Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By admin on October 2, 2021

Actress Sarah Podemski sees much kinship between indigenous communities and the Jewish people, particularly when it comes to humor. She would know, after all: she was born in Canada to an Anishinaabe (Ojibwe) mother, and raised by an Israeli-Jewish father.

These days, shes a recurring character on the hit Hulu series, Reservation Dogs. The show centers around the experiences of indigenous teenagers in Oklahoma struggling to get by. Its equal parts comedy and tragedy, with characters that can hardly get through more than a few lines of dialogue without ribbing each other. Podemski plays Rita, the mother of one of the main characters, a troubled teenager named Bear.

Podemski, along with her sisters, Tamara and Jennifer (both actresses as well), grew up doing Shabbat dinners with their father and participating in powwows with their mother. They enjoyed challah bread on Friday nights, and ate frybread at the summer powwows.

But looking back, she reflected on the horrors endured by her grandparents from both sides of her family both stemming from government-sponsored religious and cultural persecution.

Her grandfather, originally from Poland, survived six concentration camps during the Holocaust.

He took that trauma and was able to turn it into a celebration of life. I find that thats very similar in the native community. Sarah Podemski

Despite everything my grandfather went through with the Holocaust, he was always incredibly positive and had a great sense of humor, showed up with a smile and was always laughing and full of joy, Podemski told the Journal. He took that trauma and was able to turn it into a celebration of life. I find that thats very similar in the native community.

Unfortunately for Podemskis mothers parents, their cultural identity was systematically stripped from them in what was known in Canada as residential schools.

In the U.S. they were called Indian boarding schools, and both of her grandparents were sent to one in Saskatchewan. The chuch ran the schools, and they forcefully took indigenous children out of their homes to beat the culture out of them, eliminate their family ties and assimilate them into society according to Podemski.

The actress said she remembered her Jewish grandfather pondering why it has been so difficult for indigenous people to thrive in Canada.

He had this experience of coming to Canada and thriving after the Holocaust, she said. My grandfather was still allowed to speak Yiddish and Hebrew. They werent allowed to but they found ways in the concentration camps to celebrate the holidays and keep their culture, which is what kept a lot of people alivethat hope and that spirit, the spirituality and the tradition.

For native children, though, that was all taken away from them.

Still, it is the humor and positivity in both the Jewish and native communities that make all the difference.

If we arent going to laugh about this or turn this into a positive, the sadness will eat you alive, Podemski said. I think theres something very similar to how we approach our lives from my Jewish background and my Native background.

Podemski said that in the native community, there is a surplus of humor and laughter. And now on Reservation Dogs, many more people get to see just how native comedy manifests itself.

Jews have been able to be funny for so long, [and] we know Jews are funny, Podemski said. Its this space where we have always been involved in comedy, and its very recognized. I think that its a really exciting time that were seeing native humor and these incredible native comedians that are coming out and writing these jokes and getting to find some space on TV. Thats the big parallel in terms of [the] approach to life and coping with that intergenerational trauma.

The last of the residential schools closed as recently as 1997, and the effects are still felt by indigenous people. Podemski said that there have been many times when she and her sisters auditioned for indigenous character roles, only to have been rejected in favor of a white, non-indigenous actress.

But now, with Reservation Dogs, which was just greenlit for a second season, Podemski sees an unprecedented opportunity to have her peoples voices heard. Shes optimistic that viewers will learn about the native plight and empathize with the struggles to exist and keep traditions alive.

Just last week, she said she was sitting in a sukkah with a relative and reflecting on the power of the arts, food and song to keep their cultures alive.

When [I] go to [a] powwow and [I] hear the drum, I automatically have this physical experience where I start to cry, she said. Music is such an incredible connection to our culture and I get emotional too when I hear a rabbi sing. Theres this power in the way we hear music. Its a really moving experience to be so close to that music and tradition. You know that theres so much history in those songs. And I feel similar [to] the times that Ive gone to certain ceremonies in the Jewish community and we sing our songs. Theres so much tradition in it, and its so comforting.

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Reservation Dogs Actress Reflects on Indigenous and Jewish Roots, Humor and Healing - Jewish Journal

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Posted By admin on October 2, 2021

The University of Bristol has sacked a sociology professor accused of antisemitic comments following a high-profile investigation and after Jewish students said they felt unsafe and unprotected on campus.

The university launched the investigation into Prof David Millers conduct in March. The case divided the campus between staff and students who accused him of spouting antisemitic tropes in lectures and online, and those who worried that sanctions would stifle sensitive research.

In a statement released on Friday, the university said the decision to terminate his employment with immediate effect was prompted by its duty of care to students and the wider university community.

Bristol said that although a QC found that the comments Miller is alleged to have made did not constitute unlawful speech, a disciplinary hearing concluded that he did not meet the standards of behaviour we expect from our staff.

Miller said the university had embarrassed itself with its decision and accused it of bowing to a pressure campaign against him directed by Israel.

Miller, whose research specialises in how power self-perpetuates through lobbying and propaganda, added that he would challenge the decision before the university, and would escalate it to an employment tribunal if unsuccessful.

He added: It has run a shambolic process that seems to have been vetted by external actors. Israels assets in the UK have been emboldened by the university collaborating with them to shut down teaching about Islamophobia. The University of Bristol is no longer safe for Muslim, Arab or Palestinian students.

The president of Bristol Jewish Society, Edward Isaacs, thanked the university for its decision in a tweet. He wrote: The fight against antisemitism is vast, but I hope todays news goes a long way to showing positive change can be made and that we should never settle for anything less than a society free from all forms of hatred.

Millers comments initially whipped up controversy in 2019 when he cited the Zionist movement as one of five sources of Islamophobia in a lecture on the subject, and showed a diagram linking Jewish charities to Zionist lobbying. Complaints were made that this resembled the antisemitic trope that Jews wield secretive influence on political affairs, but they were dismissed by the university on academic freedom grounds.

Since then, comments by him in online lectures describing Israel as the enemy of world peace and a statement sent to the student news outlet the Tab that described the Jewish Society as an Israel lobby group that had manufactured hysteria about his teaching have further inflamed tensions.

The scope of Bristols investigation and the exact reasons for its conclusion are confidential, though they are understood not to cover the lecture content.

The investigation resulted in a febrile atmosphere on campus, which one academic characterised as toxic. The Conservative MP Robert Halfon said it resembled 1930s Nazi Germany, citing reports from Jewish students that they felt unsafe. He urged the universities minister, Michelle Donelan, to take the unprecedented step of sacking Bristols leaders and cutting the universitys funding.

The case garnered the attention of hundreds of academics across the world, who signed rival letters, one of which described Millers views on Zionism as a morally reprehensible conspiracy theory that jeopardised community relations on campus, while another warned that the investigation was fomenting a culture of self-censorship and fear, and urged the university to defend freedom of speech.

Bristol said in its statement that academic freedom was fundamental to the university and that it take[s] any risk to stifle that freedom seriously.

The statement added: We recognise that these matters have caused deep concern for people on all sides of the debate, and that members of our community hold very different views from one another.

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Bristol University sacks professor accused of antisemitic comments - The Guardian

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Posted By admin on October 2, 2021

Kenneth L. Marcus

By Kenneth L. Marcus

Deborah Lipstadt, recently named by President Joe Biden as the U.S. Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism, wont just combat anti-Semitism but may well eliminate it.

And that would be a mistake.

To be clear, the Emory University historian is a fierce opponent of Jew-hatred and Holocaust denial, having vanquished the Holocaust denier David Irving in a British court, among other triumphs over bigotry.

But over the past few years, Lipstadt has led a campaign to eliminate the hyphen in the word anti-Semitism, preferring antisemitism.

Why do hyphens matter? Lipstadt argues that anti-Semitism is misleading because it denotes hatred of Semites, not Jews. She notes that the German historian who coined the term anti-Semitism was a far-right polemicist who sought to blame Jews for the Semitic characteristics that allegedly incited anti-Jewish bigotry.

She joins several authorities who have eliminated the hyphen in response to those who, either for political reasons or in error, misuse the term to minimize its anti-Jewish character. [The Associated Press and the Jewish Telegraphic Agency are among the news organizations that have recently agreed to the change.]

The issue generates surprising controversy. In Palgraves new collection of essays, Key Concepts in the Study of Antisemitism, some authors eschew the hyphen, arguing that it lends credence to offensive arguments about Jews racial otherness. Others, however, prefer the hyphen either because of common usage or to emphasize that the term originates in a tradition that viewed Jews and Arabs as sharing a common Oriental heritage. This caused the editors to throw up their hands in frustration. Unable to choose, they permit both spellings, skittering back and forth in a way they acknowledge may be disconcerting.

Lipstadt is right that anti-Semitism has misleadingly conflated Jews and Semites since it was first coined in the 19th century. But she is wrong to think eliminating the hyphen will solve anything.

In German, Antisemitismus has been hyphen-less for over a century. This has not averted the confusion that worries Lipstadt. Nor did it eliminate Jew-hatred in that country.The problem lies not in the hyphen but in the term itself, which was invented by Jew-haters who thought its pseudo-scientific sound would give social acceptability to their prejudice.

Scholars and linguists, however, have yet to devise a suitable alternative. Jew-hatred, anti-Judaism and Judaeophobia have their partisans, but each term has problems. Until a better term arrives, we are stuck with anti-Semitism. Hyphen removal is no panacea.

The dilemma worsens when the hyphen is removed from anti-Semitism but not its handmaiden, anti-Zionism. Much commentary surrounds the contested relationship between these concepts.

Some say that anti-Semitism refers to discrimination against Jews as Jews, while anti-Zionism means opposition to Zionists as Zionists. They are wrong about both. Anti-Semitism opposes Jews based on false stereotypes and gross fantasies. It hates Jews not as Jews, but as monsters whose villainy is concocted by the haters. In the same way, anti-Zionism hates Zionists not as Zionists, but as figments of the haters imaginations.

Zionism can be many things: a political ideology, the yearning of a people for return to a land, the Diasporas support for Israels security. But it never means the murderous, world-dominating conspiracy that its opponents fantasize about. The hyphen in anti-Zionists wrongly suggests that such people oppose what Zionism really is, as opposed to what they imagine it to be.

Historian James Loeffler argues that anti-Zionism, as a concept and a construct, deserves the same historical analysis as anti-Semitism. Anti-Zionism, as opposition to Jewish national aspirations, arises from many strands within the Jewish and Arab worlds. As a distinct ideology, however, antizionism (the spelling is mine) was forged in Soviet propaganda, in the context of the Cold War and the rise of post-colonialism, as a reaction to Israels orientation toward the United States and the West. This ideology of hate fuses age-old anti-Semitic stereotypes, European conspiracy theories, left-wing anti-nationalism and post-Cold War geopolitics.

This new ideology, which has gained considerable steam since the Second Intifada and the United Nations 2001 Durban anti-racism conference, should not be conflated with the political movements including the opposition to Zionism that arose among Jews themselves that preceded it. If ever there is a place to remove the hyphen, it is here: Antizionism today is no mere opposition to Zionism. It reflects instead an independent form of hate with its own history and logic.

At the Louis D. Brandeis Center, we frequently defend Jewish students and professors who are stigmatized, excluded or attacked for their sympathies toward the State of Israel. If their antagonists were merely critics of Zionism as a political movement, then this might be a mere political dispute, albeit one conducted with unusually nasty tactics.

In fact, students are targeted because Zionism is an overt element of their identity as Jews. This Zionophobia, as some prefer to call it, can only be understood on its own terms as a distinctive form of prejudice. This notion is lost when anti-Zionism is hyphenated but antisemitism is not. Thus between anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism, there should be two hyphens or none.

Most commentators have praised Lipstadts nomination, given her international reputation. A few critics oppose based on her perceived partisanship. As a former Republican appointee, I am willing to go out on a limb: Confirm Lipstadt, but let her fight anti-Semitism. If she wants to go hyphenless, she must fight antizionism, too.

Kenneth L. Marcus is a former Assistant U.S. Secretary of Education for Civil Rights, author of The Definition of Anti-Semitism and founder and chair of the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law.

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Why Should Jews Be Concerned About Hyphens? - Jewish Exponent

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Posted By admin on October 2, 2021

TEHRAN The Iranian ambassador to the Republic of Azerbaijan has tweeted that the dreams of the Zionist regime in the South Caucus region will never be interpreted

Ambassador Seyyed Abbas Mousavi made the remarks in response to a tweet by the Zionist regimes ambassador to Baku who had claimed Iran oppresses its religious and ethnic minorities and targets Jews in other countries.

Mousavi said, We have special respect for all Jews, Christians and other followers of the divine religions; but we are sure that the Republic of Azerbaijan and Palestine will remain Islamic countries forever. The dreams of Zionism for this region will never be interpreted.

In a separate tweet on Wednesday, Ambassador Mousavi said he had held separate talks on Wednesday and Tuesday with the ambassadors of Poland, Belgium and Serbia to the Republic of Azerbaijan during which they reviewed bilateral relations and also exchanged views about the latest developments in the region with the aim of achieving a just and sustainable peace in the South Caucasus.

PA/PA

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Israeli dreams in the region won't be realized, says Iranian envoy to Baku - Tehran Times

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Posted By admin on October 2, 2021

The Anti-Defamation League and Hillel International are working together to document antisemitism on campus.

The two organizations are developing a curriculum about the history of antisemitism and how it manifests today. They will also survey schools nationwide to provide a better picture of the state of antisemitism on campus, and will create a dedicated system to jointly tally incidents of antisemitism at colleges and universities, including a portal for students to report incidents confidentially.

Debbie Yunker Kail, executive director of Hillel at Arizona State University and vice chair of Hillel Internationals directors cabinet, said the partnership will help students understand what antisemitism is and, most importantly, help students to call it out when they see it, she said.

The initiative follows a spike in reported antisemitic incidents on campuses nationwide. ADL tallied 244 antisemitic incidents on campuses nationwide, an increase from 181 the previous school year. Last August, posters featuring Hitler was right, unity of our blood and other antisemitic comments were found on ASUs campus for the second time in less than a year.

A recent survey of members of AEPi and AEPhi, the most prominent national Jewish fraternity and sorority, found that large numbers of respondents have experienced antisemitism on campus. The survey, conducted last April and commissioned by the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law, also found that about half of respondents have felt the need to hide their Jewish identity on campus or in virtual campus settings. A slim majority said they are somewhat or very reluctant to share their views on Israel.

Leadership of AePhi ASU did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

ADL did not detail how it would verify whether confidentially submitted incidents actually occurred, beyond telling the Jewish Telegraphic Agency they would be judged by the methodology the group uses in its annual audit of antisemitic incidents. The methodology states that ADL carefully examines the credibility of all incidents, including obtaining independent verification when possible.

The student reporting process will be in addition to the systems already in place at each school. Yunker Kail said Hillel at ASU has a very clear bias reporting system so that students can report any concerns and works directly with students to report incidents. The campus organization also works with ASU administration to see an investigation through, she said.

Accusations of antisemitism on campus have received significant attention from large Jewish organizations for years. Some Jewish leaders have long said anti-Zionist activity on campus constitutes antisemitism, especially as a string of student governments endorsed the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions against Israel movement.

Hillel International prohibits partnerships with, and the hosting of, campus groups that support BDS. Anti-Zionist groups have at times targeted Hillel; recently, Students for Justice in Palestine at Rutgers University criticized the schools Hillel in a statement endorsed by other campus groups.

An ADL spokesperson told JTA that anti-Israel activism alone is not antisemitism. Situations vary widely with BDS, we will carefully evaluate each one and make a determination based on our criteria for antisemitism, the spokesperson said.

For example, a BDS resolution alone would not count as antisemitism, but if a student was excluded from the debate because he or she was Jewish, then it might be counted, according to the spokesperson.

ADL said its partnership with Hillel would complement student activism and that the group will firmly support well-meaning student-led efforts to push back against antisemitism on campus.

In recent months, student activists have formed their own organizations to further their online activism, called the New Zionist Congress and Jewish on Campus. The New Zionist Congress hosts an online book club and discussions about Zionism, while Jewish on Campus records stories of college antisemitism on its Instagram account, which has posted more than 500 times and has 33,000 followers. The posts include an anonymous anecdote from an ASU student, saying they didnt feel safe at their on-campus job following antisemitic remarks from a colleague.

Yunker Kail said she expects campuses and communities will benefit from Hillels and ADLs new initiative in many ways, and it is one of several new initiatives Hillel International is undertaking to combat antisemitism.

It recently launched a partnership with the Union for Reform Judaism, and began an initiative with PayPal to research how extremists use online financial platforms. JN

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Hillel, Anti-Defamation League partner on campus antisemitism - Jewish News of Greater Phoenix

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Posted By admin on October 2, 2021

The scrolls have been the source of mystery for scholars for centuries, who have been baffled by the fact that more than 15,000 pieces of more than 900 original documents were hidden in caves around Qumran that lie in the hills of the Judean Desert to the west of the Dead Sea in Israel. Far from any major settlements, the archaeological site of Qumran itself has also mystified scholars, who have been unsure of the purpose of its big open-air terrace, its giant ritual baths and nearby cemetery.

But now, researchers have found new evidence that could suggest Qumran could have been the site of a large annual ceremony of a Jewish sect of a group known as the Essenes.

Its members supposedly gathered from cities and rural communities all over Israel to join in on a key ritual known as the Covenant of Renewal.

The researchers found that Qumran's strange construction indicates that this ceremony did in fact take place.

They said they found out because parts of the Dead Sea Scrolls mention a festival that appears to be referring to the same gathering of the Essenes.

Their new theory says that much of the Dead Sea Scrolls may have been written by Essene communities all over the country and brought to Qumran at the time of the annual festival to be kept there.

Daniel Vainstub, an archaeologist at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, told Live Science: "The countrywide gathering in Sivan [the third month of the Jewish calendar, which falls in May or June] was a large and well-regulated event for which clear and detailed rules were established.

"All this fits the archaeological remains of the site."

In Mr Vainstubs new study, he claims the Qumran was the location of this annual gathering based on a version of the rules of the religious community written in the Damascus Document or Damascus Covenant.

The Damascus Document is seen as one of the most important works of the ancient Essene community.

It was copied from an earlier Hebrew source in about the 10th century A.D and was stored in the Cairo Genizah, a storeroom with over 400,000 Jewish manuscripts.

READ MORE:Moon landing: Long-lost lunar rock sample found in Florida

Mr Vainstub said "camps" were Essene religious groups scattered throughout Israel, often as isolated rural communities but also within major cities.

He claims the passage proves that a gathering took place at a specific time and that people from different places were called to convene in one site.

The study was published in the journal Religions.

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Egypt breakthrough as Hebrew document tipped to uncover Dead Sea Scrolls secrets - Daily Express

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Posted By admin on October 2, 2021

Toronto, Ontario--(Newsfile Corp. - September 27, 2021) - Clearmind Medicine Inc. (CSE: CMND) ("Clearmind" or the "Company"), a psychedelic medicine biotech company focused on the discovery and development of novel psychedelic-derived therapeutics to solve widespread and undertreated health problems, is pleased to announce it has entered an agreement to fund a second research and development project with Yissum Research Development Company ("Yissum"), the technology transfer company of The Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

The project is consistent with the Company's focus on developing novel therapies that improve mental health, particularly those relating to addiction, binge behavior and depression.

About Yissum Research Development Corporation

Yissum is the technology transfer company of The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Founded in 1964, it serves as a bridge between cutting-edge academic research and a global community of entrepreneurs, investors, and industry. Yissum's mission is to benefit society by converting extraordinary innovations and transformational technologies into commercial solutions that address our most urgent global challenges. Yissum has registered over 10,875+ patents globally; licensed over 1140+ technologies and has spun out more than 191 companies. Yissum's business partners span the globe and include companies such as Boston Scientific, Google, ICL, Intel, Johnson & Johnson, Merck, Microsoft, Novartis and many more. For further information please visit http://www.yissum.co.il.

About the Hebrew University of Jerusalem

The Hebrew University of Jerusalem is Israel's first university, formed in 1918 and opened in 1925. Today, there are over 23,000 students enrolled at the University, including undergraduates, master's degree students, and doctoral candidates. The university has four campuses: Mount Scopus, The Edmond J. Safra (Givat Ram) Campus, and Ein Kerem (in Jerusalem), and Rehovot. Hebrew University Alumni are invited to visit https://new.huji.ac.il.

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About Clearmind Medicine Inc.

Clearmind is a psychedelic pharmaceutical biotech company focused on the discovery and development of novel psychedelic-derived therapeutics to solve widespread and underserved health problems, including alcohol use disorder. Its primary objective is to research and develop psychedelic-based compounds and attempt to commercialize them as regulated medicines, foods or supplements.

The Company's intellectual portfolio currently consists of two patent families. The first, "Binge Behavior Regulators", has been granted in the U.S., Europe, China and India, with pending divisional applications in Europe and the U.S. The second, "Alcohol Beverage Substitute", has been approved for a European patent, with pending applications in the U.S., China and India. The Company intends to seek additional patents for its compounds whenever warranted and will remain opportunistic regarding the acquisition of additional intellectual property to build its portfolio.

Shares of Clearmind are listed for trading on the Canadian Securities Exchange under the symbol "CMND" and the Frankfurt Stock Exchange under the symbol "CWYO."

For further information, please contact:Investor Relations,Email: invest@clearmindmedicine.comTelephone: (778) 400-5347General Inquiries,Info@Clearmindmedicine.comwww.Clearmindmedicine.com

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS:

This news release may contain forward-looking statements and information based on current expectations. These statements should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results. Such statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those implied by such statements. Such statements include submission of the relevant documentation within the required timeframe to the satisfaction of the relevant regulators and raising sufficient financing to complete the Company's business strategy. There is no certainty that any of these events will occur. Although such statements are based on management's reasonable assumptions, there can be no assurance that such assumptions will prove to be correct. We assume no responsibility to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances.

Investing into early-stage companies inherently carries a high degree of risk, and investment into securities of the Company shall be considered highly speculative.

This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy, nor shall there be any sale of the securities in any province in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. The securities issued, or to be issued, under the Private Placement have not been, and will not be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an applicable exemption from registration requirements.

Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange (the "CSE") nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Not for distribution to U.S. newswire services or dissemination in the United States.

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/97709

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Clearmind Medicine To Fund Second R&D Partnership With Hebrew University's Technology Transfer Company - Yahoo Finance

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Posted By admin on October 2, 2021

As in the New Testament, the Hebrew Scriptures are peopled with a wide variety of women.Some of their names have been lost to history, others have names and stories that seem larger than life.However,all are part of the great fabric of salvation historywhich is our story.Thatstorybegan with the words, "Let there be light."

The author of Genesis 1:1wrotethatthe spirit/breath of God moved over the fearfulmysteryof chaos. I like toinvitethat same Holy Breath to bemy prayer companionon a regular basis eitherindividuallyor in a group of otherBiblical/saintlyfemininefriendsof my choice.

In severalmodernlanguages,such as Spanish,nouns areconsideredeither masculine or feminine.During my graduate theology studies, I took a class on Hebrew. I was surprised to discover that Hebrew nouns are likewise either masculine or feminine. Thus, the wordruahis,grammatically,a feminine nounthat means spirit or breath.However, ruah and many other Hebrew feminine nouns are often used as poetic metaphors in the human attempt to say something about God.

Joan P. Schaupp had this to say in her article "The Feminine Imagery of God in the Hebrew Bible":

There are profound metaphors of God as feminine in the Hebrew Old Testament. On occasion this poetic imagery is allegorized literally as female; most often the feminine appears in the Hebrew Bible in metaphor and allegory. ...

For women, this introduction to Genesis has profound implications, which are being grasped as a growing number of scholars closely examine the original Hebrew text. Simply stated, God is described in both masculine and feminine imagery in the opening verses of Genesis.God(a masculine noun) creates by his Word, and life begins as thespirit(a feminine noun) of God hovers over the earth with her life-giving breath.

That said, one can honor the feminine aspect ofruah.

Another Hebrew feminine noun is shekhinah, which is translatedas presence of God. Includingthis conceptduring my prayer helps medeepenmy meditation.I found this beautiful description in the Jewish Virtual Library: "It is through the shekinah that humans can experience the Divine. Thespirit moved to help bring order out of chaos. Thus,beginning the process of creation, we can pray for those who workto care for our Earthandfor government leaders to craft laws that will help heal and protect our Earth.

I reflect on the mother of Moses (Exodus 2:1-10): how sadthat she had to give up her childnot once buttwice.Many parents during the Holocaust sent or gave their children to other people so they would have a chance to grow up.Thisrealitycontinues today as parents of families fleeing violence often must make the difficult choice toseparate from their children bysendingthem to places they hope are more safe.I can imagine myself listening to Moses mother as she shares her painof letting go.With whatever spiritual practice you use to pray for the end of violence,prayalsofor thosefamilies andfor those unwed mothers who have given their child up for adoption,as well as formore women whowill choose adoption over abortion.

Turning to Miriam, sister to Moses and Aaron,(Exodus 15:1-18)makes me think of Oh,Freedom!, asong Ioftenenjoy hearingthe lyricsopranoRene Fleming sing. Her rendition islush,which, I believe, is perfectfor this timelessspiritual.While its lyricsoriginallycelebratedthe ultimate freedom of heaven after death, the song was commonly sung as part of the civil rights movementto celebrate the newfound freedom of African Americansin America.

After theIsraelites crossedthe Red Sea, Miriam ledherpeople in a dance to celebrate their deliverance.I can well imagine how these freed slaves must have danced and sang their own version of Oh, Freedom!The biblical text mentionstheIsraelitesconsideredMiriam a prophetess. Maybe her prophetic role was to show her people how to celebrate again.After 400 yearsof slavery, perhapstheyhad forgotten how.

When this pandemicendsand Christians of every faith community return to churchin greater numbers,how will we all celebrate?Let us pray with Miriam that we allwillsing with grateful heartsa freedom hymn.Pray also for those people who seeking freedom as refugees as well as for those who live under dictators.

Another favorite is Abigail(1 Samuel 25:2-42). Locked in an arranged and difficult marriage,Abigailwas able toremain true to herselfusingher strong diplomatic skillswith her husband.Shealsousedher diplomacytosoftenDavid's angry response toher husband'sinhospitable behavior. Itwasno surprise that after her husband dies, David marriesher.To have such strong skills,Abigailmust have first been a very caring and compassionate person.What might she say to you about compassion? As you listen, perhaps you could pray for those couples who have difficult marriages and for those who have escaped domestic violence.

Then there is Anna, Tobit's wife(Tobit). At one point in the story,Tobitbecomesblind.As a result,Anna must become the wage earner.Even though her earnings were essential for their survival, itwas a source offriction in their relationship.As a result, the story reveals the ups and downsmanymarriages go through.What I find interesting is how this couple's conversation progresses.We see Annaas a wife who speaks her mind to a doubting husband then a husband whochangesfrom doubtingto one who comforts a tearful wife.Similar tensions can occur today when a husband can no longer work due to an accident or illness.Anna would be an apt companion when we pray for couples in such situations and for those who are preparing for marriage.

Susanna(Daniel:13)was beautiful, rich, and deeply religious. Buther spiritualitydidntprotect her from beingsexuallyassaultedverbally. Then came "blame the victim.The two elders had everything going for them or at least they thought they did.Then someone spoke up oddly enough, it was a youth.Suddenly, everything changed.The elders were put on trial,their lie wasexposed, they were found guilty,thenthey received the punishment meant for Susanna.I like to share Susanna's prayerto intercedefor the unjustly condemned on death row,for women who are sexuallyharassedon their joband for all those who are sexually violated.

If you invite these or other women of the Hebrew Scriptures to be a part of your prayer and if you usetheintentionsI suggested, consider addingone or two ofyour own.In whatever way we choose to pray, we must prayfor a needy world.

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Pray with these women whose stories are woven into the 'great fabric of salvation history' - Global Sisters Report

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Posted By admin on October 2, 2021

A commitment to learning Greek and Hebrewthe original biblical languageshelps preserve orthodoxy in the local church, Rob Plummer said Sept. 22 in the annual Faculty Address at Southern Seminary.

In an age when evangelical institutions are cutting language requirements, Plummer gave five reasons why the languages are necessary and then pointed to four modern challenges. Plummer serves as the Collin and Evelyn Aikman Professor of Biblical Studies. The entire address may be viewed here.

Because we at Southern Seminary value the breathed-out inerrant Word of God as the final authority for our Christian beliefs and practices, we must be students of the original languages, Plummer said.

Plummer argued that neglecting the original languages is one of the first steps institutions take toward embracing liberalism.

A rejection of biblical authority goes hand in hand with the removal of the biblical languages from a seminarys curriculum. In these days of catastrophic moral and cultural decline, if we are not lured by the never-changing Scripture, we will soon look no different than the culture around us.

Now more than ever, preachers, teachers, and students need confidence in handling Gods Word. Plummer emphasized that training ministers to rightly divide the Word of truth in the original Greek and Hebrew is the best way to prepare the next generation of Christian leaders.

I confess that I find it embarrassing that evangelical seminaries are reducing biblical languages to an optional part of their MDiv curriculum. Were sending soldiers into battle with muskets and powder horns instead of powerful and accurate weaponry.

Plummer encouraged students and faculty members to retain their Hebrew and Greek. Daily Dose of Greek, which Plummer hosts, teaches and promotes the importance of the biblical languages to a global audience.

Southern Seminary President R. Albert Mohler Jr. concluded the event by honoring the Plummer family. Filled with history, anecdotes, and pastoral wisdom, Plummers faculty address was loudly applauded.

What a joyful and unique stewardship we have been given in our day. Plummer said, Not only to keep alive the legacy we have receivedcalling Southern Baptists to know and love the Scripturesbut to trumpet the value of Gods Word around the world.

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A Commitment to the Biblical Languages Helps Guard the Faith, Plummer says in Faculty Address - News - SBTS - The Southern News

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Posted By admin on October 2, 2021

St. Jerome, whose feast day is Sept. 30, is a giant in the intellectual history of the church. He is best known for translating the Bible from its original Hebrew and Greek into Latin, and his translation, called the Vulgate, remained the most commonly used version of scripture for over 1,100 years.

Today, though, the Vulgate is no longer in common use; in the English-speaking world, dozens of translations have vied for readers in its stead.

English-speaking Catholics in the 21st century have an embarrassment of riches from which to choose. There are mainstream translations like the New King James Version, the New International Version and the Good News Bible.

There are also more specialized versions: Last year, Bishop Robert Barrons ministry published its Word on Fire edition of the New Testament, replete with full-color images, historical explanations and reflections. Other Bibles are designed with specificsometimes very specificinterests in mind, like The Holy Bible: Stock Car Racingedition, which intersperses Scripture with unrelated pictures of race cars.

Amid such a multitude of choices, what is the best Bible translation for Catholics?

For many Catholics, finding the right Bible translation can seem a tricky topic to broach. To read Scripture more faithfully, as the Second Vatican Council exhorted the faithful to do, requires an easily readable translation, but also one that accurately translates the original biblical languages. Additionally, Catholic Bibles contain seven books from the Old Testament that are not found in either Protestant Bibles or in the Jewish Scriptures.

Getting Catholics to read the Bible also sometimes remains a challenge. Even though the Second Vatican Council documents vigorously encouraged Catholics to read Scripture regularly, they did not really turn to the Bible in a way that would have enriched them, said Richard J. Clifford, S.J., professor emeritus of Old Testament at Boston Colleges School of Theology and Ministry.

Catholics are generally more lax than other Christians about reading Scripture on a regular basis. If Catholics hope to change this, they shouldnt let the pressure of choosing the right version of the Good Book prevent them from opening one at all. The best Bible is the one you open and read, said Mary Elizabeth Sperry, who serves as associate director for permissions and New American Bible utilizations at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. It doesnt matter how good a translation is. If it sits on your shelf closed, its not a helpful Bible.

Michael Simone, S.J., who until recently served as professor of sacred Scripture at the School of Theology and Ministry, concurred. If Im just looking to hear the voice of Jesus today, I think any Bible translation works, he said. He noted that for the most part, todays Bible translations reliably transmit the actual Greek and Hebrew texts, and the odds are slim that someone will be led into extreme doctrinal error by reading a non-Catholic Bible.

That said, it can be helpful for Catholics to seek out Bibles that offer the same translation theyre likely to hear at Mass, because the repetition can help to reinforce passages of Scripture in their memory. We want the Bible to become part of their thinking, their heart, Ms. Sperry said.

To this end, the translation team of the New American Biblewhich works under the auspices of the U.S.C.C.B.hopes to significantly bridge the gap between hearing Scripture in the liturgy and reading it, studying it and praying with it in ones personal life. The team is currently working on updating its translation of the New Testament and, pending Vatican approval, the U.S. bishops will introduce the updates into the lectionary, so that Catholics will be able to hear the translation used in Mass readings in addition to accessing it in an updated version of the New American Bible (often called the NABRE, pronounced like neighbor).

Outside of the context of Mass, where homilies and parish bulletins are available to clarify tough passages from the Sunday readings, the Bible can be daunting to approach. Because the books of Scripture were written in historical and cultural contexts extremely different from the modern world, commentaries and cross-references are invaluable for readers in order to clear up potential confusion. In fact, the church thinks that this is so important that it requires Catholic Bibles to include these resources in order to receive ecclesiastical approval.

Readers should keep in mind, however, that as useful as annotations might be for understanding the meaning of a passage, they do have the potential to distract readers from pursuing a spiritual reading of Scripture. Editions of the Bible that are heavy on commentaries result in a reader wondering about the literal meaning on the page rather than a passages meaning within the context of the readers life, Father Clifford said.

As all three scholars mentioned, no one Bible is better in all ways than every other.

Still, the general consensus is that the NABRE is one of the most solid choices for Catholics. It is produced under the auspices of the U.S.C.C.B., which has approved the text, notes and cross-references. While the translation tends to be somewhat literal, Father Clifford said that this is not a major impediment to its readability.

Another good translation is the New Revised Standard Version. This version was spearheaded mainly by Protestant biblical scholars, with a handful of Jewish and Catholic translators also joining in the effort. There is little that is controversial in the translation; in fact, the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops employs it for liturgical readings. And for those who are looking for a translation that is more inclusive, Father Clifford says that the N.R.S.V. uses largely gender-neutral language. Unlike the NABRE, the base translation is sparing in its commentary and cross-references, but there are scholarly editions of the N.R.S.V. which offer an abundance of notes, such as the New Oxford Annotated Bible.

Another option for accessing Scripture is the New Jewish Publication Societys translation of the Hebrew Scriptures. Given that it is a work of Jewish scholarship, this edition does not include the New Testament or the books of the Apocrypha. Even so, Father Clifford says that he employs this translation in classes he teaches, in addition to Christian Bibles. The N.J.P.S. includes commentaries at the bottom of each page that cite leading Jewish intellectuals from across the centuries, like Ibn Ezra and Rashi. This translation provides a fresh perspective on otherwise familiar texts, allowing Catholics to read them in much the same way Jews during the life of Jesus would have done.

No matter the translation, though, Ms. Sperry says that the end goal for Catholics looking to explore Scripture should be to grow closer to Christ, the incarnate Word of God. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church articulates it, The Christian faith is not a religion of the book. Christianity is the religion of the Word of God, a word which is not a written and mute word, but the Word which is incarnate and living (No. 108).

Correction, Oct. 1, 2021: This article previously stated that the Vatican, approved the text, notes and cross-references for the NABRE. The U.S.C.C.B. approved these, per Canon Law.

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Which Bible translation should Catholics use? It's not the one you think. - America Magazine

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