Mixed Multitudes
Make Your Own Mitzvot
“There are 613 mitzvot (commandments from God) that all Jews are supposed to follow. Some of them are easy to ...
Observing Shabbat
A new water tower will allow the Israeli, haredi town of Modi’in Illit to have “completely shomer Shabbos waterâ€?; inhabitants ...
Where’s the Beef?
Much as been written about the ongoing crisis at the AgriProcessors meatpacking plant in Postville, Iowa and the repercussions. JTA ...
Duh.
A recent Haaretz article mentions a new study that found that people believe American Jewish leadership is “elitist, parochial, self-serving ...
Lag B’Omer
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 ...
Facing Tomorrow — and Yesterday
There were many surreal moments last Wednesday night, when Shimon Peres’ “Facing Tomorrow” conference celebrated the American-Israeli relationship, an evening ...
Galveston, Sweet Galveston
The story of Jewry and Galveston is one that fascinates me. Many people, even those well-versed in American Jewish history, ...
Blogging Avot: Wieseltier on Identity
At the President’s Conference yesterday, I attended a session called “Jewish Identity: Unraveling or Renewing?” a panel discussion featuring — ...
Go West, Young Man
Recently the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs released an interesting report on the Jewish Communities of the Western United States. ...
Kissinger Faces Tomorrow
I’m currently in Jerusalem at a conference convened by Shimon Peres, entitled Facing Tomorrow, in honor of Israel’s 60th birthday. ...
Just Say No to Bamba
I rarely agree with the Haredim, but recently they have instituted a boycott against Bamba and other Israeli snacks: The ...
Negotiating Peace
Reviewing the efforts of Carter, Jerome M. Segal argues that while “Hamas has indeed said it will never recognize Israel, ...