Jewish Religion

Forced to sign waiver to use ritual bath alone, some Jerusalem women fear coercion

The Supreme Court has ruled that making a woman immerse under supervision is an invasion of privacy, so why must they fill out ‘permission slips’ to dip? By Yaakov Schwartz Lea was standing in only a towel when the ritual bath attendant barred the 32-year-old’s way, saying she must fill out a waiver before entering […]

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Jewish Religion, Middle East

Hero- Martyr: Basquiat and Samson

By Sam Ben-Meir ROME, Italy –  For international collage artist, Michael Anderson, Jean-Michel Basquiat is the single most significant artist of the last fifty years: “Picasso, Pollack, Basquiat,” he tells me. There is no denying the immense influence of this extraordinary painter, who in a short but meteoric career of seven years produced an astonishing

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Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Sam Ben-Meir

Reform leader: This is our ‘moment to be smart and strategic about all the money we give to Israel’

Rabbi Rick Jacobs welcomes conversion bill delay, hails ‘unprecedented’ US Jewish opposition to Israeli government decisions on conversion, Western Wall prayer By Amanda Borschel-Dan Reform leader Rabbi Rick Jacobs on Friday welcomed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s announcement that the controversial conversion bill at the heart of two-pronged flare-up in Israel-Diaspora tensions would be frozen for

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Jewish Religion, Middle East, USA

When men and women prayed together at the Western Wall

A brief history of Jewish worship at Judaism’s holiest place of prayer, where, until it came under Israeli jurisdiction, a mixing of genders was the norm By Amanda Borschel-Dan From the mid-1800s, photographs of Jews praying together at the Western Wall became common on the walls of houses across the Western world. Today, a rich

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Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Middle East

US congressmen lament divisive Western Wall prayer plaza decision

Democrats Jerrold Nadler and Ted Deutch say they have been swamped with complaints from American Jews By Stuart Winer and Times of Israel staff Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-New York. (Courtesy) Two Jewish American congressman said they are being flooded with complaints about an Israeli government decision to back out of an agreement over a new

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Jewish Religion, Middle East, USA

Ultra-Orthodox threaten to bolt goverment if conversion bill endangered

Head of United Torah Judaism faction sneers that Reform Jews ‘wouldn’t get 1,000 votes in an Israeli election’ By Sue Surkes Health Minister Yaakov Litzman attends a conference in Jerusalem, February 16, 2017. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90) Health Minister Yaakov Litzman on Wednesday threatened to take his party out of the governing coalition if a bill cementing

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Jewish Religion, Middle East

High Court to hold hearing on Western Wall agreement in July

Women of the Wall head says cabinet decision to freeze 2016 deal shows state has no legal arguments for delaying its implementation By Alexander Fulbright Conservative Jews at the section prepared for prayer for the Women of the Wall at Robinson’s Arch in Jerusalem’s Old City on July 30, 2014. (Robert Swift/Flash90) The High Court

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Jewish Religion, Middle East

Destruction of Arkansas’ Ten Commandments monument places spotlight on separation of church and state

The 6-foot-tall stone monument engraved with the Ten Commandments — a capstone of sorts to years of debate in Arkansas over the separation of church and state — was erected with little pomp on the lush grounds of the state Capitol. Less than 24 hours later, the monument came crumbling down after a Dodge Dart

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Jewish Religion, USA

Jewish Agency takes out ad slamming Western Wall decision

Organization says freezing pluralistic prayer pavilion and granting ultra-Orthodox conversion monopoly ‘endangers the unity of the Jewish people’ By Times of Israel staff Members of the Reform and Conservative Jewish movements hold torah scrolls during a mixed men and women prayer at the public square in front of the Western Wall, in Jerusalem’s Old City,

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Jewish Religion, Middle East, USA

MKs backing conversion bill not welcome in Chicago, Jewish leader warns

After meeting PM over legislation and Western Wall about-face, Steven Nasatir says he’s done ‘being nice’ to Israeli dignitaries who ignore Diaspora Jewry’s needs By Raphael Ahren Any Israeli lawmaker who supports controversial Israeli legislation putting conversion matters exclusively in the hands of the Chief Rabbinate should consider him or herself persona non grata in

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Jewish Religion, Middle East, USA

Torahs survive flood and fire

  By Beth Sarafraz The Jewish Press BROOKLYN, New York — In 2012, during Hurricane Sandy, the sifrei Torah of Congregation Kneses Israel of Sea Gate were saved from flooding water by the shul’s rav. The shul, however, was destroyed. Rabbi Chaim Brikman and his congregants rebuilt the upper floors of the beautiful synagogue, so this year’s Pesach sedarim were joyously

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Jewish Religion, USA

Israel’s diverse population yields many factions

By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — There are attractions in the Jewish State, but also problems. Given its location and population, no surprise that they are the problems of living with Jews, and Arabs. They aren’t the same problems, and it isn’t obvious which are the most serious, or threatening. Arab citizens are some 20 percent of

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Ira Sharkansky, Jewish Religion, Middle East

Scion of chief rabbinical family breaks ranks over intermarriage

Amichai Lau-Lavie to leave Conservative rabbinic group; seeks new definition for non-Jewish partners. By Gary Rosenblatt If you had to describe Amichai Lau-Lavie’s rationale for breaking ranks with the Conservative movement, as he is about to do, on its prohibition against rabbis performing intermarriages, it might be this: Love trumps tribe. A popular and dynamic

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Jewish Religion, USA