The Quest for Some Jewish Eggs

By Nicole Zelniker December 3, 2014

Judy Weiss, RNC had been in nursing for most of her life. She had a stable job, a good salary, and a predictable routine. All of that changed when Weiss founded A Jewish Blessing in 2005 after helping a friend find an egg donor. “I was working at a job that I loved. I was…

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This British Student is Disappointed in America’s Healthcare Laws

By Michael Goldin July 30, 2014

The US Supreme Court’s decision in in Burwell v. Hobby Lobby has resulted in two main talking points, both of which seem odd, in particular to those of us outside the U.S.A. Firstly, the fact that the “conscience” of a legal corporation is protected by the Religious Freedom Restoration Act 1993 (RFRA); and secondly, that…

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How Hobby Lobby Forces American Jews to Reexamine Our Commitments to Religion, Pluralism, and Secular Governance

By Maddie Ulanow July 23, 2014

The case of Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc., presented a classic conundrum in American constitutionalism: a conflict between religious expression and the lengths to which such expression may infringe on the rights of others. The case also raised controversial questions of personhood and gender equity, and ultimately seemed to pit the interests of religious…

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Boycotts, Reform Rabbis, and Abortions – New Vices

By Derek M. Kwait January 10, 2014

MLA Hosts Panel on Boycotting Israel at Annual Conference The Modern Language Association will hold a panel called “Academic Boycotts: A Discussion of Israel and Palestine,” described as a discussion of “the political movement Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions against Israel, seen by its defenders as a viable means to end the Palestinian occupation,” according to…

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“Real” Rape

By Meggie O'Dell October 14, 2013

When my roommate at USC, a film student with a pink streak in her hair, edited a documentary on rape, I remember the ambivalence I felt. This issue, I thought, was a closed book: a mandatory assembly on rape and consent, massive turnout for Take Back the Night demonstrations, “yes means yes and no means…

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To Cut or Not to Cut …

By bspringer November 19, 2010

It may be time for San Francisco’s mohels to, ahem, cut and run from the City by the Bay. I’ve been reading the various, uh, clips and snippets on the proposed circumcision ban and criminalization and I am outraged! (not really) OK, silly puns aside (promise, I fulfilled my prurient adolescent urges), I am feeling…

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The Reading List: Why did Norman Mailer hate masturbation?

By Ben Sales October 8, 2010

Like the dwindling Christine O’Donnell, he condemned self-flagellation, but back then no one cared… kind of like no one cared about his mayoral candidacy. An amusing article from the Forward. [Forward MitzVote] Speaking of masturbation, the very Jewish Columbia  University ranks number one in terms of sexual health! [PR Newswire] Speaking of smart Jews, well, there are lots…

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