Passover, the holiday of Jewish liberation and freedom from Egypt, took place about two months ago. But Jacob Ostreicher has given up hope of leaving Bolivia, where he has been under arrest on what actor Sean Penn called “unevidenced prosecution.”…
Arming Syrian rebels could threaten Israel’s security
As the death toll continues to climb in Syria’s bloody, two-year-old civil war, concerns over Israel’s security mount as well, over the various embargoes against supplying arms to the rebel forces. As the European Union and other countries are considering…
The endangered right: freedom of religion for Dutch Jews
In the United States, the decree that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof” is an integral part of living in a free country. In fact, it is the first amendment…
A move toward accommodating different religious beliefs
College can be stressful enough without having to deal with religious concerns. When Shabbat or Jewish holidays come around, they should not be cause for anxiety, embarrassment, or any other strains due to class and exam conflicts. Enter the Jewish…
Gershon Baskin speaks about Gilad Shalit release
When the news broke that kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit had been released, we celebrated, all of us. My friends and I called and e-mailed home, exclaiming at the news, and joined in the bittersweet jubilation from our Jerusalem apartments,…
LA 2013 mayoral candidates Garcetti, Greuel, James, Perry, and Pleitez are off and talking
Playing to their audience, they cracked Jewish jokes, made Jewish references, and emphasized connections to Israel and Judaism. The mayoral candidates for Los Angeles’ March 2013 election who were invited to speak at the January 3rd “debate” at Beth Jacob…
Got kosher (meat)?
Assuming you’re not a vegetarian or vegan, how do you get your meat? The store, the restaurant, The Shack at Hillel…it all comes in a crisp, clean package or steaming and savory on a plate. But farmers don’t raise vacuum-sealed…
“Pharaoh” Morsi and Israeli foreign relations: is the broker for peace broke?
What do false goatees, megalomania, and President Mohamed Morsi have in common? Pharaonic rulership, according to a number of disgruntled Egyptians, quoted by The Guardian as believing their country to have acquired a “Mubarak with a beard” after Morsi declared presidential “immunity” from judicial oversight and the ability to pass laws as he pleases. The engineer-come-dark-horse-politician has…
A helpmate opposite him: the Jewish vision of respecting women
This article is in response to the piece published in Ha’Am on October 21st, 2012. I would like to make it clear that I respect the writer of the original article, and welcome all further discussion of this issue. Religious…
Anti-Semitic graffiti “un-Kiwi?”
Sprayed in black, the swastikas show up clearly against the pale gray tombstones in a historic Auckland, New Zealand cemetery, where vagrants drift and troublemakers lurk. The Hebrew words meaning May his/her soul be bound into the bond of life…