Passover is surely the most culturally appropriated religious holiday ever to exist. To the chagrin of most Jews, all sorts of groups have rewritten the Haggadah to suit their own niche beliefs and practices. Christians especially love the seder as they imagine the Last Supper. Passover fits nicely into the Easter season for Christians. Not…
(JTA) — The names of four of the Jewish victims of the shootings at a Parkland, Florida high school have reportedly been submitted for proxy baptisms by some members of the Mormon church — a controversial practice that has been frowned upon by the church hierarchy. The names of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School students…
Mormons are continuing to posthumously baptize Holocaust victims — despite church rules that are meant to restrict the ceremonies only to a member’s ancestors. This discovery was made by a former Mormon and researcher Helen Radkey and shared with the Associated Press. The church, in a statement to the AP, acknowledged the ceremonies violated its…
(JTA) — A researcher says Mormons have posthumously baptized the late Lubavitcher rebbe, the grandparents of Carrie Fisher and Steven Spielberg, and hundreds of Holocaust victims, violating an agreement to halt the practice. Helen Radkey, a Salt Lake City-based independent researcher who has been looking into the Mormon practice of posthumous baptisms for two decades,…
On October 13, 2017, Mormons joined a Jewish congregation in a Mormon meetinghouse for a Friday night Shabbat service, the final time the Shir HaMa’alot congregation would use the Mormons’ building. The title of the Shabbat service sermon was “Giving Thanks to our Mormon Friends,” delivered by Rabbi Richard Steinberg. More than 200 Jews and…
Just in time for the fall High Holy Days, Mormon Church-owned BYU killed a very large parcel of lawn to make space for a true-to-life-size replica of the Mishkan, the tabernacle of the Exodus. Blessed with gorgeous and fortuitous autumn weather, tours of the tabernacle booked fast. Tickets were free, but meted out so that…
Earlier this month, Stephen Walt marked the 10th anniversary of his and John Mearsheimer’s book, “The Israel Lobby,” with a column in the Forward. In it, he restated his thesis that “unconditional U.S. support for Israel — the so-called ‘special relationship’ — is not explained by U.S. strategic interests or by shared values, as is…
Are You a Kohen? You Could be a Mormon Bishop. If your last name is Kohn, Coen, Kahn, Kahan, Cohen, etc., you may have priestly, patrilineal descent from Aaron, the brother of Moses. While the temple still stood, your ancestors performed the daily and holiday duties associated with sacrificial offerings. Now, no longer attending to…
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