by Nathan Lopes Cardozo
I am a child of a mixed marriage. I was raised in a completely secular environment. My discovery of Judaism has been an ongoing revelation over many decades. I studied for more than 12 years in yeshivot and spent many years studying secular philosophy.
by Leonard Fein
Here’s a “sign of the times” factoid: In recent commentary on Israel’s settlement policy, the number of Jewish settlers beyond the Green Line has ballooned from 350,000 or so to 600,000. It is as if there had suddenly been a mass immigration to the West Bank.
by David N. Myers
The disturbing recent episode involving the harassment of an 8-year-old Orthodox girl in the Israeli city of Beit Shemesh, and the ongoing controversy over separate seating for women on public buses in Jerusalem and elsewhere, has focused new attention on that group of Jews known as Charedim (or ultra-Orthodox). But who are they, and where do they come from?
by Gili Varon
In Israel, an estimated 15,000 individuals are involved in prostitution, including 5,000 under the age of 18, according to reports shared with the Task Force on Human Trafficking by Knesset member Orit Zuaretz of the Kadima Party, as well as other experts and activists. The reports say that the average age of entry is just 14 and that more than 90 percent of those involved in prostitution in Israel are subject to severe physical abuse, often by their clients.
By Steve Greenberg
Editorial Cartoon
I am not surprised that “Zionism and the Three-Picture Deal” (Feb. 3) neglected to mention that Hollywood has rarely produced a movie in Israel. Other than a few days, one scene in Jerusalem, Hollywood and the Jews of Hollywood (including prominent Israeli producers) completely ignore it. Even biblical projects that take place in Israel are shot outside of Israel, including History Channel’s “The Bible” miniseries.
by Ron Kampeas, JTA
Birth control is rapidly gaining steam as an election-year wedge issue, with Jewish advocates lobbying out front and behind the scenes in what is shaping up as a clash between calls for individual freedom and religious liberty.
JTA
Scientists using ground-probing electronics may have discovered the missing mass graves at the site of Treblinka, one of the Nazis’ most notorious death camps.
By Ryan E. Smith
There was no question how Zita Kass felt when she learned that The JCC at Milken in West Hills will shut its doors permanently this summer. Her reaction was swift and powerful: “Anger, fury, frustration,” the 76-year-old Woodland Hills resident said.
by Sara Miller
A recent trip of American Conservative (Masorti) Jews to Israel included a first for the country, and cuts to the heart of an issue that poses a problem for many American Jews – a mixed minyan for mincha at the Knesset synagogue.
By Naomi Pfefferman
By Jonathan Kirsch
Rabbi Shmuley Boteach has been accused of nothing less than apostasy by at least one of his fellow rabbis, all thanks to his newly published book, “Kosher Jesus” (Gefen Publishing House: $26). And I am confident some Evangelical Christians will reach the same conclusion if only because Boteach insists that Jesus was not “holier than any other human being and certainly not divine.”
by Lisa Alcalay Klug
Even though the sap begins to rise on Tu B’Shevat, colder temperatures continue can drag on in Jerusalem for weeks, if not months. That means finding the right place to drop in and warm up at some of the city’s most appealing restaurants.
by Seth Menachem
Sonia doesn’t look or sound like your typical Jewish girl next door. Sure, she’s loud — but her accent is more Charo than Bette Midler. Her clothing is, too.
By Rabbi Yosef Kanefsky
Many of us are familiar with the rabbinic image in which God lifts Mount Sinai above the heads of the Israelites, threatening them with death if they refuse the Torah. Less familiar but no less prevalent in rabbinic literature is a strikingly different take on this scene.
By Ryan Torok
Journal bloggers Ilana Angel (Keeping the Faith) and Elliot Steingart (Some Reservations) join singles columnist Seth Menachem (My Single Peeps) and Hollywood Jew scribe Danielle Berrin for an irreverent discussion on dating in Los Angeles, dishing on the rules, sex, faith, hope.
