We are in the midst of the sheva‘ de-neḥamta, the seven Haftarot of consolation that are chanted between Tish‘ah Be-Av and Rosh Hashanah. How can we be consoled this year, in the wake of the slaughter on October 7? Ibn Ezra and modern scholars teach us that Isaiah 40–66 were written by a second author […]
Hamas Exploits Hostage Murders for Terror and Propaganda BACKGROUND – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS – VOICES – STORIES Hamas viciously murdered six Israeli hostages in a tunnel underneath Gaza. The Iran-backed terrorists executed each with bullets to the back of their heads because the Israeli Defense Forces were closing in on their position. Hamas terrorists […]
by Rabbi Alan Silverstein, PhD | President of Mercaz Olami (Representing the global Masorti/Conservative movement) In Professor Naomi Cohen’s “Diaspora Plus Palestine, Religion Plus Nationalism: The Seminary and Zionism” (“Tradition Renewed: A History of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America,” Vol. 2), she emphasized Solomon Schechter’s early adherence — already in the 1880s — to […]
“See, this day I set before you blessing and curse.” (Deut. 11:26) When the Torah commands us to see and not just to hear, we understand that we are talking about more than cognitive understanding. We are talking about an experience shared by the soul as well. In our world there are so many blessings […]
‘The Jewish Question’: Discriminating Against Jews in Schools BACKGROUND – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS – STORIES Ethnic Studies Curriculum: ‘The Jewish Question’ How to address the “Jewish Question,” a phrase used by the Nazis during the Holocaust, is now being debated in a California school district. Evidence uncovered during the discovery phase of a lawsuit […]
by Rabbi Alan Silverstein, PhD | President of Mercaz Olami (Representing the global Masorti/Conservative movement) The European roots of Zionism in Conservative Judaism commenced with an emphasis on Jewish history and peoplehood as espoused by Rabbi Zechariah Frankel in the mid-19th century. Rabbi Frankel had withdrawn from the German rabbinical conferences of the 1840s due […]
Last Shabbat we read: “You who hold fast to the Lord your God, are all alive today”. We recite this verse every time the Torah is read publicly, which implies that “holding fast” to God is expressed first and foremost by internalizing the words of the Torah and living by its commandments. Cleaving to God […]
Irony Lost: Activists Protest U.S. and Israel, Ignore Hamas Aggression BACKGROUND – TALKING POINTS – ACTIONS – STORIES The Democratic National Convention in Chicago kicked off without incident despite the presence of thousands of pro-Hamas activists marching outside the security perimeter. The anti-Israel demonstrators descended on the convention to pressure the U.S. Administration to end support […]
by Rabbi Alan Silverstein, PhD | President of Mercaz Olami (Representing the global Masorti/Conservative movement) With the withdrawal of the British mandatory authorities, the State of Israel emerged in 1947-49 into a military conflict, its War of Independence. In a battle for survival, able-bodied Jews were expected to serve in self-defense of the new country. […]
On Tuesday of this week we observed the anniversary of the destruction of the Temples. Why did Tish’a Be-’Av fall on a Tuesday this year? The answer is that Tish’ah Be-’Av always falls on the same day of the week as seder night at the beginning of Passover. How are those two observances connected? One […]