The Problem With Israel's Chief Rabbinate
Last Wednesday, there was an election here in Israel. One hundred and fifty specially selected Israelis elected new Chief Rabbis, one Ashkenazi and one Sephardic; they are Rabbi David Lau and Rabbi Yitzchak Yoseph, respectively. These gentlemen will serve a 10-year term. “Nu?” you may ask, “Why does this matter to me as an American Reform Jew?"
Praying Without a Prayerbook: A "Hands Free" Shabbat
The Jewish prayerbook — the siddur — is a rich and dense work.
Galilee Diary: EIE - High School in Israel
... Go up there in the Negev and on into the hill country, and see what kind of country it is. Are the people who dwell in it strong or weak, few or many? Is the country in which they dwell good or bad? Are the towns they live in open or fortified? Is the soil rich or poor?
Vodou Rock and Cherry Manischewitz: Reflections of a Jew Visiting Haiti
At the last count of the World Jewish Congress in 1997, there were 25 Jews living in Haiti. There is no native Jewish population to speak of in what is currently the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere.
Ryan Braun, Disgraced Jewish Baseball Player?
Ryan Braun, Jewish sports fans and athletes everywhere salute(d) you. A left-fielder and third baseman for the Milwaukee Brewers, Braun once said,
A Trip to the Mikveh: Finally, Finally Jewish
The words have never been sweeter. After 14 years of waiting, searching, hoping and dreaming, I am finally, finally Jewish.
The Nudge of Selichot
After 10 weeks of swimming, biking, walking at the ocean's edge, and rationalizing that it's too hot for tennis, Saturday night Selichot services appear on my calendar as the call back from the freedom of su
What's In a Jewish Name?
"What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet." (William Shakespeare, Romeo & Juliet)
Winning the Freedom to Marry: Jewish Values, Jewish Voices
The vast majority of Jewish people support the freedom to marry, knowing that strengthening gay families helps many and harms no one. The freedom to marry is not about forcing any rabbi or synagogue – or, for that matter, any priest, minister, imam, mosque, or church – to perform a ceremony.
A Note of Farewell from Rabbi David Saperstein
Today I will leave my position as director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism to assume my responsibilities as the U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom. It is a great honor.