Jewish Extremists Want the Western Wall? I Say Let Them Have It.
Let’s face it: The Kotel is spiritually irrelevant anyway, Andy Bachman writes.
An Eloquent Message About Race That Jews Need to Read
Ta-Nehisi Coates’ new book is a letter to his teenage son about race and identity in America. Andy Bachman explains why Jews should read ‘Between the World and Me’ — and how it could change the black-Jewish dialogue for good.
If Jewish Seminaries Are Empty, Let's Merge Them
Rabbi Andy Bachman has a solution for the dwindling number of non-Orthodox rabbinical students: Combine existing seminaries for different denominations into one school.
Censoring Hillels Goes Against Jewish Traditions
A former Hillel director says it’s wrong (and even against Jewish teachings) for Hillel to censor anti-Zionist programs on college campuses.
Don't Believe in God? Come Aboard!
Not believing in God shouldn’t be an impediment for joining the Jewish people in the way non-Jews have for centuries: through conversion.
Congregation Needs To Be Involved in Israel To Make a Difference
How do you deal with Israel from the pulpit? Insist that people visit, roll up their sleeves and dig in. Otherwise, it’s all just talk. And God knows there’s plenty of that to go around.
Laws, Not Words, Can Ease Pain of Newtown
For 73 years after her father was murdered, Andy Bachman’s mother felt the system favored gun-owners over victims. Words didn’t help ease her pain. New laws did.
Reason Prevails in Brooklyn BDS Vote
The reasonable center prevailed when Brooklyn’s Park Slope Food Coop voted to reject a Boycott Israel proposal, writes Andy Bachman, a rabbi and co-op member.
Patrilineal Promise and Pitfalls
One of Reform Judaism’s bravest and most important policy decisions of the past century was the movement’s decision to welcome “patrilineal” Jews as full members of the Jewish people.
A Click and a Laugh — and a Death
To the young people in our community:
I’m your rabbi. As such, I am occasionally asked to share a few words or thoughts when bad things happen to good people. In this case, I want to write some words directly to you about Tyler Clementi’s tragic suicide last week. If you haven’t read about it, you can read a story about it here.
Tyler was secretly filmed having a sexual encounter with another guy on the Rutgers campus. That scene was broadcast online, to his own humiliation, which authorities think was the major factor in deciding to take his own life. Authorities at Rutgers University, where Tyler was a talented, quiet and kind student, and the local police, are in charge of an investigation, the results of which we’ll keep reading about in the coming days.
