” Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch, senior rabbi at Stephen Wise Free Synagogue, told JNS. Some 300 clergy, educators and lay leaders associated with Reform Judaism—the largest American Jewish denomination—addressed a visible rift in liberal Jewry, including some anti-Zionist Jews siding with antisemites at anti-Israel demonstrations across the country. “We have a challenge identifying what exactly we did wrong, so that we can identify what we can do right with the future generations,” Hirsch said.
Ynet (Hebrew): Senior Reform rabbi in the USA: “There are young anti-Zionist Jews who are already lost to us”
Jun 2, 2024
Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch, one of the most prominent rabbis in the Reform movement in the United States, thinks that the liberal Jewish communities should denounce the anti-Zionist voices that have been growing stronger among the members of Generation Z. In a special interview, he calls for soul-searching in the movement: “We didn’t put enough emphasis on the commitment we have towards the rest of the Jews.”
The Forward: Yes, we can talk to people we disagree with about Israel. Here’s how.
May 31, 2024
“Nearly eight months after the Oct. 7 terror attack, and more than 76 years after the founding of the Jewish state, how is it that we have not figured out how to talk about Israel with people who disagree?” asks Forward editor-in-chief Jodi Rudoren. An Atlanta rabbi, a Miami couple and a Manhattan synagogue president shared their stories of difficult conversations at a workshop she led this past week about dialogue across generational and ideological difference. It was part of a two-day conference called Re-CHARGING Reform Judaism where leaders debated, among other things, whether anti-Zionists should be admitted to the movement’s rabbinical school, given the challenges they might face finding a pulpit job.
JTA: Jewish Pride Month events in New York City 2024, from galas to Shabbat services
May 31, 2024
As June rolls in, so does Pride Month — a 30-day celebration of the LBGTQ community and its long fight for equality. New York City is home to the largest LGBTQ population in the country, so it’s no surprise that we’re also home to one of the biggest Pride parades. The city’s Jewish community — also the largest in the country — is hosting a number of Pride events, too, from family-friendly concerts to galas to special Shabbat services. Join Stephen Wise Free Synagogue (30 West 68th St., Manhattan) for a Shabbat service and special LGBTQ+ Pride reception on Friday, June 7 at 6 p.m.!
Kan 11: The world today with Yoav Zahavi (Hebrew)
May 30, 2024
Israel’s national news channel 11 reports on the Re-CHARGING Reform Judaism conference, which convened this week to address the major challenges facing American Jewry in the aftermath of October 7th and the ongoing war in Gaza.
i24: US Reform Jewish Leaders Chart Course Post-October 7
May 29, 2024
The largest Jewish denomination in the United States gathered some 300 clergy, educators and lay leaders May 29–30 to respond to the challenges posed by October 7th and its aftermath. Senior i24 correspondent Mike Waggenheim reports from the Re-CHARGING Reform Judaism conference and interviews Stephen Wise Free Synagogue Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch, who helped organize the conference, as well as presenters Columbia-JTS student Eden Yadegar and Hillel International’s Rabbi Melissa B. Simon.
18Forty Podcast: Denominations — Ammiel Hirsch: ‘What did we do wrong?’ Peoplehood and the Reform movement
May 21, 2024
In this episode of the 18Forty Podcast, Dovid Boshevkin talks to Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch about how Jewish Peoplehood is understood among the non-Orthodox majority of American Jews. Rabbi Hirsch is known in the Reform movement and beyond for his decades-long staunch commitment to Jewish peoplehood. This interview was recorded before Oct. 7, and especially considering Rabbi Hirsch’s leadership on issues related to Zionism, a follow-up conversation with him will follow soon.
The Wall Street Journal: The Democratic Party Forces Jews to Choose (Opinion Letters)
May 20, 2024
Wall Street Journal readers respond to Rabbi Ammi Hirsch’s opinion piece “Democrats Take Jewish Voters for Granted.”
Subscribe To Our E-Newsletters
