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…

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…

Plaskow’s feminist theology lacks one thing — Theology

Welcome back to Steiner’s Two Cents — the section in which I probe the interaction between feminism and Judaism as it is filtered through traditional text. Last week, I assessed Moshe Meiselman’s “Jewish Woman in Jewish Law,” which, in my opinion,…

Challah baking on frat row: a new kind of Jewish experience

Walking up the steps into the JAM (Jewish Awareness Movement) house on fraternity row, you are immediately overcome by the sights and smells of family and home. While not many living rooms can boast ten lime green armchairs, two couches, several dozen folding…

committed Jewish lesbian at spiritual crossroads

I stumbled upon this letter in the JQY (Jewish Queer Youth) online forum. I found it to encapsulate many of the challenges that Jewish queer individuals must face, and I think that understanding and empathizing with these experiences will truly…

Matisyahu and the Nine Days

I wrote this post yesterday as an introduction to my coverage of the Matisyahu concert: Today is my sister’s birthday, and a few days ago, her friends and I decided to celebrate by taking her to a Matisyahu concert. Only…