Issues
Smashing my Father’s Idols
Ruby Namdar
Long ago, in a land far away called Uhr Kasdim, lived a curious young boy named Avram.
It is evening. The frenzy of dinner-rush-and-wash-and-brush is behind us, and now we bask in the dimly lit intimacy of bedtime and engage in our beloved ritual of retelling Bible stories, midrashim, and legends. The girls are tucked [...]
Teaching Kashrut
Yonah Bookstein
When I was studying for smikha, I asked my mentor, Rabbi Haskel Besser, “Why do I spend years studying the laws of kashrut? After all, most Jews don’t salt and soak their own meat anymore. And when did someone recently use a dried udder to make cheese? Shouldn’t I spend time on more relevant [...]
Discussion Guide – A Wider Diaspora
1. To what extent are American Jews — like Americans in general — disengaging from foreign affairs, from anything beyond their borders, from anything conducted in another language, and how does this phenomenon impact the relationship of American Jews with Israel?
2. How have globalization and the porousness of borders changed Jewish life around the world?
3. What role do disappointment, frustration, and a sense of exclusion play in innovation? And how can such sentiments be channeled creatively to build more entrepreneurial and engaging community options?
Discovering a Global Jewish World
Reviewed by Abram Sterne
Far From Zion: In Search of a Global Jewish Community, by Charles London, William Morrow, 2009, 320 pp, $25.99
I am troubled by Charles London’s latest book, Far from Zion: In Search of a Global Jewish Community. The award-winning journalist, activist, and author of One Day the Soldiers Came: Voices of Children in [...]
What ‘Supporting Israel’ Means
Roberta P. Seid
American Jews should respect Israel’s democracy and the decisions of its elected government, despite disagreements with specific policies.
Saving Israel’s Soul
Hadar Susskind
Democracy in the United States means that we needn’t agree with every single action taken by President Barack Obama, or by President George W. Bush before him. Yet, when it comes to Israel, we are asked, sometimes instructed, to put aside all critical thinking and simply support any and all actions taken by the government — any government.
Dogmas and Allegiances in Contemporary Judaism
Shaul Magid
Three dogmas of contemporary American Judaism seem to still define “what is a Jew?”: (1) pro-Israelism (as distinct from Zionism); (2) the uniqueness of the Holocaust (as distinct from Holocaust memorialization); and (3) the war against intermarriage.
The Israel Defense Forces: Revolutionary Orientations vs. Orientations of Civility
Shlomo Fischer
Would religious Zionist soldiers and officers in the Israel Defense Force (IDF) obey orders to dismantle and evacuate settlements in Judea and Samaria — the West Bank? This question heightened tension between Rabbi Eliezer Melamad, the head of the Hesder Yeshiva in Alon Moreh and Ehud Barak, the Minister of Defense, when Melamed gave orders to soldiers against such evacuation.
Kashrut: Reining in Expenses
Rachel Kahn-Troster
One of my favorite pieces of modern halakhah on the ethics of Jewish eating comes from the Mishnah Berurah. Commenting on the idea that Shabbat should be an oneg, a celebration, it states that, traditionally, this was understood to mean that meat and wine would be part of the meal. This Mishnah goes on [...]
Holding On, Letting Go
Richard Hirsh
One of the more poignant, sometimes perplexing and often provocative moments in the lifecycle is when adult children have to close a home after the death of a parent. To such an emotionally laden event, we bring the entire psychological, emotional, and relational histories we shared with our parent(s). Somewhere along the continuum between [...]
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