Marriage Equality: Celebrating Success with More to Do
Three years ago, the Supreme Court ruled that same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marriage. Even as we celebrate this victory, there’s still much work to do.
To Gov. Bryant: Veto Mississippi's HB 1523
To Gov. Deal: Veto Georgia's HB 757
Galilee Diary: Under the Chuppah with a "Ceremony Facilitator"?
Recently, we attended still another wedding not conducted by a rabbi, but by a friend of the couple, or by a freelance “ceremony facilitator.” Although such ceremonies are not recognized by the population registry, and thus have no legal standing, the ways around this obstacle have gotten easier in recent years.
7 Jewish Reasons (and Ways) to Celebrate Canada Day
Canada Day, a national holiday on July 1, marks the history, culture, and achievements of Canada and its citizens. Here are seven Jewish ways to celebrate.
Speaking Out Against North Carolina's H.B. 2
On Wednesday, March 23, North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory signed H.B. 2 into law. This wide-sweeping legislation puts into place broad anti-LGBT provisions.
The Best Wedding Gift: Justice for Non-Orthodox Jews in Israel
As our wedding present to Dinah and Roi, the Israel Religious Action Center will be filing a lawsuit on their behalf against Sh’vilei Or mikveh for unlawful discrimination in public accommodations. We will demand 50,000 shekel in statutory damages and an injunction prohibiting Sh’vilei Or or any other mikveh from closing its doors to non-Orthodox Jews.
At the Intersection of Queer and Jewish: A Reflection
The life I live today as a queer Jew of color would not have been possible without our queer forebears and the work they did around the 1969 Stonewall rebellion.
The Complex Commandment To Be Holy
The Eternal spoke to Moses, saying: Speak to the whole Israelite community and say to them: You shall be holy, for I, the Eternal your God, am holy. (Leviticus 19:1-2)
Parashat K'doshim places before us one of the most difficult commandments in the whole Torah. It's not kashrut or Shabbat, or even the rules of sexual conduct, but rather, the admonition and the expectation to "be holy." Throughout the Torah, we are given rules and statues that tell us what to do. Here are we told what to be. A similar statement is found in Exodus 19:6, where we are commanded to be a "kingdom of priests and a holy people." But what does it mean to be holy? The parashah does not define what holiness is, nor does it tell us what it means to be holy. The guidance it gives us is in the specifics: the who, when, why, and how of the injunction.
The Shaping of a Nation in the Wilderness
Before setting off on a hike in the mountains of Montana, Rabbi Lawrence Kushner was unsettled by all the signs warning about bears. He peppered the National Park Service employee with questions about which trails might be bear-free. The employee pointed out that if it were bear-free, it would not be a wilderness. Over the course of the Book of Numbers, the Israelites encountered many trials in the wilderness. Now, this next generation of Israelites is ready to work together as a people.