current events

How Should We Write About Tragedy?

Heartbreaking news from the U.S. Violence against gays. The worst mass shooting. Hints of international terrorism.How should my fellow spiritual ...

A Hundred Thousand Miracles

I cannot remember the last time I switched on the news—be it on the television or the radio—or glanced at a newspaper headline ...

A Southern & Jewish Buckeye Fan Makes Her Case: “Cheer With Me!”

In the South, college football is king. Adjusting to the world of Saturday morning tailgates (after shul, of course) and ...

“Selma”: It’s Not About The Jews, And That’s Okay

This piece was written jointly by Lonnie Kleinman and Lex Rofes. An article about the soon-to-be-released film Selma recently appeared ...

Empathy & Justice: Thoughts on The Ruling in Ferguson

This piece was jointly authored by Malkie Schwartz and Rabbi Jeremy Simons, reflecting on last night’s grand jury ruling in ...

An End to Appointment Judaism?

I am an avid television watcher, to say the least. My weekly repertoire includes everything from sports and the news, ...

An Unexpected Veterans Day

Today is Veteran’s Day. A rainy November Tuesday. I began my day at my computer, appreciating the Facebook statuses honoring ...

Opening Jewish Conversations, Opening Jewish Community

Flashback: a few weeks ago, on this very blog, a post about Jewish conferences is published… authored by yours truly ...

Camp Connections Across The South

This week, ISJL staff have been all over… and in addition to visiting Southern Jewish communities, we’ve been serving as ...

Checking Your Privilege: It’s a Mitzvah

Years ago, one of my high school teachers gave us a hint to help us spell the word “privilege” correctly. ...