According to fast-breaking developments first reported this week by the Jewish Daily Forward and subsequently amplified in the New York Times, a compromise may be in the works that would allow women to lead services, carry Sifrei Torah (Torah Scrolls),…
Life & Culture
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…
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!
Rabbi Froman in memoriam: an Israeli settler and his drive for peace
As the exuberance of yet another AIPAC Policy Conference fades, the grimness of reality sets in. This year’s AIPAC conference featured such speakers as Vice President Joe Biden and outgoing Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak. But while this week’s headlines highlighted…
A memorial to Daniel Pearl and democracy, featuring lecture from Condoleezza Rice
A gentle nudge in the back, a graceful shuffle forward past the competing person to the right — exciting muttering and the loud patter of feet eagerly moving toward two open doors filled the entrance to Korn Convocation Hall in…
Israel at the Oscars
The 85th annual Academy Award celebration boasted some of Hollywood’s premier talent. While most viewers were closely attuned to the celebrity sightings, spectacular gowns, provocative host, show-stopping performances, and the major awards themselves, some of us with strong Jewish and…
Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions: a movement fueled by hate
In general, people who are misinformed about the facts of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict tend to assume that peace is entirely in the hands of the Israelis, and that Israel is maliciously preventing a peaceful agreement by refusing to surrender a…
New York City seeks parental consent on brit milah’s practice of oral-genital suction
Eight days after every male Jew is born, a part of his flesh is cut off and buried in the earth as a reminder of the covenant Abraham made with G-d and as a sign that the man will help…
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,…