A recent Haaretz article mentions a new study that found that people believe American Jewish leadership is “elitist, parochial, self-serving and resistant to innovation.”
Also there is “too much overlap, duplication, and non-cooperation” among organizations in the American Jewish establishment.
Thank you, Captain State-the-Obvious.

Reform Rabbi Levi Weiman-Kelman says of Israel’s Lag Ba’omer bonfires: “This is an ecological disaster, it’s virtually rabbi-sanctioned vandalism. Nowadays there is competition between yeshivas and families on who has the biggest bonfire. The rabbis should issue a clear instruction to those who celebrate that it is quality – not quantity […]

There were many surreal moments last Wednesday night, when Shimon Peres’ “Facing Tomorrow” conference celebrated the American-Israeli relationship, an evening that culminated with a speech by President George W. Bush.
Perhaps the most ridiculous part of the agenda: two (very sculpted) male dancers in skin-tight white get-ups prancing across the stage as a pianist played the […]

Lag Ba’Omer is next week, and one of the customs of this minor holiday is to light bonfires and eat grilled food. In this month’s Inspired Kitchen, we share a vegetarian alternative to the traditional barbecue:
This salad is made with halloumi, a cheese whose firm, rubbery texture lends itself to grilling over a hot flame. […]

The story of Jewry and Galveston is one that fascinates me. Many people, even those well-versed in American Jewish history, may not know of the early 20th Century attempt to bring immigrants to the United States via this small Texas town, instead of New York.
I had the privilege of researching hundreds of documents, ship logs, […]

At the President’s Conference yesterday, I attended a session called “Jewish Identity: Unraveling or Renewing?” a panel discussion featuring — among others — Rav Yehudah Amital, the founder of Yeshivat Har Etzion, where I spent two formative years in the mid-1990s, and Leon Wieseltier, Literary Editor of the New Republic.
Even while I was studying at […]

Recently the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs released an interesting report on the Jewish Communities of the Western United States. Written by Dr. Steven Windmueller, director of the School of Jewish Communal Service at Hebrew Union College in Los Angeles, the piece goes into the history and demographics of West Coast Jewry.
Too often, in the […]

I’m currently in Jerusalem at a conference convened by Shimon Peres, entitled Facing Tomorrow, in honor of Israel’s 60th birthday. It’s a star-studded event, with last night’s speakers including Peres, Ehud Olmert, Elie Wiesel, and Tony Blair.
So far most of the sessions have suffered from the same problem: overbooking. I just came from a lunchtime […]

I rarely agree with the Haredim, but recently they have instituted a boycott against Bamba and other Israeli snacks:
The Haredi Community, an ultra-Orthodox communal organization which strongly opposes Zionism, declared a consumers’ boycott on leading Israeli food brands that have been adorned with the Israeli flag in honor of the country’s 60th birthday. (MORE)
Isn’t a […]

Reviewing the efforts of Carter, Jerome M. Segal argues that while “Hamas has indeed said it will never recognize Israel, nor give up on the right of return”, there is plenty to work with here for hammering out an arrangement, since “if Hamas is saying it will accept a ratified treaty as binding law, that […]