On Sunday, Isaac Herzog — outgoing leader of Israel’s opposition party, son of the sixth president of Israel, grandson of a chief rabbi — was unanimously elected chairman of the Jewish Agency for Israel, the largest Jewish nonprofit in the world. It took only a few days for him to run into the buzz saw…
Last week, I sat with my students and colleagues at an exceptional student-led Iftar, the festive evening meal that breaks the Ramadan fast. Looking around at the mixed tables and watching everyone genuinely enjoy themselves over food (which was glatt mehadrin kosher food to accommodate Orthodox students and teachers), music and conversation, despite the longstanding…
Eid al-Fitr (meaning the feast for breaking the fast) is the celebratory feast that marks the end of Ramadan, a month of fasting, prayer and introspection for Muslims. It’s a day of thanksgiving and joy, where Muslims wear new clothes, prepare delicious foods, put up lights and decorations and give each other gifts. And increasingly…
Dear Rabbi, Please know that I don’t write this in anger, but with deep sadness — sadness at the setback we suffered on Friday. As a Jewish man who fights for the civil rights of Muslim New Yorkers, I know how hard it can be to find space for interfaith engagement. That’s why I was…
(JTA) — Novelist Michael Chabon delivered a diatribe against Jewish inmarriage, as well as Israel’s occupation of the West Bank, in a commencement speech to newly ordained Reform rabbis. Speaking to the graduating class of the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Los Angeles on May 14, the author of acclaimed novels including “The…
Rebecca Ennen wrote in the Forward about her struggles in getting rabbis and fellow Jews to accept interfaith families. To Jewish leaders, she writes, “Do you think you can “welcome” us into synagogues, schools, and camps, while you talk openly about how our existence is a threat?” I’m a rabbi, and let me say it…
While Carey Purcell’s recent personal op-ed about her failed attempts at interfaith dating had poor timing, there is nothing in her statement that I have not heard, witnessed or experienced after nearly 45 years as a Reform rabbi. The shock, rage and concern that the piece was anti-Semitic was, in my view, misplaced. The woman…
The writer of a widely-criticized Washington Post op-ed about her bad experiences dating Jewish men issued an apology on Tuesday. “I am truly sorry I offended so many,” freelance writer Carey Purcell wrote on her personal website. “It was never my intention to disrespect the Jewish faith or anyone who engages in Jewish customs, traditions…
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