TBT: The history of Chad Gadya and Passover

In honor of Passover and the Internet sensation of dedicating Thursdays to past experiences, I took to Ha’Am’s archives to find an article that our predecessors wrote about this fine holiday. The following article, “Chad Gadya: Not Just for Passover,”…

Ha’Am Winter 2013 Print Issue: A Look At Jewish Traditions at Home and Abroad

In case you missed Ha’Am’s Winter 2013 Print Issue, you can now read all the articles and see the complete PDF online. Enjoy!

When Americans cannot compete, we all lose

Home to the second largest Jewish community, with some 5.2 million Jews, the United States’ political climate is undermining the ability of its citizens to trust their government. Paul Krugman, Nobel laureate in economics, opined in his blog Economics and…

Is G-d racist? The Jewish take on the chosen people

Article contributed by JAM Rabbi Avner Engel ————————————————- Why did G-d create you? Does he need you? To say such a thing would imply that G-d is lacking, which is the opposite of Judaism’s infinite, all-powerful G-d. The only thing…

First Farsi Holocaust text connects Iranians to Jewish history

On October 14, I was privileged to be a student delegate at 30 Years After’s 3rd Biennial Conference. 30 Years After is the civic and political voice of America’s Iranian Jews, the first and only organization of its kind. The…

Yiddishkayt’s Helix Project: a modern adventure into the forgotten Yiddish past

Cobblestone paths and narrowly winding streets. Freshly painted yellow buildings and crumbling courtyards boarded up in disrepair. Vilnius, summer 2012, or as the Yiddish speaking Jewish population called it prior to World War II, Vilna, the Jerusalem of Lithuania. Ten…

Reading Yeshayahu Leibowitz: a Jewish philosophy for the twenty-first century

Questions about Judaism’s place within Israeli society have been around since before the existence of the Jewish state, but there have been few coherent answers put forward. One of the most outspoken voices on this issue, as well as others…

Rabbinic Authorities Flex Muscles in Response to “Gay Orthodox Wedding”

Last week, over 100 Orthodox rabbis around the world added their signatures to a declaration condemning a recent event that the media identified as an “same-sex Orthodox wedding.” On November 6, Yeshiva University-ordained Rabbi Steven Greenberg, known to many as the…

Fear & Loathing in Washington Heights

The winds of scandal were blowing in full force across the Jewish world last week. An article printed in an online publication run by Yeshiva University students became the centre of controversy, and the school demanded that the article be removed.…