Judaism

Was Moses tripping when he saw the burning bush? Should you try?

A growing number of Jews are using psychedelics to reach spiritual highs, and you might be surprised to learn some Orthodox don’t frown upon the practice By Madison Margolin NEW YORK — Spiritual leader Ram Dass was born Richard Alpert, a nice Jewish boy from Boston. But in 1963, the former psychologist prof was expelled

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Jewish Religion, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA

Akko Tower Wreck probably dates to early 19th century

AKKO, Israel (Press Release) — The Akko Tower Wreck has been playing tricks with researchers for over 50 years. The shipwreck was discovered during the first maritime archaeological survey conducted in Israel using remote sensing technology, in 1966, and bears the distinction of being the first shipwreck identified off the coast of Israel. But the

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International, Jewish History, Middle East, Science, Medicine, & Education

Shabbat San Diego to provide rest after the election

SAN DIEGO (Press Release) — Following one of the most bitter, divisive and exhausting presidential races in the history of the United States, the opportunity to celebrate a well-deserved Sabbath as a global community will take place on the very first weekend after Election Day on the Shabbat of November 11th and 12th, the Third Annual

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Jewish Religion, San Diego County, USA

Peace in Palestine: Balfour Apology Is a Distraction

If love means never having to say you are sorry, then the renewed push for the U.K. to “atone” for the 1917 Balfour Declaration is yet another reminder of the bad blood between Israelis and Palestinians—and of how elusive peace remains. Today, on 99th anniversary of the letter, which endorsed “the establishment in Palestine of

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International, Jewish History, Middle East

Hamburg, in Germany, Celebrates a Somber, Progressive Jewish First

November 1, 2016: The Reform congregation in Hamburg of Germany has dedicated its very first Jewish Cemetery. The community’s section of the Ohlsdorf cemetery was inaugurated by Rabbi Moshe Navon, head of the Liberal Congregation in Bad Pyrmont, earlier this month. The inauguration was supported with $3,280 worth of gift for plantings at the area

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International, Jewish History, Jewish Religion

A mahzor for Sukkot

The Koren Sukkot Maḥzor; Introduction, Translation, and Commentary by Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, Koren Publishers, Jerusalem, © 2015, ISBN 978-965-301-659-0, p. 1465, $24.95 By Fred Reiss, Ed.D. WINCHESTER, California –  When a knowledgeable Jew hears the Hebrew word maḥzor, more than likely an image appears of a sanctuary filled with Jews praying during the High Holidays,

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Fred Reiss, EdD, Jewish Religion

‘Just Kidding’: Regulating extreme shuckling

By Joel H. Cohen   NEW YORK — A group of Brooklyn pulpit rabbis, heads of yeshivas and prominent laymen has quietly enacted an informal, non-binding agreement to rein-in “extreme” shuckling. The compact applies to themselves, their students and congregants. The action came in the aftermath of  injuries suffered by an unidentified 12-year-old boy, who swayed so

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

A history of the Soviet Union’s failed Jewish republic

Where the Jews Aren’t: The Sad and Absurd Story of Birobidzhan, Russia’s Jewish Autonomous Region by Masha Gessen, Nextbooks, Schocken, New York ©2016, ISBN 978-0-8052-4246-1, p. 147, plus notes, published sources, and index, $25.00 By Fred Reiss, Ed.D. WINCHESTER, California –  In 1908, about a decade after the first Zionist Congress, the British government offered territory

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, International, Jewish History