By Jonathan Feldstein In the era of growing Christian awareness of the theological significance of and support for Israel, and thriving relationships between Jews and Christians, the view of some Jews of Christian support for Israel as a faith based ATM must be addressed, and stopped. For most of my career I have been an active partner building bridges with Christians who love and care about Israel and the Jewish people. Many Jewish friends look at me with a raised eyebrow because of the frequency with which I, an orthodox Israeli Jew, write for Christian publications, speak in churches, and attend evangelical conferences. It’s humbling to be in situations like these where support for Israel is not just shown in words, but in deeds. Much of this is philanthropic. Indeed Christian support … [Read more...]
Lessons from Charlottesville
By Daniel R. Weiss Over the past week, I have been shaken to my core. I have remained silent. I can do so no longer. The events in Charlottesville cannot be ignored. This is hatred, pure and simple. The images have been etched into my soul. They have confused me. I don’t know what to say to my children, to our students, to our staff, to anyone. Every image is a vivid reminder of over seventy years ago in Europe during the Shoah, and to fifty years ago in the US during the civil right era. Images of Nazis with torches screaming obscenities at Jews is nothing new. Images of white supremacists, KKK members threatening every minority is like a page out of history. Seeing it in OUR country in this day and age, however, is terrifying. It is simply not ok and we must condemn it in the strongest of … [Read more...]
Audacious Hospitality: How We’re Building a Stronger, More Vibrant Jewish Community
By April Baskin At the 2013 URJ Biennial, Rabbi Rick Jacobs gave an historic speech that called upon the Reform Jewish community to reach out, embrace, and integrate into Jewish life the full spectrum of pluralistic Jews, particularly those who are chronically excluded. He encapsulated this idea in the phrase “audacious hospitality,” and within two years hired me, a thirtysomething Jewish woman of color who picked up and moved to New York City to fulfill a dream to bring this vision to life. At the heart of audacious hospitality is the belief that we will be a stronger, more vibrant Jewish community when we not only welcome, but also embrace the diversity that is the reality - and future - of modern Jewish life. The meaning of audacious hospitality is both new and old: a bold next step in … [Read more...]
Yes, Judaism is Expensive – That’s the Point
By Jessica Shamout The new school year is right around the corner, and while there’s plenty of things keeping me busy, I have found myself distracted by the July 30 op-ed, “It’s Too Expensive to be Jewish,” by Leslee Komaiko in the Los Angeles Times. Komaiko’s opinion isn’t a new one, and the statements she makes are not wrong: synagogue dues climb, and tuition fees usually increase too. But she fails to consider the other side of the equation. As the director of a school, I rely on those increases for a great many things. For starters, there’s the art supplies, cooking gadgets, musical instruments, event tickets and museum entry fees necessary to provide a fulfilling experience for our students - none of which are immune to the price of inflation. In addition to keeping the lights … [Read more...]
How Summer Camp Helps Create Communally Engaged Jews
By Rabbi Reuven Greenvald When the Israeli cabinet voted to pull back the government’s pledge to build an egalitarian prayer space at the Kotel, more than 10,000 campers and 2,000 staff and faculty were at 16 URJ camps across North America. As with other summer camps, the people who come to Reform Jewish camps experience something close to radio silence when it comes to news of the world. Mostly through policy, though sometimes because of poor cell reception in rural locations, exposure to relentless social media is severely contained at camp. So, when big news develops, URJ camps, which already have an educational mission and program, can choose to dive deep and focus on that one item - creating space for campers (and staff) to explore the background and underlying values, and, most important, … [Read more...]
Peoplehood is Here to be Re-Envisioned
Peoplehood is Here to be Re-Envisioned: A response to Steven Windmueller By Dr. Shlomi Ravid In his recent article "The Jewish Marketplace: Introducing the New American Jew," Steven Windmueller offers an enlightening analysis of the changing characteristics of American Jewry, including the attributes or characteristics of Jewish communal behavior that contribute to the shaping of the New American Jew. While I agree with most of his analysis I would like to challenge one of his assertions, namely that "We are residing in a post-peoplehood condition." I define Peoplehood as Jewish collective consciousness. The consciousness that constitutes our collective being, our ever-evolving civilization, our aspiration to improve the world and our sense of solidarity and mutual responsibility. Rogers … [Read more...]
How Charlottesville Has Defined the Trump Presidency
Did Donald Trump signal his consent that a war against the Jews and their allies fits within his definition of what it may to take to make America great again? By Steven Windmueller, Ph.D. The events in Charlottesville this past weekend serve as a metaphor for a broader battle over what is America and who are Americans. The alliance of alt-Right groups present in Virginia last Saturday seeks to return this nation to a European-oriented culture of white superiority, where class and race matter. “Jews” served as the lightning rod for what would unfold on Saturday. The language, threats, and intensions of these Gestapo-type units who came to “demonstrate” were on display. Their dress, their weapons, and their demeanor would convey their message of hate. This represents the first time in … [Read more...]
It is “The Worst of Times”
By Richard Wexler I am with those who share the belief that if we didn't have a JFNA we would have to recreate one; but I also believe that recent events have highlighted the reality that today we don't have the strong continental organization that can lead us, collaborate with us and offer us excellence. Events of the last two months offer all of us the worst of examples of how this iteration of JFNA has failed us, the federations and the the Jewish People. First there is the lack of any coherent approach to the decisions of Prime Minister Netanyahu and the GOI Cabinet to breach the agreement to create an egalitarian prayer space adjacent to the Western Wall and to support legislation in the Knesset that would vest all power to conduct and approve conversions in the hands of the … [Read more...]
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