(JTA) — As Jews in the United States prepared to light candles to welcome Rosh Hashanah, they were hit with the last terrible news of a terrible year: the death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. At 87, and with a lifetime of accomplishments...
NEW YORK (JTA) — On March 11, we decided to close The Jewish Center, the large Orthodox congregation in Manhattan where I serve as senior rabbi. To some, it seemed like a drastic step for a century-old institution that’s been open every day of the...
(JTA) — As my calendar announced the approach of September, I began to relive an event that took place exactly 50 years ago. On Sept. 6, 1970, my mother, my four siblings and I were on a plane that was hijacked by terrorists.TWA flight 741 was one of...
JEWISH LIGHT EDITORIAL
• Published September 10, 2020
The Jewish year 5780 is about to end and not a moment too soon. Still, while world events have upended almost all of our conceptions about the way modern life works, we remain hopeful that 5781 will allow us to again find our footing on stable ground. But...
Cultural Leadership builds understanding I was lucky enough to spend the first six years of my life in the inner city of Chicago, in a very diverse neighborhood, where my best friends were first-generation immigrants, Blacks, Jews and people from every...
By Cathleen Kronemer
• Published September 10, 2020
This year, the celebration of Selichot - the official “kickoff” for the High Holy Days – commences with sundown on Saturday, Sept. 12th. Jewish tradition instructs us to regard this time as a period of soul-searching and reflection, as we prepare...
(JTA) — For months now, the rituals that mark our lives have been disrupted by the coronavirus. As the pandemic grinds on and the High Holidays approach, communities are grappling with how to organize Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur services that are both...
By Rabbi Jeffrey Stiffman
• Published August 27, 2020
During a recent meeting of the rabbis of St. Louis with Jewish Federation of St. Louis President and CEO Brian Herstig, a colleague expressed our collective sadness at not being able to attend a funeral for our friend Rabbi Joseph Rosenbloom, who passed...
In my earlier life I was a liberal, drawn by liberalism’s traditional focus on individual liberty, open-mindedness and other such values. However, as I explained in my 2002 “Class Warfare” book: “All the while … as I was aging, I was becoming...
By Rabbi Noam E. Marans
• Published August 27, 2020
TEANECK, N.J. (JTA) — I did not know who Nick Cannon was until he said horribly hurtful things about my people. I now know that he is a very big celebrity, and enormous numbers of people listen to and respect him — that unlike some people who say...
This commentary originally appeared on Alma.TikTok has become a central part of my social media diet while spending more time inside during the pandemic. Among the mix of very funny people and powerful political statements, a number of trends have popped...
Organization expresses support for Israel-UAE peace agreementOn behalf of St. Louis Friends of Israel (SLFI), a non-profit, bi-partisan, St. Louis-based organization, we would like to express our support for the historic peace agreement signed between...
