Sinat hinam, free flowing hatred between different branches of Judaism is not new, but it is once again virulent. As we watch the cauldron of intra-Jewish hatred boil over in the Israeli government and the Haredi and Orthodox Zionist establishments, many of us are at a loss for how to proceed toward Jewish unity. Perhaps it is time for the leaders of the major non-Orthodox … [Read more...] about Standing Up to Hate by Rabbi Pamela Frydman, RRFEI Chairwoman
How to proceed is the real question
It's reported by Leonard Baker that Mahatma Gandhi advised Rabbi Leo Baeck around 1938 that "All of the Jews of Germany at a given moment should commit suicide." Gandhi thought the collective action would shock the conscience of the world. Gandhi clearly did not understand the Jewish nature. Baeck himself once commented that Judaism is the most life-affirming religion among … [Read more...] about How to proceed is the real question
Hateful comments expressed in Israel regarding liberal Jews
In his monumental work on Jewish law, Menachem Elon writes: "... Nahmanides coined an apt and pointed term that illuminates the meaning of 'doing what is right and good;' A person who acts according to the technical and formal sense of the Torah's laws, i.e.: who carefully follows only the explicit rules but not those implicit from the general spirit of the text, is 'a … [Read more...] about Hateful comments expressed in Israel regarding liberal Jews
Updates on the Kotel agreement and the Supreme Court’s ruling on access to Israel’s public mikva’ot
Since last week's bulletin, there have been a number of developments in the ultra-Orthodox political and rabbinical leadership's battle against the implementation of the Kotel agreement, as well as their battle against the Supreme Court's ruling to make Israel's public mikva'ot available for non-Orthodox conversion ceremonies. These developments reflect, in essence, an … [Read more...] about Updates on the Kotel agreement and the Supreme Court’s ruling on access to Israel’s public mikva’ot
On Orthodox Conversion in the Twenty-First Century
A Conservative colleague once told me that the auspicious Rabbi Max Kiddushin told her that if a person says that s/he wants to convert a rabbi should convert that person immediately and teach the person later. Little did I know at the time that Rabbi Chuck Davidson's research, found in our newsletter of January 18th, would prove definitively that Rabbi Kiddushin's viewpoint … [Read more...] about On Orthodox Conversion in the Twenty-First Century