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.
eJewishPhilanthropy: Stephen Wise Free Synagogue launches Amplify Israel Fellowship to connect future Reform leaders to Israel
Jul 7, 2023
Amid concerns of a growing split between American Jewry and Israel, the Stephen Wise Free Synagogue announced the launch of the Amplify Israel Fellowship, a yearlong program for 10 early-career Reform rabbis funded by the Lisa and Michael Leffell Foundation, Maimonides Fund, and The Paul E. Singer Foundation, reports eJewishPhilanthropy.
Tablet Magazine: Dissent in the Reform Ranks
Jun 28, 2023
Judaism’s largest denomination sees growing divisions around Israel, political alignment, Jewish peoplehood, and the very future of the movement, writes Tablet Magazine’s Armin Rosen about the Re-CHARGING Reform Judaism conference, hosted at Stephen Wise Free Synagogue May 31-June 1, 2023.
The Media Line: Israel Parade Demonstrations
Jun 24, 2023
Not everyone was in favor of the Celebrate Israel Parade, and alongside the huge gathering, a few hundred demonstrators marched against the Israeli government, ostensibly to protest legal reform but actually to contest the existence of the elected government. Reform Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch, one of the leading figures in America’s liberal Judaism movement, warned that protests against Israeli ministers and Knesset members might be misconstrued by the American public as a form of resistance against the State of Israel as a whole.
Haaretz: (Opinion) We Can Reignite Zionism in America Right Now. By Opposing Israel’s Government
Jun 20, 2023
Disagreeing with our Rabbi Ammi Hirsch’s assertion at the Re-CHARGING Reform Judaism conference that commitments to Israel, Zionism and Jewish peoplehood are weakening among Reform Jews, Eric Yoffie argues that the best way to reignite Zionism in America is by opposing the current Israeli government.
JNS: Reform movement takes time to re-evaluate goals amid ‘inflection points’
Jun 19, 2023
JNS reported on the Re-CHARGING Reform Judaism Conference, where clergy and lay leaders addressed concerns such as the growing distance between the movement and Israel, declining synagogue attendance and the need to prioritize Jewish education for young members.
i24 News: NYC Conference Addresses Challenges Facing Reform Jews
Jun 11, 2023
For a report on the Re-CHARGING Reform Judaism conference, i24 News’ Mark Wagenheim spoke with our Rabbi Ammi Hirsch and Union for Reform Judaism President Rabbi Rick Jacobs about the challenges facing the Reform movement.
Mosaic Magazine: Reform Judaism Will Lose Its Soul if It Forsakes Its Commitment to Jewish Peoplehood and Zionism
Jun 8, 2023
According to a 2020 study, 2.1 million American Jews describe themselves as Reform, making the denomination—as it has been historically—the largest in the U.S. Yet Ammiel Hirsch, the rabbi of Manhattan’s Stephen Wise Free Synagogue, believes the movement stands at a crossroads.
Jerusalem Post: Terror attacks depress Israel, but don’t demoralize – opinion
Jun 8, 2023
In an opinion piece for The Jerusalem Post, Gil Troy writes “Israel is more than terror attacks and judicial reforms…Last week, Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch challenged his movement to recharge Reform Judaism… and articulated a spiritual and moral challenge that Identity Zionism addresses.”
RNS: We asked hard questions about Reform Judaism
Jun 6, 2023
In his Religion News Service column “Martini Judaism,” Rabbi Jeffrey Salkin gives an overview of the Re-CHARGING Reform Judaism conference held at Stephen Wise Free Synagogue May 31–June 1, 2023.
Israel Hayom: Senior Reform rabbi warns of ‘devastating’ rift because of anti-Israel sentiment
Jun 6, 2023
Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch, the senior rabbi of Stephen Wise Free Synagogue in New York City, delivered the keynote address at the Re-CHARGING Reform Judaism Conference, urging the movement’s leaders to be “proactive” in countering those who attack Israel.
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