Rama Burshtein is a product of the haredi Tel Aviv world she depicts warmly in 'Fill the Void,' opening in theaters.
Film on The New Yorker writer’s coverage of the Eichmann trial lacks some passion.
New theater troupe, a division of the Folksbiene, mounts second production digging into Russians’ complex background.
Learn the "Top 18" Kosher white, red and Israeli Wines, Read about the American kosher wine scene, Israeli wines and much more
Tourism booming in the Negev, that first teen roots journey, driving in Israel (really!), and more.
I wondered what this was doing in a Jewish newspaper, but this does make sense. Practical, reasonable, rational, commonsensical , are all words used to describe the gun laws that have FAILED to keep unlawful people from getting guns and committing crimes with them. A few years ago, a criminal named Joseph Taylor, killed 5 people in a Wendy's in NYC. He almost killed 2 more. This criminal was out on BAIL for ARMED robbery. He committed armed robbery and one of finest judges let him out on $3600 bail.
Not to sensible or rational. The liberals want to continue this practice in the name of civil liberties but restrict a law abiding person's ability to protect themselves.
The same goes for the liberal attitude regarding Israel and settlement restriction and other rational reasonable actions that Israel must do to mollify Palestinians and the world and seek peace. These actions enable and encourage enemies to commit more terror and be more intransigent.
Peace will be achieved only through strength. Safety is in our hands. The liberals are misguided and will kill us all.
Infiltration is too much of an issue with any mosque, especially one with such a raised profile, being in close enough proximity to Ground Zero that landing gear landed on the Burlington Coat Factory roof.
Whe you look at who is for this monstrosity it only accentuates the fact that being against it is the only logical move for Jews who still care about Judaism and Israel.
Rabbi Garfinkel,
On behalf of all of the people with whom we work, particularly those from interfaith families, i thank you for taking the application out of service, particularly notewothy in this upcoming season of Elul.
Kerry Olitzky
Dear Paul,
Thank you for your reply and review in iTunes. I take your comments seriously, and I think you make some good points. I have great respect for Rabbi Olitzky and the JOI, so I will deactivate this app today if Apple allows developers to do so.
Warm regards,
Eli Garfinkel
You people are still falling for the line that there is an ancient Palestinian people.
Some relevant quotes might make you rethink your position:
Palestine and Jordan are one..." said King Abdullah in 1948.
"The truth is that Jordan is Palestine and Palestine is Jordan," said King Hussein of Jordan, in 1981.
Let's closely examine the facts of history from the Arab perspective, rather than the Jewish one, regarding Jordan and Palestine.
"Palestine is Jordan and Jordan is Palestine; there is only one land, with one history and one and the same fate," Prince Hassan of the Jordanian National Assembly was quoted as saying on February 2, 1970.
Accordingly, Abdul Hamid Sharif, Prime Minister of Jordan declared, in 1980, "The Palestinians and Jordanians do not belong to different nationalities. They hold the same Jordanian passports, are Arabs and have the same Jordanian culture."
In other words, Jordan is Palestine. Arab Palestine. There is absolutely no difference between Jordan and Palestine, nor between Jordanians and Palestinians (all actually Arabs).
Dear NMG,
According to Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary "data" can take a singular or plural verb. In a note on usage, the dictionary says: "Data, as the Latin plural of datum, in traditional use requires a plural verb, as in 'These data are inconclusive.' However, the widespread occurrence of such sentences as 'This data is inconclusive' indicates that data can now function as a singular form in English."
best,
Julie Wiener
Associate Editor (and former copy editor)
By acknowledging the first moments you are also being extraordinarily present in the blessings that surround you! Thanks for reminding me that Shehecheyanu should be part of my life. Sometimes I am so good at marking the moments and sometimes I am not. And sometimes, thank you cards end up with a lost stamp and back in my mailbox. Oy.
Thanks, Rabbi Miller, for adding that disclaimer at the top of this blog, and for bringing up this issue, which is indeed a touchy subject -- and why I welcome a further conversation about intermarriage sensitivities with anyone who might be interested.
"Israel has NO better friends than evangelical Christians!"
I would disagree that blanket statement; however, I would say that Israel has no better friends than MANY of the evangelical Christians. It's impossible to speak for 50 million people, and it's wrong to try to do it. One aspect that is a problem that many evangelical Christians have a very strong allegiance and dedication to the United States. And that's fine. However, the US, as far as the gov't goes, does not necessarily see Israel in that same way, whether the it's Democratic- or Republican-controlled. I have seen many articles, and spoken with many different evangelical Christians and evangelical Christians organizations who do, in fact, openly support the creation of a "Palestinian" state in the midst of Israel. That comes from the humanism aspect, in respect for the alleged "Palestinian" people. However, Scripture does not support that stance in any way.
I'm not saying that there are not Christians who don't support Israel; I'm just saying you can't make a blanket statement that 50 million people believe the same way. It just isn't true. And the facts prove it. That said, I do know of many Christians that do support Israel, and will stand with her in spite of what the US does, including risking facing jail for their stance (which I will guarantee you most will not). A few years ago when the US was applying great pressure against Israel, Israel was wondering where the "50 million" evangelical Christians were. I just want to make sure that Israel keeps her eyes open and does not have a false hope that these millions of people will be coming to her rescue. And Scripture backs that up also. It's individuals who provide support; but ultimately, it is God who does it anyway.
For a good Holocaust love story, consider Jacob's Courage (2007, Mazo Publishers, ISBN 978-9657344248). This is a tender coming of age love story of two young adults living in Salzburg at the time when the Nazi war machine enters Austria. This compelling historical novel presents scenes and situations of Jews in ghettos and concentration camps, with particular attention to Theresienstadt and Auschwitz. It explores the dazzling beauty of young love, powerful faith and enduring bravery in a lurid world where the innocent are murdered. Jacob’s Courage examines a constellation of emotions during a time of incomprehensible brutality.
As I noted in my ZEEK article published yesterday, most CUFI leaders including John Hagee are independent charismatics and are much more proactive in their theology than previous generations of fundamentalist dispensationalists. If separatism and political passiveness had continued among fundamentalists, most Jews would have never heard of Jerry Falwell or the Religious Right.
It is important to note that some of the CUFI leaders and host churches are not dispensationalists. They teach that believers will remain on earth during the Tribulation, apocalyptic wars, and rule of the anti-Christ. Hagee does still teach a pre-Tribulation rapture but the sermons and other media of charismatic Christian Zionists, including Hagee’s, clearly conflict with the claims that they don’t believe they can impact the prophetic timeline.
I can’t debate the fine points of eschatology in this space, but my ZEEK articles, an article at The Public Eye titled “The New Christian Zionism and the Jews,” as well as the articles in the special focus box on Christian Zionism at Talk To Action, go into greater detail about the Christian Zionist obsession with Jews and the end times. Hagee is not representative of all, or even most evangelicals, many of whom would be completely unfamiliar with the blend of end times prophecy and grand conspiracy theories that he preaches from the pulpit.
Lastly, the evidence is irrefutable that CUFI leaders and other Christian Zionists solicit support for Messianic ministries and aggressive Christian missionary programs in Israel. One small ministry that has distributed 2.5 million dollars of aid to Israeli Messianics is openly endorsed by Hagee and other CUFI directors. Another CUFI director publishes calls for U.S. churches to provide support for Messianic ministries in a leading evangelical journal. I would still call this proselytizing, even if it does not take place at CUFI events.
To the editor, How dare the Anti-defamation league downgrade the swastika as a Jewish Hate symbol. Almost a year ago on Yom Kippur evening my synagogue, Congregation Beth El had numerous swastikas painted on the building. No one has still been caught. Numerous additional swastikas have appeared in Edison New Jersey, with no one captured. I saw a skin head personally and no one followed up on my report. It is stupid to say as the ADL claims that" the swastika has become a more generalized symbol of hate.The extensive article in the Jewish Week conveniently leaves out the Edison story and the swastikas on my synagogue in particular. I HAVE BEEN ASKING FOR AN INVESTIGATION BY THE ADL FOR ALMOST A YEAR. THIS ARTICLE EXPLAINS WHY THE ADL HAS DONE LITTLE OR NOTHING. THE ADL WIEGHS IN ON THE MOSQUE NEAR GROUND ZERO, YET REMAINS RELATIVELY QUIET ABOUT SWASTIKAS IN MY TOWN AND IN PARTICULAR ON MY SYNAGOGUE BUILDING. THE ADL ALSO FORGIVES OLIVER STONE
WHO IS LAUGHING ALL THE WAY TO THE BANK GETTING FREE PUYBLICITY ON HIS ANTI-SEMITIC REMARKS. I LOST MOST OF MY FAMILY IN THE HOLOCAUST INCLUDING TWO SIBLINGS AND ALL GRANDPARENTS I WILL NOT REMAIN SILENT. I OWE IT TO MY PARENTS, OF BLESSED MEMORY WHO SURVIVED AUSCHWITZ AND BUCHENWALD. RABBI DR. BERNHARD ROSENBERG EDISON N.J.
I wouldn't call Weiner anywhere close to being an outspokend defender of Israel. The guy went missing in action during the recent troubles and woulnd't take his nose out of Obamas armpit if it killed him.
It's amazing! I find that every column written by Deborah Grayson Riegel is as good and as clever as the one before it! I consistently find myself laughing out loud, and then tearing up (at some point while reading) as her articles always strike a familiar chord with me!
Of course the chabad.org website will present a sanitized Chabad to the world. However, just take a look at the signage throughout Crown Heights, especially in the World Lubavitch Headquarters at 770 Eastern Parkway. Have a word with the average Lubavitcher on Kingston Avenue. I'm sorry, but there collective attitude is that Rabbi Schneerson is either alive or planning to come back form the dead.
"The failure of the Oslo agreements to lead to Israeli-Palestinian peace on a national level underscores the weakness of a strategy that involves high-level deliberations on next steps but ignores the emotional history of communities, families and individuals on both sides."
I beg to differ. I lived in Israel through the period of the Oslo accords, the non-stop terror acts that followed, the Rabin assasination and the internecine fighting which followed that, but thankfully returned to the US before the indifadah of 2000. The real reason for the failure of the Oslo accords was because, instead of seeking out authentic Palestinian leadership, we chose to deal with Arafat who ultimately refused to carry out his end of the accords, allowed Hamas and other terror groups to flourish, established a school curriculum which taught Israel hatred from an early age, rejected the 2000 Camp David accords which would have given the Palestinians nearly all their demands, and started the 2000 intifadah. Perhaps if we hadn't been blinded by the reaction to the Rabin assassination we would have realized early on that Arafat was not to be trusted, but we didn't and the outcome was disastrous.
There is nothing tragic about housing a beautiful Judaic collection in the North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh. The museum, like the ballet and the music scene in Raleigh, is world class. The stunning new building honors the beauty and diversity of the museum's entire collection, including the Judaica. As one of two collections in a public institution, the Judaic Art Gallery holds a special place for everyone involved with the museum in Raleigh from curators to visitors. The collection reflects the passion and dedication of Jews and non-Jews alike in North Carolina to celebrate Jewish identity and creativity on a variety of levels.
The collection is an expression of a commitment to the continuity of Jewish life in the South and around the world, assembled by individuals whose lives are already meaningful through their connection to Judaism. The ritual objects that have been donated have been used by Jewish communities in, for example, Amsterdam, Baghdad, Izmir and North Carolina. Many of those involved with the collection have historical family connections to the represented communities, or personal ties to the ritual objects themselves. The Judaic Art Gallery represents North Carolina's diverse Jewish community, the spark for this worthwhile and satisfying gift to the public.
More importantly, this collection of beautiful ritual objects means something to those who view it. The Judaic Art Gallery educates Jews and non-Jews about the beauty and history of ritual observance and Jewish identity around the world. In brief, the collection and those who have collected, displayed and viewed it, southerners and others, reject the kind of provincialism that is suggested by the reader from New York.
The article is about a particular organization and their beliefs. Can you find Christians with a variety of beliefs? YES. Can you find Jews with a variety of beliefs? YES. And the same could be said about almost any group of people.
If you will check with most evangelical Christians, you will find they truly do believe in the promise given to Abraham and believe that we should be supporting Israel. Most evangelical Christians are horrified with the funding for "security police" and ardently oppose such actions. However it may appear to the rest of the world, our government is not controlled by evangelical Christians.
I'm not member of CUFI, in fact I hadn't heard of it. I am however one who prays for the peace of Jerusalem and believes that God will bless those who bless the Jewish people and curse those who curse the Jewish people. I believe this - even though we disagree about the Messiah.
Please do not cut us off. Israel has NO better friends than evangelical Christians!
A smile always comes to my face when I read Deborah's articles. Especially regarding the ironing! (Can you tell I can relate?) My husband and I made a shehecheyanu on Lake Superior this summer - a beautiful first on the lake!
Hi,
I also know Arthur Goldberg and Elaine Berk, the two co-heads of JONAH. They have done heroic work in the face of many gay activists looking to demonize them.
Of the comments above I think the most important is the third one, which looks into the science that gay groups have claimed. It does not hold up.
Unfortunately, the American Psychological Association, as well as other like organizations, have been incredibly dishonest regarding the area of homosexuality. Go on the APA website and read what they have to say about homosexuality. Their statemnts have become politicized in the face of gay activisim from within the organizations, with the goal or reducing the stigmatization of homosexually oriented people. But they have sacrificied the actual science to do so. The dishonestly of the American Psychological Association is breathtaking. This has caused tremendous harm to people, especially young people. Many, many boys who have been sexually molested, or young men raped in prison, come to struggle with homosexual issues, thoughts and impulses. They suffered tremendous psychological trauma that helped enegender deep pyscho-sexual problems. But they were not born this way.They were not born "gay". And therapy can help them overcome these issues.
I know it is hard to believe that professional organizations like the American Psychological Association would be so dishonest. So I encourage poeple on here to really delve into the science. One does not have to look too deeply to realize something is very amiss with the professional organizations that Americans and others have come to rely upon for supposedly scientific information. Delve into the science, the assertions, and the supposed logic. It isn't that hard. I think many will be truly amazed.
(Name withheld here because of the politics involved)
California
I believe in the second amendment, and when I get back to the states I plan on buying a revolver, and a bolt action rifle. I'm also Jewish, and I feel safer armed than unarmed. Cops are worthless, and I could never put my life in their hands.
Actually the writer makes too broad of a statement: "[looking to hasten the end of days] ... cannot be a motivation for their Zionism". This is not true for ALL Christians, as the writer claims. In fact, this is the EXACT reason that many Christians DO support Israel. However, there are some Christians that DO support Israel without any other motives or expectations, but it has been my experience over 18 years that they are by no means the majority. And there are some leaders in the Christian community that will be honest enough to admit it. I can assure you, from personal experience, someone's (a Christian's) involvement in supporting Israel does not in any way mean that that person does it without any motive or expectation of the coming end of days.
Also, the "warm reception" the Israeli ambassador received regarding a "demilitarized Palestinian state" shows people are so willing to overlook the obvious in matters related to Israel. These Christian's own country funds, equips, and trains a terrorist army, which its gov't chooses to call a "security police". I believe that is what many nations first called their military. Even General Dayton, who has trained the "security troops" has publicly stated that they may turn on Israel at any time (and they have already). What exactly is the difference between a "security police" and a "standing military"? They would never support terrorists in their own country doing this. People are too willing to be fooled ...
Maybe someone can create an app demonstrating how the Conservative movement has lost so many Jews from the 1990s to today...oh wait, same app!
This approach is antiquated and the responses in this app offensive. Did you actually download and read this before endorsing it with a review, Rabbi Miller? I was surprised to see your name attached to this article.
For example, this app denies that interfaith couples can feel "real love." It says: "I'm sure you do love him/her. I'm just saying that real love, the kind of love that lasts forever, has to be based on shared values and traditions and not just the initial feelings of love you feel now. I don't want you to wake up one day and realize, 'I don't know this person next to me in bed.' That happens when you get married without sharing a solid foundation...."
He then cites a higher divorce rate among intermarried Jews based on a study from -- wait for it -- 1989!! (Which actually makes sense considering how antiquated this app is.)
Rabbi Garfinkel, both my parents were Jews and my intermarriage has already outlasted their marriage. The divorce rate in this country among all marriages, including Jews, is far too high, but nobody is choosing a life partner out of fear of divorce. And personally, while I hope that you have experienced real love, who are you to tell me that I haven't?
Here's some more goodness from the app: "Yes, some mixed couples manage to raise Jewish kids successfully. That's true. But that doesn't give you permission to intermarry. The fact of the matter is that you're talking about the lucky ones, the small minority of cases." Why no statistics, Rabbi Garfinkel? In 1990, the NJPS said it was only 18% of intermarried households raising Jewish kids; by the 2001 NJPS, it said 33%. To me, one-in-three is not a "small minority." And what has been in the past doesn't mean it has to be in the future. The canard about your grandchildren not being Jewish is based again on old studies conducted when the intermarriage phenomenon was just starting; it's been 25 years!
At this point, with the "free market" of religious identification that our country offers, the main thing keeping more of the children and grandchildren of intermarried Jews from also identifying as Jews is unwelcoming (yet apparently ad-supported) messages from the Jewish community like this offensive iPhone app.
As someone who has spoken with literally hundreds of parents of intermarried Jews, and co-authored a book on it, I can promise you that the time to disuade your child from intermarrying is long over when they are announcing wedding plans or telling you they are pregnant (as this app actually has an answer for!). Trying to break up your child's serious relationship is something out of Fiddler on the Roof and all it will accomplish is putting a strain on your own relationship with your child and future child-in-law.
Do the right thing: Welcome your new child-in-law with open arms, speak openly but respectfully about the importance of Judaism in your own life, and offer whatever help the couple might need. Because welcoming newcomers into our Jewish family is the best way to ensure that our grandchildren will also be Jewish. I invite any parents of intermarrying Jews to learn more through a free program of the Jewish Outreach Institute at http://GrandparentsCircle.org.
As I noted in my ZEEK article published today, most CUFI leaders including John Hagee are independent charismatics and are much more proactive in their theology than previous generations of fundamentalist dispensationalists. If political passiveness had continued to be the case with fundamentalists, most Jews would have never heard of Jerry Falwell or the Religious Right.
It is important to note that some of the CUFI leaders and host churches are not dispensationalists. They teach that believers will remain on earth during the Tribulation, apocalyptic wars, and rule of the anti-Christ. Hagee still teaches a pre-Tribulation rapture but the books, sermons, and other media of charismatic Christian Zionists, including Hagee’s, clearly conflict with the claims that they don’t believe they can impact the timeline.
I can’t debate the fine points of eschatology in this space but my ZEEK articles, an article at The Public Eye titled “The New Christian Zionism and the Jews,” as well as the articles in the special focus box on Christian Zionism at www.Talk2action.org, go into greater detail on the Christian Zionist obsession with Jews and the end times.
Lastly, the evidence is irrefutable that CUFI directors and other Christian Zionists solicit support for Messianic ministries and aggressive Christian missionary programs in Israel. One small ministry has distributed 2.5 million dollars of aid to Israeli Messianics and is openly endorsed by Hagee and other CUFI directors. Another CUFI director publishes calls for U.S. churches to provide support for Messianic ministries in a leading evangelical journal. I would still call this proselytizing, even if it does not take place at CUFI events.