Saving the World Through Rest
By Daniel Kieval
Shabbat, the seventh day, the day of rest, is a strange concept to so many today. The long lists of prohibited actions seem...
Cutting Arguments
By Steven Philp
It looks like Bay Area Jews may one day have to leave the city to perform brit milah for their male children; a...
The New "New Jew"
By Lily Hoffman Simon
A new kibbutz movement is sweeping Israel. Most often, it is comprised of irbutzim (city kibbutz), which are collectivist structures based on...
The Human Touch
By Merav Levkowitz
Tuesday (November 9th) marked seventy-two years since Kristallnacht, the “night of broken glass,” which marked the beginning of the Holocaust in Germany. The...
What Would Abraham Do?
By Daniel Kieval
A Christian, a Muslim and a Jew walk into a room. No, it's not the beginning of a bad joke. But its meaning...
The Fallen Kibbutz: A Microcosm of Israeli Society
By Lily Hoffman Simon
This year marked the centennial birthday of the Kibbutz. However, the structure of these unique societal experiments has changed so dramatically that,...
It Gets Better for Jews, Too
By Steven Philp
It has been one month since the suicides of ten LGBT teens prompted a national debate on the adverse effects of homophobic bullying...
E-Judaism and the Online Shtetl
By Merav Levkowitz
Those of us who have a Facebook roster full of Jewish friends are used to it: “Shabbat shalom” status updates, photos of apples and...
Yitzhak Rabin: 15 Years Later
In a moving column in The New York Times, President Bill Clinton pays tribute to slain Israeli Prime Minister and peacemaker Yitzhak Rabin. "I continue to believe...
Is Society the Angel of Death? Elie Wiesel's Take
by Daniel Kieval
"Do not stand idly by the blood of your neighbor." (Leviticus 19:16)
In an address given last week at Wesleyan University, Elie...
Sustainable Tzedakah
By Steven Philp
Now that we have entered the month of November, many of us look forward to the prospect of spending time with loved ones...
The Olive Conflict
By Lily Hoffman Simon
When Noah’s ark ended its forty day journey, Noah sent forth a dove, which returned to him with an olive branch. The olive...