A Guide to Sand Synagogues
Today, there are only five sand synagogues remaining in the world, three of them in the Caribbean.
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.”
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.
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.
The Weird and Wondrous World of Jews and Magic
The first time I came face-to-face with Jewish magic was when I moved to Israel in my early 20s. It was the fall of 1995...
How Have Female Clergy Transformed Jewish Life, Ritual and Practice?
Forty-six years after the first American woman rabbi was ordained, Judaism is transformed.
Ask The Rabbis | What Sins Should We Atone For In Our Use of Social Media?
“Do we gossip? Do we repost stories about friends, family or colleagues that ought not be repeated? Do we believe everything we read?”
Context | Is Judaism Pro-Life or Pro-Choice?
Where you stand on most issues depends on where you sit. It’s a truism that dates back far before our polarized age. Women’s issues tend to pose this problem with particular clarity; you might say that it’s not so much where you sit as what set of organs you sit on.
Ask The Rabbis | Can a Robot Be Jewish?
“Would your Jewish robot be like the Jetsons’ Rosie, who’d make perfect Shabbat challah and your aunt’s amazing latkes?”
Opinion | American Jews Just Don’t Get It
Reactions to the embassy move to Jerusalem show how little they understand Israelis.
What Do Memes Tell Us About Jewish Identity?
The plurality of Jewish meme pages reflects the plurality of perspectives on Judaism.
Discovering Science in the Zohar
Throughout The Lost Symbol, Dan Brown extols the importance of the Zohar, the classic book of Kabbalah, as an incredible source of knowledge from which...