By Rabbi Dow Marmur JERUSALEM — In the eyes of many of those in power in Israel, including the prime minister, liberal Jews are extreme leftists and potential enemies of the people. Mercifully, most of them reside in the Diaspora, which is a good reason to shun them. In any case, they’re soon likely to […]
Christians teach Torah to Jews in Ariel Read More »
Jewish Religion, Middle East
Bitter and Sweet by Sandra V. Feder, illustrations by Krysten Brooker, Groundwood Books, (c) 2018, ISBN 9781554-989959; 30 pages, $17.95. By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO — Author Sandra Feder notes that Judaism acknowledges a duality in life: with the bitter often will come the sweet, and vice versa. “Sweet wine or grape juice is
Two children’s books for Jewish holidays Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Jewish Religion
Editor’s Note: This is the 22nd in a series of stories researched during Don and Nancy Harrison’s 50th Wedding Anniversary cruise from Sydney, Australia, to San Diego. Previous installments of the series, which runs every Thursday, may be found by tapping the number of the installment: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21
Sisters are leaders in Auckland Jewish community Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, International, Jewish History, Jewish Religion
Congress adopts budget including funds for Israel’s defense The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) has commended the U.S. Congress for including important pro-Israel provisions in the John S. McCain National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2019. These critical provisions will help protect Israel against mounting security threats. The bipartisan measure
Editor’s E-Mail Box: August 1, 2018 (5 items) Read More »
International, Jewish Religion, Middle East, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA
Senators introduce legislation to discourage the use of human shields The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) wants supporters to urge their senators to join the list of cosponsors of a bill that would place sanctions on foreign persons who utilize human shields during the course of terror operations. While the legislation would apply universally,
Editor’s E-Mail Box: July 31, 2018 (4 items) Read More »
Jewish Religion, Middle East, USABy Mark D. Zimmerman MELVILLE, New York — The minor holiday of Tu B’Av was celebrated this past Friday. The name Tu B’Av means the 15th of the month of Av, which, as the middle of the lunar month, coincides with the full moon. This year’s Tu B’Av also coincided with a lunar eclipse known as
Jewish trivia quiz: Tu B’Av Read More »
Jewish Religion, Mark D. Zimmerman, Trivia, Humor & Satire
By Garry Fabian PRAGUE, Czech Republic –Next to my own 147-year-old St. Kilda Hebrew Congregation in Melbourne, Australia, the synagogue to which I am most attached is the Alt Neue Shule here in Prague. It is nearly 900 years old, My family arrived in Prague in September 1938 after that part of Czechoslovakia called Sudentland
Prague’s Alte-Neue Synagogue has memorable history Read More »
International, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Travel and FoodBy Mark D. Zimmerman MELVILLE, New York — Protests are erupting in Israel and throughout the Jewish world as a result of the detention of a Conservative rabbi in Haifa by Israeli police, in response to a rabbinical court order. The Haifa Rabbinic Court charged the rabbi with “marrying those who are not eligible to be
Jewish trivia quiz: Marriage in Israel Read More »
Jewish Religion, Mark D. Zimmerman, Middle East, Trivia, Humor & Satire
Anger over arrest of Conservative rabbi for officiating at a non-Orthodox wedding On the very morning of the day he was to drive to Jerusalem to participate at the President’s residence on a panel on Jewish diversity and unity, Conservative Rabbi Dov “Dubi” Haiyun was awakened by police in Haifa to be questioned about officiating
Editor’s E-Mail Box: July 20, 2018 (5 items) Read More »
International, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Middle East, Science, Medicine, & Education, USABy Rabbi Dow Marmur JERUSALEM — There’s no date for the next general election in Israel but the prime minister is already campaigning at full speed. Three most current instances come to mind, 1. He has promoted legislation, just passed, that will prove that he and his party are the only authentic custodians of the Zionist
Netanyahu campaigns for reelection by going hard right Read More »
International, Jewish Religion, Middle EastDoing His Will (Osah Kirtzono) by Esti Weinstein, published in Hebrew by Kinneret, Zmora-Bitan, Dvir, 2016. By Dorothea Shefer-Vanson JERUSALEM –The poor woman who wrote this book (and eventually committed suicide) was born into a specific sect, tantamount to a cult, of ultra-Orthodox Judaism known as the Gur Hassidim As a child and teenager the author
Suicide’s memoir indicts the Gur sect of Hassidim Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Jewish Religion, Middle East
Visiting HaKotel on Tisha B’Av Many Jews visit the Kotel (Western Wall) on Tisha B’Av, a day of mourning and remembrance for the destruction of both the First and Second Temples and other tragedies in Jewish History. How many Jews? Newspapers report that thousands, even tens of thousands stand before the Kotel on Tisha B’Av.
Editor’s E-Mail Box: July 16, 2018 (2 items) Read More »
Jewish Religion, Middle East, USABy Joel H. Cohen NEW YORK — Perplexed and more than a little peeved, President Trump was on a tear about the responses he’d been receiving from rabbis and other Jewish leaders he’d invited to a gala White House event the coming weekend of July 21-22. “Almost every RSVP for the kosher extravaganza has been along
‘Just Kidding:’ Trump wants Tisha B’Av to be ‘fun again’ Read More »
Jewish Religion, Joel H. Cohen, Trivia, Humor & Satire, USABy Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California — The story is a familiar one. Once a man went out for a walk through the forest. To his sudden surprise, he sees a grizzly bear chasing him. After the bear traps him, he prepares himself for his last rites, he says the Shema Prayer, and
Jewish religion stands in defense of animals Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi