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Reform Biennial Will Showcase ‘Vitality and Openness’ by Including Outsiders
(JTA) — First there was the Conservative movement’s October biennial conference, billed as “The conversation of the century” and opened up to presenters from outside the movement. Then came the November General Assembly of the Jewish Federations of North America, which featured a “Global Jewish shuk: a marketplace of dialogue and debate” led by young Israelis…
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Conservative Rabbis Set To Debate Opening the Door to Intermarrieds
A top Conservative movement official thinks that Conservative rabbis should be allowed to participate in interfaith weddings. Now explicitly barred by the movement, the proposal — put forward by Rabbi Charles Simon of the Federation of Jewish Men’s Clubs — is one of a handful of new efforts by Conservative rabbis to loosen restrictions on…
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Taking Dreidel for Spin in Heart of Brooklyn’s Hipster Heaven for Hanukkah
The crowd leaned in closer toward the game table as the competitors nervously practiced spinning techniques before the final round of the first Major League Dreidel tournament of the 2013 season. But something wasn’t quite right. “I know exactly what this needs,” said Eric Pavony, 34, founder and self-styled “knishioner“ of Major League Dreidel, before…
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One Man’s Campaign Against the Arch of Titus — and How It Changed Italy’s Jews
Heavy rain was forecast for that blustery Roman morning in December 1996, so I arrived early in order to escape the frenzied traffic and secure a space in the parking lot of the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization, where I was a division director. The marble-and-travertine-clad buildings of the FAO, originally constructed by Mussolini…
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Gaza Fuel-Shortage Pushes United Nations to Step In to Keep Infrastructure Running
The United Nations began distributing fuel in Gaza to keep critical infrastructure running, an official said. “Fuel is actually coming in, as of today, through the Kerem Shalom,” a border crossing with Israel, U.N. Middle East Special Coordinator Robert Serry told a news conference in northern Gaza Thursday. The fuel, he told the AFP news…
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Touro Synagogue Turns 250 With ‘Order and Decorum’
On December 2, 1763, the first day of Hanukkah, a procession wound through Newport, R.I., carrying three Torah scrolls bound for their new home in a synagogue that would quickly establish its place in American Jewish lore. When the scrolls entered the newly built Touro Synagogue, their arrival was celebrated with music and prayer that…
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6 Palestinians Charged in 2005 Mob Beating Death of Israeli
An Israeli court jailed six Israeli Arab citizens on Thursday over the mob killing in 2005 of a Jewish gunman after he went on a deadly rampage on a bus in their town. None of The six men from Shfaram in northern Israel had been convicted of directly causing the death of Eden Nathan-Zaada, a…
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‘Chained Wives’ Find Halachic Pre-Nuptial Agreement Is No Panacea
(JTA) — For years, Rachel Light felt like a hostage, worried she would be forever trapped in her marriage to Eben Light. Even in April 2012, after Eben was arrested for allegedly threatening her and was slapped with a restraining order, Rachel was unable to get a writ of Jewish divorce, or get. That made…
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Chicago Bears Head Coach Marc Trestman Gave Up Law for Football Sidelines
Midway through the National Football League season, the Chicago Bears are battling for top spot a wild NFC North division. After a disappointing 2012-213 season they are poised to make a playoff appearance. Leading them on the field every Sunday is their head coach Marc Trestman, who also happens to be Jewish. Trestman is the…
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Remembering Al Chernin, a Giant Among Giants in Jewish Public Affairs
Al Chernin, who died November 26 at age 85, was one of the last of the giants of Jewish public affairs. That overused cliché notwithstanding, his death truly marks the end of an era. It was an era characterized by a communal structure and a communal approach to public affairs that is today all but…
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Richard Joel Knew About Yeshiva Sex Abuse Allegations, Documents Show
When an investigative team appointed by Yeshiva University reported in August that the school had “failed to appropriately act to protect the safety of its students or did not respond” to credible allegations that they’d been sexually abused, it drew an important caveat: This dereliction of responsibility had continued, the investigators said, “until 2001.” After…
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