"Who graciously bestows favor as He has bestowed favor on me." This section of Birkat Hagomel -- the prayer said after someone has recovered from illness or avoided a catastrophe -- was probably on the minds of some in the city this past weekend, as it narrowly avoided the implementation of severe budget cuts. But before bensching Gomel, we need...
As we begin the New Year, 5770, the Jewish community can only ponder what lies in store for Israel. Will this be a year free of war? Will we thrill to the long-awaited return of Gilad Shalit, the kidnapped Israel Defense Force soldier held in captivity by Hamas? Will the economy turn around? Will we be blessed by the arrival...
A man visiting a Jewish cemetery in a foreign town stumbles upon something quite unexpected. On each tombstone is etched not the date of the person's passing, but rather, the age of the individual when he or she left this world -- in years, months and days. Confused but intrigued, our traveler next notices that the ages of the departed...
Oy, what a tough year to be a Jewish leader! Stock-market losses wreaked havoc with endowments and budgets, and fundraising challenges skyrocketed. Organizations directly or indirectly invested with Bernard Madoff faced even greater losses. Then came firings and slashing of programs, and news of rabbis involved in money-laundering and the selling of human organs. Under such conditions, what could leaders...
A few weeks ago, at its annual meeting in Berlin, the International Council of Christians and Jews issued a major assessment of the present state of Christian-Jewish relations. Titled "A Time for Recommitment: Building the New Relationship between Jews and Christians," the statement reviews the long, ambivalent history between both faith communities, commends the positive developments of the last six...
Tammuz 11, 5773
