Editorial & Opinion | Editorial

Beyond Shavuot

05/17/2013 | Editorial

One of the heartening trends in American Jewish life in recent years is the rediscovery by many of the power and beauty of Shavuot, the commemoration of the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai, which we marked this week.

Terrorists, Not Journalists

05/17/2013 | Editorial

Score a point for a prominent Washington, D.C. museum in acknowledging a mistake, and for pro-Israel advocates in pointing the way to the truth.

Shavuot: The Wedding Of ‘Only’ And ‘Us’

05/07/2013 | Editorial

Shavuot, to be observed and celebrated this year on Tuesday night, Wednesday and Thursday, is a unique festival. There is nothing equivalent to the model seders that we share with others beyond our community. There is no explicit call to “those who are hungry,” as at the seder, or to house the homeless, in the spirit of the fragile sukkah. Hardly anyone attempts to equate the spirit of the holiday to political and social causes in the world at large.

In Syria, A Deadly Game Of Bluff

05/07/2013 | Editorial

Israel’s air strikes inside of Syria in recent days delivered not only bombs but also strong messages. The question is how they will be interpreted.

Don’t Waste Israel’s Moment For Change

05/01/2013 | Editorial

A growing number of American Jews have been following with increasing outrage the plight of the Women of the Wall, the small group of activists in Jerusalem seeking to pray as a group at the Kotel (the Western Wall) in prayer shawls, kippot and tefillin.

Sex Trafficking Hits Home

04/24/2013 | Editorial

On Monday, halfway through the Sefira period between Passover and Shavuot, between the holidays that celebrate the Jewish people’s ancient delivery from slavery in Egypt and their receiving the Torah at the foot of Mount Sinai, a few hundred members of the Jewish community met to consider our communal responsibilities to slaves in our days.