Jewish Religion

Weekly Torah portion: Vaerah

Obstacle or Opportunity? You Decide! By Rabbi Yaakov Marks SAN DIEGO — When Moshe originally spoke to the Jewish people about G-d’s plan to redeem them, Moshe performed the signs G-d had given him. The people, upon witnessing the signs, were convinced that G-d had, indeed, sent Moshe to redeem them. They enthusiastically bowed down […]

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Jewish Religion

Saying kaddish can have its lighter moments

By Joel H. Cohen NEW YORK — There’s something about helping out with a minyan, especially to enable someone to say kaddish, that draws even some of the least observant among us, as does the obligation to say say kaddish itself. And, as solemn a mitzvah it is, there sometimes are humorous sidelights. When my father died in

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Jewish Religion, Joel H. Cohen, Trivia, Humor & Satire

Shas moves ahead with anti-Reform Western Wall bill

Proposal could face ministerial vote next week; Chief Rabbinate claims High Court does not have jurisdiction over holy sites By Raoul Wootliff Ultra-Orthodox Jewish men yell and protest Liberal Jewish men and women as they hold a prayer service in front of the Western Wall, in Jerusalem’s Old City, on June 16, 2016. (Hadas Parush/Flash90)

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Jewish Religion, Middle East

For some Jewish millennials, anti-Trump march is a first step

Gathering in Washington, young Jewish women say that they were moved to activism by the election and the new president’s rhetoric By Rebecca Shimoni Stoil WASHINGTON, DC — Jewish organizations faced challenges organizing for a march scheduled for the Sabbath, but that didn’t prevent the youngest generation of activists from being out in force for

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Jewish Religion, USA

Report: Jared and Ivanka allowed to ride in car on Shabbat

Daughter of Donald Trump Ivanka and her husband Jared Kushner, who are orthodox Jews, have reportedly received rabbinical permission to travel to Donald Trump”s Presidential inauguration by car – after the onset of Shabbat. In an interview with Kol Barama radio, Mark Zell, the chair of the Republican Party in Israel, said that the couple

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Jewish Religion, USA

Iraqi Forces Say IS Destroyed Historic Tomb of Jonah in Mosul

Iraqi forces battling so-called Islamic State (IS) fighters this week made a grim discovery in a Mosul neighborhood, confirming reports from 2014 that the group had leveled the shrine that is said to have housed the tomb of the prophet Jonah, a key figure in the Judaic, Christian and Islamic religions. “Counterterrorism forces liberated Nabi

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Jewish Religion, Middle East

US rabbi rewrites prayer – to avoid blessing Trump

With Hollywood celebs, far-left activists, and even some congressional Democrats still unwilling to accept President-elect Donald Trump”s surprise victory in November’s democratic elections, disavowing their new Commander in Chief with slogans like “Not My President” and a movement to boycott the inauguration, one prominent left-wing rabbi has found his own unique way to protest the

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Jewish Religion, USA

To one Jewish professor, Martin Luther King Jr. was an idol and a mensch

Susannah Heschel was just a child in the spring of 1965, when her father left for Selma, Alabama, to march with those demanding that everyone be allowed to vote regardless of their skin color. “He kissed me goodbye,” says Heschel. “And I remember thinking ‘I don’t know if I’ll ever see him again.’” Just a

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Jewish History, Jewish Religion, USA

Foreign Ministry welcomes Torah scroll from Bucharest

Israel’s Foreign Ministry on Sunday held a ceremony welcoming a Torah scroll to its synagogue in Jerusalem’s government complex. Attending the ceremony were Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely (Likud) and Ashkenazic Chief Rabbi David Lau, senior officials in both the Religious Services and Foreign Ministries, and representatives from Romania’s Jewish community. The “new” Torah scroll

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International, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Middle East