Ask the Rabbis | Are There Things That Can’t Be Forgiven?
“Few people have never been mistreated or hurt others. Jewish tradition makes demands of both parties.”
16
Sep
14
Aug
Jewish Astrology, Then and Now
Astrology has a rich cultural history in Judaism.
23
May
Opinion | Who Is a Reform Jew?
How many Reform Jews live in Israel?
The proper answer to this question ought to be: Who cares? And yet some people do care, me included. Orthodox rabbis care because they fear Reform infiltration; pro-Reform activists care because they want the denomination’s fortunes to rise in Israel; I care because of professional interest. Some care because Reform Judaism plays a significant role in Jewish life in America, and its adherents would like it to play a similar role in Israel. Can it succeed? This depends, among other things, on numbers. Hence, the repeated attempts to figure out the number of Reform Israelis.
My latest attempt to do such a thing was part of an ongoing study of Israeli Judaism under the auspices of The Jewish People Policy Institute, of which I am a director. Despite this...
15
Apr
Moment’s 2019 Seder Supplement
In our 2019 seder supplement, we’ve collected some of Moment’s best Passover stories—from the history of charoset to the best Passover movies.
04
Apr
Yechiel Eckstein: A Lonely Man Building a Bridge Between Two Faiths
The son of a leading Canadian Orthodox Rabbi and a scion of a family embedded in the Hasidic community, Yechiel Eckstein, unsurprisingly, was a devout, deeply traditional Jew.
20
Mar
How Is Your Judaism Different From Your Parents’?
Moment asked millennial Jews, “How is your Judaism different from your parents’?” The young generation of the Jewish community looks diverse—and proud to be Jewish.
24
Jan
A Guide to Sand Synagogues
Today, there are only five sand synagogues remaining in the world, three of them in the Caribbean.
24
Jan
A Gold Rush Synagogue Hangs On Down Under
More than a century and a half has passed since the gold rush created the booming Australian city of Ballarat, 70 miles inland from Melbourne. The gold is long gone, but the worshippers who sit shoulder to shoulder in the pews of Shearith Yisroel seem determined to live up to their synagogue’s name: “Remnant of Israel.”
18
Jan
Ask The Rabbis | How Has Pittsburgh Changed Jewish Life for Your Community?
Our reaction to the events in Pittsburgh began with mourning for the victims. From mourning we moved to the legitimate fear that comes from living in a nation where easily procured weapons of mass death terrorize people of color, Muslims, LGBTQ people and—as always—Jews.
28
Dec
The Thirty Years’ War’s Legacy for Religious Pluralism
The legacy of this half-forgotten conflict is an important one for those who care about religious freedom and religious pluralism today.