Suicide Prevention and Awareness Is Our Communal Responsibility
Elul is upon us. The sound of the shofar reminds us that this silent epidemic must be addressed. Its cries echo those left in the depths of sorrow, feeling alone, believing that those who love them most would be better off without them. Our fear of mental illness must be replaced with a resolve to educate ourselves and others.
Meet the 2016-2017 Eisendrath Legislative Assistants
The beginning of the program year is always an exciting time at the RAC, as we begin a new cycle of tikkun olam work.
Religious Bigotry Behind Violence in Nigerian Church Bombings
Rabbi Saperstein: "The bombings are a grim reminder that religious intolerance remains a threat to peace and security around the world."
Congress Slashes Funding for Medically Accurate Sex Ed
On Saturday, Congress passed an omnibus appropriations package, which was met with a sigh of relief from Capitol Hill since the government would not be forced to shut down.
The Creeping Loosening of Concealed-Carry Laws
RAC Rundown: International Human Rights
The following is part of the "RAC Rundown" series of special legislative briefings that have been presented at Tzedek Central throughout the 2011 URJ Biennial.
World AIDS Day 2011: Progress is Reason to Celebrate
On World AIDS Day, we reflect on the incredible progress we have made fighting this disease and recommit ourselves to eradicating it
The External War and the Internal War
This week's Torah portion is called Ki Teitzei — meaning literally, "When you go out." It is a reference to violence and war. "When you take the field [literally, "When you go out"] against your enemies, and the Eternal your God delivers them into your power and you take some of them captive ... " (Deuteronomy 21:10).
This sentence is but a tiny portion of more than a thousand verses in the Tanach that deal with war. Our Holy Scriptures came into history in a world in which fighting was a normal and often necessary activity. The ancient communities of the Middle East were governed according to tribal custom and law, and each ethnic community was in a combative relationship with its neighbor. There was no United Nations in those days, no European Union designed to administer diverse people according to collective rules and laws. Some tribal federations such as the twelve tribes of Israel pooled their resources, but that was for protection rather than for advancing peaceful relations with the rest of the world. The harsh social-economic and political reality of the ancient world often triggered violent and deadly conflicts between communities and peoples, and it is rare that we read a comment such as is found in Judges 3:11: " ... and the land had peace for forty years."