By Rabbi Dow Marmur JERUSALEM– Having seen snow in Siberia, Sweden and Canada I was never impressed by what they described as a snowfall in Jerusalem. Though there had been some snow once or twice during the winters we spent here. It’s different this time: they forecast up to half-a-meter of the white stuff. It […]
Snow lays siege to Jerusalem Read More »
Middle East
By Rabbi Baruch Lederman SAN DIEGO — The whole of Yerushalayim (Jerusalem) was in an uproar! A well-known man, a member of the Belzer Chasidic sect, and his wife had just given birth to their first child – a boy – after being childless for twenty-eight years! The sholom zachor (party in honor of baby
The value of rachmanis Read More »
Jewish Religion
By Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal SAN DIEGO — “I don’t believe in religion, I believe in science,” is an oft-repeated refrain from those who like to argue with rabbis. Their statement presupposes that there is a conflict between the two. They are surprised when I tell them that I believe in both. Religion and science each
God and the Big Bang Read More »
Jewish Religion
Abbas: Palestinians free to take unilateral action if prisoner release delayed (JNS.org) During his meeting with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Thursday night in Ramallah, Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas said the recently pitched U.S. security proposal—which allows for an Israel Defense Forces presence in the Jordan Valley for 10 years following
JNS news briefs: December 13, 2013 Read More »
InternationalBy Steve Kramer KIBBUTZ KETURA, Israel — Michal and I, together with our friends, recently spent a long weekend on this kibbutz in the Negev Desert. The trip was sponsored by their beit knesset, the Masorti (Conservative) Congregation of Ra’anana. A quote from its website: “The membership of Ra’anana Masorti is a successful mixture of
Exploring a kibbutz that is still Socialist Read More »
Middle East, Steve Kramer
By Anav Silverman JERUSALEM — Israel’s capital became a white city on Thursday as heavy snows blanketed the city throughout the day and into the night. Considered a rare snowstorm, over 10 centimeters of snow fell on the city during the day, setting a December record. Jerusalem mayor, Nir Barkat described the snowfall as a
Snow blankets Jerusalem Read More »
Travel and Food
By Laurie Baron SAN DIEGO―The budget deal forged by Paul Ryan of Wisconsin and Patty Murray will end extensions of unemployment insurance for 1.3 million Americans. Since the current Congress s has passed fewer bills than any of its postwar predecessors, some deficit hawks have suggested docking the salary of its members because they haven’t
Humoring the Headlines: December 12, 2013 Read More »
Lawrence Baron, Trivia, Humor & Satire
Rabbi Shiloh Ben-David, Shalom Aleichem: A Collection of Halachos, Aggados, and Anecdotes about Greeting People; ISBN-13: 978-9657599136; 217 pages; Publisher: Self-Published; Price: $23.95. Rating: 2.5 * out of four. By Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California — The 20th century Orthodox scholar and philanthropist Irving Bunim, in his monumental study on makes a profound observation about
What halacha says about greeting people Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Leo Samuel-RabbiBy Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California — Human behavior and animal behavior resemble one another in so many interesting ways. When an animal approaches the territory of another, it is commonplace for one creature to growl or make noise whenever it perceives its space is invaded. A dog will characteristically bark whenever it
Obama’s handshake a commendable gesture Read More »
Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, USABy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM –Balance is essential for political success. The concept has several meanings, each of which sounds more simple than it is. Avoiding extremism Having a balance of adversaries and supporters Avoiding being too balanced, or wishy washy, on a matter of importance. We are hearing once again the prospect of an American
Keeping a balance is goal of Israel’s policymakers Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle EastHamas and Russia discuss ‘common relations’ (JNS.org) Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had a rare phone conversation on Wednesday, during which they discussed “common relations” and the ongoing final-status negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, The Associated Press reported. In what was the first high-level conversation between Russia
JNS news briefs: December 12, 2013 Read More »
International
Ben Urwand, The Collaboration: Hollywood’s Pact With Hitler, BelknapPress, 2013. By David Strom CHULA VISTA, California –I am not a historian of Hollywood and/or the movie industry, and despite this fact, or perhaps because of it, I found Ben Urwand’s book to be interesting and informative. However, I also found the title to be misleading,
Hollywood and the Nazis Read More »
Travel and FoodReport: Iran may receive $20 billion in sanctions relief, tripling stated figures (JNS.org) Senior Obama Administration officials are admitting that the interim nuclear deal between Iran and world powers may give the Islamic Republic sanctions relief that is three times as large as figures announced in official statements, Haaretz reported Wednesday. While the U.S. has
JNS news briefs: December 11, 2013 Read More »
International
By Aryeh Savir A newly published study shows that the Arab population in Israel’s region is constantly shrinking, especially in the Gaza Strip, and this in contrast to a constant increase in the Jewish population. The study, authored by Dr. Yaakov Feitelson and published by the Institute for Zionist Strategies (IZS), on the demographic trends
Zionist study sees shrinking Arab population Read More »
Middle East