Melbourne sex abuse probes spread to Sydney Jewish community

Published on February 15, 2013

Allegations of child sex abuse, rampant in Melbourne’s Jewish community, have spread to Sydney, with police mounting investigations into two individuals.

Conservatives release guidelines for ethical kashrut certification

By Ben Harris
Published on August 4, 2008

The Conservative movement released a policy statement and guidelines for its much-anticipated ethical kashrut certification, outlining the social justice standards companies are expected to meet if their foodstuffs are to qualify for the designation

Playing Favorites

By Rabbi Dov Fischer
Published on September 8, 2005

When I was a kid, I was a very important person in shul. My dad was not at all prominent in the greater society -- he merely worked for his brother, selling toys and stationery as a wholesaler in Manhattan's Lower East Side, starting his workday at 7 a.m. and working through 7 p.m. every day, including Sunday. (Sabbath-observant, he got to leave midafternoon on Fridays.) But at shul, he was well liked, even loved, and was the vice president of the local Young Israel. He was very important there, and I got treated great.

Then he died -- cut down by leukemia at age 45. At his funeral, everyone from shul attended and promised to love our family, to remain close. In time, though, the bonds loosened. There were fewer visits on Shabbat to our home; fewer invitations to others' homes. And then it happened. One Shabbat, amid 20 talking boys, I was singled out to be chastised -- to be quiet. That had never before happened to me.

Cool Jews on Campus

By Merav Tassa
Published on October 25, 2001

College can be a time for Jewish students to further explore their Judaism -- religiously, socially and politically. The following is a compilation of resources available to Jewish students and a summary of what these groups are doing on campus.