Politics

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Are Charlie Sheen, Glenn Beck, John Galliano and Julian Assange Anti-Semites?
ByRabbi Jason Miller March 2, 2011

Cross-posted to the Huffington Post How does one know when someone’s comment is anti-Semitic? I suppose it’s the same as how United States Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart explained pornography in the 1964 case of Jacobellis v. Ohio: “I know it when I see it.” There have been several high profile examples of anti-Semitic outbursts…

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Humor | International Relations | Jon Stewart | News | Politics | satire

Joe Lieberman Tapped for Egyptian Government Post
ByRabbi Jason Miller February 4, 2011

While I’m no Jon Stewart or Andy Borowitz when it comes to political satire, I have had the following funny situation playing in my head ever since the riots in Egypt began: PRESS CONFERENCE IN CAIRO, EGYPT Joe Lieberman: Thank you for joining me here today in Cairo. I know it’s only been a few…

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American Jews | Conservative Judaism | Jewish | Jewish Law | Orthodox Judaism | Politics | Reform Judaism | Terrorism

Gabby Giffords and Patrilineal Descent When It’s Desirable
ByRabbi Jason Miller January 12, 2011

As a Conservative rabbi and a member of the Rabbinical Assembly, I cannot officially consider Jewish descent to be determined patrilineally (from the father). In fact, in its “Code of Professional Conduct,” the section detailing the responsibilities for membership in the Rabbinical Assembly lists four current standards of religious practice. The first is: “Matrilineality determines Jewish status.”…

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Israel | Judaism and Technology | Money | Philanthropy | Politics | Technology

Razoo Corrects Its Israel Problem
ByRabbi Jason Miller January 12, 2011

Here’s my recent post on the Jewish Techs blog for The Jewish Week If you didn’t receive numerous email solicitations from non-profit organizations during the final week of 2010, then your email server was likely down. Many of these charitable organizations that sent year end pleas for your contributions have begun using Razoo.com, which claims…

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Jewish Law | Michigan | Politics | Women

Rep. Dave Camp Should Force Staffer to Grant Ex-Wife a Jewish Divorce
ByRabbi Jason Miller January 4, 2011

On the final day of the AIPAC Policy Conference in Washington, thousands of conference attendees descend on Capitol Hill to lobby members of Congress on issues important to the State of Israel. A few years ago I joined other pro-Israel Michiganders and lobbied Representative Dave Camp. The congressman wasn’t available to meet with us and…

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Ethics | Jewish Law | Politics | Values

Is the Death Penalty an Ethical Option According to Jewish Values?
ByRabbi Jason Miller December 30, 2010

In the past couple weeks there have been a couple of high profile death penalty decisions in our country. These rulings were not handed down by a judge or jury, but by a former presidential candidate and a cable news talking head. Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee was caught on video at a book signing…

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Antisemitism | Blogs | Israel | Politics | Rabbi Jason Miller | Rabbis | Web

Rabbi Forbids Participating in Talkbacks and Website Comments Sections
ByRabbi Jason Miller December 23, 2010

Cross-posted to the Jewish Techs blog at The Jewish Week The more I blog, the thicker my skin gets. Overtime, I’ve learned to prepare myself before reading the comment section at the bottom of my posts. With great inventions, we have to take the bad with the good. It’s been wonderful that newspapers and magazines…

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America | American Jews | Homosexuality | Politics

Saying Kaddish Over "Don’t Ask Don’t Tell"
ByRabbi Jason Miller December 20, 2010

During the presidential race of 2000, an email was being sent around that showed a photo of Al Gore and his running mate Joe Lieberman. In large letters under their photo was the name “Gore.” And next to that photo was a photo of their opponent George W. Bush above the Yiddish word “Gornisht” (loosely…

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Globalization | Jewish | Politics | Rabbis | Uganda

My Ugandan National Parliament Endorsement
ByRabbi Jason Miller December 7, 2010

As a rabbi, I’m hesitant to publicly endorse any political candidates. First, I try to keep my politics private; and second, I don’t want to jeopardize the tax-exempt status of any non-profit organizations which I represent. However, I’m going to go out on a limb here and endorse my friend and rabbinic colleague for Uganda’s…

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Antisemitism | Israel | Jewish | Media | Politics

Helen Thomas Strikes Again; Wayne State University Ends Award
ByRabbi Jason Miller December 6, 2010

When I watched the HBO documentary about Helen Thomas, “Thank You Mr. President,” I remember being impressed about what a long, successful career this woman had. But that entire career was soured this past summer when her true colors were displayed. David Nesenoff, a Conservative rabbi, filmed Helen Thomas outside the White House saying that…

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