JEWISH. INDEPENDENT. NONPROFIT.
(JTA) — A prominent New York synagogue has canceled a planned event featuring a mock trial in which prominent Jewish jurist Alan Dershowitz was to defend biblical characters accused of “kidnapping and child trafficking.” Temple Emanu-El’s decision came several days after Jeffrey Epstein, a former Dershowitz client and associate, was found hanged in a New…
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…
I’m excited to announce the launch of the first ever Very Forward Guide to American Synagogues. This project is unlike anything we’ve done before: a crowd-sourced compilation of data that will serve as a resource to readers nationwide and offer synagogues of all shapes, sizes and denominations a chance to share their story. It’s a…
The story of Yavneh is dramatic — heroic, even. A famous rabbi is smuggled out of Jerusalem prior to the violent destruction of the Second Temple. He wins Roman assent for his prescient plan: to establish a great yeshiva at Yavneh, to reconstitute the Sanhedrin and to guide a traumatized people. He succeeds. Rabbi Jochanan…
Are You a Kohen? You Could be a Mormon Bishop. If your last name is Kohn, Coen, Kahn, Kahan, Cohen, etc., you may have priestly, patrilineal descent from Aaron, the brother of Moses. While the temple still stood, your ancestors performed the daily and holiday duties associated with sacrificial offerings. Now, no longer attending to…
Archaeologists funded by Christian organizations are taking a shovel — again — to Tel Shiloh, an archaeological site that was a major center of worship for ancient Israelites. They’re looking for the ark of the covenant, the holy chest containing the two stone tablets on which Moses is said to have written the Ten Commandments,…
An assortment of pro-Israel groups has issued a joint statement deploring the attack on a Jewish student at Temple University. It also criticized a pro-Palestinian campus organization, and urged universities to monitor it and other likeminded groups. In a statement released today, 12 organizations, including StandWithUs, the Zionist Organization of America and the Committee for…
The receptionist looked horrified. Well, maybe I exaggerate a bit. But she was definitely taken aback by the visitor, whose longish reddish hair, wrap-around sunglasses, piercings, leather jacket (over a tee) and boots set him apart from most of the people who are usually buzzed into Agudath Israel’s offices. I had been expecting him. He…
