Shabbat for Rohingya Rights
Since August 2017, nearly 700,000 Rohingya refugees have fled violence and ethnic cleansing in the Rakhine State, a region on the western border of Burma. The survivors have made their way to Bangladesh where refugee camps hold new humanitarian and bureaucratic challenges.
An Unwanted Exodus
Love Wins: A Pride Prayer (In Memoriam, Orlando)
This prayer is shared memoriam of the victims of racist terror and massacre of LGBT people in Orlando, FL, last Sunday. In the end, love wins.
After Orlando, LGBTQ Jews Seek More Than Just Solidarity
As a queer Jew, the solidarity I seek from other Jews is not simply ignoring the passages of Torah that are used to discriminate against LGBTQ people. I seek recognition that homophobia and transphobia actively exist in our modern Jewish community and are perversions within our interpretive tradition. I seek the acknowledgment that religion is too often used to justify discrimination against LGBTQ people.
Opening Our Doors: A Reflection on Passover and Transgender Day of Visibility
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An Attack on My Israeli Neighborhood, 6,000 Miles Away
Two weeks ago, I lived a two-minute walk from the scene of Wednesday’s attack. Sarona, a chic pedestrian mall filled with shops, restaurants and play areas, was where my wife and I took weekend walks with our newborn son in his stroller. It was where I met colleagues for a mid-afternoon coffee. Occasionally, it was where we splurged on a nice dinner, as many Israelis were doing when the shooting began Wednesday.
When We Seek God as a Partner
In Parashat Sh’mini we read of the death of Aaron’s sons who offered “alien fire” to God and were consumed. While commentators throughout the ages have tried to make sense of this tragedy, the text also guides us to appreciate the power of the choices we make.
BDS Faces Setbacks in Faith and Academic Organizations
For a number of years, activists seeking to damage Israel’s legitimacy and standing in the world have mounted a campaign to boycott, divest from and sanction the Jewish state.
After the Stanford Rape Case, a Look at Sexual Assault and Jewish Values
The guiding principle of sexuality in the Jewish tradition is k'doshim tih'yu, “You shall be holy.” (Leviticus 19:2). Sexual assault is a blatant violation of the victim, and it cuts into the very holiness of our society.