Columbia University Professor Samuel Freedman takes on Rabbi Avi Shafran in today’s Jerusalem Post on the issue of the homosexuality in Judaism and the recent decision by the Conservative Movement to be more inclusive toward gays and lesbians. Freedman, author of Jew vs. Jew (I wonder if Rabbi Shafran read that one?) and Letters to…
More and more these days we see rabbis in TV shows and movies, but I didn’t think the time would come anytime soon that we would see a rabbi starring in a video game. I’ve never been much of a fan of video games (I guess I’ve always like to play some of those retro…
Here’s a great video from the Man Show with Jimmy Kimmel and Adam Carrola in which they spend the eight nights of Hanukkah with the professional wrestler Goldberg. (c) Rabbi Jason Miller | http://blog.rabbijason.com | Twitter: @RabbiJason | facebook.com/rabbijasonmiller
Rabbi Joel Roth, who resigned his long-time position on the Committee on Jewish Law and Standards (CJLS) — the Conservative Movement’s standing law committee of the Rabbinical Assembly, has explained his actions in an op-ed piece found on the JTA.org website. He claims that the CJLS stepped outside the halakhic framework in its ruling on…
Before leaving Michigan for Columbus, Ohio, I took part in TEAM — a one-year program for Jewish educators through the Jewish Federation of Metro Detroit and the Alliance for Jewish Education. In June, the program concluded with a three-day conference on best practices for teaching about Israel and Zionism in the classroom. The conference was…
Some might say it’s a sign of the Mashiach arriving! The PS22 Chorus sings Hebrew song Esa Einai (Psalm 121) with an original rap by Dritan, otherwise known as “Lil’ Eminem.” When Jewish kids come home and tell Mom and Dad that they had to sing “Silent Night” at school, the Jewish parents usually complain…
The United Synagogue for Conservative Judaism will not currently hire a Jewish educator or staff member to work with youth if they are gay or lesbian. Following the decision of the CJLS today, the USCJ issued a statement that seems to say that they will soon reverse that policy: “Given the Law Committee’s decision today,…
FROM CHANCELLOR-ELECT ARNIE EISEN OF THE JEWISH THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY To the JTS Community: The Committee on Jewish Law and Standards (CJLS) of the Rabbinical Assembly has now issued its ruling on the status of homosexual behavior. We are all in their debt for the years of hard work and sustained reflection they have put into…
Rabbi Joel Roth and Rabbi Mayer Rabinowitz Resign from Conservative Movement Law Committee At the end of the CJLS deliberations, four members of the Committee resigned: Rabbi Joel Roth (at right), Rabbi Mayer Rabinowitz (at left), Rabbi Joseph Prouser and Rabbi Leonard Levy. They expressed the view that the permissive teshuvah accepted by the Committee…
Well, here’s the JTA “Breaking News” alert on the CJLS meeting. It answers the question about the two liberal papers (one by the father-son team of Rabbis Bob and David Fine; the other by Rabbi Gordon Tucker) that were apparently ruled as takkanot and defeated in committee. Conservatives open to gays The Conservative movement’s highest…