LOS ANGELES (JTA) -- The predicament created by Israel's recent Knesset elections does not reveal any new problems in Israel's electoral system; it simply underscores the problems everyone knows already are there. The problems have created a dire situation....

JEWISH LIGHT EDITORIAL The White House has acted quickly and aggressively on a couple major matters intended to restitch the social safety net. With respect to one, we're confident that President Obama has made the right move; on the other, we're not...

JEWISH LIGHT EDITORIAL Last week we took strong exception with the reinstatement by Pope Benedict XVI of Bishop Richard Williamson, who had made outrageous statements denying that the gassing of millions of Jews occurred during the Holocaust. That same...

JEWISH LIGHT EDITORIAL "When you think bioscience, think...(pause for dramatic effect)...Kansas." Kansas? Is this some kind of sad joke? Not even. Despite all our amazing scientific research and development resources in Missouri -- the universities with...

The Talmud teaches us that saving one life is equivalent to saving the entire world, and that destroying even one life is equivalent to destroying all of creation. And yet, we live in a state where nearly 10 people die every week because they don't have...

RABBI JEFFREY STIFFMAN The St. Louis Post-Dispatch took note of the recent passing of Bishop Edward J. O'Donnell, emphasizing his role as a bishop. Those of us who knew and worked alongside him also knew him as a pioneer in inter-faith relations and a...

There is no justification for the action by Pope Benedict XVI to reinstate a bishop who has publicly denied that six million Jews were killed in the Holocaust.In an effort to appease far-right Roman Catholics who protested the reforms of Vatican II, the...

Make no mistake about it -- this time was different. The question is, to what effect? In 2006, Hezbollah claimed victory in response to Israel's initiative into Lebanon. And due to questionable deployments and tactics, Israel failed to obtain the live...

"Disproportionality" is the new buzz word in response to Israel's military action. Jimmy Carter espoused "disproportionality" to a German journalist during Israel's 2006 war against Hezbollah. Unable to counter Israel's right to self-defense, among some...

In the beginning of the Torah, when God first makes a covenant with our forefathers and sets out the mission of our people, God tells each of them that their children will live in their land, the land of Israel, and there they should be a blessing to...

JEWISH LIGHT EDITORIAL A comical image on an Internet website is accompanied by the caption, "There's a New Sheriff in Town." The illustration is a photograph of a dove-like bird holding a radar gun pointed at passing-by traffic. The photo frames a fascinating...

JEWISH LIGHT EDITORIAL Media coverage of the Gaza crisis features constant, lurid images of death and destruction. Photos and video tell part of the story, but television and print media present this so-called "breaking news" with precious little, if...