Rebbe in a Box
By Ezra Glinter May 19, 2010
Praying by the graves of long-deceased holy men is a time-honored Jewish practice, especially on the recent holiday of Lag b’Omer, when thousands flock to the resting place of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, in Meron. But what about the Jews who are kohanim, descendants of Aharon, and are not allowed to come into contact with the dead, or even enter a cemetery?
Until now, they were forced to keep their distance. But one rebbe, the leader of the Hasidic Toldos Aharon sect, has come up with an — ahem — outside the box solution. According to the Israeli website matzav.com, the rebbe found a way around the prohibition by traveling to Meron in a wooden crate that, loaded on the back of a pickup truck, served as a barrier between him and the ritual impurity of the graves. Now that’s traveling in (kosher) style!
Why I became the Forward’s Editor-in-Chief
You are surely a friend of the Forward if you’re reading this. And so it’s with excitement and awe — of all that the Forward is, was, and will be — that I introduce myself to you as the Forward’s newest editor-in-chief.
And what a time to step into the leadership of this storied Jewish institution! For 129 years, the Forward has shaped and told the American Jewish story. I’m stepping in at an intense time for Jews the world over. We urgently need the Forward’s courageous, unflinching journalism — not only as a source of reliable information, but to provide inspiration, healing and hope.
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
