Separate but unequal is inherently unequal. The Orthodox requirement for separate religious spheres, including for prayer, is understood in the modern Orthodox world not as an exception to this axiom, but as a divinely ordained protection of complementary roles for men and women in Jewish law. The case is closed for disputing the paradox of…
As Americans process the horrific Sunday night shooting in Las Vegas, one rabbi has put pen to paper, writing a protest prayer-poem about gun violence. Titled “Unetaneh Tokef for America,” Rabbi Douglas Sagal’s poem protests the inability of politicians to pass gun control – and links to it a deadly epidemic of a firearms violence….
As the historic Hurricane Harvey lingered over Houston this week like the biblical flood, Jewish and evangelical leaders found common ground in a moment of national crisis as both beseeched God to intercede on their behalf — literally. Two major Orthodox religious organizations called on followers to support the flood victims in Houston. They could…
JERUSALEM (JTA) — The government of Israel told the nation’s Supreme Court that it plans to expand and upgrade a space for non-Orthodox prayer at the southern section of the Western Wall near Robinson’s Arch. The government made the declaration in documents submitted to the court in response to a petition filed by the non-Orthodox…
Jewish Communal Prayer: to what might we compare it? To a symphony performance….Are we spectators in the music hall, or players in the orchestra? To what might we compare it? To a dramatic play….Are we spectators in the theater, or players on the stage? To what might we compare it? To a team sporting event….Are…
It is no surprise that many American Jews are proponents of what they call greater spirituality. This is characteristic of what Ronald Inglehart has termed the “postmaterialist” generation. In his study “Culture Shift in Advanced Industrial Society,” based on survey data from 25 industrial societies, Mr. Inglehart argues that economic, technological and sociopolitical changes have…
JERUSALEM (JTA) — Israel’s Supreme Court called on the Israeli government to respond to lawsuits regarding the establishment of an egalitarian prayer space at the Western Wall. The court on Friday set a deadline of June 4 for the government to respond to the lawsuits and resolve the crisis, Haaretz reported. The court combined three…
The Western Wall got a makeover this week when a cleaning crew removed thousands of tiny prayer notes from the cracks between the stones ahead of the Passover holiday. The cleaning occurs twice of year, after which the notes are gathered into sacks and buried on the Mount of Olives cemetery, an ancient Jewish burial…
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