27 Feb
Religion

The Age-Old New-Age Approach to Judaism

by Kelley Kidd This morning, I woke up feeling extremely grumpy. Too little sleep the night before combined with looming stress put me in a supremely bad mood from the moment I heard the first screech of my alarm. Somehow, in the midst of my fog of negativity, I realized I didn’t want to feel miserable all day, and there was only so much that coffee could do to help my endorphins—I was going to have to help out a little if I wanted to survive the day. So I grabbed my iPhone and Googled “Jewish morning prayers.” I found a website (ironically, a resource for Christians) that provided me with the Hebrew, transliteration and translation for Modeh Ani, the prayer of thanks said upon waking up, and the Birchot HaShachar, the traditional morning blessings. With...

Continue reading

10 Jan
Culture, Misc, Religion, topics

Embracing Rosh Hodesh

By Scott Fox I love Hanukkah: the presents, wintertime, dreidels, candle lighting. I love all of it. I was born on the fourth day of Hanukkah (28th of Kislev), which makes the holiday particularly special. I lament the beginning of the month of Tevet because it signals the coming end of that special time and the return to normal life. As a semi-celebratory day, Rosh Hodesh (the beginning of the new month) seemed just as perfunctory as Tevet. It is a time that is marked but not especially noteworthy. Two years ago, however, Rosh Hodesh Tevet completely changed my relationship with that time of the year. On that two-day Rosh Hodesh, I lost a woman who shaped my practice of Judaism, and also discovered new women Jewish heroes who would inject Rosh Hodesh with a newfound importance...

Continue reading

01 Dec
Religion

Why Pray?

by Emily Goldberg Judaism is ever-evolving, a religion that has for centuries faced the challenges of modernization. With young people steering these new paths, our religion has undergone some drastic changes in order to stay relevant in today's world. Despite the radical changes, such as the consideration of egalitarianism, political involvement and music, there is one prevalent aspect of Judaism that will never be eradicated: prayer. Prayer, derived from the Latin term “to beg,” is a fundamental value of most religions. Since the formation of rabbinic Judaism, Jews across the globe have congregated to recognize, praise and communicate with a higher theological being. Depending on the denomination and synagogue, some congregations of Jews sit separately by gender, vehemently studying Torah while dressed in traditional Jewish garments. Other communities will have a more liberal approach to spirituality, beating...

Continue reading

17 Oct
Religion

Losing (and Finding) My Religion

by Maddie Ulanow It’s always interesting when, on a particular Friday night, we get a new high turnout of students for the weekly Shabbat services - and only about half of them are Jewish. It would be higher, but some of the regular Jewish attendees are skipping out for the Buddhist meditation. A 2009 Pew Research poll revealed that 44 percent of American adults no longer identify with their childhood religion; of those who still do, nine percent changed or questioned their faith at some point. Fifteen percent of the Protestants surveyed now identify with a different Protestant faith, and nine percent of the Catholics surveyed are either unaffiliated or Protestant. Nine percent of the Christians surveyed converted to a different religion altogether, one of the options of which includes Judaism. What is it that makes a change in...

Continue reading

12 Aug
Moment Magazine

From the Archives: My House Shall Be a House Of Prayer For All

By Lynne Schreiber From Moment Magazine, December 2005 One day last summer, as my friend Katie and I sat beneath an umbrella at a sidewalk café sipping coffee, I mentioned that I needed a quote for a talk I was to give on spirituality in America at my Orthodox shul. Katie, whom I'd met at a poetry seminar in college before I became observant, lit up. "Rabbi Levy said something once about God being in the silence," she said. "You should ask him for the source." It took me a moment to remember why Katie, a member of an Episcopalian parish in Ann Arbor, Michigan, was quoting a rabbi. Her church, St. Clare of Assisi, shares a sanctuary with a Reform synagogue, Temple Beth Emeth. Once a year, Beth Emeth's rabbi, Robert Levy, delivers a sermon to St....

Continue reading

16 Dec
Culture, Latest, Religion

Play Hard, Pray Harder

By Gabriel Weinstein Just two years after leaving the University of Florida facing charges of larceny and theft Auburn University quarterback Cameron Newton was full of gratitude winning the Heisman Trophy. Though Newton thanked his parents, coaches and teammates, he opened his speech thanking someone who has never helped him ice sore muscles or analyze a blitz–God.  He proclaimed: “First giving all the honor and glory to God, who is the head of my life. Without him we would not even be here right now. Thank you for that.” The number of athletes publicly proclaiming their faith has ballooned over the past 50 years through the establishment of sports ministry organizations such as Athletes in Action and Fellowship of Christian Athletes. These ministry organizations have made religious expression more socially acceptable in the locker room and on...

Continue reading

14 Dec
Latest, Religion

Bridging the Gender Gap in Prayer – Sort Of

By Lily Hoffman Simon The patriarchal tradition of Orthodox Judaism is being challenged all over the world. The recent controversy surrounding the ordainment of Sara Hurwitz as the first female Orthodox rabba (see Moment’s cover story) indicates the extent of this gender revolution. One recent development in the struggle is the birth of what are known as partnership minyans, which bring together males and females for synagogue services. Yet despite its progressive nature, its gender-equitable approach reinforces the presence of gender equality in orthodox circles. A minyan in Jewish tradition refers to the number of Jewish adults necessary to conduct Jewish ritual, such as prayer or service. Traditionally, this quorum is set at 10 Jewish males of Bar-Mitzvah age. While Reform congregations and many Conservative ones tend to include women in this count, Orthodox Judaism has continued to restrict women...

Continue reading

12 Aug
Latest, Misc

iPhone Goes Jewish

We know there are some pretty cool things you can do with an iPod, but now the iPhone is making its own legacy, in part because of programs like this one: the iPhone Siddur. According to RustyBrick, the iPhone Siddur has: Weekday prayer texts with easy and quick navigation Nussach for Ashkenaz, Sfrard and Sefarad Mizrachi Zmanim Calculator based on your location (with override) Minyanim database (finds the nearest shul to your location) Luach or Jewish Calendar And there are more features to come, including: Mizrach Compass Smart Siddur (will show you the prayers you need only for that day) Remember last location in Siddur text Siddur bookmarks Chabad Nusach Before the iPhone Siddur, there was iDaven, which could be downloaded onto an iPod or phones like Treo, Blackberry and Sidekick. But compared to the iPhone and its ability pinpointing davening times and finding nearby shuls, the iPod...

Continue reading