With Gantz out of the way, Netanyahu marks a new target – Haaretz
admin | May 1, 2020
After Independence Day ended Wednesday night, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu joined a conference call with a bevy of Likud officials.
Hassidim and the 1786 plague in Tiberias: We’ve been here before – The Jerusalem Post
admin | May 1, 2020
In the year 1777, a group of hassidim made the journey to the Land of Israel. The convoy was headed by two hassidic masters, Rabbi Menahem Mendel of Vitebsk (1730-1788) and Rabbi Avraham of Kalisk (1741-1810).The group comprised 300 people a sizable crowd for such a journey. Indeed, previous groups that had come to the Land of Israel had been significantly smaller.The size of the group was also noteworthy considering how many Jews lived in the Land of Israel at that time.
Spy agencies and human rights in the era of coronavirus – The Jerusalem Post
admin | May 1, 2020
The Shin Bet tells you when to go to the doctor, the Mossad brings you your medical equipment and NSO Group or some other private organization may hold on to your private information until you are coronavirus-free (and maybe even after?).Do you recognize this world? It is a world in which government spy agencies and private organizations with alumni of those agencies are far more deeply involved in Israeli citizens lives and internal issues than ever before. It is a corona world where spying meets human rights.Former Shin Bet chief Yaakov Perry told the Magazine this week that there must be parliamentary oversight.
Fire damage at synagogue believed limited to attic – The Daily Iberian
admin | May 1, 2020
A New Iberia landmark was endangered Wednesday morning when a fire broke out in the attic of Congregation Gates of Prayer synagogue at the corner of N. Weeks Street and Charles Street, between Main and St. Peter streets.
Dual-isolation of LGBT Jews during this pandemic – Jewish News
admin | May 1, 2020
This year, the Torah reading of Aharei Mot-Kedoshim falls during the coronavirus pandemic where we have been forced into physical isolation. These texts contain the sources that have been interpreted to condemn sex and relationships between men and are the source for much of the homophobia and violence against LGBTQ+ people in the world.
Update on Virtual Worship in the US During COVID-19 – Gallup
admin | May 1, 2020
We are starting to get new data measuring the possible impact of the coronavirus situation on religious behavior in this country. Gallup's April 14-28 survey finds 27% of Americans reporting having worshipped virtually within the past seven days. Another 4% claim to have worshipped in person, despite the coronavirus restrictions in place in most states.
‘Being part of a community is more important than I understood before Covid-19’ – Plus61 J Media
admin | May 1, 2020
SHARON BERGER: In these weird times, everyone is missing out on their larger circles of Jewish and non-Jewish involvement IN MY TEENAGE YEARS I became more religiously observant and found a great feeling of connection with the Jewish world through davening and ritual. I lived in an area in northern California that wasnt walking distance to any Orthodox synagogues so every Shabbat I prayed devoutly by myself. My bemused parents helped me set up timers and tried to not belittle my pre-cut toilet paper
Saving life supersedes the mitzvot | Sharona Margolin Halickman – The Times of Israel
admin | May 1, 2020
The Talmud, Yoma 85b, discusses the origin of the concept that saving a life overrides Shabbat. Rav Yehuda said in the name of Shmuel: It is written (Vayikra 18:5) vchai bahem, You shall keep My decrees and My laws which if a person obeys they shall live through them which implies that one should not die on account of observing the mitzvot. The saving of life overrides any commandment.
Rabbis and priests look back at ‘Keeping the Faith’ as it turns 20 – The Jewish News of Northern California
admin | May 1, 2020
It sounds like an old joke, about a rabbi and a priest walking into a bar. But Keeping the Faith, a romantic comedy released 20 years ago this month, stretched the premise into one of the more clever films of its genre, and the rare Hollywood movie that takes questions of religious faith and obligation seriously
The real history behind HBO’s ‘The Plot Against America’ – Heritage Florida Jewish News
admin | May 1, 2020
(JTA)-The new TV show based on Philip Roth's novel "The Plot Against America," helmed by David Simon, the Jewish creator of "The Wire," has premiered on HBO and made a splash with critics and fans. The eerily captivating series, which borrows details from the iconic Jewish author's life and a crucial moment in American history, depicts an alternative reality in which isolationist Charles Lindbergh defeats Franklin D. Roosevelt in the 1940 presidential election and encourages anti-Semitic attitudes throughout the country.
