Michele Chabin
Michele Chabin is an author at Religion News Service.
All Stories by Michele Chabin
Israeli cabinet allows wider group of Orthodox rabbis to perform conversions
By Michele Chabin — November 3, 2014
JERUSALEM (RNS) The resolution should enable many of the 364,000 Israelis who are not Jewish to find Orthodox rabbis more welcoming than the 33 rabbis picked by the rabbinate to head conversion courts.
Israeli rabbis say accused rabbi’s conversions are kosher
By Michele Chabin — October 21, 2014
JERUSALEM (RNS) Because Jewish law requires witnesses to conversions to be above reproach, some have questioned whether the conversions that accused Rabbi Barry Freundel oversaw were illegitimate.
Jewish girls want to read from the Torah at the Western Wall, new bus ads proclaim
By Michele Chabin — October 13, 2014
JERUSALEM (RNS) Bar mitzvah boys are encouraged to read from the Torah at the Western Wall, but the state-supported Western Wall Heritage Foundation, which is run by Israel’s Orthodox establishment, prohibits girls and women from doing so.
Petition: Create a seating section for ultra-Orthodox Jewish men on El Al flights
By Michele Chabin — October 1, 2014
JERUSALEM (RNS) In her Change.org petition, which had more than 2,300 signatures, a Chicago woman asks El Al why its staff permits female passengers “to be bullied, harassed, and intimidated into switching seats for which they rightfully paid.”
In Israel, biblical land-use laws call for creative workarounds
By Michele Chabin — September 30, 2014
JERUSALEM (RNS) The sabbatical-year prohibitions include sowing, planting, pruning, reaping, harvesting and improving the land. But many Jews have found loopholes and workarounds.
Elephants unearthed: Ancient synagogue mosaic yields nonbiblical images
By Michele Chabin — August 12, 2014
(RNS) Until now, “all stories found decorating ancient synagogues have been taken from the Hebrew Bible,” said archaeologist Jodi Magness.
Ultra-Orthodox Jews cry foul over Jerusalem’s new artificial beach
By Michele Chabin — June 17, 2014
JERUSALEM (RNS) The outcry over the beach is just one of the many battles the ultra-Orthodox community has waged in recent years over the issue of Shabbat closures and the sanctity of Jerusalem.
Rolling Stones’ first Israeli concert delayed to accommodate religious fans
By Michele Chabin — May 30, 2014
JERUSALEM (RNS) Orthodox Jews do not drive on the Sabbath or holidays, so it would have been impossible for them to arrive at the venue on time.
Pope Francis concludes Holy Land trip with visits to Jewish holy sites
By Michele Chabin — May 26, 2014
JERUSALEM (RNS) Israelis were moved when he kissed the hands of the Holocaust survivors. But some haven't shaken the memory of centuries of anti-Semitism sparked by the Roman Catholic Church.
Pope Francis invites Israeli, Palestinian presidents to talks at the Vatican
By Michele Chabin — May 25, 2014
BETHLEHEM, West Bank (RNS) "The time has come for everyone to find the courage to be generous and creative in the service of the common good," Francis said at a welcoming ceremony in Bethlehem hosted by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
Site of Jesus’ Last Supper a point of contention for some Israeli Jews
By Michele Chabin — May 20, 2014
JERUSALEM (RNS) Located on Mount Zion, the Cenacle is where Jesus held the Last Supper. It sits directly above David’s Tomb, the place many Jews believe the biblical King David is buried.
Holy Land churches mount awareness campaign in wake of hate graffiti
By Michele Chabin — May 9, 2014
JERUSALEM (RNS) A wave of vandalism against local Christians and institutions is spurring a response from Holy Land churches.
A state of grace inspires a prayer book for life’s sorrows and joys
By Michele Chabin — April 7, 2014
JERUSALEM (RNS) Alden Solovy has written more than 400 prayers, 150 of which are included in “Jewish Prayers of Hope and Healing.” It is one of only a handful of unconventional prayer books available in the Jewish world today.
Rabbis shave heads for a cause
By Michele Chabin — April 2, 2014
(RNS) Rabbi Phyllis Sommer, who has chronicled her son’s illness and her family’s struggle after his death, said the event, in which 54 rabbis shaved their heads, resonates deeply with Jewish values.
Israel may be cut out of Pope Francis’ visit to the Holy Land
By Michele Chabin — March 28, 2014
JERUSALEM (RNS) Latin Patriarch Fouad Twal told journalists that Pope Francis' pilgrimage to Jordan and the Palestinian-ruled West Bank will take place, even if the Israeli foreign ministry strike continues.
