Mrs. Spider Teaches Her Son Sammy About Judaism

Whenever Sammy the spider observes the human family of Jason Shapiro celebrating a Jewish holiday, he invariably expresses the wish that he too could have that experience. Just as invariably, Sammy’s mother, Mrs. Spider, tells him that spiders don’t do that, but rather “spiders spin webs.” [Donald H. Harrison]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, Jewish Religion, Staff and Bylined Contributors

OpEd: Imposing Two-State Solution Jeopardizes Israeli Security

Israel’s critics are understandably worried about civilian deaths and starvation in Gaza, but it will help if they would more often mention the plight of Israeli hostages, the ongoing grief of the families and coping with the mental and physical scars since Oct. 7. I lost sympathy completely for Israel’s critics when I recognized that their crusade is rigidly one-sided. [Bruce S. Ticker]

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Bruce Ticker, International, Israel, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Jewish Trivia Quiz: Ozzy Osbourne, RIP

Sharon decided ‍that ‍she ‍and ‍Ozzy ‍should ‍renew ‍their ‍wedding ‍vows ‍in ‍a ‍Jewish ‍ceremony. ‍Ozzy ‍was ‍not ‍thrilled ‍with ‍that ‍idea ‍until ‍the ‍officiant, ‍Rabbi ‍Michael ‍Latz, ‍did ‍what? {Mark D. Zimmerman]

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International, Mark D. Zimmerman, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Staff and Bylined Contributors, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

Jewish Biography: Lev Shestov, Existentialist

In 1898, Shestov’s first book, Shakespeare and His Critic Brandes, was published, in which he outlined problems that later became central to the philosopher’s work: the limitations and inadequacy of scientific knowledge as a means of “orienting” a person in the world … [Alex Gordon]

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Alex Gordon, Books, Poetry & Short Stories, International, Jewish History, Staff and Bylined Contributors

Book about David Weiss Halivni Can Prompt People to Consider Self-Improvement

He made two significant contributions to Jewish thought, both controversial and not accepted by all scholars, one dealing with the Talmud and the other with the Torah. [Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]

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Israel, Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors, USA

David Weiss Halivni Examined the Presence of God at Mount Sinai and the ‘Revelation of Absence’ at Auschwitz

In his theological reflection on the Holocaust, David Weiss Halivni grapples with the haunting question of why God did not intervene in the Shoah. He dismisses the idea that the event was a punishment for sin, arguing that the scale of destruction was disproportionate to any conceivable transgression. Instead, Halivni connects the Holocaust to the concept of beḥirah ḥofshit (free will) and a historical shift in divine presence. [Rabbi Dr. Michael Leo Samuel]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Holocaust, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, Science, Medicine, & Education, Staff and Bylined Contributors

OpEd: Hamas Causes and Weaponizes Human Suffering

Much of the world has focused on the suffering in Gaza—suffering that is undeniably real. But we must speak the truth about its cause: Hamas has weaponized human misery. It hides military assets in schools, mosques, and hospitals. It blocks or steals humanitarian aid, often reselling it to civilians at exorbitant prices to fund their operations. [Andy Schaer]

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