By Joshua Flanders
Read the original story in the Jewish Daily Forward here.
In Chicago’s large Orthodox Jewish community, Rabbi Ari Hart stands out.
As a leader at Skokie Valley Agudath Jacob Synagogue in Skokie, Illinois, Hart focuses on the roles of women within their community, inclusion of LGBTQ individuals, and other accessibility issues as simple as welcoming different styles of worship.… Read the rest
By Rabbi Avram Mlotek (’15), for Alma.
Content warning: suicidal ideation
I live with bipolar disorder and major depressive disorder. As a rabbi, cantor, actor and author, that’s not how I usually introduce myself. But this summer I spent three and a half weeks at an in-patient facility tending to my mental health and that was how I usually identified myself.… Read the rest
By Rabbi Haggai Resnikoff (Rebbe & Director of Community Learning) for eJewishPhilanthropy
What is your solution to the climate crisis?
That is my question to everyone who was disappointed with President Biden’s revocation of the Keystone XL pipeline permit last week.… Read the rest
Can Judaism make you sick?
There are many studies that highlight the positive effects of religious life — greater contentment, a feeling of community, and a strong sense of purpose.
But what about the negative effects of religion?
How should we think about and deal with the guilt, shame, fear, and disordered behaviours that religion can bring up in some people?… Read the rest
Where in France did you grow up?
I grew up in Strasbourg. It’s in France, near Germany.
What was the Jewish environment like there?
I grew up in an Orthodox environment, so I’ve been learning Jewish texts in a Jewish environment since I was born.… Read the rest
Dear Friends,
For the last several days, we have watched in pain the escalating violence in Israel and the meaningless loss of life. The toll of individuals killed and injured rises every day. As sirens wail and babies scream for their mothers, Israel’s citizens are scrambling into bomb shelters and watching rockets surge towards their homes.… Read the rest
By Rabbi Uri Topolosky (’05), for Washington Jewish Week
For two years in a row, our congregation has concluded Yom Kippur under the stars — this past year due to COVID, and the year before after a 3-year-old boy pulled the fire alarm with 20 minutes left in Neilah.… Read the rest
By Rabbi Haggai Resnikoff for The Jewish Forward
Amid today’s climate catastrophe, Tu B’Shvat offers us a chance to consider our role as environmental caretakers. This past year, news of droughts and deluges, fires and floods, has woven itself across our news feeds in an unending parade of devastation that can only be described as biblical in proportion.… Read the rest
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