-American synagogues, kosher slaughter houses and Jewish schools may be finding it much harder to hire Israelis. (The Jerusalem Post)
-The case is made “that religion is not primarily about God, but about the human need for the sacred.” (Prospect Magazine)
-A fierce battle over the leadership–and the existence–of an Arab oriented middle school in NYC splits […]

Our friends at Jewish Funds for Justice have been highlighting the woeful road to recovery in New Orleans to mark the two-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina:
* Of $8.4 billion allocated for levee repair in Louisiana, only 20% had been spent as of July 2007, leaving whole communities inadequately protected and making it much harder to […]

Yesterday, Jewschool decided to bring up an old article about the Conservative Movement’s policy on eating hot dairy, after a survey of clergy found that 80% eat warmed fish in non-kosher restaurants.
The comments that followed were, generally, the same arguments that have been brought up before. It soon came to question of whether or not […]

-Does Jewish law permit the removal of semen from a deceased man in order for his widow to bear his child? (The Schlesinger Institute for Jewish Medical Ethics)
-A look at the variety of synagogue practices with regard to the burial of intermarried couples:
Cleveland Jewish News
J.
-How can you text-message “expressing sorrow and an apology for not […]

Earlier this year, when Tillie Olsen passed away, I emailed Alice Mattison, author of the wonderful story collection In Case We’re Separated and asked her to share some thoughts on Olsen — a writer I knew she had affinities with.
Well, last week we lost another wonderful Jewish author associated with the Left: Grace Paley. It’s […]

-Some views on whether the rise in the percentage of Jewish men who do not serve in the IDF is really a problem:
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/888434.html
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/889702.html
-And Shlomi Barzel wants to know why “a numerically negligible group” of artists who get army exemptions is such a big deal. (Haaretz)
-A look at the national discussion on the issue of […]

It’s Elul for Michael Vick, too. After pleading guilty to charges related to his involvement in dogfighting, Vick gave a press conference in which he revealed: “Through this situation I found Jesus and I ask him for forgiveness, and I turn my life over to God. I think that’s the right thing to do as […]

I’ve blogged about Eli Valley’s comics here before. Now the Jewish writer/communal professional has created web site dedicated solely to his drawings. It’s worth a look for a good chuckle.

-A first-hand account of the evacuation of the families from Hebron. (The Jewish Press)
-Gideon Levy argues that the evacuation from Hebron should have included all the Jews–or none. (Haaretz)
-A look at the intense emotions involved in the mini-evacuation from Hebron. (Haaretz)
-A look at the dynamics of a recent serious outbreak of insubordination in the IDF. […]

This week’s Forward includes their annual guide to Jewish genetic diseases. With advances in technology and medicine, the number of diseases recommended for testing grows every year.
There are still states that require blood tests from both partners before granting marriage licenses. Additionally, for many years, rabbis have either recommended or required genetic testing from couples. […]