Новости за 13.04.2016

Do not talk to me today, for I am in a pre-Passover rage!

This is because of an essay that recently appeared on the Union for Reform Judaism’s website, titled “Do We Still Need an Orange on the Seder Plate?” The article’s answer to this Passover question is no. My answer is yes. And now I would like to throw many oranges at the patriarchy.

Continue reading "The Orange, a Symbol of Inclusivity, Belongs on the Seder Plate" at...

Last October 3, a two-year old infant was stabbed in Jerusalem by a Palestinian terrorist, who murdered the baby’s father and critically wounded his mother. On January 15, a mother-of-six was stabbed to death at home in front of her teenage daughter by another terrorist. Last Sunday, April 10, participants at the U.S. Universities Debating Championship (USUDC) at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia, were challenged to justify attacks of this nature with the motion, “This House Believes That... Читать дальше...

During his tour of the Borough Park neighborhood of Brooklyn on Tuesday, Republican presidential candidate John Kasich visited Eichler’s Judaica, where he showed off his knowledge of the story of Passover—what with the lessons of story of Joseph and his brothers and all. Eventually, Kasich met a group of young, apparently awe-struck Yeshiva students, and tried to school them.

Some bigots just can’t catch a break. Having been jettisoned from a tenure-track position at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign for expressing vile and violent anti-Semitic sentiments on social media, Steven Salaita found refuge at American University of Beirut, where he was hired as the Edward W. Said Chair of American Studies.

Is anti-Zionism any different from anti-Semitism? The question is probably the most accurate seismograph we’ve got to measure where one stands on the ever-tremorous political grounds we all walk when we talk about Israel. Not that there’s necessarily any right or wrong answer; civil, well-meaning people can make arguments on both ends. Yes, because Jews and Jewish life cannot be reduced to the national aspirations of the Jewish state. No, because anyone denying Jews, alone of all the world’s nations... Читать дальше...

Barbra Streisand turns 75 next year. In her 50-plus year career, she has made her mark on the silver screen, on Broadway, in nightclubs, and on the record charts. Her beginnings were humble—she grew up poor and scrappy in Brooklyn with a mother and stepfather who were far from encouraging, and knew early on that she wanted to be a star regardless of her unconventional looks and comportment. How did she do it? What was the source of her broad appeal? And why does she stand out as a unique... Читать дальше...

What does one say to a group of people who are committed to Jewish life? I’m more accustomed to speaking with groups not already committed and trying to find ways to engage them with Jewish life. I’ve talked with thousands of Birthright Israel young adults, most of whom are undereducated Jewishly, and I hope to light a Jewish spark—not because of me, but it’s clear that Birthright has created Jewish ruach.

Efshar hafuch? That is, may I have a cappuccino? Please, ani meta al hafuch, I’m dying for one.