I hear Leviticus speaking. Leviticus and Dante got together in the form of a virus, a nonlocal reminder in the language of Leviticus – purity and impurity — that all of us are in this together. I hear Deuteronomy speaking. We will be judged by the...

CHICAGO (JTA) — As the world grapples with the coronavirus pandemic, we’re all tasked with slowing its spread through social isolation. That’s not necessarily a big ask for someone like me. I can deal with people in short bursts but, for the most...

Surreal.My most vivid surreal experience was on Sept. 12, 2001, or 9/12. We then lived on Long Island, about 45 minutes from the World Trade Towers in Manhattan. We saw the news the day before — an airplane had hit one of the buildings. What happened?...

PHOENIX (JTA) — I am not a medical professional, an epidemiologist or an expert on pandemics. I leave the serious information in those important fields for the professionals who have the appropriate training to help us get through the coronavirus epidemic.Even...

All around the world, individuals, groups and institutions have mobilized to respond to the rapidly spreading coronavirus, which has been designated a global pandemic by the World Health Organization. After a fumbling initial U.S. response of finger-pointing...

CHICAGO (JTA) — I am an infectious disease epidemiologist who worked at the World Health Organization on epidemics in over 25 countries around the world. As a physician and member of the Jewish community, I prize the Jewish teaching that places the...

A record 21 nominations for the New Jewish Theatre in the 2020 St. Louis Theater Circle Awards shows that the local drama scene is catching up with what many of us have known for a long time: The troupe’s performances are first-rate.The honors for...

Just two short weeks ago, in Parashat Yitro, we read of the revelation at Mt. Sinai. Each Israelite – rich and poor, young and old, female and male – experienced the reality of the Presence of God in their lives. Then last week, in Parashat Mishpatim,...

An alliance of Jewish and Catholic organizations recently scored a victory over payday lenders in the city of Florissant. In response to a recommendation contained in the Ferguson Report, Jews United for Justice (JUJ) teamed up with the National Council...

PITTSBURGH — “The Quran tells us red and yellow are the most distracting colors, the ones that should not ever be used for a prayer rug,” the imam tells us, looking down at the red and yellow rug beneath our feet in the mosque. He adds, “It was...

When President Abraham Lincoln stated his plans to bind the nation’s wounds in the period after the Civil War, he proposed a formula that has reverberated through the ages: “With malice toward none, with charity for all.” In 1974, after Richard...

D’VAR TORAH — Parashat YitroAs a Jewish educator, it is not uncommon to think about or to discuss with colleagues what it is specifically that make Jewish education Jewish. Is it the “chosen” content or the identity/ideology of the teacher? Are...