Galilee Diary: On Violence
...There was a great and mighty wind, splitting mountains and shattering rocks by the power of the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind – an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake – fire; but the Lord was not in the fire.
Justice Delayed, Justice Denied, For Far Too Many
For many white observers, the protests calling for an end to police violence and Black liberation that erupted over the weekend may have appeared sudden.
"White Jews: It Is on Us"
For many white observers, the protests calling for an end to police violence and Black liberation that erupted over the weekend may have appeared sudden.
A Broken Wrist, a Little Perspective, and a Wish for 2014
I broke my wrist. Bummer. Major bummer. I didn’t do it with any kind of grace or with anything close to a great story attached to it. I tripped over a curb at the Mobile station. Great story. Did I mention I broke my right wrist, and that I am right-handed?
Stopping Israel's "Kosher Police"
“Hold it right there! Put your hands where I can see them!” Picture men running into your store, checking the food and the official Rrabbinate documents on the wall that certifies your establishment as kosher. In Israel, this may not be an imaginary scene.
Our Neighbor’s Blood Calls to Us From the Ground
This statement was written by Rabbi Jocee Hudson from Temple Israel of Hollywood. More than sixty Reform Jewish clergy have signed on to the statement.
The Black Jews Are Tired
As fulfilling as it was to engage in Shavuot programs, a lot weighs on me. With COVID-19 continuing to ravage Black communities and racist violence all over the news, I almost feel like it’s Yom Kippur instead – the time when Jews are supposed to be most aware of their own mortality.
Ways Reform Jews Can Act Now for Racial Justice
Here are eight ways that white Reform Jews, especially, can act now in pursuit of social justice, both directly on a systemic level. These includes advocacy for policy change and for confronting racism within our own communities, and are guided by contributions and feedback from Jews of Color.
Mourning Former Israeli PM Ariel Sharon
On January 4, 2006, while serving as prime minister, just two-and-a-half months shy of elections that he was expected to win in a landslide, Sharon suffered a devastating stroke and never recovered. Sharon lost the final battle and died on Shabbat January 11, 2014 at the age of 85.
He is survived by his older sister Dita, his two living sons, Omri and Gilad, his daughter-in-law Inbal, and his six grandchildren.
Ariel Sharon was a farmer, warrior, and politician. His was a life that embodied the early Zionist ethos of labor and agriculture along with self-defense. Sharon's early military career began in the Palmach, and it was David Ben Gurion who turned the Eastern European sounding Ariel Sheinerman to the more Israeli Sharon.
Ariel Sharon: May His Vision Never Die
As I try to sort out my feelings on a Sunday evening, the body of former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is lying in state in the Knesset. My wife Resa and I won’t be among the thousands who are lined up there – but we certainly are among the mourners.