By Rabbi Dov Linzer for The Jewish Forward
The realities of quarantine and sheltering-in-place during these last few months have created challenges for the halakhically-observant community. Halakhic decisors have issued their rulings, responding appropriately and sympathetically to these unprecedented realities.
What has largely been absent, however, is a serious engagement with the person asking the question; sympathetic psak is not the same as collaborative or empowering psak.… Read the rest
By Rabbi Dov Linzer for The Jewish Forward
After two months of heavy restrictions on New Yorkers’ comings and goings, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that religious gatherings of up to ten people will now be permitted. My ears, like those of many religious Jews, perked up at the number ten.… Read the rest
In collaboration with Yeshivat Maharat and the International Rabbinic Fellowship (IRF), YCT has created a collection of Passover 2020 readings with an emphasis on the coronavirus and its impact on the holiday this year. Access the readings here. … Read the rest
Yeshivat Chovevei Torah’s International Rabbinic Fellowship (IRF) shared its guide for Passover 5780. The comprehensive guide includes: how to clean and kasher prior to Pesach; a shopping guide; instructions for leading a Seder; and information about loneliness and mental health. To access the guide in PDF format, click here.… Read the rest
By Rabbi Avram Mlotek for Tablet Magazine
His door was unlocked. Two weeks prior, a man took advantage of this basic act of radical kindness when Grafton Thomas burst through Rabbi Chaim Rottenberg’s home in Monsey, N.Y., slashing at people with an 18-inch machete, leaving one man in critical condition.… Read the rest
Published recently in ejewishphilanthropy.com
By Rabbi Andy Kastner, ’10
At a recent committee meeting, the topic of pregnancy came up. It was shared that a community member was expecting another child. A few men in the room were the first (and only) to comment on this news.… Read the rest
Rabbi Ari Weiss honored for Cornell Hillel leadership
By Joe Wilensky
Rabbi Ari Weiss, executive director of Cornell Hillel, is one of 16 honorees recognized by Hillel International, the largest worldwide Jewish campus organization.
Weiss, who has led Cornell Hillel since July 2016, received the Richard M.… Read the rest
By Miriam Schachter, LCSW for The Times of Israel
When my mother, Pnina G. Schacter, פנינה בת לאה פעשע וחנוך העניך, died on October 31st, 2018, I was determined to say Kaddish in her memory over the course of the year.… Read the rest
Rabbi Noah Leavitt to run for Friendship Circle in New York Marathon
By McKenna Corson
Over 52,000 people crossed the finish line at the TCS New York City Marathon in 2018, and among them was Noah Leavitt, senior rabbi of Oheb Zedek Cedar Sinai Synagogue, running the race for the first time.… Read the rest
Philadelphia Commemorates One-Year Mark of Pittsburgh Shooting
By Jesse Bernstein
The drive from Center City, Philadelphia, to the Tree of Life synagogue building in Squirrel Hill in Pittsburgh is a straightforward one, even if it’s a bit long. From the Jewish Community Services Building at 2100 Arch St.,… Read the rest
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