During the summer break, my wife and I saw “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?,” a documentary about the life of Fred Rogers, aka Mr. Rogers. It was a break also from the constant yelling and screaming we hear around us today, not only in our individual...
Indeed, we and our Jewish community have sinned.We have become guilty of ignoring pleas of detained and separated families; instead, we have prioritized personal and political comfort in our homes and synagogues. Though we have historically survived from...
U.S. should lead in solving global health crisis Decades of political neglect means almost 5,000 people die daily of tuberculosis (TB). This centuries-old epidemic is now the world’s leading infectious killer, claiming more lives last year than HIV/AIDS...
Editor's note: This commentary is part of a new Point-Counterpoint series in the Light. Read Galit Lev Harir's counterpoint commentary here.Many in the American Jewish community as well as in the Israeli Jewish community were encouraged and even delighted...
Editor's note: This commentary is part of a new Point-Counterpoint series in the Light. Read Robert Gerchen's counterpoint commentary here.On May 14, President Donald Trump officially moved the United States Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv....
Special session on Rosh Hashanah shows continuing need for awareness, sensitivityOn Aug. 30, 2018, I received an email from the acting majority floor leader informing the legislature and staff that Gov. Mike Parson was expected to call an extraordinary...
By Rabbi Josef Davidson
• Published August 9, 2018
A relatively new film shows triplets separated at birth as part of an experiment that was designed to discover whether it is nature or nurture that determines who each individual is to become. While the ethics of such an experiment are certainly questionable...
Film about Holocaust survivor inspires hope “Big Sonia” is remarkable, inspiring and a great opportunity to bring about change in our community. We have a unique opportunity to experience the power of optimism and determination and be inspired...
By Rabbi Carnie Shalom Rose
• Published July 5, 2018
Recently, I was invited to facilitate a discussion for an interfaith group of younger seminarians. The organizer, a delightful, gregarious and deeply spiritual professor of Christian theology, wanted me to expose his students to the “Jewish Approach...
By Andrew Silow-Carroll, JTA
• Published July 5, 2018
NEW YORK — A few months ago I wrote a humor piece titled “Don’t eat off the seder plate, and other tips for non-Jews attending their first seder.” It drew a miffed response from a rabbi friend who often works with interfaith families and suggested...
Response to Rochester column on liberalismMartin Rochester’s June 20 column “Here’s why liberalism is not my cup of latte” is one of his many commentaries attacking liberalism. He gives passing criticism of Trump and conservatism before getting...
The resignation of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy effective July 31 has set off a firestorm of speculation, rejoicing and hand-wringing among the senators who will have to confirm his successor.Republicans and other conservatives are popping...
