Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Rabbi Elyashiv, leading halachic authority, in grave condition
JTA
Rabbi Yosef Shalom Elyashiv, considered this generation's leading halachic authority, is in critical condition.. . .
Monday, February 6, 2012
Bishop Eddie Long apologizes for Torah scroll ceremony
JTA
Baptist Bishop Eddie Long has apologized for a church service in which he was wrapped in a Torah scroll and called a king.. . .
Friday, February 3, 2012
Hillel’s voice is back, and she sounds great!
By Rabbi Daniel Bouskila
This week I write to you from Jerusalem, inspired by the headline story from this past Tuesday ‘s Ha’aretz. On the first morning of my trip, here. . .
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Md. student asked to defend wearing kippah
JTA
A Jewish student at a Maryland high school was asked to prove that he wore a yarmulke for religious reasons.. . .
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Reinstated Amsterdam chief rabbi rues using title on ‘curing’ homosexuality document
JTA
The chief rabbi of Amsterdam, who was suspended for signing a statement on "curing" homosexuality, reportedly has been reinstated and said he was. . .
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Discordant disappointment
by Rabbi Scott Perlo
Parashat Beshallah is a symphony beautifully played, until the orchestra flubs the finale. It is a prima donna nailing the high note of the aria,. . .
Monday, January 30, 2012
Poll: Most Israeli Jews keep kosher, practice some Sabbath rituals
JTA
More than four of every five Israeli Jews believe in God and three-quarters of Israeli Jews keep kosher, according to a survey.. . .
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Silence of the dogs
We read two puzzling statements as God prepares to exact the plagues in this week’s parasha. “And I will pass through Egypt ... and I will smite. . .
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Just breathe
by Rabbi Dan Moskovitz
In this week’s Torah portion, we meet a frustrated and dejected Moses. God’s reluctant leader of the Jewish people cannot convince Pharaoh to. . .
Friday, January 13, 2012
Winnipeg to host first Conservative gay ceremony in Canada
JTA
A Winnipeg synagogue is about to become the first Conservative shul in Canada to host a same-sex wedding ceremony. Shaarey Zedek Synagogue will be. . .
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Déjà Vu, all over again
by Rabbi Marc Mandel
It’s a new year and we are beginning a new book of the Torah — Exodus. Unfortunately, we are dealing with the same old problem. Anti-Semitism,. . .
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Unloading the emotional U-Haul
By Rabbi Lisa Edwards
A funeral director once said, “In all the funerals I’ve attended, I have yet to see a hearse with a U-Haul trailer attached.” But while it’s. . .
Monday, January 2, 2012
Jewish friend who influenced Pope John Paul dies
by Philip Pullella, Reuters
Jerzy Kluger, the Polish Jewish boyhood friend of the late Pope John Paul who had a major influence on the pontiff's revolutionary relations with. . .
Thursday, December 22, 2011
At Chanukah, Czech Jews marvel at blessings of Havel’s revolution
by Ruth Ellen Gruber, JTA
On the first night of Chanukah, I stood in the splendid reception hall of the U.S. ambassador’s residence in Prague as the ambassador himself lit. . .
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Candle power
By Rabbi Elazar Muskin
Anyone familiar with religious practices can testify to the fact that candles play a crucial role in normative observance for many religions. It is. . .
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
The big tent: Jews, Muslims, Christians celebrate spirituality in a shared sacred space
By Rachel Heller
Whirling Dervishes, an elaborate feast and a lecture by a prominent Muslim scholar – Musallah Tauhid’s joyous celebration of its move to a new. . .
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Vayeshev Yaakov (Genesis 37:1-40:23)
By Rabbi Anne Brener
I had a dream shortly after I arrived in Los Angeles in 1981 to study at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion’s (HUC-JIR) School of. . .
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Rumor aside, search for Sacks’ successor proceeds
JTA
England’s United Synagogue denied a report that the post of chief rabbi had been offered to Israel’s Ashkenazi chief rabbi.. . .
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
The rebellious man of faith
By Rabbi Shmuley Boteach
The patriarch Jacob, my namesake (Jacob Shmuel) of whom we have read the past few weeks in the Bible, is the most maligned of all the patriarchs.. . .
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Sacks tells pope Jewish-Christian relations in Britain good
JTA
Following an audience with Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican, Britain’s chief rabbi described relations between Christians and Jews in his country. . .
Monday, December 12, 2011
Pump up the volume: Music propels the way to a rededicated Jewish life
by Dasee Berkowitz, JTA
My 3-year-old son is obsessed with showing people his room, sidling sheepishly over to guests and asking, “Can I show you my room?”. . .
Monday, December 12, 2011
Chanukah in Israel: Sufganiyot on the streets, burning lights and family fun
by Marcy Oster, JTA
They're making sufganiyot on the streets of Israel; Chanukah must be near.. . .
Monday, December 12, 2011
Giving the gift of tikkun olam
by Suzanne Kurtz, JTA
If the thought of spending too much Chanukah gelt on lavish gifts for friends and loved ones seems a little dim this year, adding a little tikkun. . .
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
A small voice with a big message
by Lauren Gold, Contributing Writer
Jacob Tragarz didn’t take the easy route when it came to his mitzvah project — he went big. The 12-year-old student decided to raise awareness. . .
