Articles

Amb. Ron Prosor addresses UN General Assembly before the vote on Palestinian Non-member Observer State Status

Mr. President,

Today I stand before you tall and proud because I represent the world's one and only Jewish state. A state built in the Jewish people's ancient homeland, with its eternal capital Jerusalem as its beating heart.

We are a nation with deep roots in the past and bright hopes for the future. We are a nation that values idealism, but acts with pragmatism. Israel is a nation that never hesitates to defend itself, but will always extend its hand for peace.

Pocketing Blessings through Orthodoxy and Creativity

“There is a tear in my eye; don’t wipe it away. It’s my gift to you.” —Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach

Frustrating--But the Best of Times

I must say at the outset that although my wife, Chaya, and I had some different motivations and experiences in our aliya process, we are both happy with our aliya. For me—and I am speaking about my own personal reflections and feelings—our aliya is the fulfillment of a dream I had since learning in Yeshivat Kerem beYavne in 1958–1959. It took more than 40 years—but it also took Bnei Yisrael 40 years to make it through the wilderness to the land of Israel. Personally, I am very happy with my aliya.

Thank You 508 Times

A year ago, the Institute for Jewish Ideas and Ideals launched a campaign to raise $650,000. The goal was to raise funds to support the ongoing work of the Institute, and to begin an endowment fund to maintain the Institute in the future. This was a huge goal but vital to the work of the Institute.

We thank the 508 donors to this campaign, all of whom are listed in our Scroll of Honor. The Scroll can be accessed on our website. The campaign raised well over $500,000 in donations, and $161,000 in pledges. So we actually exceeded our goal!

Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik's Views on Orthodoxy in Israel

On Friday, September 27, 1935, the Boston Jewish Advocate published an extensive interview with Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik, who had recently returned to Boston following a four-month stay in Palestine. In what is arguably the most comprehensive articulation of his early Zionism—if one takes seriously the citations of the interviewer, Carl Alpert—Rabbi Soloveitchik set forth in this interview his perspective on the role of Orthodoxy in Erets Yisrael.

Creating Space Between Peshat and Derash: A Book Review

Creating Space between Peshat and Derash

A Collection of Studies on Tanakh

By Hayyim J. Angel

(Ktav Publishing House and Sephardic Publication Foundation, 2011, 229 pages)

Spirituality

The very term “Spirituality” has in recent years acquired negative connotations. In Judaism, it is often associated with an expression of religious fervor devoid of halakhic content or commitment. It conjures up New Age pseudo-religion, unreliable, inconsistent, flaky sentimentality. To borrow a Christian bon mot, “Mysticism,” it is often asserted, “starts in a mist and ends in a schism.” Nevertheless both rationalism and mysticism are equally integral elements in Jewish, indeed all, religious life. It is the relationship between them that I want to explore in this essay.

Reflections on the Judeo-Spanish Tradition

I can still hear the voices of my grandparents, parents and elder relatives speaking and singing in Judeo-Spanish. Although they have passed away years ago, I still feel their presence especially on Shabbat and holidays and at family celebrations.

Return Conversion to the Rabbis

Rabbinic bureaucracy is the problem, not the solution. Rabbi Marc D. Angel, Founder and Director of the Institute for Jewish Ideas and Ideals, wrote this article which was published in the Forward newspaper, January 8, 2010.

Rabbis: No More Alibis - Center for Women's Justice

One of the most painful problems facing our community is the "Agunah" issue. An Agunah is a "chained" woman: she is legally married, but her husband has either gone missing, or is unwilling to grant her a divorce ("get") even when the marriage has collapsed. She is put in the untenable situation of being unable to move forward with her life; she cannot marry anyone else, since she is still tied to her missing or recalcitrant husband.