It’s nice to know that some religious schools don’t want to teach tolerance. New York Regents Give Religious Schools Conscience Exemption To Teaching Tolerance: “Last year, New York enacted the Dignity for All Students Act, effective July 1, 2012. (See prior posting.) In addition to prohibiting bullying, the law (Educ. Law Sec. 801-a) requires schools [...]
Ynet has an article (Hebrew) about Roni Weinstein’s new book, Shavru et ha-Keilim (“They Broke the Vessels”). Weinstein’s book is subtitled “The Kabbalah and Jewish Modernity.” In this book Weinstein claims that modern religious Judaism cannot be understand without reference to the Kabbalah. He is quoted as saying: The Kabbalah is like a bomb that [...]
In a recent column in the Jerusalem Post that called for greater tolerance among secular and religious groups in Israel, Jonathan Rosenblum wrote the following: Jews, unlike Moslems, have a millennia-long history of living as a despised minority. Minority status has also imbued us with an appreciation of prudence. Satmar Chassidim in Williamsburg, for instance, [...]
In Mishnah Rosh ha-Shannah 2:8 there is a description of how Rabban Gamliel would question witnesses who claimed that they saw the new moon: דְּמוּת צוּרוֹת לְבָנוֹת הָיוּ לוֹ לְרַבָּן גַּמְלִיאֵל בַּטַּבְלָא וּבַכֹּתֶל בַּעֲלִיָּתוֹ, שֶׁבָּהֶן מַרְאֶה אֶת הַהֶדְיוֹטוֹת וְאוֹמֵר, הֲכָזֶה רָאִיתָ אוֹ כָזֶה. A picture of the shapes of the moon did Rabban Gamaliel have [...]
Recently, the NY Post had an article titled Too Cool for Shul. A man in a crisp black suit stands outside the plate-glass doors on Crosby Street, checking off the names of the chosen on a clipboard. Young women with tousled hair and fashionable heels slip inside, followed by men in sharp suits or dark [...]
From Israel National News (Arutz Sheva): A pagan ritual took place last Shabbat at the Binyamin park in the Hadar neighborhood of Haifa. The ultra-orthodox community was astonished and offended that workers from Sudan, India and Nepal were allowed to counduct pagan services near their homes. The Haifa municipality explains that the Sri-Lankan community had [...]
The Israeli cellular company Cellcom is known for having good TV advertisements. A very recent one, which while still an advertisement, also says a lot about the status of religion in Israeli society. (hat tip) The advertisement seems to show the wedding of a newly religious man, with his secular friends trying to get to [...]
In a comment to a previous post, my good friend Harry wrote, I have been arguing the main points of both authors as you describe them. But I cannot read these articles because they are in Hebrew. Is there anyway for them to be translated- lets say to English? The question of language aside, I [...]
Last week’s Musaf Shabbat of Makor Rishon had two articles that will no doubt be discussed for quite some time. Both articles are in Hebrew, and in about a month when I have more time I will translate them if no one will have already done so. The first article was by Ariel Picard, On [...]
NJ Priest Accused Of Rushing Pallbearers, Holy Communion, And Eulogy: A NJ Priest has been accused of extreme rudeness by two of his congregants who claim that he interrupted and rushed them through their grandmother’s funeral service. Sisters Laurie Treene and Robyn Nini say that Reverend Bartley P. Baker, of St. Leo’s Roman Catholic Church [...]
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