The Legacy of Gun Violence

Mindy Finkelstein
On August 10, 1999, I was a carefree sixteen-year-old working as a counselor at a day camp. I could never have anticipated what would happen that day and I will never forget the details of that morning. At 9:45 AM a self-proclaimed Neo-Nazi walked into the North Valley Jewish Community Center (outside Los Angeles) and shot over 70 rounds of ammunition. I was shot, along with four others (including three children).

Israel’s Arms

Yossi Melman
On the one hand Israel is asking the world to take into consideration its security needs. On the other hand Israel itself shows no consideration of other nations’ concerns. Israel preaches morality, values, and ideals, and it portrays itself as the only democracy in the Middle East. Yet behind the scenes it is involved in murky and dubious arms deals.

Guns, Gun Control, and American Jews

Tom Diaz
What do Jews in America think about guns and gun control? The question reflects our broad sociopolitical spectrum. And it is talmudic; an exquisitely ambiguous Second Amendment text demands explication. The obvious answers turn out to be touchstones for more questions.

Arms for Images

American Jews like their guns at a distance. Despite the participation of Jewish soldiers in each of America’s wars — going back to 1776 — it wasn’t until 1948 that Jews finally found guns that fit them, culturally speaking. But there was one catch: Those guns were in Israel.

A Journey into the Ethics of Kashrut

Dyonna Ginsburg
Although I had been involved in many social justice ventures before, it wasn’t until I switched my eating habits that my entire outlook shifted. All of a sudden, I saw things that I had not seen before and became sensitive to the suffering of people whom I had previously ignored.

Living with the “Arational”

Amitai Adler
I am a rather studious rabbinical student — with a bent for halakhah — at a Conservative movement seminary. But I believe in magic. I believe in angels and in demons. I believe in a universe of both the seen and the unseen. I believe in the ability of human beings to see the unseen. And I believe I have caught glimpses of it. There. Now you know my secret.

Discussion Guide – Gun Control

Why has the “loophole” in current gun laws remained on the books?

How might you bring a talmudic explication to the Second Amendement, the right to bear arms?
Do you know anyone who owns a gun? How do you feel when you’re in that person’s house? Would you let them bring the gun into your house?