The Fragile Dialogue: New Voices of Liberal Zionism
Last month, Jews around the world woke up to the news that a group of Reform Jewish leaders in Jerusalem for the ordination of the 100th Israeli Reform rabbi was treated harshly by security guards as they carried Torah scrolls onto the plaza in front of the Kotel, the Western Wall of the Temple Mount.
Eternal Life
It’s hard to think of an author who more skillfully blends secular and religious themes than Dara Horn. Since the 2002 publication of her first novel, In the Image, she has emerged as one of the most important Jewish literary voices of the 21st century. Her stories often intertwine narratives from multiple time periods and involve historical figures and notable events. Her first novel since 2013, Eternal Life, takes its? time jumping into the realm of immortality novels.
The Mandela Plot
Adolescence, otherness, and Apartheid make a literally explosive cocktail in National Jewish Book Award winner Kenneth Bonert’s new novel, The Mandela Plot. Half hyperbolic adventure and half historical fiction, Bonert elevates his unlikely hero, Martin Helger, to almost mythic status, while reminding readers both of South Africa’s Jewish diaspora and the horrors of Apartheid.
Patrilineal descent
The idea that one is Jewish if either parent is Jewish and one was raised with Judaism. This contrasts with the traditional idea of matrilineal descent, in which one is Jewish if one’s mother is/was Jewish.
K’hilah
“Congregation” or “community.”
Siyyum
“Completion.” Usually refers to the completion of the study of a book of Torah, Mishnah, or other study text. The occasion is often accompanied by a festive meal.
Baruch Dayan HaEmet
Literally, “Blessed is the Judge of Truth;” Customary words one recites upon hearing of a person’s death.
Kibud hameit
Literally, “honoring the deceased.”
Levayah
Literally, “to accompany.” To accompany the dead to their final resting place is a great mitzvah and shows true honor for the dead because the deceased cannot respond to those who perform this mitzvah.
Bentscher (Yiddish)/ birkon (Hebrew)
A booklet of prayers and songs commonly used at Shabbat meals, weddings, and b'nai mitzvah (bar/bat mitzvah) meals. The booklet includes Birkat HaMazon, the prayers recited after a meal.