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‘This was no coverup’: Inside the investigation of Rabbi Sheldon Zimmerman
When Rabbi Sheldom Zimmerman was suspended by the Central Conference of American Rabbis in 2000 and simultaneously stepped down as president of Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, even many insiders at the Reform movement’s flagship institutions had no idea of the severity or even the real nature of his offense. The official word from…
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Remembering Richard L. Rubenstein, the radical theologian
The 1966 publication of the first edition of “After Auschwitz” assured Richard L. Rubenstein’s place in Jewish theology. Written 21 years after the liberation of the camps and 18 years after Israel’s creation, the issues raised in “After Auschwitz” were so remarkably simple, his points so basic, that they could not be ignored. Rubenstein, who…
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As conflict in Gaza rages again, a shift in the American Jewish response
When Israel responded to Hamas rocket fire from Gaza with air strikes and a ground invasion of the seaside enclave in the summer of 2014, the Union for Reform Judaism published a prayer defending the operation Israel called Protective Edge. “This is not easy. It is not desired,” read the prayer written by Alden Solovy,…
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Amid crisis, American teens on Israel gap years reflect, parents worry
Jake Miller, 20, an American student on a gap year, attended a Jewish and Arab-led anti-occupation march in Tel Aviv Tuesday night. Just five minutes after he left the demonstration, sirens blared overhead, warning of an incoming missile. Miller and thousands of other American Jewish young adults now in Israel on gap years — breaks…
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The Azarova Affair: Did the University of Toronto pass on a professor for being critical of Israel?
The University of Toronto rescinded a verbal offer to an international legal scholar because a donor expressed concerns over her scholarship critical of Israel, making the university the latest flashpoint in ongoing concerns about academic freedom and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. German international law professor Valentina Azarova, who recently taught at the University of Manchester International…
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Your Weekend Reads: takeaways from the new Pew study, Van Morrison’s (bad) new album, and an Olympic equestrienne
Each week, Forward editors pick highlights from our coverage to savor over Shabbat and Sunday. You can download and print a PDF of those stories by clicking here, or click on any of the headlines below. Have a great weekend!
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As the pandemic subsides, congregations memorialize a year of loss and resilience
Even as synagogues begin planning for services and programs that will approximate synagogue life before the pandemic, many recognize a need to memorialize the unprecedented disruption and loss suffered by congregations from COVID-19. “I wanted something that would remind us of what we had gone through. This will be a story that we will need…
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Pro-Israel demonstrators take to the streets of L.A., other cities
One day after some 200 protesters gathered outside the Israeli consulate in Los Angeles protesting against Israel’s actions in Sheikh Jarrah, Jerusalem and Gaza, pro-Israel supporters took to the streets for their own rally. Around 300 hundred pro-Israel supporters gathered the Federal Building in West Los Angeles holding Israeli flags and signs that read, “We…
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For Israel-bound travelers, violence throws long-awaited plans into doubt
To get her flight to Israel approved by Los Angeles’ consul general, Maure Gardner had to provide her passport, her husband’s Israeli passport, and their marriage certificate, which required a special stamp from the county clerk’s office. A minor inconvenience to endure for a wedding she had waited over two years to attend. But with…
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Arab citizens in a Jewish state: What to know about Arab-Israelis as unrest sweeps the country
(JTA) — As Israel has begun yet another round of fighting with Hamas in Gaza, another conflict, inside the country, has caught some by surprise: clashes between Israeli Arabs and Jews. On Tuesday, in the central Israeli city of Lod, Arab protesters burned synagogues, shops and cars. Photos showed Torah scrolls salvaged from torched interiors,…
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The single most important statistic from the Pew Survey is about…food
In the latest comprehensive study of American Jews, there’s a single deep truth that’s hidden in plain sight, like matzah in a matzah ball. And yes, it is about food. The Pew Research Center’s report, “Jewish Americans in 2020,” asked respondents what “Jewish practices and activities” they engage in, and for people worried about the…
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