Judaism
Parties canceled. Celebrations toned down. Hanukkah won’t be the same this year.
By Yonat Shimron — December 5, 2023
(RNS) — With the Israeli military in the midst of a destructive showdown in its war with Hamas, many U.S. Jews aren’t in the mood for triumphant Hanukkah cheer.
Display your Hanukkah menorah!
By Jeffrey Salkin — December 5, 2023
(RNS) — More than ever before. It’s that important.
In US, some Muslim-Jewish interfaith initiatives are strained by Israel-Hamas war
By Mariam Fam and Luis Andres Henao — December 5, 2023
The war and its polarizing reverberations in America are testing and straining some interfaith relationships more than ever.
A Jewish rock star reflects on Oct. 7
By Jeffrey Salkin — December 5, 2023
(RNS) — Peter Himmelman — rock star, creative genius and observant Jew — sings his truth. And ours. A new podcast.
Armenian Christians battle developer to keep control of their corner of Jerusalem
By David I. Klein — December 4, 2023
(RNS) — A tiny Christian minority sitting on one of the Holy Land's most valuable pieces of real estate has rebelled against a real-estate deal that would sacrifice nearly 25% of its land in Jerusalem.
From radical chic to Jew-hatred chic
By Jeffrey Salkin — December 1, 2023
(RNS) — Leonard and Felicia Bernstein threw one of the most famous parties in New York social history. It still reverberates today.
Israel’s mosaic of Jewish ethnic groups is key to understanding the country
By David L. Graizbord — December 1, 2023
(The Conversation) — The diversity of Israel’s Jewish population has been a source of tensions, but also strength, over the decades.
Adeena Sussman’s new cookbook, an ode to Shabbat and its food traditions
By Yonat Shimron — November 30, 2023
(RNS) — With her latest book, she turns back to her roots in a Modern Orthodox home where her mother cooked dishes typical of the Ashkenazi tradition.
What to know about Hanukkah and how it’s celebrated around the world
By Giovanna Dell'orto — November 30, 2023
(AP) — On eight consecutive nightfalls, Jews gather with family and friends to light one additional candle in the menorah — a multibranched candelabra.
Opposing communities plan separate memorial services for Carlton Pearson
By Adelle M. Banks — November 29, 2023
(RNS) — ‘I want to show diversity,’ Pearson said in a recording near the end of his life, which has ended up being shown through the range of services.
Argentina’s new president takes spiritual pilgrimage toward radical political change
By Eduardo Campos Lima — November 29, 2023
(RNS) — The country’s president-elect, who overcame the opposition of the Catholic left, talks of converting to Judaism as he awaits his inauguration. But political observers say the country’s economic crisis will soon make him too busy to dally with religious questions, personal or public.
Poll: Less than half of Jewish college students feel safe on campus
By Yonat Shimron — November 29, 2023
(RNS) — The poll of 3,084 American college students, of whom 527 were Jewish, comes amid an alarming rise in incidents of both antisemitism and Islamophobia as Israel and Hamas wage war.
German-Israeli singer admits he lied when accusing hotel of antisemitism in a video that went viral
By Kirsten Grieshaber — November 29, 2023
BERLIN (AP) — Germany's leading Jewish group, which initially stood behind the singer, sharply condemned him after his surprise confession.
How should Jews think about war?
By Jeffrey Salkin — November 28, 2023
(RNS) — As the old rock song put it: ‘War — what is it good for?’ It is a very old question and it is not easy to answer.
Tens of thousands march against antisemitism in London including UK ex-Prime Minister Boris Johnson
By Sylvia Hui — November 28, 2023
LONDON (AP) —Johnson was joined by U.K. Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis and other senior government officials at the march to express solidarity with the Jewish community.
