This year our Sigi Ziering column focuses on the ethics of kashrut. Each month an esteemed guest columnist will wrestle with what Jewish texts and our tradition teach us about the food we eat; the preparation of food; the people who prepare our food; the food and restaurants that are deemed kosher. This column is sponsored by Bruce Whizin and Marilyn Ziering in honor of Marilyn's husband, Sigi Ziering, of blessed memory.

Doing, Hearing, and Seeing

Abram Sterne
Growing up as the only hearing child in a deaf family meant that I had a unique sense of sound. While my mother, father, and two sisters were profoundly deaf, my home was not necessarily filled with silence.

Silence is Deadly

Naomi Graetz
After much soul-searching and polling among my friends, I came up with a title for my book on wife beating: Silence is Deadly.

Taking Hillel and History to Heart

Abraham H. Foxman
Why did you make that statement? How did you arrive at that position? Is it in the best interest of the Jewish community to speak publicly on that issue?

A Season for Chutzpah

Alan Dershowitz
Ecclesiastes teaches us that to everything there is a season. Nearly 20 years ago I wrote a book called Chutzpah in which I argued that the Jewish community needs more chutzpah.

Hands and Tongues

Leonard Fein
There are times we are rendered mute, when silence is both becoming and unavoidable. The most obvious example (though far from the only one) is 9/11.

When Do We Speak Out About “Someone Else’s” Atrocity?

Aryeh Cohen
“If you’ve grown up taking [the practice of female genital cutting] for granted as the normal thing to do, you will probably respond at first with surprise to someone who thinks it is wrong.

Campus Leadership: When to Listen and When to Lead?

David A. Harris
Imagine you are a Jewish student leader at a prestigious university. You’ve learned that the Palestine Solidarity Movement will hold a national conference aimed at divesting campus resources from Israel — on your campus. You and other students feel strongly that the right thing to do is to continue with the proactive, pro-Israel [...]

The Dilemmas and Perils of Enlightenment

Elihu D. Stone
Every Shabbat, shul-goers pray that God will recompense all those who are engaged with the needs of the community. Stewards of the public good are called upon to faithfully discharge their responsibilities mindful of the broader communal good, to the exclusion of narrow personal interest. Easy to say; hard to do.
After all, the [...]

Inclusivity’s Difficult Questions

Sanford Ragins
A colleague recently brought me the following problem: “I was approached by John who was raised in a family that practiced Christian Science. He has been happily married for some time to a woman who has a strong background in Conservative Judaism. They were not married by a rabbi but today they keep a [...]

Succession Planning

Hal M. Lewis
Jewish organizations wishing to develop new leaders face a number of systemic challenges. Among them:

Incumbents are hard-pressed to focus their energies on the next generation when current exigencies demand the experience of veterans.
It is uncomfortable to raise issues of transition with organizational founders, philanthropists, or tenured executives.
Past leaders who remain involved often serve [...]