Building on a Successful Year for Paid Sick Days
This week, the city of Spokane, WA became the first locality to pass Paid Sick Day legislation in 2016.
Parashat Yitro and Judicial Discretion
This week’s parshah is Yitro (Jethro), from the Book of Exodus. The parshah opens as Moses, who has brought the Israelites out of Egypt, is visited by his father-in-law, Jethro.
Supreme Court Extends Ban on Juvenile Life Without Parole
On Monday, the Supreme Court issued a very important ruling in the case Montgomery v.
4 Important Lessons Learned on My Birthright Trip
I wanted to staff a URJ Kesher Taglit-Birthright trip so I could play a small role in helping Jewish young adults learn about Israel and shape their own Jewish i
Why Would a Rabbi Write to Prison Inmates?
I believe that prolonged solitary confinement is a violation both of the Eighth Amendment, prohibiting cruel and unusual punishment, and a violation of religious ethics, which maintain that every human being is made in the image of God and thus entitled to be treated with dignity.
Lost in Translation
Recently I took the train down to Tel Aviv to attend a conference on the place of the Arabic language in Israeli culture and society. The topics of the lectures sounded interesting, addressing a number of questions that I had been thinking about for years, living here in the Galilee where 50% of the population are Palestinian Arabs.
A Cantor Goes to the Movies
When I was a kid, there was nothing better than hanging out on the couch on Saturday afternoons watching movies. I loved gladiator films, British horror flicks, westerns, and movies about faraway places. I had a massive kid crush on the god-like actors, and I desperately hoped to grow up to look like Joan Collins.