New York News

Radical Shift Toward Gender Sensitive Siddur

10/02/1998 | Jonathan Mark | Associate Editor

God may still be a He, but He is no longer a Lord, Father or King. For the second time in 13 years, the Conservative movement has overhauled its official prayer book, Siddur Sim Shalom, changing some of the prayers, but not all, into “gender-sensitive” language — God is now a Sovereign, a Guardian.

Bibi Stages A Comeback

10/02/1998 | by Stewart Ain | Staff Writer

Benjamin Netanyahu is no longer on the hot seat in Mideast peace talks. He may not be in the driver’s seat, but it is clear after his five-day visit to the U.S. that the Israeli prime minister’s stock has gone up in Washington of late.
Israeli officials assert that the Clinton administration is more sympathetic to Netanyahu’s insistence that the Palestinians must live up to their prior commitments on security before Israel agrees to a second redeployment in the West Bank.

Blakeman Blasts McCall As ‘Partisan’

10/02/1998 | by ADAM DICKTER | Staff Writer

When The Jewish Week first spoke with Bruce Blakeman in June, shortly after his nomination as the Republican candidate for state comptroller, he had difficulty making his case against Democratic incumbent H. Carl McCall, preferring to talk about his own qualifications.

The Goods On Golisano

10/02/1998 | by Adam Dickter | Staff Writer

The more voters become disenchanted with the Democrats and Republicans in this year of political turmoil, the better Thomas Golisano likes it. The Rochester millionaire, who founded the state’s Independence Party chapter in 1994, draws his core support from those who are fed up with the status quo. Golisano won about 217,000 votes in his ’94 bid for governor, and enrollment in the party is on the rise, growing 13 percent last year in New York City.

Bibi Among The Ruins

10/02/1998 | by Eric J. Greenberg | Staff Writer

Members of fire-ravaged Central Synagogue on Manhattan’s East Side expressed heartfelt appreciation to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for his brief visit to show support for the congregation devastated by an Aug. 28 blaze.
The visit last Sunday marked Netanyahu’s first official trip to a Reform synagogue since he took office two years ago. Reform movement leaders said it signified progress in their attempt to gain greater recognition in Israel.

Agunah Court Facing Major Blow?

10/02/1998 | by Eric J. Greenberg | Staff Writer

The nation’s largest Modern Orthodox rabbinical group is preparing to denounce the legal principles used by some advocates of agunot — Orthodox Jewish women whose husbands refuse them a religious divorce. Within the next few weeks, the Jewish legal court associated with the Rabbinical Council of America, Inc. will issue a detailed response calling the halachic principles published by Agunah, Inc. “erroneous and misleading,” said Rabbi Yonah Reiss, director of the New York-based Bet Din of America.