Guest Voices: judaism


Posted at 12:35 PM ET, 12/27/2012

The Jewish future seen through the eyes of an American statesman
By Menachem Z. Rosensaft
In new book, statesman offers a blueprint for the next stage of the Jewish journey through history.

By Menachem Z. Rosensaft  |  12:35 PM ET, 12/27/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  Menachem Z. Rosensaft; Stuart E. Eizenstat; The Future of the Jews: How Global Forces are Impacting the Jewish People, Israel, and Its Relationship with the United States; Jimmy Carter; aliyah; Israel; Judaism

Posted at 07:14 PM ET, 12/12/2012

Christmas in Vermont
By Marion L. Usher
Family therapist reflects on holiday tradition that cements love amid a Catholic and Jewish family.

By Marion L. Usher  |  07:14 PM ET, 12/12/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  Christmas in Vermont; Catholics; Jewish; Jews; Judaism; Christmas Eve; Vermont tradition; Christmas; families; family; Vermont; love; rituals

Posted at 12:14 PM ET, 12/10/2012

Making meaning out of the holiday season
By Marion L. Usher
Talk about what is important and create your own ways to do acts of kindness, says a family therapist.

By Marion L. Usher  |  12:14 PM ET, 12/10/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  Chanukah; Hanukkah; Marion L. Usher; families; interfaith families; interfaith couples; extended family; Judaism; Jewish; Christian; Christianity;

Posted at 01:17 PM ET, 12/06/2012

Let my people know
By Stuart Kurlander
On the Mall in 1987, thousands rallied for Soviet Jews and found themselves in the process.

By Stuart Kurlander  |  01:17 PM ET, 12/06/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  Let my people know; let my people go; Exodus; Judaism; Jewish community; American Jewry; Diaspora; National Mall; Mall; solidarity for Soviet Jewry; Soviet Jews; Jews in the Soviet Union; Elie Wiesel; Soviet Jewry Movement; Washington summit; D.C. summit; Mikhail Gorbachev; Communist Party; Ronald Reagan; 1.5 million Jews; former Soviet Union; human rights orientation; human rights oragnizations; Alan Dershowitz; Eastern European; Iron Curtain; Washington Jews; Israel; Germany; United States; freedom; rally; Darfur; genocide; conflicts; human rights violations; Hebrew; English; Stuart Kurlander; Jewish Federation of Greater Washington

Posted at 04:58 PM ET, 12/04/2012

Israel, Palestine must take the high road to reach a successful recovery
By Salaam Bhatti
Palestine’s upgraded U.N. status is a much-needed step forward, but it’s not enough, says a N.Y. lawyer.

By Salaam Bhatti  |  04:58 PM ET, 12/04/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  United Nations; U.N. status; Israel; Israel Palestine partition; Palestine; Palestinians; permanent observer; Torah; Quran; Qu’ran; Koran; Muslims; Islam; Jewish; Jews; Judaism; Allah; Moses; non-Muslims; ceasefire; cease-fire; Gaza; United Nations; International Criminal Court; Rome Statute; Germany; war crimes; prophet Muhammad; Prophet Muhammad; Mecca; Ten Commandments; freedom of conscience; Maimonides; Salaam Bhatti

Posted at 04:56 PM ET, 11/30/2012

Bergen-Belsen and Bitburg 27 years later: A personal perspective
By Menachem Z. Rosensaft
Son of Holocaust survivors returns to Germany to dedicate memorial site at a concentration camp.

By Menachem Z. Rosensaft  |  04:56 PM ET, 11/30/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  Bergen-Belsen and Bitburg 27 years later: A personal perspective; Menachem Z. Rosensaft; son of Holocaust survivors; liberation; World War II; concentration camp; Bergen-Belsen; displaced persons camp; Josef Rosensaft; Central Committee of the Liberated Jews; Jewish monument; Israel; Judaism; Nazi Germany; mass graves; Hebrew; Yiddish; Ronald Reagan; Bitburg; kaddish; Waffen-SS; concentration camps; victims; Germany; White House; White House spokesman Larry Speakes; Dachau; Auschwitz ; gas chambers; Treblinka; death camps; European Jews; Holocaust; Third Reich; Warsaw Ghetto; Malmedy; Heinrich Lübke; Kohl; Helmut Kohl; American Jews; Congress; war veterans; editorial writers; Nazism; Abraham H. Foxman; Anti-Defamation League; ADL; Elie Wiesel; Congressional Gold Medal of Achievement; Klaus Becker; memorial site; Second Generation movement; Menachem Z. Rosensaft; World Jewish Congress; American Gathering of Jewish Holocaust Survivors and Their Descendants

Posted at 03:27 PM ET, 11/28/2012

Mishnah: ‘Public funds are collected by two and distributed by three’ 
By Rabbi Julie Schonfeld
In considering the “fiscal cliff,” a Rabbinical Assembly official reflects in the art of compromise.

By Rabbi Julie Schonfeld  |  03:27 PM ET, 11/28/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  Rabbi Julie Schonfeld; Rabbinical Assembly; Conservative rabbis; fiscal cliff; fiscal cliff; fiscal cliff 2013; what is the fiscal cliff; tax cuts; sequester; supercommittee; super committee; bush tax cuts expire; when do bush tax cuts expire; deficit; automatic cuts; automatic spending cuts; obama tax cuts; default; debt ceiling; credit rating downgrade; social program cuts; defense spending cuts; defense program cuts; defense contractor cuts; us deficit; us budget; warren buffett; deficit reduction committee; Judaism; Mishnah; public funds are collected by two and distributed by three; judges; Talmud; Tractate Sanhedrin; political parties; Capitol; compromise

Posted at 03:23 PM ET, 11/21/2012

Before Thanksgiving, Muslim, Jews feed thousands across North America
By Marc Schneier and Shamsi Ali
Image of Jews and Muslims joining together is a hopeful counterpoint to the pictures of wars and natural disasters, says a rabbi and an imam.

By Marc Schneier and Shamsi Ali  |  03:23 PM ET, 11/21/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  Thanksgiving; Muslims; Jews; Islam; Judaism; Israel; Gaza; Palestinians; Israelis; Hurricane Sandy; Superstorm Sandy; superstorm Sandy; Frankenstorm; hungry; homeless; Rabbi Marc Schneier; Marc Schneirer; Imam Shamsi Ali; Shamsi Ali; American holiday; America; holiday; people of all faiths; ethnicities; ethnic backgrounds; hungry and homeless; Thanksgiving meal; succor; meals; Weekend of Twinning; Foundation for Ethnic Understanding; FFEU; Muslims and Jews; synagogues and mosques; synagogues; mosques; Muslim organizations; Jewish organizations; communities; Muslims Against Hunger; Masbiah; Jewish-Muslim; soup kitchens; homeless shelters; feed hungry people; volunteers; faith communities; faiths; Quran; Koran; Qu’ran; Bible; the Bible; Sami Elmansoury; activist; Muslim-Jewish Feeding the Hungry Day; Mideast; Middle East; Neil Berro; Sea Gate; Sandy; Rabbi Marc Schneier; Hampton Synagogue; Imam Shamsi Ali; Jamaica Muslim Center

Posted at 01:57 PM ET, 11/21/2012

A day devoted to gratitude
By Edgar M. Bronfman
The holiday is also a time to reflect on what it means to be American, says a Canadian-born philanthropist.

By Edgar M. Bronfman  |  01:57 PM ET, 11/21/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  Edgar M. Bronfman; Holidays; holiday; Thanksgiving; giving thanks; gratitude; American national holiday; national holiday; Canada; Canadian-born; religious origin; thanks; giving; counting our blessings; blessings; friends; family; honoring the country; country; American citizens; citizen; immigrants; Russian-Jewish immigrants; United States; New York City; Big Apple; the skyscrapers; America; American; privileges; freedom of religion; principle; refuge; faith; respect; traditions; liberty; freedom of speech; separation of church and state; ideals; religion; freedom of expression; Jew; Judaism; Jewish people; Jewish experience; Jews; Jewish rights; Abraham Lincoln; Lincoln; Civil War; slavery; abolition; nation divided; abolition of slavery;

Posted at 03:16 PM ET, 11/13/2012

Rabbi in Canada on his mother’s unveiling: The undoing of closure
By Chaim Steinmetz
“I had been warned by others that unveilings can reopen old wounds; and that’s what happened to me.”

By Chaim Steinmetz  |  03:16 PM ET, 11/13/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  Chaim Steinmetz; Rabbi Chaim Steinmetz; Judaism; family; death; mother; tradition; unveilings

Posted at 06:17 PM ET, 11/09/2012

Why American Jews and Muslims backed Obama by huge margins
By Marc Schneier and Shamsi Ali
A rabbi and an imam hope America’s celebration of racial, ethnic and religious diversity is reasserting itself.

By Marc Schneier and Shamsi Ali  |  06:17 PM ET, 11/09/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  election 2012; campaign 2012; Rabbi Marc Schneier; Imam Shamsi Ali; faith; religion; politics; Islam; Judaism; American Muslims; American Jews

Posted at 11:20 AM ET, 10/31/2012

Putting the meaning in ‘weening
By Erica Brown
The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington’s scholar-in-residence hopes any visiting ghosts and ghouls do something beyond the usual trick or treat.

By Erica Brown  |  11:20 AM ET, 10/31/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  Halloween; holiday; trick or treat; Erica Brown; Judaism; All Hallow's Eve; All Saints Day; Reformation Day; pagan; Purim; Sukkot

Posted at 05:45 PM ET, 10/26/2012

A survivor’s story
By Leslie Smith Rosen
Child abuse survivor and educator reflects on struggling to untangle her own thoughts and feelings.

By Leslie Smith Rosen  |  05:45 PM ET, 10/26/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  Judaism; Adat Shalom; David Kaye; child abuse

Posted at 02:17 PM ET, 09/19/2012

Understanding Christian Zionism
By John Hagee
Support for Israel is not just an issue for many Christians; it is their primary foreign policy focus.

By John Hagee  |  02:17 PM ET, 09/19/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  Christian Zionism; Israel; Judaism; Christianity; John Hagee; CUFI; Christians United for Israel

Posted at 04:48 PM ET, 09/17/2012

Rosh Hashanah: The start of a new year for humankind as a whole
By Menachem Z. Rosensaft
Today the world was born, a world that includes Christians, Muslims as well as agnostics and atheists.

By Menachem Z. Rosensaft  |  04:48 PM ET, 09/17/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  Rosh Hashanah; High Holy Days; Menachem Z. Rosensaft; Jewish New Year; religious tolerance; Judaism

Posted at 04:04 PM ET, 09/17/2012

Shining a light in Odessa
By Susan K. Stern
I have been on many Jewish Federation missions, and each one reveals a new sense of inspiration.

By Susan K. Stern  |  04:04 PM ET, 09/17/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  Judaism; Jewish missions; Susan K. Stern; Shimon Peres; Ambassador Michael Oren; Jewish Federations of North America

Posted at 11:03 AM ET, 08/20/2012

Tax fairness is a family value – and a civic virtue
By Alan van Capelle
Judaism believes that we must act as individuals to lessen the load of others – but also that we act communally.

By Alan van Capelle  |  11:03 AM ET, 08/20/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  taxes, tax fairness, Judaism, Bend the Arc, Alan van Capelle

Posted at 07:11 PM ET, 08/10/2012

Never forget: Jewish faith integral to family’s fight against Alzheimer’s
By Trish Vradenburg and George Vradenburg
We will not forget – we will remember – the injustice of a disease that destroys the very life memories that make us human.

By Trish Vradenburg and George Vradenburg  |  07:11 PM ET, 08/10/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  Alzheimer's disease, never forget, Judaism, family, Trisha and George Vrandenburg

Posted at 02:40 PM ET, 07/26/2012

The Munich Massacre: Why the 2012 Games should pay tribute to those who died 40 years ago
By Michael Oren
Forty years after the Munich Massacre, we’re missing a chance to send a powerful message on the unity behind the Games.

By Michael Oren  |  02:40 PM ET, 07/26/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  olympics, judaism

Posted at 06:33 PM ET, 07/10/2012

Germany’s ban on circumcisions: Rabbi David Wolpe reflects in verse
By David Wolpe
Rabbi David Wolpe reflects in verse on the divisive court ruling

By David Wolpe  |  06:33 PM ET, 07/10/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  circumcision, Jewish, Judaism, David Wolpe

Posted at 03:43 PM ET, 04/06/2012

Why we need the Haggadah
By Jonathan Safran Foer
The oldest, newest book returns for another Passover.

By Jonathan Safran Foer  |  03:43 PM ET, 04/06/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  judaism, passover, ritual

Posted at 05:12 PM ET, 03/26/2012

During the Holocaust, a musical prayer of hope
By Caroline Stoessinger
Since early childhood, music has always been a kind of prayer for 108-year-old Alice Herz-Sommer, the pianist from Prague and the world’s oldest living Holocaust survivor.

By Caroline Stoessinger  |  05:12 PM ET, 03/26/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  holocaust, judaism

Posted at 11:15 AM ET, 03/26/2012

Universal health care: A Jewish moral imperative
By Julie Schonfeld
A universal system of health care is a moral mandate that a society seeking any measure of justice must have.

By Julie Schonfeld  |  11:15 AM ET, 03/26/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  healthcare, obama, judaism

Posted at 10:30 AM ET, 03/19/2012

How President Eisenhower should be remembered
By Menachem Z. Rosensaft
For Holocaust survivors and their families in particular, General Eisenhower holds a hallowed, place in our hearts and emotions.

By Menachem Z. Rosensaft  |  10:30 AM ET, 03/19/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  eisenhower, holocaust, memorials, judaism

Posted at 01:03 PM ET, 03/07/2012

AIPAC leaves many questions on Iran, Israel
By David Wolpe
Learning the right lessons from history is never easy.

By David Wolpe  |  01:03 PM ET, 03/07/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  iran, israel, aipac, judaism

Posted at 12:45 PM ET, 02/28/2012

Faiths clash at Jerusalem’s sacred site
By Daniela Deane
Jerusalem’s Old City is divided into four quarters -- the Armenian, Christian, Jewish and Muslim Quarters.

By Daniela Deane  |  12:45 PM ET, 02/28/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  life in the holy land, islam, judaism, israel, palestine

Posted at 02:19 PM ET, 02/17/2012

Giving in to the Sabbath
By Daniela Deane
Although there are strict rules about what not to do, Shabbat’s spirit is essentially joyful.

By Daniela Deane  |  02:19 PM ET, 02/17/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  life in the holy land, judaism, sabbath

Posted at 12:49 PM ET, 02/07/2012

Searching for accountability in the Holocaust Torah scrolls’ scam
By Menachem Z. Rosensaft
After a Maryland rabbi’s guilty plea, a call for more accountabilty.

By Menachem Z. Rosensaft  |  12:49 PM ET, 02/07/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  Holocaust, judaism, law

Posted at 05:10 PM ET, 02/02/2012

Tu’Bshvat: Celebrating the beauty that surrounds us
By Edgar M Bronfman
An obscure Jewish holiday opens the door to bring environmental values into our homes.

By Edgar M Bronfman  |  05:10 PM ET, 02/02/2012 |  Permalink  |  Comments ( 0)
Tags:  judaism, holidays, environment