In a surprise twist being described as a message from beyond the grave, Pope John Paul II mentioned the “rabbi of Rome” in his will — one of only two living people to be singled out. Elio Toaff, the former chief rabbi of Rome referred to in the will, said his inclusion should be taken…
HOUSTON — When Reform rabbis recently gathered here for their annual convention, it was hard not to see traces of the 1960s in the sandals, the guitars and the progressive political agenda. But when addressing their own power relations with cantors, the rabbis seemed to see some virtue in the status quo. They passed overwhelmingly…
‘Getting Wolfowitzed: Bolkestein as villain” was the caption of a column by John Vinocur in the March 29 International Herald Tribune. It’s not the first time that “to Wolfowitz” has been used as a verb in the English language, but it’s different from the other times. But first, who is Bolkestein and how was he…
A surprise candidate was nominated to chair the umbrella organization that is viewed widely as the American Jewish community’s consensus voice on Middle East affairs. The nominee, Harold Tanner, was tapped last week to head the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations. Tanner was praised across the board for his quiet leadership qualities….
Even as embattled GOP lobbyist Jack Abramoff was reported to have turned on House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, the Texas Republican’s other right-wing Jewish allies are rallying to his defense. “DeLay is arguably the best friend Israel has in Congress,” said Morton Klein, president of the Zionist Organization of America, which adamantly opposes the creation…
As the one and only major Jewish celebration centered on the home and not the synagogue, the Seder must walk a fine line: It has to be equally compelling for young and old alike. We see this tension at the Seder’s very outset, with the Four Questions, which frame the evening’s agenda in a form…
JERUSALEM — The Israeli military released an educational packet for field officers this week, designed to help them prepare their troops — especially religious soldiers — for the pressures they will face during the evacuation of settlements in Gaza and the northern West Bank, due to begin in July. The so-called Officer Explanation Kits include…
Soon we will sit down for the Seder and do what Jews do well: talk, eat and talk some more. And as we’ve done for 2,000 years (almost precisely so), we will turn to the Haggada for the story of our Exodus and then proceed to improvise stories of our own. Indeed — I’m tempted…
WASHINGTON — Faced with bleak media accounts of Monday’s meeting between President Bush and Israeli Prime Minister Sharon, both the White House and the Israeli premier reached out to Jewish communal leaders in an attempt to put a positive spin on the summit. Both sides were insisting that the meeting at the president’s ranch in…
Yeshiva University’s March 20 tribute to 75th birthday celebrant Rabbi Arthur Schneier — spiritual leader of Park East Synagogue, president of the Appeal of Conscience Foundation and originator of Y.U.’s newly dedicated Rabbi Arthur Schneier Center for International Affairs — may have been among the about-to-be-deconstructed Plaza hotel’s “last hurrah” dinners. Among the 450 guests…
CRAWFORD, Texas — As photo-ops go, this one didn’t develop quite as expected. The meeting Monday between Israeli Prime Minister Sharon and President Bush at Bush’s vast Texas ranch was to have affirmed the special American-Israeli relationship and paved the way forward in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process — a triumphant summit between two friends, farmers…
די „שלום־עליכם לעקציע“ וועט מען קענען הערן אויפֿן אָרט אָדער דורך דער אינטערנעץ.
