In the Beginning, There was Charleston
Charleston was founded in 1670, and the earliest known reference to Jews in the English settlement is a description dating from 1695. Soon thereafter other Jews followed, attracted by the civil and religious liberty of South Carolina and the ample economic opportunity of the colony.
What’s Jewish About the Super Bowl?
American Jews, like so many others across the world, are brought together by a love of gathering to watch sporting events – and my husband and I are no exception.
The Torah In Haiku: B'shalach
Miriam's song is a sort of coda to Shirat Hayam, the Song of the Sea.
Church of the Broken Cross: My Visit to a Church in Germany
“You must be joking,” I said to myself, when, shortly after we arrived in Germany, Pastorin Ursula Sieg informed me that she arranged for me to preach in a church whose pastor in those days was a Nazi and a murderer.
Cuba: Home to a Small but Mighty Jewish Community
So many people have asked me over the years, "Why do you keep going back to Cuba? What's so special about that trip? What's so unique about that place?" Given the U.S. government’s recent announcement about changes in its relations with Cuba, this question is more relevant than ever.
The Torah In Haiku: Va-y'chi
"So he blessed them that day, saying, "By you shall Israel invoke blessings, saying: God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh."
And When I Leave: A Poem for Havdalah
I am not ready
To leave this place
this time
this rest.
I am not ready
for the separation that
must come, not while
I still smell
the sweetness
of cardamon and cloves.
I want to linger
in this holy time
this sacred promise
And be
Where Are We in the Fight Against Anti-Semitism?
Last week, the Simon Wiesenthal Center released a list of its top 10 worst anti-Semitic offenses of 2014.
No Silver Platter
By its mere existence Judaism is a never silent protest against the assumption of the multitude that force is superior to truth.
-Leo Baeck, The Essence of Judaism