A very nice edition of Haveil Havalim, the Jewish Blog Carnival, is now up over at Ima on and off the Bima. Check it out! Founded by Soccer Dad, Haveil Havalim is a carnival of Jewish blogs — a weekly collection of Jewish & Israeli blog highlights, tidbits and points of interest collected from blogs …
Parshat Vayigash from G-dcast.com More Torah cartoons at www.g-dcast.com
OR:Siblings of People with Special Needs: Next Steps in Disability Awareness Outreach Or Ami spends significant time and energy embracing and supporting families with children with special needs. We are proactively welcoming, because our tradition teaches us that we all were created b’tzelem Elohim, in God’s image. Taking our lead from the Union for Reform …
What is it like to live with the knowledge that any moment missiles might rain down on you? To understand this is to understand the situation in Southern Israel that led to Israel’s operation against Hamas. David Farer in Living with Rockets describes what it is like to live in Sederot with the daily barrage …
Rabbi Eric Yoffie, president of the Union for Reform Judaism, articulately explains how most American Jews support the current Israeli response to Hamas’ seven year barrage of missiles: Wars sicken me, even wars that I support. I support Israel’s offensive in Gaza, but watching it on TV — the images of bombed-out buildings, crying women …
Martin Peretz writes: A cease-fire can sometimes be had between civilized governments. But why isn’t anyone pressing the United States and its allies in Afghanistan into a cease-fire with the Taliban? A stupid question. Because the enemy is the Taliban, and the Taliban could as easily convert to Christianity as agree to an armistice with …
When the movie means so much, find meaning in the movie. My colleague, Rabbi Joshua Haberman, challenged by a Bat Mitzvah who wanted to speak about the movie Twilight, took up the challenge, studied and spoke about the Jewish lessons in this teen movie phenomenon. I confess that while I have seen 3 movies this …
I’ve been following A Soldier’s Mother to read and live with the jumble of emotions that come from sending one’s child (or watching one’s child) go off toward war. Now, Donniel Hartman offers a father’s perspective. In this moving and very personal essay, entitled The Pain and Dilemma of an Israeli Father and Citizen, Donniel …
As always, there is a spectrum of opinions on the current situation in Israel. Four left leaning, but pro-Israel groups offered their perspective on the Gaza situation: JTA reports that: Four dovish pro-Israel groups criticized Israel’s airstrikes in Gaza and called for U.S. efforts to end the violence. J Street, Americans for Peace Now, Brit …
Since the Gaza Operation began, here’s what I do every morning. Up before 6AM. Turn on computer Review Ha’aretz newspaper for news from Israel. Then Jerusalem Post, Ynet and others. Hit the blogs, starting with Jack’s Gaza Round Up Part Three, following links all over the blogsphere. A Soldier’s Mother, reminds me of the importance …
My colleague, Rabbi Michael Boyden, whose Hod Hasharon synagogue – Kehilat Yonatan – is 15 miles north-east of Tel Aviv, posted these reflections on a Rabbinic Listserve. I share his words with permission: From: Michael Boyden Subject: Operation Cast Lead As Israel enters her second day of Operation Cast Lead against the Hamas in the …
During our last Or Ami trip to Israel, falling missiles prevented us from visiting S’derot in Southern Israel. Instead, we had a learning session with the father of a S’derot Media educator. He showed us a DVD of what was happening in S’derot. Then, I found the DVD horrible but manipulative. Yet, as Israel is …
The Rebbetzin's Husband: What is a Refugee Camp?
The Rebbetzin’s Husband (I love his blog subtitle: Perhaps some rabbis marry women and make them rebbetzins but my rebbetzin married me and made me a rabbi. True, true!) offers two informative posts: The first, Kassams, Air Strikes, Gaza Invasion…, written before Israel responded to the Hamas missile attacks, wrestles with the age-old reality that …
How do Israeli moms view the prospect of their children taking up arms to bring quiet to their country’s south? No bombastically. A Soldier’s Mother, in What I Want… and What I’ll Do, writes: What I want…is to go collect my little boy and bring him home. I want to lock him in a room …