04 Jun
Culture, Latest, Misc

Menachem Z. Rosensaft: "MSNBC's deafening silence on Buchanan's Holocaust denial forum"

In an op-ed for the Jerusalem Post, Menachem Z. Rosensaft writes about how he discovered a Holocaust denial forum hosted on Pat Buchanan's website and how it quickly disappeared once the news appeared in a New York Daily News article. Rosensaft discusses the hypocrisy of the fact that Buchanan has since appeared several times on MSNBC. Read the full story here.

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04 Jun
Latest, Moment Magazine, Religion

Statement By Chabad-Lubavitch World Headquarters

The following is a statement from the Chabad-Lubavitch World Headquarters regarding the recent comments in Moment Magazine by Rabbi Manis Friedman. Regarding recent comments made by Rabbi Manis Friedman in response to a question posed by Moment Magazine, we vehemently disagree with any sentiment suggesting that Judaism allows for the wanton destruction of civilian life, even when at war. In keeping with Jewish law, it is the unequivocal position of Chabad-Lubavitch that all human life is G-d given, precious, and must be treated with respect, dignity and compassion. Statements and opinions expressed by individuals do not necessarily reflect the position of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement. Lubavitch World Headquarters is the only office authorized to speak on behalf of the movement.

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03 Jun
Latest, Moment Magazine, Religion

A Statement from Rabbi Friedman

**The following is an updated statement as of June 5. I would like to clarify the answer published in my name in last month's issue of Moment Magazine. First of all, the opinions published in my name are solely my own, and do not represent the official policy of any Jewish movement or organization. Additionally, my answer, as written, is misleading. It is obvious, I thought, that any neighbor of the Jewish people should be treated, as the Torah commands us, with respect and compassion. Fundamental to the Jewish faith is the concept that every human being was created in the image of G-d, and our sages instruct us to support the non-Jewish poor along with the poor of our own brethren. The sub-question I chose to address instead is: how should we act in time of war, when our...

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19 May
Latest

Respond to Ask the Rabbis

By Maxine Springer Have you read the latest Ask the Rabbis in our May/June issue? This time around, our rabbis sound off on how Jews should treat their Arab neighbors. As usual, we've asked rabbis from across the spectrum of Judaism, and their answers are fascinating and diverse. The contrast between Independent Rabbi Gershon Winkler and Chabad Rabbi Manis Friedman is particularly stark. Winkler: "...Although we need to take every precaution against fanatical Muslim Arab terrorism in and outside our homeland, we need to cease forcibly displacing peaceful Arabs like Bedouins, destroying their homes (even their mosques!) for the crime of not filling out forms..." Friedman: "...The only way to fight a moral war is the Jewish way: Destroy their holy sites. Kill men, women and children (and cattle)..." Read more from our rabbis, and tell us what you think!...

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15 Apr
Culture, Latest

A Wreck-tastic Passover Shout-out

By Maxine Springer I was delighted to discover that one of my favorite blogs, CakeWrecks, had a special post dedicated to Passover. (If you're not familiar with CakeWrecks, daily posts include photos of real (disastrous) cakes and snarky comments about them. The other wrecks included in the post reminded me of Spicebox, one of Moment's most popular departments. If you haven't checked out our humorous Passover Spicebox entries, you can see them here.

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24 Mar
Culture, Latest, Moment Magazine

Have you checked out Moment's March/April issue?

It's on newsstands now! Check out our cover story on Bernie Madoff, the man who ran what was perhaps one of history’s largest Ponzi schemes, remains a mystery. Rabbis representing the spectrum of Jewish belief reflect on what ethical lessons we can learn from the scandal, and Charles Ponzi biographer Mitchell Zuckoff discusses why Madoff targeted Jewish charities and how ethnicity has factored into the media coverage of the affair. Also in this issue, we profile minority whip Eric Cantor. He made headlines by persuading his Republican colleagues not to vote for the stimulus package. Is this highest-ranking Jew in the history of the House, and its only Jewish Republican, the Moses who will lead the GOP out of the wilderness to the Promised Land? Former Wall Street Journal reporter Robert S. Greenberger profiles the 45-year-old...

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14 Jan
Latest, Moment Magazine

January/Feburary Issue Celebrates Inauguration of Barack Obama

Our new issue is out! Our cover story celebrates the inauguration of Barack Obama with an exclusive photo essay spotlighting the political alliance of Jews and African-Americans from 1909 to 2009. From the co-founders of the NAACP to members of the new administration, Jews have long been on the frontlines of the struggle for racial equality. Has Obama’s campaign and election helped heal the rift between Blacks and Jews that began in the late 1960s? Other highlights of the issue include: • Veteran Syria-watchers including  Tom Dine, Martin Indyk and Michael Oren weigh the chances of breaking up the alliance between Syria and Iran—isolating Hamas and Hezbollah—and brokering peace between Syria and Israel. • Tova Hartman stirs controversy in the Orthodox world by co-founding a synagogue where women read from the Torah and...

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10 Nov
Archives from the past..., Latest

Al Franken Gets Serious

by David Paul Kuhn Al Franken leans over the scattered papers atop his desk. He puffs out his pasty cheeks. His round brown glasses seem slightly too small for his face. His brown eyebrows arch up and he grins like Jack Nicholson’s Joker in Batman. “I gotta tell you,” Franken says to me in his midtown Manhattan office, “I’ve been to Israel, and I didn’t enjoy it.” He chuckles. He knows he’s telling this to a Jewish magazine. “I hate to say that,” he continues. “I support Israel. But when I was there, in 1984, it was very high-pressured. It felt very”—he pauses to find the right word—“tense.” Al Franken is a caricature of himself, which allows him to talk about serious issues without ever appearing to take himself too seriously. He can shuttle from the solemn...

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10 Nov
Latest, Moment Magazine

November/December Issue of Moment

It's on newsstands now! The election is over. Take a deep breath. Now, curl up at home with the new issue of Moment. First you'll meet Jonathan Stuart Leibowitz, aka Jon Stewart. Even with an anglicized name, the Daily Show host is still the quintessential Jewish boy from Jersey. He may also be the perfect Jewish ambassador for our times—smart but not arrogant, extremely funny but not mean—a valedictorian, most popular, best-looking and class clown all wrapped into one. In this exclusive cover story, discover Stewart’s Jewish background and beliefs, and hear from family members, teachers and friends. In the spirit of Jewish Book Month, we asked co-founder Elie Wiesel and other Nobel laureates Eric Kandel, Avram Hershko, Martin Perl, Robert Solow, Robert Aumann, Eric Maskin, Sidney Altman and Roger Myerson to reflect on their favorites. Our book...

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