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Min HaMuvhar

Conversion to Judaism: Halakha, Hashkafa, and Historic Challenge

Posted January 5, 2009 - 11:03am

The Jewish community underwent cataclysmic changes during the course of the nineteenth century. While most of world Jewry was religiously observant in 1800, a large majority were no longer devoted to halakhic tradition by 1900. Nineteenth-century Orthodox rabbinic leadership had to cope with the rise of Reform Judaism, the spread of Haskala, the breakdown of communal authority over its members, the defection of Jews from Torah and mitzvoth-and from Judaism altogether.

The dramatic erosion in religious observance led to various responses among 19th century Orthodox rabbis.


Return Conversion to the Rabbis

Posted January 12, 2010 - 9:08pm


For centuries, rabbis steeped in Torah and Halacha have served as the gatekeepers of the Jewish people. They have determined which non-Jews may join the Jewish people as converts.


Welcoming a "Chueta" back to his Jewishness

Posted December 20, 2009 - 7:00pm

During the middle ages, Jews lived in the island of Mallorca (Majorca) as in many other parts of Spain. With the vicious anti-Jewish persecutions of 1391 and shortly thereafter, open Jewish life came to an end in Mallorca. Those Jews who remained were forced to accept Catholicism.

In spite of their having converted to Catholicism, these "new Christians" were subject to ongoing humiliations. The "old Christians" referred to them with the pejorative term "Chuetas". The Chuetas were disdained because of their Jewish blood. No matter that they were now Catholics, the Chuetas were assumed to maintain Judaism in private; the old Christians shunned them, and certainly did not want to marry them.


1939 in the Sephardic World

Posted September 30, 2009 - 6:04pm
The Nazi menace decimated European Jewry, and its tentacles of hatred and violence reached even to North Africa and the Middle East. Jews of all backgrounds were victimized, and many stories about murdered family members remain as the heritage of Jews throughout the world. In our family-whose roots were in the Sephardic community of the Island of Rhodes-we also have a story.

My grandfather, Bohor Yehuda Angel, left the Island of Rhodes in 1908 to settle in Seattle, Washington. He and his older two sons, Moshe and Ralph, worked tirelessly to save enough money to bring the rest of the family to Seattle-my grandmother, Bulissa Esther Angel, and the children Victoria, Luna, Abner, Joseph and Rahamim.


Sermon on the Occasion of the 350th Anniversary Service at Shearith Israel, September 12, 2004

Posted April 13, 2009 - 9:45am

 

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are createdequal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights,that among these are Life, Liberty, and thepursuit of Happiness.” These words from the American Declaration ofIndependence reflect the deepest ideals and aspirations of the Americanpeople.  America is notmerely a country, vast and powerful; America is anidea, a vision of life as it could be.

When these words were first proclaimed on July 4, 1776, Congregation Shearith Israel was almost122 years old.  It was a venerablecommunity, with an impressive history--a bastion of Jewish faith and tradition,and an integral part of the American experience.


What Characterizes the Ideal Modern Orthodox Rabbi?

Posted March 1, 2009 - 4:07pm

A good friend and supporter of the Institute for Jewish Ideas and Ideals has asked me to describe the qualities that should characterize the "ideal Modern Orthodox rabbi". He has been very interested in the formation of our new Orthodox rabbinic association, the International Rabbinic Fellowship, and has inquired about how the goals of the IRF are different from those of other Orthodox rabbinic groups.


Teaching the Wholeness of the Jewish People

Posted February 17, 2009 - 1:36pm

Our heritage is rich and vast and we claim that we teach it. But do we truly understand the wholeness of the Jewish people, or is our knowledge really limited and fragmented? Do we, can we, inculcate the concept of Jewish unity in our students?  If we as educators are unaware of or disinterested in Jews who have had different historic experiences than we have had, how can we convey the richness of Judaism? How can we, in fact, demonstrate the sheer wonder of halakhic Jewry without a sense of awe at the halakhic contributions of all our diverse communities throughout the world, thoughout the ages?


Voices of Peace, Voices of Understanding

Posted January 7, 2009 - 10:03am

When bombs are exploding and tanks are rolling, it is difficult to imagine peace. When children are taught to hate and suicide/homicide murderers are called "freedom fighters", it is difficult to imagine peace. When all sides list their grievances and do not listen to the grievances of others, it is difficult to imagine peace.

But if we do not try to imagine peace, peace will not come. So let us imagine, in spite of all the "facts on the ground", that peace must be achieved. What voices can guide us? What words can be a salve to our wounds? How can we put the dream of peace into real terms?


The Conversion Crisis and Challenge

Posted November 3, 2008 - 9:46am

(This article is reprinted from Hadassah Magazine, November 2008.)

Great news.
Many thousands of people in Israel want to convert to Judaism. Most are from the former Soviet Union and have Jewish ancestry or spouses. Many others, of various national and religious backgrounds, have come to Israel to study Judaism and to become Jewish.


Rosh Hashanah Sermon, 2nd Day, 5769, Congregation Shearith Israel, New York City

Posted October 30, 2008 - 12:56pm

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