JERUSALEM — What does one wear to the world’s first women’s Siyum HaShas?The question I posed on social media was a joke, a play on the idea of worrying about surface appearances at any event celebrating women’s achievements. But it also wasn’t...

MONSEY, N.Y. — As Jewish people around the globe were lighting candles in celebration of the 7th night of Hanukkah, the joyous family gatherings in our town were disrupted by the breaking news of a tragedy close to home: At approximately 10 p.m. on...

As a pro-Israel, pro-peace American and an active member of the St. Louis Jewish community, I am proud of the event that was held on Nov. 13with members of the group Breaking the Silence. Co-sponsored by J Street – St. Louis and the New Israel Fund,...

I braced for an ugly fight. I was first told about a program at Congregation B’nai Amoona in which former soldiers from the Israel Defense Forces would expose horrible things about their experiences in Israel’s military. The group is called Breaking...

Stories from our past light the way to our futureWhere do human values, ethics, morality, and the fundamental principles of civil society come from? According to John Adams, Leo Tolstoy, and 19th century ethicist Charles Wagner — among many others —...

Rabbi who lost congregants in Pittsburgh shooting discusses the long road to healingPITTSBURGH — I have been the rabbi of the New Light Congregation in Pittsburgh for nine years. This year, at Kol Nidre services on Yom Kippur, I preached about calm. Our...

Psychiatric medications can save livesMoritz Farbstein’s Sept. 4 letter points out that the pharmaceutical industry has been funding the “stop the stigma of mental illness” campaign, and not for altruistic reasons. They want to sell more drugs,...

“There was once a boy named Pierre, who only would say,’I don’t care!’ Read his story, my friend, for you’ll find at the end that a suitable moral lies there.” —from “Pierre,” by Maurice SendakMaurice Sendak’s famous children’s...

What is justice? What does it mean to be living in a just society? What would that look like? And how do we know when we are acting justly or when we fail to meet that loftiest of goals?From the very first word of this week’s Torah portion, Shoftim...

TEKO’A, WEST BANK — When Israel announced that it would be banning lawmakers Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar from visiting Israel, it caused a huge debate to erupt in the Jewish community for all sorts of reasons. Supporters of the ban argue that if...

Unlike his predecessor, Barack Obama, President Donald Trump doesn’t think more “daylight” between the United States and Israel is needed, and he has had Israel’s back on all the major issues regarding the peace process and threats like Iran.But...

I suspect I will get in trouble for saying this, even though it would clearly seem a logically and morally grounded statement: Men and women should get equal pay for equal competence at the same job. As compellingly simple as this proposition might...