Judaism
The secret ritual for the end of Hanukkah
By Jeffrey Salkin — December 18, 2023
(RNS) — Time to scrape the wax off the menorah. Yes, this is a metaphor.
Black American solidarity with Palestinians is rising and testing longstanding ties to Jewish allies
By Noreen Nasir and Aaron Morrison — December 18, 2023
(AP) — The recent rise of protest movements against police brutality in the U.S. has connected Black and Palestinian activists under a common cause.
Survey: Antisemitism at US campuses limited to select schools
By Yonat Shimron — December 15, 2023
(RNS) — The survey of 51 public and private universities from The Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies at Brandeis University found a small number of 'hotspot' schools where Jewish students faced a hostile environment.
My conversation with a Palestinian-American
By Jeffrey Salkin — December 15, 2023
(RNS) — She was a hotel manager. By the time our conversation was over, we had learned that peace happens piece by piece.
In Texas, debate over school chaplains escalates school board culture wars
By Jack Jenkins — December 14, 2023
HOUSTON (RNS) — Conservative Christian activists are hoping to turn Texas public schools into a ‘mission field.’
David Wolpe: The college presidents’ testimony was ‘exquisitely painful’
By Beth Kissileff — December 14, 2023
(RNS) — One of the country’s most prominent rabbis concluded the problem of antisemitism at Harvard was beyond the weight of his wisdom and experience.
As interfaith leaders, we are united to protect foreign assistance
By David Saperstein, Anwar Khan, and Eugene Cho — December 13, 2023
(RNS) — When so many foundational principles are under attack, we must retain our core character of generosity and compassion.
Rabbi David Ellenson was one in a generation
By Jeffrey Salkin — December 13, 2023
(RNS) — David Ellenson’s heart was as large as his mind. That is saying a lot.
Don’t look! Why we should turn away from visual images of atrocities
By Beth Kissileff — December 12, 2023
(RNS) — If we concentrate on the atrocities done to victims we are only choosing to see them as their tormentors did, not as they would prefer to be seen and remembered.
Loaded words can end with loaded guns
By Avi Shafran — December 12, 2023
(RNS) — ‘Genocide,’ ‘apartheid’ and ‘terrorism’ are being loosely employed — and grossly misused.
Was King Herod the Great really so ‘great’? What history says about the bad guy of the Christmas story
By Aaron Gale — December 12, 2023
(The Conversation) — Historians know a fair bit about Herod the Great, the king of Judea at the time of Jesus’ birth.
New charge filed against man accused of firing shotgun outside New York synagogue
By Associated Press — December 12, 2023
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — The new charge stems from the recent purchase of the shotgun authorities said he used in the shooting.
Ahead of White House Hanukkah celebration, a wave of faith-led cease-fire demonstrations
By Jack Jenkins — December 11, 2023
WASHINGTON (RNS) — The demonstrators, who were later arrested, noted the ongoing Jewish holiday, shouting, 'No Hanukkah to celebrate, cease-fire cannot wait!'
As Druze fight alongside Jewish soldiers, Israel looks back on controversial Nation-State Law
By David I. Klein — December 11, 2023
(RNS) — For many Druze, an Arabic-speaking minority in Israel, the bill was seen as an insult and ignorant of the role the Druze have played in Israel’s military history.
Biden calls ‘surge’ in antisemitism ‘sickening’ during White House Hanukkah reception
By Will Weissert — December 11, 2023
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration in May announced what it called the first-ever national strategy to counter antisemitism.
