By Rabbi Benjamin Resnick NEW YORK CITY JTA – It could be easy to lose sense of time during the coronavirus pandemic. Jewish tradition has an antidote for that. Among the most enduring comforts of Jewish life are its endless patterns and repetitions — the seven-day rhythm of work and rest, the cycle of holidays, the endless carousel of Torah […]

By Ambassador (ret.) Yoram Ettinger, “Second Thought: a US-Israel Initiative” March 22, 2020, https://bit.ly/2UuISEO Is the vision of the Palestinian Authority limited to the establishment of a state in Judea and Samaria (the West Bank)?  Is the vision of the Palestinian Authority amenable to alteration through financial inducements? Shouldn’t the pursuit of peace be based on a realization of the […]

ALBANY–If the Hebrew Bible is the word of God, why are there inconsistencies and repetitions?  A course at B’nai Sholom Reform Congregation in Albany may provide many of the answers. “Who Wrote the Hebrew Bible? (Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Documentary Hypothesis)” will be taught eight Wednesday mornings beginning April 22, 10-11:45 a.m. at B’nai […]

By Ambassador (ret.) Yoram Ettinger, “Second Thought: a US-Israel Initiative” March 6, 2020, https://bit.ly/3cAwLhW The Early Pilgrims The roots of the unique ties between the United States and Israel precede the 1776 US Declaration of Independence and the 1948 founding of Israel.  They eclipse the political beltway of Washington, DC, transcend the pertinent role of the Jewish community, are deeper […]

By Prof. Moshe Benovitz On Feb/2015 @ 11:14 am In History,Purim,Symbols and Rituals,Theology,Thought and Philosophy | No Comments On Purim we are bidden to get so thoroughly drunk on wine or other intoxicants that we are unable to distinguish between good and evil: Rava said: one is obligated to become inebriated on Purim until he does not know (ad delo […]

The Book of Esther represents a turning point in Jewish history: the demonization of the Jews By Yaakov Elman| Tablet.com Purim is the closest Judaism gets to carnival. We are enjoined to get bashed and boozed, tight and tipsy to the point that we cannot distinguish Haman from Mordecai. Or, as Rabbi Pinchas Stolper put it, “the ‘goyish’ character of […]

ALBANY–Congregation Beth Emeth in Albany will host a talk by Bishop Edward Scharfenberger, the sole United States Vatican consultor for religious relations with Jews, as part of its free Lunch & Learn series, on Wednesday, March 18. The program at the temple, 100 Academy Rd., Albany will begin at noon. The local bishop will discuss his encounters with world Jewry […]

By MARILYN SHAPIRO Ernest Hemingway loved cats. I knew it the minute I walked into his former house in Key West, Fla. Despite the beautiful day and the open windows, the smell of felines permeated every room. Our tour guide Doug introduced us to Gloria Swanson, Rudolf Valentino, and Betty Grable, three of the 40 plus six-toed cats that roamed […]

By Ambassador (ret.) Yoram Ettinger, “Second Thought: a US-Israel Initiative” February 23, 2020, https://bit.ly/39TJTfR Islamic traditionalists vs. Islamic reformers In 2020, a dramatic battle is raging between the traditional, imperialistic school of Islam, which insists on strict adherence to the Quran and Sharia (“divine laws”), on the one hand, and the modernist/reformist school of Islam, which wishes to adjust Islam […]

LONG BRANCH, N.J. – For the first few days of 2020, the Ocean Place Resort and Spa on the Jersey shore became a center of Torah learning for more than 350 teens coming together from across the United States, Canada and South America. Aspire: The NCSY Yarchei Kallah program, a signature annual event for almost 30 years, has capitalized on […]