By Sean Savage/JNS.org In a throwback to the golden age of cinema, Hollywood has declared 2014 the “Year of the Bible.” From Ridley Scott’s Exodus starring Christian Bale as Moses, to Russell Crowe playing Noah, Hollywood is gambling on new innovations in technology and star power to revisit some of the most popular stories […]
Hollywood rediscovers the Bible Read More »
Jewish ReligionBy Garry Fabian MELBOURNE, Australia — Every year for times immemorial one of the features of a Seder is the parting of the seas, when the Children of Israel left Egypt. One year our Seder also featured the seas, but with a difference. We were on a cruise on the Queen Mary 2, sailing from Melbourne,
On that Passover, Jews went over the Sea Read More »
Jewish Religion
By World Jewish Congress Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Friday voice doubts about the scale of the Holocaust, questioning the West’s “red lines” on freedom of expression. In a speech in the city of Mashhad Ali Khamenei said that In Europe, “no one dares to speak of the Holocaust, the crux of which
Khameini: Not clear if Holocaust really happened Read More »
Jewish History, Middle EastBy Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal SAN DIEGO—Many Bar and Bat Mitzvah students suffer from PBL (Post Bar/Bat Mitzvah Letdown) after their simcha. They spend many months, if not years, preparing for their special day and approach it with excitement and anticipation. The day after the service, however, their excitement disappears and they feel a void in
A cure for post- Bar/Bat Mitzvah letdown? Read More »
Jewish ReligionTEL AVIV (Press Release)- White City Shabbat has announced that it will be setting the Guinness World Record for the World’s Largest Shabbat Dinner set to take place in June 2014, at the Hangar 11, Tel Aviv Port. In order to break the record, at least 1,000 Israelis and new immigrants must attend the dinner.
Tel Aviv to seek Shabbat dinner guest record Read More »
Jewish Religion, Middle EastBy Rabbi Baruch Lederman SAN DIEGO — Pesach is just around the corner. As we do our Pesach shopping and preparations, here is a nice story to keep in mind: Rabbi Yosef Charif of Slonim was known for his sharpness and insight. Every year as Pesach approached, he received a multitude of queries concerning the
The Wise Rabbi and the Passover Turnabout Read More »
Jewish Religion
NEW YORK (Press Release)– The government of Spain “wants to right an historical wrong” against the Jewish people, declared Alberto Ruiz-Gallardón, Spain’s Minister of Justice, at an AJC luncheon on Wednesday, March 19. The government initiative would offer Spanish citizenship to Jews who can trace their ancestry to the time of the forced expulsion of Jews
Spain trying to ‘reverse 500 years of injustice’ Read More »
International, Jewish History
CHICAGO, Illinois (Press Release) — The Central Conference of American Rabbis will honor Rabbi David Ellenson, Ph.D., at the Crown Family Symposium on Rabbinic Leadership on Monday, March 31, 2014, as part of the 125th annual CCAR Convention, in Chicago. The CCAR is the representative organization of nearly 2,000 Reform rabbis, the world’s largest group
CCAR to honor HUC-JIR’s Rabbi David Ellenson Read More »
Jewish Religion, USA
NEW YORK (Press Release) – AJC announces the publication of Exit Berlin: How One Woman Saved Her Family from Nazi Germany. Authored by Charlotte Bonelli, director of AJC Archives, and published by Yale University Press, Exit Berlin offers unique insights into Nazi Germany and the Holocaust from the perspective of one young German Jewish woman.
Utilizing employee’s letters, AJC publishes ‘Exit Berlin’ Read More »
Jewish History
HARTFORD, Connecticut (Press Release)– Trinity College professors Barry Kosmin and Ariela Keysar are embarking on an online national survey of Jewish university and college students. This large-scale study is a follow-up to their 2013 online national survey of the worldviews and opinions of all American college students. The focus on college students differentiates the Trinity
Professors to survey Jewish college students Read More »
Jewish Religion, Science, Medicine, & Education
By Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California –The Mishnah teaches that, “Anyone reading the Megillah backwards (or out of sequence) has not fulfilled his obligation” (BT. Megillah 17a).[1] Hassidic Scholars noted that one should never think that the miracles and the story of Purim are a relic of the ancient past. Rather its message continues
Opposites: Samuel Rosenman and Queen Esther Read More »
Jewish History, Michael Leo Samuel-RabbiBy Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California –During the Holocaust years, Purim celebrations were forbidden to the Jews. Christians and Jews could not even own the book of Esther. Such decrees did not stop the Nazis from poking fun at the Jews on this Jewish holiday. With diabolical glee, the Nazis frequently orchestrated special
Purim and the Nazi Julius Streicher Read More »
Jewish History, Michael Leo Samuel-RabbiBy Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal SAN DIEGO–Are all jokes about Jews inherently anti-Semitic? I suppose to some extent that depends upon who is telling them. When Jews tell derogatory jokes about Jews, it is from the perspective of insiders poking fun at themselves. However, when a non-Jew tells the same joke it is offensive and racist.
Some Purim thoughts on anti- Semitism Read More »
Jewish Religion
GENEVA (Press Release)– The World Jewish Congress (WJC) on Wednesday called on the United Nations Human Rights Council to recognize as violations of religious freedom any bans or limitations on the right to practice Jewish and Muslim ritual slaughter of animals and male circumcision. “We call on the governments of all UN member states to
WJC seeks UN protection for shechita, brit milah Read More »
International, Jewish Religion