Meet a Jew for Jesus… err, the first Jew for Jesus [Forward]
Ever wanted to meet the founder of Jews for Jesus? (Hey, where’d everybody go?) Moishe Rosen is a curious personality whose life and theology are being explored in a new biography. This article from The Jewish Daily Forward explores highlights of Rosen’s life and the biography:
“The business classes Rosen took at the Emily Griffith Opportunity School, a technical school in Denver, seem to have influenced his career as a “fisher of men” far more than his theological education at Northeastern Bible Institute did. Certainly, he was never much of a religious thinker. Rosen converted at age 21 after his young wife found Jesus, because he couldn’t convincingly refute the missionary pamphlets she brought home. His was a simple faith: Rosen saw every lucky turn as a gift from God. God gave him used winter coats, a $5 refund check, a tip-off about tire trouble and complimentary obstetric care for his wife. But Rosen didn’t talk much about the reverse problem: undeserved suffering. And he shrugged off biblical criticism as easily as he did theodicy. Liberal ideas, he explained, just ‘didn’t speak to me.’ Richard Harvey, a Jews for Jesus missionary who became an academic theologian, is quoted as ruing the lack of a coherent ‘Moishe Rosen messianic Jewish theology.'”
Rick Santorum is out (JTA)
It looks like Mitt Romney is likely to be the GOP candidate in the upcoming race against presidential candidate Barack Obama. Rick Santorum is officially calling it quits. JTA reports:
“‘This presidential race is over for me,’ he said Tuesday in a speech in Gettysburg, Pa., in his home state. ‘We will suspend our campaign effective today.'”
Santorum, the former U.S. senator from Pennsylvania, emerged from a crop of conservatives to become the most credible right-wing challenger to Romney, the former Massachusetts governor who until recently had tacked moderate on most issues.”
How do you say “best idea ever” in Hebrew? (Haaretz)
Recording the Hebrew language in an extensive dictionary, one that will be open to the public, the most complete record of the language anywhere? Sign us up. Haaretz reports:
“The digitization of old texts has become fairly common – for instance, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem recently announced it was expanding the digital version of its Einstein archives – but, in something of a switch for the Internet era, the Historical Dictionary of the Hebrew Language is aiming for greater comprehensiveness than researchers say computers can yield.
‘We want to reach 100 percent and not the 70 percent the computer can achieve, and for that we need humans, precisely for the dark and complicated corners the computer can’t reach,’ said Dorit Lerer, coordinator of the dictionary project.
Though this massive historical dictionary could take another generation to complete, it will become accessible to the general public online within a few months if the language academy receives the necessary funding. Until now the database has been open only to researchers and subscribers.”
Counting the Omer? Do it with the Huffington Post. (Umm… Huffington Post)
If you observe the practice of counting the Omer, and you’re looking for some devotional or spiritual insights to enrich the practice, check out the Huffington Post’s resource.
