Who Speaks for America’s Jews?

By Amram Altzman February 16, 2015

The question of who should speak for the Jews is not a new one, nor is the question of whether or not Israeli political or religious leaders can or should speak on behalf of American (or other Diaspora) Jews. It dates back to a series letters between Jacob Blaustein, then the head of the American…

Read More...

The Black and White Necessity for Grey Zone Judaism

By Deborah Pollack April 1, 2014

This academic year I am a part of the Peoplehood Project: a UJA sponsored program that brings together students from Columbia/Barnard Hillel, Oranim College in northern Israel, and ZWST, a German Jewish organization. Each cohort spends time learning in their respective home countries, then, over winter break, all three groups spend time traveling and learning…

Read More...

Schlepping 2012; Gibson’s Maccabees movie done; and more. [Required Reading]

By John Propper April 13, 2012

The Great Schlep begins again [Forward] After a successful 2008 campaign to encourage young Jews to talk to their elders about voting for Obama, the follow-up (again called The Great Schlep) has grown by leaps and bounds. The Jewish Daily Forward reports: “The group, called the Jewish Council for Education and Research, ran a high-profile campaign…

Read More...

The Reading List: YU gets a Chabad…

By Ben Sales December 27, 2010

To reach out to all of those wayward YU Jews… [Frum Satire] How inflated is your grade? [NYT] Even on your e-reader, the siddur stays shomer shabbat. [JPost] Newsflash: Religious expression is okay on campus. [HuffPo] Is Zionism Satanism? This bishop says so. [NYT Lede]

Read More...

Where No GPS Has Gone Before

By akinman September 29, 2010

It’s that time of year when discussions on birthright are being tossed at me left and right. You’ll make life-long friends. Once-in-a-lifetime. It’s the true Jew-ish experience. Don’t get me wrong, I’m positive I’ll go, but I’m not sure when. While some people want to go to Israel for the falafels and hiking, I’d much…

Read More...