By Rabbi Dow Marmur JERUSALEM–Rabbi David Hartman, the distinguished exponent of contemporary Judaism, who died a year ago, built his monument while he was alive and named it after his father: the Shalom Hartman Institute. The Institute has become a powerful presence in Israel dedicated to opening the eyes of Israelis to pluralistic Judaism and […]
Can there be worldwide Jewish unity? Read More »
Jewish ReligionBy Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California– As Creator, and the Source of our being, God continuously brings our existence out of the abyss of nothingness, and is renewed with the possibility of new life. God’s love and compassion is bio-centric and embraces the universe in its totality. God’s power is not all-powerful (in
Creating an inner space for God to dwell Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi
Anathea E. Porter, Apocalypse Against Empire: Theologies of Resistance in Early Judaism Apocalypse; Wm. Eerdmans Publishing Co., Grand Rapids, MI; ISBN 978-0-8028-7083-4 ©2014, $35 p. 462, including bibliography and indexes By Fred Reiss, Ed.D. WINCHESTER, California — I enjoy the amusement created by modern-day “prophets” declaring a forthcoming date to be the end of the
Apocalypse now …. and then Read More »
Fred Reiss, EdD, Jewish ReligionBy Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal SAN DIEGO — In this week’s parasha the Children of Israel are commanded to build the Mishkan, the traveling Tabernacle (tent) in which they will worship God while traveling through the Sinai desert. Although the Torah records that God told the Israelites, “Build me a Sanctuary so that I may dwell
Talmud teaches importance of appearance Read More »
Jewish Religion
WASHINGTON, D.C (Press Release)- Faith questions from a groundbreaking new poll of 3839 members of the disability community were released today by RespectAbilityUSA, a non-profit organization working to enable people with disabilities to have the opportunity to achieve the American dream. The poll shows that Jews with disabilities and their families are far less engaged
Poll: Disabled Jews unlikely to affiliate Read More »
Jewish ReligionBook: Sasha and Emma: The Anarchist Odyssey of Alexander Berkman and Emma Goldman, by Paul Avrich and Karen Avrich. Harvard University Press, 490 pages, 2012. By David Strom CHULA VISTA, California — What is an anarchist? As we know, there are so many different types of Jews that it is safe to conclude that there
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Jewish History, Jewish Religion
By Yifa Segal BRUSSELS – Three quarters of a century have passed, and very few Holocaust survivors are still with us, but the memory of the worst genocide in European history still lives on. “We have seen the danger in spreading false propaganda” said Martin Shultz, President of the European Parliament, “Even today we hear of
European Parliament commemorates Holocaust Read More »
Jewish HistoryMK Uri Ariel recites the kaddish at Auschwitz (video via Knesset spokesperson) By Aryeh Savir JERUSALEM –Before MK Uri Ariel, Minister of Construction and Housing, embarked on his trip to Poland together with some 60 Members of Knesset he received a special request – he was provided with a Tallit belonging to Shlomo Yom
MK dons a special tallit at Auschwitz Read More »
Jewish History, Jewish Religion
TEL AVIV (Press Release)–The Pew Research Center published a major study of Jewish Americans pointing out that there are weaker connections to Judaism through religious affiliation and practice and stronger connections through ancestry, heritage and culture. Also pointed out in the Pew study is that there is a durability of Jewishness in America with
Being Jewish: the continuing story Read More »
Jewish ReligionBy Rabbi Ben Kamin ENCINITAS, California — Someone once told me that there is a lot of anonymous suffering in the world. The phrase haunted me as I was apprised recently of the death, in a residential fire, of a 45 year-old woman who was born with Down’s syndrome and who never spoke a word
Why rabbis should avoid ‘liturgical clichés’ Read More »
Jewish ReligionROME (Press Release)—AJC (American Jewish Committee) has called for increased vigilance following grotesque manifestations of anti-Semitism in Rome during the Jewish Sabbath on January 25. A box with a pig’s head was delivered to Rome’s Grand Synagogue on Friday and similar packages were delivered on Saturday to the Israeli Embassy and to the Museum of
AJC Denounces new outrages, remembers old ones Read More »
Jewish History
JERUSALEM (Press Release)–“Despite what people might think, anti-Semitism does not strengthen our ties with Jews overseas” said Minister of Jerusalem & Diaspora affairs, Naftali Bennett, before presenting the annual report on the subject to the Israeli government in Jerusalem on Sunday, Jan. 26. “For every Jew who makes Aliya as a result of anti-Semitism,
Anti-Semitism prompts both assimiliation and aliyah Read More »
Jewish ReligionRabbi Moshe Walter, The Making of a Halachic Decision. Menucha Publishers.ISBN: 1614650896. 231 pages, $24. Rating: 3* out of 5. By Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California — Any student of Jewish law has often wondered about the origin of the Halachic decision-making process. True, the Talmud is full of arguments. If you
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Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-RabbiBy Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California — Question from Jewish Values Online: In the Torah parsha (selection for reading) Yitro, the Torah tells us that Jethro took Moses’ wife, Tziporah and their two sons, and sent them home. I once heard a teacher explain in a homiletical way that this was an example
What kind of a family man was Moses? Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi