Opinion

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Is Gabby Giffords Jewish Enough?

By:

Jason Miller

As a Conservative rabbi and member of the movement's Rabbinical Assembly, I cannot officially consider Jewish descent to be determined patrilineally -- from the father. In its Code of Professional Conduct, the section detailing the responsibilities for membership in the R.A. currently lists four standards of religious practice. The first: "Matrilineality determines Jewish status." Yet like many Jews who regard...

Columns

Her Music's Melody to the Jewish Soul

By:

Shelly Barnathan

This week, the world Jewish community lost a woman whose talents touched deep and tender places in our souls. That woman was the legendary singer/songwriter Debbie Friedman. Debbie, in her sweet and strong voice, sang with our voice. Her melodies and words calmed us, inspired us and healed us. It was one of Debbie's early albums, "And You Shall Be...

Kvetch 'N Kvell

Letters the Week of Jan. 13, 2011

Tragic Shootings Provide a Needed Wake-Up Call I hope that the recent shootings in Arizona will serve as a wake-up call for our country. The violent discourse that has become all too common cannot be legislated away. Beyond discourse, there are some basic steps we could make to improve our country. Specifically, we could cut our military budget in half...

Editorials

Assessing the Damage

Is no one safe anymore? The assassination attempt on U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and the ensuing massacre at a Tucson, Ariz., shopping center serve as a cruel reminder of what can happen when disparate forces of evil conspire to shatter our sense of security and civility. This heinous effort to silence an elected official through political assassination must serve as...

Columns

To Remain a 'Light,' Israel Must Be a Home for All Peoples

By:

Rabbi Andrew M. Sacks

I was raised in the Wynnefield neighborhood of Philadelphia. As a child, I recall that very few neighbors were not Jewish. There were at least six synagogues, a day school, a Jewish War Veterans Post, a folk shul and many stores that catered to the overwhelmingly Jewish population. In 1964, ours was the first family on our block to sell...