For the Jewish community, the response to the conviction of Sholom Rubashkin, former vice president of the now-defunct Agriprocessors kosher meat company, on 86 counts of felony fraud should be a of extreme embarrassment over yet another example — did we need any more this year? — of a Jewish businessman gone bad.Read More
An Israeli woman was arrested by the Western Wall for wearing a prayer shawl, an act of devotion common in many American synagogues. The self-named rabbinic authorities claim such behavior is offensive. But for many women, the act of prayer is incomplete without a tallit.Read More
During the recent floor debate in Congress on health care legislation, Rep. Mike Pence, chair of the House Republican Conference, employed the language of morality to frame his support of the Pitts-Stupak amendment to prevent federal subsidies from going to any insurance plans that cover abortion. Using federal dollars to fund abortions “violates the deeply held beliefs of millions of Americans who believe abortion is morally wrong,” Pence said. “As members of Congress we have a responsibility to respect the moral beliefs of a vast majority of the American people.”Read More
When the Forward published a comprehensive story last week on leadership and compensation in the nation’s 75 largest Jewish communal organizations, it relied on data routinely made public by the federal government for all nonprofits. It takes time to find the information, double check the numbers, and draw out the story, but the fact is that anyone with the slightest computer skills can access this information.Read More
A Forward survey finding that only 14.3% percent of the top jobs in the nation’s 75 largest Jewish communal organizations are held by women ought to serve as a wake-up call. So should the finding that women leaders are paid only 61 cents for every dollar earned by male leaders. These employment and salary gaps need to be addressed not just because of individual unfairness, but also because of the communal imperative to ensure that the very best people are leading these important organizations.Read More