Union for Reform Judaism

Union for Reform Judaism
Abbreviation	URJ
Theology	Reform Judaism
President	Rabbi Richard Jacobs
Associations	World Union for Progressive Judaism
Region	United States and Canada
Headquarters	633 Third Avenue, New York City
Founder	Isaac Mayer Wise
Origin	July 8, 1873 Melodeon Hall, Cincinnati, Ohio
Congregations	831
Members	~880,000 affiliates 600,000–1,150,000 identifying
Official website	www.urj.org

The Union for Reform Judaism (URJ), formerly known as the Union of American Hebrew Congregations (UAHC) until 2003, founded in 1873 by Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise, is the congregational arm of Reform Judaism in North America.^[1] The other two arms established by Rabbi Wise are the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion and the Central Conference of American Rabbis. The current president of the URJ is Rabbi Rick Jacobs.^[2]

The URJ has an estimated constituency of some 880,000 registered adults in 819^[3] congregations. It claims to represent 2.2 million, as over a third of adult American Jews, including many who are not synagogue members, state affinity with Reform, making it the largest Jewish denomination. The UAHC was a founding member of the World Union for Progressive Judaism, of which the URJ is the largest constituent by far.