A few days ago, I stood at the front of the community room next to the Beth Israel synagogue in California, looking out at rows of Jewish families waiting for a film to begin. The movie, Swedishkayt, is a very funny, very Jewish, very Swedish…
Category: Other
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Between Silence and Witness: A Gentile in a Jewish Room
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Reform/Liberal /Progressive Judaism is alive and well in the USA and the UK
I begin this blog post with an old Jewish saying: “Even though I am Jewish I have some good news for you!” I have recently returned from several weeks in the USA and London, where I was hosted by several thriving Conservative and…
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Four Entered Pardes: The Three Lights Of Tohu . . . And Rabbi Akiva: A Chiddush
There is a story told in the Talmud as if it were simple: Four entered Pardes. Ben Azzai gazed and died. Ben Zoma gazed and lost his reason. Acher gazed and cut the shoots. Rabbi Akiva entered in peace and left in peace. But nothing…
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We Are Never Alone
In this week’s Torah portion, Vayetze, Jacob makes two pivotal journeys. In the first, he is entirely solitary. In the second, he is surrounded by a large family. Yet, in both instances, he is vulnerable, exposed, and seemingly alone. The first…
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The Day After Ukraine: A Warning for Israel
If Trump can pressure Kyiv to sign away its future, he can do the same to Jerusalem — especially with Riyadh and Ankara in the room. When a superpower tells a bleeding ally, “Sign here or you’re on your own,” that’s not diplomacy….
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U.S. Conservatives Struggle With Antisemitism
The conservative movement in the United States, which is exemplified by President Donald Trump’s administration these days, is being buffeted by a growing debate over the U.S.’ alliance with Israel and accusations that some of its supporters are…
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Kais Saïed’s Mask: Tunisia’s Shift from Democratic Hope to Judicial Farce
Tunisia, once celebrated as the sole democratic success story of the 2011 Arab uprisings, is rapidly reverting to the authoritarian playbook of its past. Under the rule of President Kaïs Saïed, the state has replaced the promise of political…
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The Eternal Jew’s Tale, #196, Crystal Haggadah, 7
In this episode we get a glimpse of seders otherwise lost beneath the rubble of history. The Eternal Jew’s Tale A Pesakh Montage, The Crystal Haggadah Midrashbase 1 Israelite Pesakh Midrashim, ~140 BCE By the invincible armor of Torah Law, and…
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Intermarriage
The subject of intermarriage comes up as we learn more about Yakov and Eisav. We see the strong emotions felt by their parents. The Torah tells us that when Eisav was forty, he married to Hittite women, Yehudit and Basmat. He tried to give the…
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Enough Is Enough: A Plan for Action
This week, supporters of Hamas escalated their campaign of intimidation and hatred in profoundly disturbing ways. In New York City, they harassed attendees outside a synagogue hosting a Nefesh B’Nefesh aliyah seminar, shouting calls for death,…
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