- NEWS & COMMENTARY
Nukes are Iran’s ‘inalienable rights,’ its new president says
Iran’s President-elect Hassan Rohani said he would strive for transparency in his country’s nuclear program but would not stop enriching uranium.
Bill Clinton to Israelis: Share future with a Palestinian state
There is no alternative to a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict, Bill Clinton said at an event to honor Israeli President Shimon Peres.
Murder victim related to temple founder
A Porter Ranch woman, who authorities said was shot and killed early Friday morning when a domestic dispute escalated, was the daughter of a founding member of Temple Ahavat Shalom (TAS) in Northridge, according to a family member of the…
- HOLLYWOOD
The future of Hollywood, according to Steven Spielberg
Can’t imagine shelling out $25 to see “Iron Man” in the theater? Soon you may not have a choice, says Steven Spielberg.
Six reasons why Superman is Jesus in ‘Man of Steel’
Last night I attended a press screening of the latest installment of the Superman franchise, “Man of Steel,” directed by Zack Snyder and produced by "Batman" director Christopher Nolan. An…
Old Spice guy does another Israel commercial
Old Spice guy Isaiah Mustafa has taken his act to Israel… again. Two months after sporting a suit and tie for a Maccabee beer ad, the actor has gone shirtless…
- LIFE & CULTURE
Barbra Streisand slams Orthodox Jews’ actions against Israeli women
U.S. entertainer Barbra Streisand on Monday took a swipe at Orthodox Jews in Israel who compel women to sit in the back of buses and assault them for following religious…
Cute video of the day: Matisyahu’s kid sings
Nothing says “happy Father’s Day” like your very own kid covering your very own song. In this clip, which Matisyahu posted to YouTube (and we saw on Jewcy), the reggae…
The Continuing Mystery of Bruno Schulz
The great writer and mystifier Bruno Schulz left a plethora of puzzles, myths and hidden chambers in two thin booklets of essays. However, one of his lesser-known and most challenging…
- BLOGS
Genius at Work
By Matt Shapiro I stood there, transfixed. In passing, it's just a cabinet; the placard on the wall shared that it was filled with notecards, written and organized by Stanley…
This week from Israel
Watch out, USA, the Israelis are coming! Last week, more than 1,200 Israeli young adults made their way to North America to serve as Jewish Agency emissaries at day and…
5 Best Foods For Lowering Blood Pressure
1. Low Fat Milk Fight high blood pressure with milk products, which contain calcium, potassium and magnesium. Two to three servings per day is sufficient. Make a milkshake, grab a…
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David Stav: the Naftali Bennett of the chief rabbi race?
David Stav, the chief rabbi candidate, had to walk a fine line when he addressed a crowd of Tel Aviv immigrants in English on Sunday.
Report: Security guards fail to pursue assailants of German rabbi
Security guards at a shopping mall in Germany failed to pursue the youths who attacked a rabbi, a German news agency reported.
Helping grads on their Jewish journey
As a Hillel director for the last seven years, I have come to love this time of year. Graduation is the moment to celebrate not just academic learning, but the personal growth and discovery students experience during their university years.
Rabbis to Boy Scouts: Lift ban on gay members
More than 500 rabbis and cantors urged the Boy Scouts of America to drop its ban on homosexual members when the youth group’s National Council convenes in Dallas this week.
Rosner’s Torah-Talk: Parashat Bamidbar with Rabbi Eric H. Yoffie
Q&A with Rabbi Ed Feinstein
On May 11, Rabbi Ed Feinstein, senior rabbi at Valley Beth Shalom in Encino, will be feted for his two decades of service to the synagogue. He talks in this edited version of an interview about changes in synagogue life, his theology and what he prays for.
Dresden to get first rabbi from city in 75 years
The Jewish community of Dresden is installing its first hometown rabbi since 1938.
Losing Gammi
Rabbi leads interfaith service at Boston Marathon bombing site
About 100 people attended a rabbi-led interfaith service for the victims of the Boston Marathon attack at the site of the bombing.
Honoring Teachers of Freedom on Pesach
Synagogue Swap
Man freed in killing of rabbi suffers heart attack
A man whose sentence was overturned after serving 23 years for the killing of a Brooklyn rabbi had a massive heart attack a day after being freed.
Gonna Celebrate Pesach Like It’s 5773 – Rabbi Barry Gelman
Rabbi’s convicted killer goes free after new probe casts doubt on evidence
Relatives of a murdered Brooklyn rabbi reportedly are shocked after the convicted killer was freed following a new probe of the case cast doubt on the evidence.
Brooklyn prosecutor to seek freedom for man convicted in 1990 killing of rabbi
In the wintry darkness 23 years ago on a back street in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, a jewelry thief fleeing a botched robbery panicked and shot a Hasidic rabbi in the head.
I Make Plans. God Changes Them.
Rabbi who fled sex abuse allegations reportedly will return to Israel
An Israeli rabbi who fled to the United States amid sexual abuse allegations reportedly will return to Israel.
Maharat: A new model of leadership by Rabbi Hyim Shafner
Rabbi denies he knew of sexual abuse at Jewish school
A man under investigation for allegedly sexually abusing boys at a Sydney Jewish day school told police that senior rabbis knew of his actions but failed to report them to authorities, a newspaper reported.
Iconic Jewish educator mourned by all faiths
The revered Jewish teacher David Hartman, who died in Jerusalem at the age of 81 this week, is being celebrated for his success in bringing together diverse thinkers from among rarely-interacting Jewish denominations.
Rabbi David Hartman’s learned students remember their rebbe
The Jewish community reflects on the life of late Rabbi David Hartman.
The Holy Job Interview
Rabbi shares her love of chocolate
To say that Rabbi Deborah R. Prinz likes chocolate would be a gross — or rather, delicious — understatement. For seven years, she’s traveled around the world and written about the delicacy, culminating in October with the publication of “On the Chocolate Trail: A Delicious Adventure Connecting Jews, Religions, History, Travel, Rituals and Recipes to the Magic of Cacao.”
The queerness of love: A Jewish case for same-sex marriage
Last year, I officiated at the first same-sex wedding in the 145-year history of my synagogue. For a Conservative congregation, this was quite a break with tradition.
Lance Armstrong and the disease of wild narcissism and ruthless ambition
Lance Armstrong proved surprisingly poor at backpedaling. His stone-faced, reluctant regret made many who watched the interview wonder if this was an illness. Why did this man mow down associates, besmirch employees, lie, cheat and bully his way to the top of a sport he is now insouciantly tearing down around him?
ADL slams Israeli candidate for Dome of the Rock comments
In rare criticism of an Israeli politician, the Anti-Defamation League called on Knesset candidate Jeremy Gimpel to apologize to Muslims for suggesting blowing up the Dome of the Rock mosque.
U.S. rabbinical students deliver more than 700 letters against E1 to Netanyahu’s office
American rabbinical students studying in Israel delivered more than 700 letters expressing concern about settlement expansion to the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Brooklyn man indicted for throwing bleach in rabbi’s face
A Brooklyn fishmonger was indicted for allegedly throwing a cup of bleach in the face of a Chasidic rabbi who had accused the man's father of being a sexual predator.
The Maccabees Were Not the Taliban. Or Che Guevara. Or the Irgun. Let’s Celebrate the Miracle.
Rabbis urge Congress to end tax cuts for the wealthiest 2 percent
More than 275 rabbis signed on to a letter to Congress urging the lawmakers to end tax cuts for those earning more than $250,000 a year.
Rabbi Gordis v. Rabbi Brous: Rabbis in the ring
When balance becomes betrayal
Universalism, Cynthia Ozick once noted, has become the particularism of the Jews. Increasingly, our most fundamental belief about ourselves is that we dare not care about ourselves any more than we can about others. Noble Jews have moved beyond difference.
Brous, Gordis exchange heated words on Israel
There Was A Choice? Then This Is Wrong.
Day 85 - Why I’m Reading the Whole Talmud… Again
Women’s Participation in Ritual: Time for a Paradigm Shift
Joy Time
Convicted of soliciting a minor, rabbi is banned from D.C.-area synagogue
Rabbi David Kaye, who was convicted in 2006 for trying to sexually solicit a minor, was told he could no longer worship in a synagogue in suburban Washington.
The Clouds of Glory and Human Responsibility!
Interfaith marriage, Rabbi Rosove, and Mormonism
Rabbi reverses interfaith marriage policy
It’s not often that a rabbi’s High Holy Days sermon is interrupted by a standing ovation. But that is what happened — twice — when Rabbi John Rosove, senior rabbi of Temple Israel of Hollywood, dedicated his sermon on the first day of Rosh Hashanah to explaining why he was changing a long-held position and would from now on officiate at interfaith weddings.
Let Heaven and Earth Hear
If each spoken word is a droplet of water, then each voice that utters is a wind that brings forth rain. Though, the wind has no shape. Though, water comes in all shapes and sizes. Though, no mortal power can divine the weather even a few days hence, and words turn patterns as surely as the wind turns seasons about the globe.
Israel Action Network reaches out to 5,000 rabbis
The Israel Action Network is reaching out to 5,000 rabbis during the High Holy Days season as part of an ongoing campaign to counter the de-legitimization of Israel.
The Hollywood treatment
“Fundamentally, your job is not that different from my job,” screenwriter Alex Litvak told a room full of rabbis assembled at American Jewish University for the annual High Holy Days conference sponsored by the Board of Rabbis of Southern California.
Chabad Telethon raises $4 million
Hollywood stars and dancing rabbis came together for the 32nd annual Chabad “To Life” Telethon on Sept. 9. Held for the first time at the Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills, the high-profile fundraiser raised approximately $4 million for Chabad of California.
Resilience: We can learn from our trials
How life teaches us! We read the wisdom of books and study the lectures of professors and we think we are ready for what life brings us. Armed with our learning, we venture into the world and discover that the formulas of the brain don’t help bind the wounds of the heart.
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5 theories you meet in heaven
What is the singular essence of Rosh Hashanah? The core meaning of Rosh Hashanah is the sovereignty of the divine. By sovereignty of the divine, I don’t mean any particular level of Jewish practice. Jewish pietistic literature is well aware that anyone can go through the motions of outward observance. By sovereignty of the divine, I mean finding a way to find a standard for the duties and habits of the inner life.
The sin of slander
V’al chet she-hatanu l’fanekha bil’shon ha-ra, “And for the sin we have committed before You through slander” — over the course of Yom Kippur we say these words over and over again as we recite the Viddui (Confessional) quietly to ourselves and then aloud communally. As we say them, we beat our breasts to physically hammer home the meaning of the words we say.
CON: Should rabbis endorse candidates?
In the summer of 2008 I received a phone call from the Obama campaign asking me to serve as national co-chair of Rabbis for Obama. What prompted the call? First, an article I had written praising the senator for using his name Barack — which he said his father had told him means blessing in Hebrew — rather than the more generic Barry.
PRO: Should rabbis endorse candidates?
I celebrate the courage of the more than 613 rabbis who have chosen to endorse President Obama for a second term. It is impossible for me to represent all of them. Each rabbi must make his or her decision based on a number of factors, including the possibility that they could lose their jobs, damage their reputations or alienate donors and board members. There are consequences for each member of Rabbis for Obama in this diverse and distinguished group. Significantly, this group has doubled in size from 2008 to 2012.
Q&A With Rabbi Elliot Dorff
In the age of 140-character tweets and 38-second video clips, the Conservative movement is putting its foot down with a nearly 1,000-page reference tome, “The Observant Life: The Wisdom of Conservative Judaism for Contemporary Jews.”
High Holy Days: In the rabbis’ words
This year, we return to the wisdom offered by our rabbis during the High Holy Days in years past. What follows are excerpts from some exceptional sermons and High Holy Days writings; many more voices could have been included, of course, but we hope this will inspire you to revisit your own synagogues’ archives.
Notes removed from Western Wall
The Western Wall was emptied of layers of notes from its cracks and crevices for the New Year.
It Took Four Days
Meir Soloveichik vs. David Wolpe: Two rabbis, two parties, two political philosophies
Republicans and Democrats may not have much common ground this election year, yet their national conventions shared one feature: Both gatherings were blessed from the podium by prominent American rabbis.
The serious side of High Holy Days seating
The philosopher Abraham Joshua Heschel emphasized time rather than space as the major category of significance in Judaism. The first divine hallowing in creation was the seventh day, the Sabbath, not any place or thing. When the child asked Menachem Mendel of Kotzk, “Where is God?” he answered, “Whenever you let Him in.” Not “where” but “when,” and not place but time is the locus of godliness.
Why Wolpe spoke at the DNC
This week David Wolpe, senior rabbi of Sinai Temple, delivered one of the invocations at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C. Even for someone used to and deserving of such honors, this is a big deal.
Toronto rabbi charged for alleged sexual assault after 40 years
A 71-year-old rabbi in Toronto has been charged with indecent assault for allegedly sexually assaulting a student 40 years ago.
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